Uso de la membrana de oxigenación extracorpórea en una paciente con trasplante pulmonar: cuidados de Enfermería / Uso da membrana de oxigenação extracorpórea em uma paciente pós-transplante pulmonar: cuidados de enfermagem / Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a post-lung transplant patient: nursing care

Se trata de un relato de experiencia de un caso sin precedentes en Brasil acerca de la sistematización de los cuidados de enfermería aplicados a una paciente en asistencia circulatoria mecánica con membrana de oxigenación extracorpórea en el postoperatorio de un trasplante de pulmón. Se establecieron 18 diagnósticos de enfermería y las 94 conductas implementadas abarcaron: cuidados con el circuito de asistencia, monitorización hemodinámica y control de las pruebas de laboratorio. Los principales resultados fueron que el paciente presentaba: un mejor intercambio de gases, mantenimiento de la estabilidad hemodinámica y ausencia de efectos adversos relacionados con el tratamiento, como el sangrado y reducción de la perfusión de la extremidad de la cánula venosa. La sistematización de la atención establecida mostró agregar conocimiento científico, orientación a la práctica clínica y atención integral (AU)

Trata-se de um relato de experiência de caso inédito no Brasil sobre a sistematização da assistência da Enfermagem aplicada a uma paciente em assistência circulatória mecânica com membrana de oxigenação extracorpórea no pós-operatório de transplante pulmonar. Foram estabelecidos 18 diagnósticos de Enfermagem e as 94 condutas implementadas envolveram: cuidados com o circuito da assistência, monitorização hemodinâmica e controle de exames laboratoriais. Os principais resultados esperados foram que a paciente apresentasse: troca gasosa melhorada, manutenção da estabilidade hemodinâmica e ausência dos efeitos adversos relacionados à terapia, tais como, sangramento e prejuízo à perfusão do membro de inserção da cânula venosa. A sistematização da assistência estabelecida mostrou agregar conhecimento científico, orientação à prática clínica e integralidade do cuidado

This is an experience report of unprecedented case in Brazil on the nursing care system applied to a patient in mechanical circulatory support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in postoperative lung transplantation. Were established 18 diagnoses and 94 nursing behaviors implemented involved: care assistance circuit, hemodynamic monitoring and control of laboratory tests. The main outcomes were that the patient had: improved gas exchange, maintenance of hemodynamic stability and absence of adverse effects related to treatment, such as bleeding and reduction in limb perfusion with cannula. The care system established showed aggregate scientific knowledge, guidance to clinical practice and comprehensive care (AU)

Effects of payment for performance in primary care: qualitative interview study.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the effects of a large scale 'payment for performance' scheme (the Quality and Outcomes Framework [QOF]) on professional roles and the delivery of primary care in the English National Health Service. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interview study. Twenty-four clinicians were interviewed during 2006: one general practitioner and one practice nurse in 12 general practices in eastern England with a broad range of sociodemographic and organizational characteristics. RESULTS: Participants reported substantial improvements in teamwork and in the organization, consistency and recording of care for conditions incentivized in the scheme, but not for non-incentivized conditions. The need to carry out and record specific clinical activities was felt to have changed the emphasis from 'patient led' consultations and listening to patients' concerns. Loss of continuity of care and of patient choice were described. Nurses experienced increased workload but enjoyed more autonomy and job satisfaction. Doctors acknowledged improved disease management and teamwork but expressed unease about 'box-ticking' and increased demands of team supervision, despite better terms and conditions. Doctors were less motivated to achieve performance indicators where they disputed the evidence on which they were based. Participants expressed little engagement with results of patient surveys or patient involvement initiatives. Some participants described data manipulation to maximize practice income. Many felt overwhelmed by the flow of policy initiatives. CONCLUSIONS: Payment for performance is driving major changes in the roles and organization of English primary health care teams. Non-incentivized activities and patients' concerns may receive less clinical attention. Practitioners would benefit from improved dissemination of the evidence justifying the inclusion of new performance indicators in the QOF.

Hospital nurse productivity enhancement.

Nurse staffing patterns have come under increased scrutiny as hospital managers attempt to control costs without harming service quality or staff morale. This study presents production function results from a study of nurse output from 2002 to 2005. The results suggest that productivity varies widely among the 39 hospitals as a function of staffing patterns, methods of organization, and the degree of reliance on nurse extender technicians. Nurse extenders can enhance the marginal value product of the most educated nurses as the RNs concentrate their workday around patient care activities. The results suggest that nurse extenders free RNs from the burden of nonnursing tasks. Incentive pay for nurses based on productivity gains is associated with enhanced productivity. One should get the greatest output for the least input effort, better balancing all factors of service delivery to achieve the most with the smallest resource effort.

Experiences of primary health care nurses regarding the provision of free health care services in the northern region of the Limpopo Province.

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of primary health care nurses working in the clinics and health centres involved in the provision of free health care services. The research design followed was exploratory, descriptive and qualitative. The population of the study included all primary health care nurses working at the clinics and health centres in the Vhembe (northern) region of the Limpopo Province. The sampling method used was purposive for the samples of both the clinics and the nurses. The inclusion criteria for the nurses included experience of two or more years in providing primary health care. The inclusion criteria for the selection of clinics included being a busy clinic (a minimum of 2000 patients per month) with a staff establishment of four or more primary health care nurses. In conducting this research, ethical principles were taken into account. Data was collected from 23 participants in the Northern Region. The research question read as follows: What are your experiences regarding the provision of free health care services? An open coding method consisting of eight steps provided by Tesch's (1990:140-145) eight-step method of analysing data was used. The research findings revealed that the primary health care nurses working in the clinics experience feelings of failure to provide adequate primary health care services due to the increased workload, misuse of the service, and fear associated with lack of security in the clinics and health centres. The conclusions drawn from this research are that on the one hand a poor mechanism exists for the monitoring of the implementation of free health services, and on another hand, there has been misuse of the facilities by the community. The concept "free health care service" has been misinterpreted.

