Leveraging Professional Governance During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Dynamic nursing leadership and engagement of nursing at all levels are critical to effective care delivery. During the COVID-19 crisis, many organizations suspended non-COVID-related meetings, including professional governance councils where practice decisions are made. This article highlights how shared or professional governance was leveraged during this global pandemic at a large academic medical center and community hospital effectively sustaining autonomous nursing practice while responding to a rapidly changing environment and impacting quality patient care.

Maximizing the Role of the Nurse: Strategies to Address Gaps in Asthma Care in Schools.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to describe differences in the numbers of children with a diagnosis of asthma identified through two methods, determine barriers to receiving asthma interventions in elementary school settings, and make recommendations for action and advocacy for school nurses to increase the number of children with access to asthma medications at school. DESIGN AND METHODS: The authors conducted a review of the asthma diagnosis process from the initial identification of a diagnosis to the delivery of interventions with 349 enrolled students in one large, urban public school in Tennessee. RESULTS: Sixty children were identified using the school's existing parent identification process and 91 children who participated in a concurrent asthma education program self-identified or were referred by a teacher, staff, or administrator. Only seven students identified through the combined methods had access to asthma medication (albuterol) at school. CONCLUSION: Missing asthma action plans, medication forms and inhalers emerged as major barriers to intervention even when a child's diagnosis is documented. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Asthma School Readiness Process (ASRP) was developed, which describes recommendations for nurses in school and community settings to promote safety and access to asthma medication in schools.

Advancement of global health: Recommendations from the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing & Midwifery (GAPFON®).

AIMS: To discuss nurses' contributions to global health through their participation in GAPFON®. DESIGN: Discussion paper that reviews literature related to global health, global nursing and midwifery based on the contributions of the GAPFON® report. DATA SOURCES: A literature search of electronic databases was conducted for published articles during 2014-2018 in English focusing on the main themes of the GAPFON® report. Manual searches of relevant journals and internet sites were also undertaken. RESULTS: Recommendations and strategies were discussed that could have an impact on the advancement of the nursing profession's contribution to global health based on the GAPFON® report outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: GAPFON® provides a framework to synergize and converge our activities to address professional issues around the globe, through implementation of the suggested strategies identified in the GAPFON® report. GAPFON® has engaged with nursing and midwifery leaders around the globe to determine both the most pressing health issues and professional issues in regions and the report is a synthesis of all the data, reflecting regional and global challenges. This article explores ways of how the report can be used as a basis for engagement with decision makers in global health. CONCLUSION: Advances in the professional areas embedded in the GAPFON® Model are expected to lead to capacity building, evidence-based practice and ultimately improved quality of global health care. The strategies for implementation identified by regional stakeholders can have an impact on the global health agenda by focusing on nurses and midwives as the drivers of this change.

'Global health' and 'global nursing': proposed definitions from The Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing.

AIMS: To propose definitions of global health and global nursing that reflect the new paradigm that integrates domestic and international health. BACKGROUND: Increased globalization has led to expanded awareness of the importance of global health and global nursing among students and faculty in the health professions and among policymakers and practitioners. DESIGN: Discussion paper that includes a discussion and review of the literature related to global health and global nursing. DATA SOURCES: A task force searched for and reviewed articles published in English, Spanish or Portuguese between 2005-2015, developed summaries, listed key elements, identified prevalent themes and developed consensus definitions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The definitions will be used by the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing to guide promoting a voice and vision for nursing that will contribute to the advancement of the profession's contribution to global health. CONCLUSIONS: Definitions of global health and global nursing were developed based on main themes and concepts identified in the literature review to guide contributions of nursing to global health.

Point-of-care technology supports bedside documentation.

As the conversion to an electronic health record intensifies, the question of which data-entry device works best in what environment and situation is paramount. Specifically, what is the best mix of equipment to purchase and install on clinical units based on staff preferences and budget constraints? The authors discuss their evaluation of stationary personal computers, workshops on wheels, and handheld tablets related to timeliness of data entry and their use of focus groups to ascertain the pros/cons of data-entry devices and staff preferences. An assessment of the implications for costs related to the timeliness of data entry is also presented.

How to select end user clinical data entry devices. Rush University Medical Center develops tool to identify the quantity of devices needed for the implementation of a new EMR and CPOE system.

Selecting the right types and quantities of computers to support data entry to an inpatient Electronic Medical Record (EMR) can be challenging. In addition to software and hardware considerations, many other variables affect the decision including staffing levels, hospital workflows, and floor plans. Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) developed a tool to help identify the quantity of devices needed in a Patient Care Unit (PCU). RUMC successfully used the tool in selecting the quantity of devices needed for the implementation of a new EMR and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system. This case study describes the use of the tool to determine quantities of PCU devices, the advantages and disadvantages of different types of computing devices for bedside documentation and areas that require special considerations in the selection of devices.

The influence of caregiver's psychosocial status on childhood asthma and obesity.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of childhood asthma and childhood overweight has increased in the last 2 decades, disproportionately burdening ethnic minority children and those living in poverty with no clear understanding of underlying mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of demographic variables, childhood obesity (adjusted body mass index > or = 95th percentile), caregivers' smoking status, and caregiver psychosocial status on asthma severity and asthma control in an urban sample of children with persistent asthma. METHODS: Child (with asthma)-caregiver dyads were recruited from public and archdiocese schools in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Chicago Initiative to Raise Asthma Health Equity. Data were collected as part of the baseline face-to-face surveys conducted within the community. RESULTS: The 531 dyads were divided into 2 groups: 294 taking controller medications were in the asthma control analyses and 237 taking rescue medications only were in the asthma severity analyses. In multivariate models, asthma control was significantly worse in obese children (odds ratio [OR], 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-3.05), African American children (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.05-4.46), and those with caregivers who had higher stress (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01-1.18). Older children had better control (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.90). Children with caregivers who wanted more asthma-specific social support were more likely to have moderate to severe asthma (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.06-4.05). CONCLUSION: In this community-based sample of children with active asthma, asthma control and asthma severity were associated with different factors. Caregiver variables were significant in both outcomes, and childhood obesity was associated only with poor asthma control.

