Exploring the Usage Effectiveness of a Nursing Charge System.

The nursing charge system for inpatient accounting has been utilized in healthcare institutions for years. However, the level of its effectiveness in meeting the needs of nursing services, including further development, has not been systematically evaluated. A cross-sectional study based in Delone and McLean's information system success model was applied to explore the level of effective nursing charge system usage across the five dimensions of system quality, information quality, service quality, user satisfaction, and net benefits. We conducted a survey of the inpatient units of a medical center in Taiwan from June 23, 2021, to July 23, 2021. A total of 214 valid questionnaires were collected. Using a 5-point Likert scale, the dimension with the highest score was information quality (3.71), followed by service quality (3.37), user satisfaction (3.36), net benefits (3.31), and system quality (3.23). Older nurses (r = -0.176) and those with more clinical experience (r = -0.151) viewed the nursing charge system as having less information quality. The comfort level with using the computer was positively associated with system quality (r = 0.396), information quality (r = 0.378), service quality (r = 0.275), user satisfaction (r = 0.417), and net benefits (r = 0.355). The opinions of nurses are vital. User feedback and advice should be investigated regularly to achieve system optimization.

Exploring the Effectiveness of Nurses' Usage of a Wound-Photography System.

As a result of rapid advancements in health information technology, uploading health-related information and records onto an electronic health record system has become a common practice. Photographs of patients' wounds have been uploaded electronically, but widespread acceptance by nurses has been prevented owing to issues such as file size and equipment. This research explores the attitude and satisfaction toward using an electronic health record for uploading wound photos. Through the integration of the Technology Acceptance Model, Information System Success Model, and other study results, this research aims to explore the impact of the following variables: system quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, user attitude, user satisfaction, and net benefits. We also tested nurses' understanding regarding the process of taking photographs and explored the photograph quality and the photography uploading rates. The results revealed that users were satisfied with the wound-photography system, but some believed that the system stability, processing time, and image resolution should be improved. In addition, more than 80% of the nurses correctly answered photo-taking questions, the study photos reached 70% of the quality standards, and the average uploading rate was 74%. The results could serve as guidelines for system design in the future.

Smart humancentric lighting system improves sleep efficiency of nursing home residents.

The global phenomenon of population aging presents a significant challenge, affecting both the increasing number of older individuals and their duration of living with disability. Tailored care services are crucial for improving the quality of life of older adults, particularly those with disabilities residing in nursing homes. However, ensuring personalized care and mitigating the risks associated with institutionalization are essential in optimizing care quality. One particular challenge in nursing homes is maintaining residents' personal routines and addressing sleep disturbances linked to neurodegenerative disorders. Non-pharmacological interventions are increasingly recognized as preventive and management strategies for behavioral and psychiatric symptoms in nursing home residents. Sleep disruptions, such as reduced duration and increased nocturnal awakenings, are prevalent among nursing home residents. Excessive nocturnal lighting and frequent caregiver interventions contribute to these disturbances. This study aimed to investigate the impact of implementing smart humancentric lighting on the sleep efficiency of nursing home residents. Data from pressure sensors embedded in mattresses were collected to assess sleep efficiency. The findings suggest that smart humancentric lighting can significantly reduce sleep disturbances and improve sleep quality in nursing home residents. Future research should delve into specific symptoms, care burden, and psychotropic agent utilization to validate the effectiveness of this intervention.

[Sepsis and Early Warning Score Systems].

Sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis and management of sepsis is critical to improving patient prognoses. Surviving sepsis campaign guidelines issued in 2016 encourage health institutions to establish a screening system to identify patients who are at risk of sepsis. In 2012, the Royal College of Physicians in the UK began to advocate replacing local and regional scoring systems with the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), which is optimized for the identification of sepsis. Although many hospitals continue to use other scoring systems, all healthcare organizations are being encouraged to adopt a standardized scoring system to better promote patient safety by facilitating rapid diagnoses and screenings and thus, subsequently, improving decision-making by clinical staffs. NEWS plays a very important role in the treatment of sepsis patients. Although research findings related to this scoring system differ somewhat, they provide an important reference for clinical nursing staffs. Intelligent systems are not comprehensive in terms of their capabilities. However, combining human intelligence with system features and further optimizing the system should contribute significantly to the reduction of mortality risk in patients with sepsis.

Implementation and Effectiveness of a Bar Code-Based Transfusion Management System for Transfusion Safety in a Tertiary Hospital: Retrospective Quality Improvement Study.