'We are bitter but we are satisfied': nurses as street-level bureaucrats in South Africa.

This study investigates how a group of nurses based in busy urban primary care health clinics experienced the implementation of the free care (the removal of fees) and other South African national health policies introduced after 1996. The study aimed to capture the perceptions and perspectives of front-line providers (street-level bureaucrats) concerning the process of policy implementation. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, the study paid particular attention to the personal and professional consequences of the free care policy; the factors which influence nurses' responses to policy changes such as free care; and what they perceive to be barriers to effective policy implementation. The research reveals firstly that nurses' views and values inform their implementation of health policy; secondly that nurses feel excluded from the process of policy change; and finally that social, financial and human resources are insufficiently incorporated into the policy implementation process. The study recommends that the practice of policy change be viewed through the lens of the 'street-level bureaucrat' and highlights three sets of related managerial actions.

A cost consequence study of the impact of a dermatology-trained practice nurse on the quality of life of primary care patients with eczema and psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: The practice nurse is central to the development of a primary care-led National Health Service. Skin diseases can have a major impact on patients' lives but general practitioners (GPs) lack many of the skills of practical dermatology care and support. AIM: To determine whether a primary care dermatology liaison nurse should be introduced by our health authority. We identified the resources consumed and the benefits that accrued from a practice nurse who had received training in practical dermatology care. METHOD: A cost consequence study in parallel with a randomised controlled trial was undertaken in a group of nine GPs and 109 patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years who had a diagnosis of psoriasis or eczema. RESULTS: Although there was a significant improvement in our primary outcome measure within group, when compared with the control group significance was not achieved. There was no significant change in the Euroqol measure but the clinical instrument showed a significant change when compared with control. On entry, our qualitative data identified three main themes--the embarrassment caused by these skin conditions, the wish for a cure rather than treatment, and concern over the long-term effects of steroids. On completion, 20% of patients expressed that they had received a positive benefit from the clinic. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the difficulties of obtaining relevant information to facilitate decisions on how resources should be allocated in primary care. Not all questions can be answered by large multi-centred trials and studies themselves have an opportunity cost consuming resources that could otherwise be spent on direct health care. Often, local resource decisions will be based on partial evidence-yielding solutions that are satisfactory rather than optimum but which are, nevertheless, better than decisions taken with no evidence at all.

Nursing and labor cost reduction.

The coming of healthcare reform requires healthcare providers and hospitals to rethink the goals and objectives of the healthcare delivery system of the United States. To lower increasing costs while preserving the ultimate quality of care is a tremendous challenge. Labor costs in health care are primary targets for cost-cutting. Professional nurses, the group of healthcare providers who take up most of the hospital budget, are being targeted in many settings as an expendable budget item. Critical care physicians and patients depend on professional nurses to meet the care needs in the ICU. Creative, innovative, cost-effective methods of delivering critical care services must be developed in order to meet the demands of an increasing patient population. Some trial models with the explicit goal of managing cost and delivering high-quality critical care are discussed.

Work redesign in high-intensity environments. ProACT for critical care.

Hospitals are becoming immense intensive care units despite a continuing shortage of critical care nurses. While there has been widespread application of work redesign concepts in nursing during the last several years, few projects involving critical care have been reported. The authors describe a comprehensive restructuring initiative in the critical care setting and focus on the administrative implications of this work.

A summary of findings of a five-year comparison study of primary and team nursing.

This study compared primary and team nursing in three areas: quality of care, impact on nursing staff, and cost. Eight medical units in one hospital were evaluated. The study was conducted over a four-year period utilizing three phases: one preintervention phase and two postintervention phases. The study used multiple measures including two approaches to analysis of cost. The findings of this study confirm that primary nursing does result in a higher quality of nursing care than team nursing and that nurse retention is improved in primary nursing. In addition, this study shows that, both directly and indirectly, primary nursing reduces costs when compared to team nursing.

The university hospital nurse extender model. Part III, Program evaluation.

This article is the third part of a four-part series on The University Hospital Nurse Extender Model Using Patient Care Technicians. Part I provided the overview and conceptual framework for the model. Part II described each phase of the implementation process. This article presents the results of a 1-year evaluation of the impact of the model on nursing practice and satisfaction, and the cost of using the model. Part IV will present the lessons learned from this attempt to reconfigure patient care delivery.

A longitudinal cost analysis of primary and team nursing.

Cost findings from a 4-year (1984-1989) externally funded, empirical study, comparing primary and team nursing on medical units in a tertiary care teaching hospital, demonstrates that primary nursing is less costly than team nursing. An average savings of 6.5% was realized for the duration of the study. Three factors are identified as being responsible for the difference on a cost per patient per day basis. Overall, cost analysis per DRG from primary nursing suggests cost differences related to high DRG volume and average length-of-stay. An administrative review of the study's implications highlights the relevancy of these findings in relationship to nurse retention and cost savings.

An interview with Joyce C. Clifford. Interview by Carmella A. Bocchino.

Various professional practice models have been used to advance nursing. The primary nursing model at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital has continued to be successful for over 15 years and has gained the respect of both the nursing community and the hospital industry. Joyce C. Clifford, MSN, RN, FAAN, Vice-President for Nursing and Nurse-in-Chief at Beth Israel, discusses the development and implementation of this practice model and her strategies--continuity and accountability--to advance nursing.