Meeting Code Blue Requirements Using a Team-Based Simulation.

Immediate high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation are essential to survival, yet CPR skills deteriorate without frequent repetition. Basic Life Support-focused Code Blue team-based simulation is needed in continuing education to bridge this gap. This article outlines a teaching plan for hospital orientation and subsequent scenarios to improve the resuscitation response. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(5):205-208.].

Sword of Damocles cutting through the life stages of women with ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To identify the most prevalent worries and fears of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. RESEARCH APPROACH: Online survey design was used to elicit qualitative data. Examination of worry was a single question extracted from a broader investigation. SETTING: A "virtual interview" enabled women from 12 countries and 44 states to participate in this study. PARTICIPANTS: 360 English-speaking women aged 19-82 years with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Ninety-one percent of the women were partnered, were Caucasian, and had received at least some college education. The sample was equally stratified on income, geographic location (rural versus urban), and distance to healthcare services. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: A descriptive survey was used to investigate "worry" among women with ovarian cancer. Colaizzi's qualitative method was used to analyze the narrative responses. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Worries and fears of women with ovarian cancer stratified by age and development stage. FINDINGS: Consistent with previously published studies, worry about recurrence and fear of death were expressed by most women, regardless of age, ethnicity, or stage of life. Other worries expressed by study participants varied by age and development and were found to correlate with the last three stages of life as described in Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development. CONCLUSIONS: Age and development stage are key determinants of the needs and concerns of women with ovarian cancer. INTERPRETATION: Age and development stage should be considered when developing an individualized plan of care. Because recurrence is common among this population, the fear of death exists regardless of age and should be explored by nurses, particularly during periods of remission.

Teaching staff nurses the CAM-ICU for delirium screening.

The confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU) is a tool for screening for delirium in ventilated patients that with proper training can be administered quickly by staff nurses in the ICU. Unrecognized delirium can have a range of negative consequences, and in the elderly patients, it may be the first sign of an acute illness that, if left untreated, could result in death. Appropriate and early recognition is therefore imperative. Training staff to use the CAM-ICU requires not only a basic understanding of delirium and a firm orientation to the tool's features but also some preparatory decisions about tool usage and a defined approach to integrate the tool into the physical assessment process. Preparatory decisions include (1) how the tool will be used, (2) defining the process for identifying and recording baseline mental status, and (3) defining how documentation will occur. On the basis of the experience of teaching this tool to staff nurses, a 6-step process is explicated to facilitate integration: (1) putting it in context, (2) defining the features, (3) talking about tough cases, (4) doing the assessment, (5) documenting the assessment, and (6) continuing to discuss.