BACKGROUND: Large-scale and long-term studies are not sufficient to determine the efficiency that IT solutions can bring to transfusion safety. OBJECTIVE: This quality-improvement report describes our continuous efforts to implement and upgrade a bar code-based transfusion management (BCTM) system since 2011 and examines its effectiveness and sustainability in reducing blood transfusion errors, in a 3000-bed tertiary hospital, where more than 60,000 prescriptions of blood transfusion are covered by 2500 nurses each year. METHODS: The BCTM system uses barcodes for patient identification, onsite labeling, and blood product verification, through wireless connection to the hospital information systems. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were used to improve the process. Process maps before and after implementation of the BCTM system in 2011 were drawn to highlight the changes. The numbers of incorrect labeling or wrong blood in tube incidents that occurred quarterly were plotted on a run chart to monitor the quality changes of each intervention introduced. The annual occurrences of error events from 2011 to 2017 were compared with the mean occurrence of 2008-2010 to determine whether implementation of the BCTM system could effectively reduce the number of errors in 2016 and whether this reduction could persist in 2017. RESULTS: The error rate decreased from 0.03% in 2008-2010 to 0.002% in 2016 (P<.001) and 0.001% in 2017 (P<.001) after implementation of the BTCM system. Only one incorrect labeling incident was noted among the 68,324 samples for blood typing, and no incorrect transfusions occurred among 67,423 transfusion orders in 2017. CONCLUSIONS: This report demonstrates that continuous efforts to upgrade the existing process is critical to reduce errors in transfusion therapy, with support from information technology.

Developing a Decision-Aid Website for Breast Cancer Surgery: An Action Research Approach.

BACKGROUND: Patients with early-stage breast cancer have numerous options when choosing the type of breast surgery method to be applied. Each of these options lead to a similar long-term survival rate, but result in significant differences in appearance, function, cost, recurrence rate, and various other relevant considerations. However, the time available for detailed communication with each patient is often limited in clinics, which puts these women under great psychological stress and can hinder their surgery-related decision making. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a multipurpose surgery decision-making website providing medical information, psychological support, and decision-related simulation for women during breast cancer surgery-related decision making. METHODS: Using the 4 steps of action research, which involve multigroup teamwork via regular team meetings, the following were performed: (1) Planning: searching, analyzing, and evaluating health websites to consensually decide the major infrastructure; (2) Action: work was performed simultaneously in 4 groups, which consisted of medical information collection and editing, patient interviews and data extraction, webpage content design, and programming to create or host the website; (3) Evaluation: the website was tested by clinical experts and focus groups of former breast cancer patients to assess its effectiveness and pinpoint appropriate improvements; and (4) Reflection: constant dialogue was conducted between the various participants at each step, which was used as the foundation and motivation of next plan-action-evaluation-reflection circle. RESULTS: Using the action research approach, we completed the development of our website, which includes the following: (1) "Woman's Voice"-an animated comic depicting the story of a female breast cancer patient with interspersed questions for the users that will help them better empathize with the experience; (2) "Cancer Information Treasure House"-providing breast cancer surgery-related information through text, tables, pictures and a presentation video; (3) "Decision-making Simulator"-helping patients think through and check the pros and cons of the different surgical options via visual-based interactions including "Stairs Climbing" and "Fruit of Hope"; and (4) "Recommended Links"-providing reliable websites for further reference. Additionally, we have further improved the website based on the feedback received from postsurgery breast cancer patients and clinicians. We hope to continue improving to better meet both the patients' and health providers' needs and become a practical decision-making aid for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We have created the first breast cancer surgery decision-making assistance tool in Taiwan using a "Web-based" and multifunctional website design. This site aims to provide health care knowledge, psychological healing, and emotional support functions, as well as decision-making capability enhancement simulations. We look forward to assisting breast cancer patients in their decision-making process and expect our website to increase patient's autonomy and improve their communication with clinicians.

Developing a Web-Based Comic for Newly Diagnosed Women With Breast Cancer: An Action Research Approach.