The design of adult acute care units in U.S. hospitals.

PURPOSE: To describe the current state of design characteristics determined to be desirable by the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) in U.S. adult medical, surgical, and intensive care units (ICUs). DESIGN: Descriptive study of patient visibility; distance to hygiene, toileting, charting, and supplies; unit configuration; percentage of private rooms; and presence or absence of carpeting in 56 ICUs and 81 medical-surgical units in six metropolitan areas. METHODS: Data were collected via observation, measurement, and interviews. Unit configurations were classified via an iterative process. Descriptive data were analyzed according to ICU and non-ICU status using SPSS (Version 15). FINDINGS: Analysis of unit configurations indicated eight unit designs. Statistical analysis showed inter- and intrahospital variation in unit configurations, percentage private rooms, carpeting, visibility, and distance to supplies and charting. Few units met the AHRQ designated design elements studied. CONCLUSIONS: A wide gap exists between desirable characteristics in ICUs and medical-surgical units. Future research is needed to explore operationalization of unit design elements as risk adjustments, how design elements contribute to patient outcomes, and how design elements influence one another. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is room for improvement on almost every design variable, particularly on medical-surgical units. Future planning should take into consideration the interaction of bed capacity and unit configuration.

Resource clusters and variation in physical restraint use.

PURPOSE: To describe (a) the extent of inter- and intrainstitutional variation in labor, capital, and process-of-care variables related to nursing service on U.S. adult acute and intensive care units; (b) the extent to which resource clustering exists; and (c) an analysis of resource cluster role that explains variation in physical restraint rates. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHODS: Staff at 82 adult acute care and 55 intensive care units from 40 randomly selected U.S. hospitals provided data about more than 100 capital, labor, and process variables via (a) a staff nurse survey, and (b) interviews with unit leaders and measurement of unit design. These data described resources during the period in which physical restraint rate was established via direct observation. FINDINGS: Depending on the resource variable, 7% to 57% of hospitals in which more than one ICU was studied showed resource variation between their ICUs; the comparable statistics for adult acute units were 5% to 45%. Cluster analysis indicated a two-cluster solution for ICUs and a three-cluster solution for non-ICUs. ICU cluster assignment varied within 16% of hospitals in which more than one ICU was studied. Non-ICU cluster assignment varied within 20% of hospitals. Physical restraint use was best explained by patient characteristics, not resource clusters or individual resources. CONCLUSIONS: Studies of outcomes that are the product of a single unit must include measurement of resources at the unit level, assuming equal resources among units of similar types within a hospital is unwarranted. Further research regarding the effect of resource clusters on nurse sensitive outcomes is suggested.

How unit level nursing responsibilities are structured in US hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: To describe (1) the extent to which acute and intensive care units use the elements of nursing models (team, functional, primary, total patient care, patient-focused care, case management) and (2) the deployment of non-unit-based personnel resources. BACKGROUND: The lack of current data-based behavioral descriptions of the extent to which elements of nursing models are implemented makes it difficult to determine how work models may influence outcomes. METHODS: Nurse managers of 56 intensive care units and 80 acute care adult units from 40 randomly selected US hospitals participated in a structured interview regarding (1) day-shift use of patient assignment behaviors associated with nursing models and (2) the availability and consistency of assignment of non-unit-based support personnel. RESULTS: No model was implemented fully. Almost all intensive care units reported similar assignment behaviors except in the consistency of patient assignment. Non-intensive care units demonstrated wide variation in assignment patterns. Patterns differed intra-institutionally. There were large differences in the availability and deployment of non-unit-based supportive resources. CONCLUSIONS: Administrators must recognize the differences in work models within their institutions as a part of any quality improvement effort. Attempts to test new work models must be rigorous in the measurement of their implementation.

Prevalence and variation of physical restraint use in acute care settings in the US.

PURPOSE: To describe physical restraint (PR) rates and contexts in U.S. hospitals. DESIGN: This 2003-2005 descriptive study was done to measure PR prevalence and contexts (census, gender, age, ventilation status, PR type, and rationale) at 40 randomly selected acute care hospitals in six U.S. metropolitan areas. All units except psychiatric, emergency, operative, obstetric, and long-term care were included. METHODS: On 18 randomly selected days between 0500 and 0700 (5:00 am and 7:00 am), data collectors determined PR use and contexts via observation and nurse report. FINDINGS: PR prevalence was 50 per 1,000 patient days (based on 155,412 patient days). Preventing disruption of therapy was the chief reason cited. PR rates varied by unit type, with adult ICU rates the highest obtained. Intra- and interinstitutional variation was as high as 10-fold. Ventilator use was strongly associated with PR use. Elderly patients were over-represented among the physically restrained on some units (e.g., medical) but on many unit types (including most ICUs) their PR use was consistent with those of other adults. CONCLUSIONS: Wide rate variation indicates the need to examine administratively mediated variables and the promotion of unit-based improvement efforts. Anesthetic and sedation practices have contributed to high variation in ICU PR rates. Determining the types of units to target to achieve improvements in care of older adults requires study of PR sequelae rate by unit type.