Impact of Bedside Laparotomy Simulation and Microlearning on Trauma Nurse Role Clarity, Knowledge, and Confidence.

BACKGROUND: The care of patients undergoing low-volume, high-risk emergency procedures such as bedside laparotomy (BSL) remains a challenge for surgical trauma critical care nurses. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates simulation and microlearning on trauma nurse role ambiguity, knowledge, and confidence in caring for patients during emergency BSL. METHODS: The study is a single-center, prospective pretest-posttest design conducted from September to November 2022 at a Level I trauma center in the Mid-Atlantic United States using simulation and microlearning to evaluate role clarity, knowledge, and confidence among surgical trauma intensive care unit (STICU) nurses. Participants, nurses from a voluntary convenience sample within a STICU, attended a simulation and received three weekly microlearning modules. Instruments measuring role ambiguity, knowledge, and confidence were administered before the simulation, after, and again at 30 days. RESULTS: From the pretest to the initial posttest, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) Role Ambiguity scores increased by 1.0 (1.13) (p < .001), and at the 30-day posttest, improved by 1.33 (1.5) (p < .001). The median (IQR) knowledge scores at initial posttest improved by 4.0 (2.0) (p < .001) and at the 30-day posttest improved by 3.0 (1.75) (p< .001). The median (IQR) confidence scores at initial posttest increased by 0.08 (0.33) (p = .009) and at the 30-day posttest improved by 0.33 (0.54) (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: We found that simulation and microlearning improved trauma nurse role clarity, knowledge, and confidence in caring for patients undergoing emergency BSL.

A Nurse-Led Implementation Science Specialist Program.

ABSTRACT: A well-known challenge in health care is integrating evidence into practice. Implementation science (IS) is a growing field that promotes the sustainable application of evidence-based practice (EBP) to clinical care. Health care organizations have an opportunity to support sustainable change by creating robust IS infrastructures that engage nurses in the clinical environment. Integrating IS into a nursing shared governance model is an ideal vehicle to empower direct care nurses to sustain EBP. Importantly, an IS infrastructure may also promote nurse retention and increase interdisciplinary collaboration. This article, the first in a series on applying IS, describes how a multisite health care organization developed a systemwide nurse-led IS Specialist program within a shared governance model.

Lessons Learned From a Theory of Planned Behavior-Derived Study on Educational Interventions Inspired by the Affective Domain.

BACKGROUND: A paucity of literature exists on use of the affective domain to improve adherence to pressure injury prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of emphasizing the cognitive domain versus education based on combination of the affective and cognitive domains focusing on medical-surgical nurses' behavioral intent to use evidence-based practices to prevent pressure injury. METHOD: A cluster randomized, controlled design was used to compare differences between groups. Medical-surgical nurses in units with low performance in pressure ulcer prevention were studied. A total of 77 nurses participated. This study employed the theory of planned behavior. RESULTS: Attitudes toward pressure ulcer predicted behavioral intent. Nurses who experienced the affective domain education showed improvements over the control group for attitude and perceived behavioral control. CONCLUSION: Affective domain interventions have the potential to favorably impact nurses in valuing pressure ulcer prevention, despite any barriers. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(12):543-551.

Incentive spirometry in postoperative abdominal/thoracic surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative patients have higher incidences of respiratory complications. Patients undergoing abdominal or thoracic surgical procedures are at greater risk of having such complications. Incentive spirometry is an inhalation-based prophylactic technique that encourages patients to mimic a natural deep sigh to periodically increase lung volume. As this technique is the prophylactic method of choice for many hospitals, several studies have tested its efficacy. METHODS: Five articles, including 4 systematic reviews and 1 clinical practice guideline, are analyzed and summarized. Each article was reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of health care providers and is discussed herein. A clinical recommendation for practice change is provided on the basis of the results. SUMMARY: Incentive spirometry is only as effective as cough/deep-breathing regimens and other means of postoperative pulmonary prophylaxis. No single prophylactic technique clearly outperforms all others in preventing pulmonary complications. Future research is needed to determine the best method to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications.

Implementing the best available evidence in early delirium identification in elderly hip surgery patients.

AIMS: Delirium is a frequent complication in the surgical experience of elderly hip surgery patients. Its impact can be severe and may even include death. Implementation of a delirium predictor tool might focus attention on early recognition of delirium, thereby potentially decreasing its impact. A related aim is to evaluate best practices in implementation strategies in this project. METHODS: After an exhaustive search of the literature, no consensus was found regarding delirium predictors for the elderly hip surgery patient. A local research study was implemented to determine factors that may predict delirium in this population. With evidence secured, a multidisciplinary implementation project augmented by ongoing audit was instituted. A variety of social diffusion and education tools were used. Implementation was guided by the use of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework assessment tool and the Alberta Context Tool, as well as traditional performance improvement tools, such as fishbone charting. Audit identified the rate of use of the predictor tool and pre- and post-rates of delirium. This project was part of the Joanna Briggs Institute Signature Project, an implementation project consisting of six teams, each representing a different organisation. This overall project was supported by experts in the field of translation and implementation science internationally. RESULTS: Initial compliance to the use of the predictor tool was assessed at 54% within 3 months of implementation and increased to 56% in the ensuing months. Before the study use of the predictor tool, the delirium rate was 10.4% (12 of 115 patients). An interim analysis 4 months after implementation identified a 20% delirium rate (18 of 70 patients) and an updated analysis 8 months into the project showed a 16.3% delirium rate. Delirium predictor tool use was associated with a lower delirium rate (9/76, 11.84%) than no delirium predictor tool (13/60, 21.67%), but the difference was not statistically significant with a sample size of 133 (P = 0.122). CONCLUSIONS: The delirium predictor tool shows promise as a prompt for best practices in prevention of delirium. This study showed a change in delirium rates as a result of its use. Although the results were not statistically significant, they may be clinically meaningful. Comprehensive assessment and implementation planning by a multidisciplinary team contributed to only 56% compliance in use. Despite this low rate, delirium identification rates were higher.