BACKGROUND: Personal narratives have been seen as a useful way of communicating about cancer treatment options and providing recovery information. Many printed versions of such material are available, including comics that explore the individual memories of patients who have gone through cancer treatment. These studies have been used to orientate patients, patients' relatives, and physicians. However, only a few Web-based comics have been specifically designed for patients with breast cancer and used as aids to decision making. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the developmental process of creating an animated comic as a Web-based surgery decision-making tool; the comic was aimed at illustrating the feelings, thoughts, and meanings when a patient suffers from breast cancer. This was done by recounting the symptoms, diagnostic process, treatments, and treatment effects of such women from the diagnosis stage onward. METHODS: Using cycles of planning, action, evaluation, and reflection, which involved collaborative work, action research was conducted to develop a Web-based animated comic. The stages of action research consisted of (1) semistructured and in-depth interviews to collect experiences of women with breast cancer; (2) construction of an animated comic by editors, graphics designers, dubbers, and information technology engineers; (3) redrawing of pictures of the comic after gathering feedback from a breast surgeon; and (4) evaluation of the Web-based animated comic using 6 patient focus groups. RESULTS: The comic was produced and showcased on the website "The Network of Making-decision Aids for Breast Cancer Surgery"; the comic was accompanied by soft music and audio explanations. The comic functions as a personal statement that describes experiencing breast cancer. The animated comic consists of 8 chapters, based on the 8 themes deducted from the findings obtained during the analysis of relevant interviews. The 8 chapters include (1) the appearance of a lump; (2) confirmation by medical diagnosis; (3) the uncertainty of waiting (4) fear of life-threatening disease; (5) choosing life over despair; (6) being brave and deciding to undergo treatment; (7) choosing the type of surgery; and (8) being reborn. CONCLUSIONS: Using action research, this study illustrated that the comic that sheds light on issues of feelings, emotions, and thoughts that are present when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and provides a communication medium to explain the steps in the process. Meanwhile, it implies that hope will be able to overcome the challenges that will be faced. Within the Web-based decision aid for patients with breast cancer, the animated comic acts as an information resource and is aimed at patients' understanding of impacts of emotions arising when suffering from breast cancer. It is potentially applicable as a therapeutic tool that facilitates self-reflection and self-healing among newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer.

Effectiveness of coffee for postoperative ileus in patients following abdominal surgery: a systematic review protocol.

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to critically appraise, synthesize and present the best available evidence concerning the effects of coffee on postoperative ileus following abdominal surgery. The review will consider the effect of coffee and decaffeinated coffee on recovering gastrointestinal function, time to first bowel movement, time to first flatus, time to tolerance of solid food, postoperative complications and length of hospital stay.

[Chan-Chuang Qigong Improves Exercise Capacity, Depression, and Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure].

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based research has shown the effects of traditional Chinese exercise on exercise capacity, depression, and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of Chan-Chuang qigong on the physical and psychological status and on the quality of life of these patients are unknown. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of Chan-Chuang qigong on exercise capacity, depression, and quality of life in patients with heart failure. METHODS: A randomized controlled study with repeated measures was conducted. One hundred participants with heart failure were recruited from a teaching medical center in Taiwan. Permuted block randomization was used to randomly assign the participants to either the Chan-Chuang qigong group, which received Chan-Chuang qigong intervention for three-months, or the control group. The outcome variables included six-minute walk distance, depression, and quality of life. RESULTS: Generalized estimating equation analyses showed that the Chan-Chuang qigong group achieved significantly greater improvements than the control group in terms of six-minute walk distance (p = .001, p < .001, p < .001, respectively) and quality of life (p = .016, p < .001, p < .001, respectively) at 2, 4, and 12 weeks after the intervention and depression at 12 weeks after the intervention (p = .016). CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of this study indicate that Chan-Chuang qigong improves exercise capacity, depression, and quality of life in patients with heart failure without imposing harmful side effects.

Needs Assessment and System Design of Nursing Information Operation Simulation Learning System.

This study explored needs and content of nursing information simulation learning system for different nursing staff levels. A questionnaire survey method was conducted in this study. A total of 300 clinical instructors and new nurses were recruited from a medical center through purposive sampling. The results show the core framework of a learning system includes five objectives. The mean scores of the five objectives of clinical instructors all were higher than the new nurses. These findings can serve as a reference for the design framework and system functions, and will function as an important learning resource.

[Strategy for promoting evidence-based nursing practice in hospital].

