Designing Exercise and Nutrition Programs to Promote Normal Weight Maintenance for Nurses.

Living a healthy lifestyle is a constant choice. As a life goal, it is a decision to uphold every moment and is best achieved with support of others. There are a multitude of workplace wellness and healthy lifestyle programs that address achieving and maintaining the goal of normal weight over a lifetime. Fewer such evidence based programs exist and a goal of our hospital is to create a comprehensive wellness program based on evidence. In the context of normal weight maintenance in nurses, this article discusses selected challenges for healthy eating and exercise and nurse fitness programs based on the author and her colleagues experiences with specific obesity research interventions, such as Nurses Living FitTM, that we designed and offered. An exemplar provides details about our wellness programs, which included three annual walk or run events, one full day conference, and a series of multiple exercise, yoga, and nutrition sessions. Our goal was to expose nurses to healthier lifestyle aspects with a primary focus on the optimal balance of exercise and nutrition. Over the years of research, events, and programs, greater than 1,000 people have participated. The conclusion includes implications for education and practice in the hope that our experiences may motive nurses to design exercise and nutrition programs to promote normal weight maintenance in nurses.

National survey of hospital nursing research, part 2: facilitators and hindrances.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the facilitators and hindrances associated with the conduct of registered nurse-led research in US hospitals. BACKGROUND: Hospital-based nursing research programs are growing in response to increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice. Concerns existed about institutional regulations prohibiting staff nurses' ability to be principal investigators of their research studies. METHODS: Comments from the Hospital-Based Nursing Research Requirements and Outcomes national survey regarding facilitators and hindrances of conducting nursing research in hospitals were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Comments from 95% of surveys were classified into 24 facilitator and hindrance codes. Both Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals identified the presence of a research mentor as the top facilitator. In non-Magnet hospitals, the top hindrance was a lack of a research mentor as compared with Magnet hospitals, which reported lack of time. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a research mentor is the most important facilitator for hospital nursing research. Findings provide data to inform research program development.

National survey of hospital nursing research, part 1: research requirements and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe program requirements and scholarly outcomes for registered nurse (RN)-led research in US hospitals. BACKGROUND: Magnet recognition emphasis on evidence-based practice and research has stimulated the growth of hospital-based nursing research programs. Hospital policies stipulating whether RNs can lead studies as principal investigators (PIs) varied among members of a regional nursing research consortium. METHODS: Members of the consortium conducted a national survey of hospitals regarding their requirements for RN-led research and associated scholarly outcomes. RESULTS: Most (87.1%) of the hospitals (N = 160) reported no minimum educational requirements for nurses to be PIs. Mentoring, training, and peer review/approval requirements differed between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. On average, hospitals reported an annual total of 4 studies initiated, 4 disseminated via podium or poster presentation, 1 published, and 2 funded. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study provide a prototype and benchmark information for nursing administrators planning to establish, evaluate, and/or expand nursing research programs.