Transition Into Practice: Outcomes of a Nurse Residency Program.

Background Nurse residency programs (NRPs) have been proposed to meet the educational needs of new graduate nurses and facilitate the transition into practice. Although most studies indicate the benefits of NRPs to assist nurses during transition into practice, only one study compared an NRP with a control group. This study examined whether nurses in an NRP transitioned into practice more successfully than nurses in a traditional orientation program. Method This study enrolled 106 newly employed graduate nurses into study arms by unit: a nurse residency intervention group or a control group of standard nursing orientation. Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice, Nurse Retention, and Nurse Job Satisfaction surveys measured group outcomes. Results Readiness for practice improved significantly for nurse residents, as did nurse retention perceptions, indicating that nurse residents were more likely to be retained at the organization. The 1- and 2-year nurse retention rates during the 3 years of the study showed marked improvement. Conclusion The NRP resulted in improved readiness for practice, improved nurse retention, and higher job satisfaction compared with standard orientation. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(1):32-39.].

Oncology Nurse Informaticists: An Evolving Role to Support Nursing Practice.

Nursing informatics is an evolving field in the burgeoning context of technologic and digital advances in health care. Nurse informaticists are integral in translating these advances into evidence-based clinical practice to improve the quality and safety of patient care and professional practice. This article describes the role and operationalization of nurse informaticists in the oncology setting. A case study is presented to exemplify how nurse informaticists can lead interprofessional teams in evaluating opportunities for process or quality improvement and implementing and evaluating digital solutions to improve oncology care.

Predictors and Characteristics of Opioid Utilization >15 Days Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: America is amid an opioid epidemic, best characterized by liberal prescribing practices; widespread opioid misuse, abuse, and diversion; and rising rates of prescription-related opioid overdose. While many contributors to opioid overprescribing exist, orthopedic surgery is identified as a key driver. The purpose of this study is to determine predictors of ongoing opioid use >15 days post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and those patients prescribed >1350 morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) in the 15 days following surgery. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients undergoing TKA (January 2016-December 2017) in an integrated healthcare system. Outcomes of interest were patient and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 621 patients were included in the study. The majority were female (57.6%), were non-Hispanic/Latino white (92.3%), and from metropolitan areas (64.3%) with fewer than 110,000 population. Mean age was 66.3. Being female (odds ratio [OR] = 1.547, P = .092), having a higher body mass index (OR = 1.043, P = .036), and receipt of more postdischarge prescriptions in the 60-day follow-up period (OR = 8.815, P < .0001) were associated with a greater likelihood of receipt of opioid prescriptions for more than 15 days. Older patients (OR = 0.954, P = .01) and those discharged to home (OR = 0.478, P = .045) were less likely to receive >1350 MME; longer length of stay (OR = 1.447, P = .013) was more likely in those prescribed >1350 MMEs. CONCLUSION: Several predictors were associated with longer duration and higher doses of opioid prescriptions post-TKA. Further research is needed to ascertain the challenges of opioid prescribing from both the metropolitan surgical team and rural healthcare provider perspective.