The Relationship between Nursing Leadership and Patient Readmission Rate: A Systematic Review.

Background: Nurse leaders play a fundamental role in improving patient quality care delivery, thus improving patient clinical outcomes.

Purpose: This systematic review examined the knowledge to date of nursing leadership on reducing patient readmission rates.

Methods: A literature review was conducted using seven electronic databases: Medline Ovid, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL) Plus, Emerald, PsycINFO, ABI/INFORM collection, and EBSCO, with the addition of references for relevant papers reviewed.

Simulated Forest Immersion Therapy: Methods Development.

Shinrin-yoku, forest bathing, may provide relief from chronic and breakthrough pain in patients with axial spondyloarthritis and improve immune function through increasing NK cell numbers and activity and their downstream effectors, perforin and granulysin, after chemo- or radiation therapy in breast and prostate cancer patients. The aim of this paper is to describe the study protocol for a simulated forest immersion therapy using virtual reality and atomized phytoncides, volatile organic compounds found in forested areas designed to effect positive change for these two patient populations. The setting, including the room set up and samples with inclusion/exclusion specific to this type of intervention, is outlined.

Greenspace Interventions, Stress and Cortisol: A Scoping Review.

Background: Engaging with nature can profoundly impact psychological and physiological health of persons across the lifespan. Greenspace interventions (GSI) encompass a broad range of strategic, nature-based activities for overall health and wellbeing. Within the past 20 years there has been a growing interest in the access to and management of greenspace to mediate the deleterious impact of acute and chronic stress, particularly, physiologic biomarkers of stress such as cortisol.

Factors influencing nurses' willingness to lead.

Aim: To identify factors influencing nurses' willingness to lead.

Background: Given the ageing workforce and the projected retirement of nurse leaders, there is a concern about nursing leadership shortages in the next decade. Several studies have shown that nurses are not interested in pursuing leadership positions, but studies investigating nurses' willingness to lead and related predictors remain limited.

The Influence of β-Adrenergic Receptor Kinase-1 on Stroke-induced Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Background: Immunodeficiency in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is thought to be a result of norepinephrine suppression of the lymphoid tissue. The possible differences in the distribution of lymphocytes after stroke may be due to differences in responsiveness of lymphocyte β-adrenergic receptors to their kinase (BARK-1).

Objective: The objective was to quantify the influence of lymphocyte BARK-1 on stroke-induced immunodeficiency in AIS patients.

Psychometric analysis of the leadership environment scale (LENS): Outcome from the Oregon research initiative on the organisation of nursing (ORION).

Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish the psychometric properties of the new 16-item leadership environment scale.

Background: The leadership environment scale was based on complexity science concepts relevant to complex adaptive health care systems.

Methods: A workforce survey of direct-care nurses was conducted (n = 1,443) in Oregon.

Effects of Work Environment on Quality of Care in ICUs: A Multisite Survey in China.

This study estimated the effects of the work environment on the quality of care in intensive care units (ICUs). Nurses in ICUs with good work environments or high nurse staffing were significantly less likely to report poor or fair quality of care (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37-0.

Description and Identification of the Peripheral Immune Response Trajectories Over Time in First-Time and Recurrent Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack.

A unique extant database to explain heterogeneity in peripheral immune response (PIR) over time in response to stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) was used to compare changes in PIR between first-time and recurrent stroke/TIA and to identify distinct and common trajectories of change in the PIR in stroke/TIA. Associations between risk factors for stroke (hypertension, smoking, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, infection) and PIR trajectory were quantified using multivariate random effects modeling. With comparable admission values, patients with recurrent stroke/TIA had a persistent elevation in lymphocyte percentage as opposed to the significant decline in lymphocyte percentages over time observed in those with first-time stroke/TIA.

Influence of Gender and Age on the Peripheral Immune Response in Stroke.

Background: Women and men have unique stroke risk factors and can experience different poststroke infections.

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the influence of gender, age, and risk factors on the peripheral immune response in stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Method: A total of 192 adult acute stroke/TIA cases were analyzed for age, gender, risk factors for stroke/TIA, and white blood cell with differential count.

Creation of a virtual health system for leadership clinical experiences.

Students had difficulty integrating leadership and outcomes management skills into their burgeoning novice practice. Further, the Baccalaureate Completion Program for RNs, an online program, expanded student enrollment, which created difficulty in finding enough clinical placements in agencies with staff experienced in leading teams and conducting performance improvement projects. The Leadership and Outcomes Management course was changed from a live clinical agency placement course to a virtual clinical agency experience.

Peripheral immune response and infection in first-time and recurrent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.

Goals: The aims of this study were to determine if the infection rate differs between the first and recurrent ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), if the pattern of the peripheral immune response (PIR) differs between the first and recurrent ischemic stroke/TIA and if infection further influenced the pattern of the PIR.

Methods: Retrospective review of 500 stroke cases with strict exclusion criteria (e.g.

International classification of functioning, disability and health categories for spinal cord injury nursing in China.

Purpose: To explore a set of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories that cover the spinal cord injury (SCI) nursing practice in China through a national expert survey.

Methods: An internet-based email survey was used. An original set of ICF categories specifically for SCI nursing has been developed from the preliminary studies based on an international perspective.

Re-valuing nursing's currency: shifting away from hierarchical binary opposition.

This paper starts a discussion amongst nurse educators internationally regarding the nature of curricula for initial nursing licensure. Nursing is compelled by traditional views of nursing into taking a long-established and expected place in the health care hierarchy, which is reflected in current curricula. In order to establish a re-valued nursing currency within healthcare, nursing educators are required to re-examine these established norms and re-design these curricula, based on the premise that nursing is now set in a complex and unpredictable system.

Spiraling evidence-based practice and outcomes management concepts in an undergraduate curriculum: a systematic approach.

Preparing undergraduate nursing students to practice nursing in the 21st century requires a focus on the development of evidence-based practice and outcomes management knowledge and skills throughout the nursing curriculum. To this end, seven learning activities were created that spiral and increase in complexity while building on previously acquired skills. Working in teams and practicing team-building techniques, students learned how to develop a clinical question, search the literature, synthesize the current knowledge, identify the significance of the issue in an ecological model, decipher existing quality data and compare that data to national benchmarks, investigate a health care quality issue using quality improvement methods, and draft a proposal for implementation of a continuous quality improvement initiative.

Evidence of the peripheral inflammatory response in patients with transient ischemic attack.

The peripheral inflammatory response, as a proxy for the acute-phase response (a known mechanism for ischemic preconditioning), and non-damage-producing transient ischemia must exist together in humans if this candidate mechanism confers ischemic tolerance. The present study was aimed at determining whether the peripheral inflammatory response (ie, elevated white blood cell, neutrophil, and monocyte counts) exists in transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke patients at the time of emergency room admission. The null hypothesis was tested for the variables of the peripheral inflammatory response between the mean of the laboratory normal population versus stroke and TIA patients.

An approach to shorten time to infarct artery patency in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

We developed a regional strategy to decrease the time to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Protocols were created for paramedics and referring hospitals to identify and directly triage all patients with STEMI to a single PCI center. Time to PCI reperfusion and in-hospital mortality were assessed in 233 consecutive patients with STEMI.