Evidence-based practice has been demonstrated to improve quality of care, increase patients' satisfaction, and reduce the costs of medical care. Therefore, evidence-based practice is now central to the clinical decision-making process and to achieving better quality of care. Today, it is one of the important indicators of core competences for healthcare providers and accreditation for healthcare and educational systems. Further, evidence-based practice encourages in-school and continuous education programs to integrate evidence-based elements and concepts into curricula. Healthcare facilities and professional organizations proactively host campaigns and encourage healthcare providers to participate in evidence-based related training courses. However, the clinical evidence-based practice progress is slow. The general lack of a model for organizational follow-up may be a key factor associated with the slow adoption phenomenon. The authors provide a brief introduction to the evidence-based practice model, then described how it may be successfully translated through a staged process into the evidence-based practices of organizational cultures. This article may be used as a reference by healthcare facilities to promote evidence-based nursing practice.

Using a criteria-based reminder to reduce use of indwelling urinary catheters and decrease urinary tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Duration of indwelling urinary catheterization is an important risk factor for urinary tract infection. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a reminder approach reduces the use of urinary catheters and the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. METHODS: A randomized control trial was performed in 2 respiratory intensive care units in a 2990-bed tertiary referral medical center. Patients who had urinary catheters in place for more than 2 days from April through November 2008 were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (use of a criteria-based reminder to remove the catheter) or the control group (no reminder). RESULTS: A total of 278 patients were recruited. Utilization rate of indwelling urinary catheters was decreased by 22% in the intervention group compared with the control group (relative risk, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.76-0.80; P < .001). The intervention significantly shortened the median duration of catheterization (7 days vs 11 days for the control group; P < .001). The success rate for removing the catheters in the intervention group by day 7 was 88%. The reminder intervention reduced the incidence of catheter-associated infections by 48% (relative risk, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.32-0.86; P = .009) in the intervention group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a criteria-based reminder to remove indwelling urinary catheters can diminish the use of urinary catheterization and reduce the likelihood of catheter-associated urinary infections. This reminder approach can prevent catheter-associated urinary infections, and its use should be strongly considered as a way to enhance the safety of patients.

[Prevention and nursing care of central line-associated bloodstream infections in critically ill patients].

Catheter-related bloodstream infections are associated with significantly increased morbidity, mortality, and expenditures. Such infections are a serious threat to patient safety in the intensive care unit. This review describes the latest protocols related to preventing and treating central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections in critically ill patients. According to 2011 Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and central line care bundles by the institute for healthcare improvement (IHI), prevention measures for catheter-related bloodstream infections include the following: hand hygiene, maximal barrier precautions insertion, chlorhexidine skin antisepsis, optimal catheter site selection, proper catheter maintenance, insertion site care, and daily review of line necessity, with prompt removal of unnecessary lines. These are important and effective infection prevention measures. Guidelines and care bundles also recommend organizing care modules based on unit characteristics; integrating resources and empirical measures; education and training to promote comprehensive implementation; and auditing and monitoring to ensure staff continue to follow procedures. Effectively preventing central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections can enhance care quality and move healthcare closer to achieving the goal of zero tolerance.

Body image of children and adolescents with cancer: a metasynthesis on qualitative research findings.

Children and adolescents with cancer are confronted with many challenges. This review considered studies that used qualitative methods to examine the body image experience of children and adolescents with cancer. A systematic literature search of English and Chinese databases was undertaken, covering the period between 1960 and October 2010. Qualitative research findings were extracted and pooled using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. Eight papers met the inclusion criteria. The derived four metasyntheses included being distanced from the body, loss of self-identity, self-protective strategies and support, and getting rid of the shackles of the body. In conclusion, children and adolescents with cancer also experience various problems associated with changes in their body image. Repeated courses of treatment lead to loss of a normal, orderly life, and might even result in changes in interpersonal interactions. In response to body image change, individuals with cancer develop self-protective, coping strategies. Children and adolescents who experience life-threatening cancer come to face body image change positively, and might hold a confident attitude toward their future.

Establishing and evaluating bar-code technology in blood sampling system: a model based on human centered human-centered design method.

This study intended to use a human-centered design study method to develop a bar-code technology in blood sampling process. By using the multilevel analysis to gather the information, the bar-code technology has been constructed to identify the patient's identification, simplify the work process, and prevent medical error rates. A Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire was developed to assess the effectiveness of system and the data of patient's identification and sample errors were collected daily. The average scores of 8 items users' perceived ease of use was 25.21(3.72), 9 items users' perceived usefulness was 28.53(5.00), and 14 items task-technology fit was 52.24(7.09), the rate of patient identification error and samples with order cancelled were down to zero, however, new errors were generated after the new system deployed; which were the position of barcode stickers on the sample tubes. Overall, more than half of nurses (62.5%) were willing to use the new system.

