Characterization and Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium Phage XianYue.

Novel mycobacteriophage XianYue was isolated in Northeast Georgia and infects Mycobacteria smegmatis mc2155. Actinobacteriophages which share at least 50% nucleotide identity are grouped into clusters, with XianYue in cluster A2. Its genome is 52,907 bp with 91 open reading frames (ORFs) and 62.9% GC content, and it shares 86.51% nucleotide identity with mycobacteriophage Trixie.

Family Presence During Resuscitation: Physicians' Perceptions of Risk, Benefit, and Self-Confidence.

BACKGROUND: Families often desire proximity to loved ones during life-threatening resuscitations and perceive clear benefits to being present. However, critical care nurses and physicians perceive risks and benefits. Whereas research is accumulating on nurses' perceptions of family presence, physicians' perspectives have not been clearly explicated. Psychometrically sound measures of physicians' perceptions are needed to create new knowledge and enhance collaboration among critical care nurses and physicians during resuscitation events. OBJECTIVE: This study tests 2 new instruments that measure physicians' perceived risks, benefits, and self-confidence related to family presence during resuscitation. METHODS: By a correlational design, a convenience sample of physicians (N = 195) from diverse clinical specialties in 1 hospital in the United States completed the Physicians' Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale and Physicians' Family Presence Self-confidence Scale. RESULTS: Findings supported the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of both new scales. Mean scale scores indicated that physicians perceived more risk than benefit and were confident in managing resuscitations with families present, although more than two-thirds reported feeling anxious. Higher self-confidence was significantly related to more perceived benefit and less perceived risk (P = .001). Younger physicians, family practice physicians, and physicians who previously had invited family presence expressed more positive perceptions (P = .05-.001). DISCUSSION: These 2 new scales offer a means to assess key perceptions of physicians related to family presence. Further testing in diverse physician populations may further validate the scales and yield knowledge that can strengthen collaboration among critical care nurses and physicians and improve patient and family outcomes.

A qualitative study of factors in nurses' and physicians' decision-making related to family presence during resuscitation.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the similarities and differences in factors that influence nurses' and physicians' decision-making related to family presence during resuscitation. BACKGROUND: Despite the growing acceptance of family presence during resuscitation worldwide, healthcare professionals continue to debate the risks and benefits of family presence. As many hospitals lack a policy to guide family presence during resuscitation, decisions are negotiated by resuscitation teams, families and patients in crisis situations. Research has not clarified the factors that influence the decision-making processes of nurses and physicians related to inviting family presence. This is the first study to elicit written data from healthcare professionals to explicate factors in decision-making about family presence. DESIGN: Qualitative exploratory-descriptive. METHODS: Convenience samples of registered nurses (n = 325) and acute care physicians (n = 193) from a Midwestern hospital in the United States of America handwrote responses to open-ended questions about family presence. Through thematic analysis, decision-making factors for physicians and nurses were identified and compared. RESULTS: Physicians and nurses evaluated three similar factors and four differing factors when deciding to invite family presence during resuscitation. Furthermore, nurses and physicians weighted the factors differently. Physicians weighted most heavily the family's potential to disrupt life-saving efforts and compromise patient care and then the family's knowledge about resuscitations. Nurses heavily weighted the potential for the family to be traumatised, the potential for the family to disrupt the resuscitation, and possible family benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses and physicians considered both similar and different factors when deciding to invite family presence. Physicians focused on the patient primarily, while nurses focused on the patient, family and resuscitation team. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Knowledge of factors that influence the decision-making of interprofessional colleagues can improve collaboration and communication in crisis events of family presence during resuscitation.

Nurses' perceptions of their self-confidence and the benefits and risks of family presence during resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Debate continues among nurses about the advantages and disadvantages of family presence during resuscitation. Knowledge development about such family presence is constrained by the lack of reliable and valid instruments to measure key variables. OBJECTIVES: To test 2 instruments used to measure nurses' perceptions of family presence during resuscitation, to explore demographic variables and perceptions of nurses' self-confidence and the risks and benefits related to such family presence in a broad sample of nurses from multiple hospital units, and to examine differences in perceptions of nurses who have and who have not invited family presence. METHODS: Nurses (n = 375) completed the Family Presence Risk-Benefit Scale and the Family Presence Self-confidence Scale. RESULTS: Nurses' perceptions of benefits, risks, and self-confidence were significantly and strongly interrelated. Nurses who invited family presence during resuscitation were significantly more self-confident in managing it and perceived more benefits and fewer risks (P < .001). Perceptions of more benefits and fewer risks were related to membership in professional organizations, professional certification, and working in an emergency department (P < .001). Data supported initial reliability and construct validity for the 2 scales. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' perceptions of the risks and benefits of family presence during resuscitation vary widely and are associated with how often the nurses invite family presence. After further testing, the 2 new scales may be suitable for measuring interventional outcomes, serve as self-assessment tools, and add to conceptual knowledge about family presence.