Adverse Childhood Experiences: Missed Opportunities by Nurse Practitioners to Screen Adult Clients.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) occur as a result of abuse/neglect during childhood and household dysfunction. More than one half of adults have experienced at least one ACE, and this can lead to impaired coping and risky health behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship between nurse practitioner (NP) knowledge of ACE and screening practice for childhood trauma in a mid-southern state. Forty-four NPs participated in the survey. Of NP participants, 15% reported routinely screening for a history of childhood abuse. Psychiatric-mental health NPs were more knowledgeable about ACE screening and more confident in screening practices. All providers reported lack of time as the most frequent barrier to screening for ACE. NPs who regularly screen patients are more knowledgeable about the nine knowledge questions regarding ACE. Insufficient time to evaluate or counsel clients was a universal barrier across the sample. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(3), 20-27.].

Perceived Health Status in Rural Manufacturing Workers.

Manufacturing workers comprise 8.8% of the total U.S. workforce representing a sizable population for disease prevention and health promotion by occupational health nurses within worksite wellness programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived health status and objective health status including existing chronic disease among rural manufacturing workers. Rural manufacturing workers ( n = 114) completed a general health survey and consented to a retrospective chart review. All were participants in a direct incentive wellness program with biometric data available. The majority of participants were males between the ages of 46 and 60 years, and nearly half of the sample had a college degree. A statistically significant difference was observed between number of chronic diseases and lower perceived health status. These findings have implications for occupational health nurses and other health care providers to identify workers at risk for chronic illness through self-perceived health status assessment.

A Formative Program Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Tracking System Documentation to Meet National Core Competencies.

Electronic clinical tracking systems are used in many educational institutions of higher learning to document advanced practice registered nursing students' clinical experiences. Students' clinical experiences are constructed according to the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties core competencies. These competencies form a basis for evaluation of advanced practice registered nursing programs. However, no previous studies have evaluated the use of electronic clinical tracking systems to validate students' clinical experiences in meeting national core competencies. Medatrax, an electronic clinical tracking system, is evaluated using a formative program evaluation approach to determine if students' clinical documentations meet Family/Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Competencies in a midsouthern family nurse practitioner program. This formative program evaluation supports the use of an electronic clinical tracking system in facilitating accreditation and program outcome goals. The significance of this study is that it provides novel evidence to support the use of an electronic clinical tracking system to assist a midsouthern school of nursing in meeting national core competencies.

Evidence-based use of electronic clinical tracking systems in advanced practice registered nurse education: an integrative review.

Over the past decade, the federal government has mandated healthcare providers to incorporate electronic health records into practice by 2015. This technological update in healthcare documentation has generated a need for advanced practice RN programs to incorporate information technology into education. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties created core competencies to guide program standards for advanced practice RN education. One core competency is Technology and Information Literacy. Educational programs are moving toward the utilization of electronic clinical tracking systems to capture students' clinical encounter data. The purpose of this integrative review was to evaluate current research on advanced practice RN students' documentation of clinical encounters utilizing electronic clinical tracking systems to meet advanced practice RN curriculum outcome goals in information technology as defined by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. The state of the science depicts student' and faculty attitudes, preferences, opinions, and data collections of students' clinical encounters. Although electronic clinical tracking systems were utilized to track students' clinical encounters, these systems have not been evaluated for meeting information technology core competency standards. Educational programs are utilizing electronic clinical tracking systems with limited evidence-based literature evaluating the ability of these systems to meet the core competencies in advanced practice RN programs.