Implementation and Evaluation the Effectiveness of the Bar-coded Medication Administration System in a Medical Center.

The aim of study was to implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the BCMA systems in medical center. A convenience sample of totally 48 medical-surgical units and 800 staff nurses were recruited to evaluate the systems in 2010. The nurses' perception of the BCMA/eMAR systems were accorded with clinical procedures, guarded the accuracy of patient identification and medication administration processes, and greater than 70% of nurses were willing to use the BCMA/eMAR systems.

Using chest vibration nursing intervention to improve expectoration of airway secretions and prevent lung collapse in ventilated ICU patients: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Almost 80% of patients in the intensive care unit are intubated and on mechanical ventilation. Thus, their airway clearance ability is compromised and their risk of lung collapse increased. A variety of interventions are used to enhance airway clearance with the goal of preventing atelectasis and infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a chest vibration nursing intervention on the expectoration of airway secretions and in preventing lung collapse among ventilated critically ill patients. METHODS: This was a randomized, single-blind experimental study. A total of 95 patients were enrolled from 2 ICUs and randomly assigned into either the experimental group (n = 50) or control group (n = 45). Patients in the control group received routine positioning care, which consisted of a change in body position every 2 hours. Patients in the experimental group received routine positioning care plus the use of chest vibration nursing intervention for 72 hours. This intervention consisted of placing a mechanical chest wall vibration pad on the patients back for 60 minutes when the patient was in a supine position. The chest vibration intervention was performed 6 times a day. Outcome variables were dry sputum weight (DSW) per 24 hours and lung collapse index (LCI); these were measured at 24, 48 and 72 hours. RESULTS: Patients who received the chest vibration nursing intervention had greater DSW and lower LCI after 24 hours. Pre-test DSW and group could explain 48.2% of the variance in DSW at 24 hours. The LCI at 24, 48 and 72 hours were all significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. The previous LCI measured was the most significant predictor of the next LCI measured. A significant difference was found between the control and experimental groups in their 24-, 48- and 72-hour DSW and LCI after vibration, when monitored by the generalized estimating equation in time sequence. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that chest vibration may contribute to expectoration and thus improve lung collapse among ventilated patients in an ICU. Chest vibration nursing intervention is a safe and effective alternative pulmonary clearance method and can be used on patients who are on ventilators in ICUs.

Organizational climate and nurse health outcomes in the United States: a systematic review.

Increasing interest has been focused on understanding the role working conditions play in terms of the serious issues facing hospitals today, including quality of patient care, nurse shortages, and financial challenges. One particular working condition that has been the subject of recent research, is the impact of organizational climate on nurses' well-being, including occupational health outcomes. To examine evidence-based research on the association between organizational climate and occupational health outcomes among acute-care registered nurses, a systematic review of published studies was conducted. Studies assessing the association between organizational climate variables and three common health outcomes in nurses (blood/body fluid exposures, musculoskeletal disorders, and burnout) were reviewed. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Although most were cross-sectional in design and variability was noted across studies with respect to operational definitions and assessment measures, all noted significant associations between specific negative aspects of hospital organizational climate and adverse health impacts in registered nurses. While evidence for an association between organizational climate constructs and nurses' health was found, data were limited and some of the relationships were weak. Additional studies are warranted to clarify the nature of these complex relationships.

Organizational climate and health care outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between organizational climate-which reflects the employees' perception of the organizational culture and is easily measured through employee questionnaires-and patient and employee outcomes were examined in a literature review. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted, with the review limited to primary research published between January 1995 and June 2007. An integrative model of organizational climate was used to guide the search and organize evidence. FINDINGS: Twenty studies, all cross-sectional in design, were identified. Samples ranged from 632 clinicians in 3 hospitals to almost 250,000 providers in 168 hospitals. Most researchers studied nurses in hospitals, but other providers were also surveyed. Perceptions of processes such as scheduling practices, collaboration, and autonomy were associated with nurse outcomes (for example, job satisfaction, turnover, occupational safety). There was some evidence that aspects of organizational climate were associated with patient outcomes, but the results were inconsistent. Measurement of the organizational climate factors and outcomes varied across studies. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence that organizational climate influences nurse outcomes is more robust than is the evidence that it influences patient outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of promoting a positive organizational climate.