Perspectives of Inpatients With Cancer on Engagement in Fall Prevention.

Purpose: To explore perspectives of hospitalized adults with cancer regarding engagement in fall prevention plans. The primary aim was to discover new knowledge about patients' perspectives and improve the design of fall prevention strategies. A secondary aim was to compare fall-related perspectives of patients who had and who had not fallen.

A Comparative Study of Blood Sampling From Venipuncture and Short Peripheral Catheters in Pediatric Inpatients.

This prospective, comparative study examined blood test results, hemolysis rates, and patient perceptions related to 2 blood sampling methods in pediatric inpatients (N = 95). Blood specimens were drawn via venipuncture and a short peripheral catheter used for fluid administration. Results revealed no significant differences in potassium and glucose levels.

Use of a depression and sleep impairment treatment guideline to improve quality of life for patients with sickle cell disease.

Background: Pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) is often joined by other affective disorders such as depression and/or sleep impairment that can impact pain levels and quality of life (QoL).

Aim: To develop a guideline to improve the process of assessment and treatment of depression and sleep impairment in patients admitted with SCD.

Method: An interdisciplinary team used the Stetler model to create the Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Depression and Sleep Impairment in Sickle Cell Disease.

Family Presence During Resuscitation: Physicians' Perceptions of Risk, Benefit, and Self-Confidence.

Background: Families often desire proximity to loved ones during life-threatening resuscitations and perceive clear benefits to being present. However, critical care nurses and physicians perceive risks and benefits. Whereas research is accumulating on nurses' perceptions of family presence, physicians' perspectives have not been clearly explicated.

Oxygen Requirements for Acutely and Critically Ill Patients.

Oxygen administration is often assumed to be required for all patients who are acutely or critically ill. However, in many situations, this assumption is not based on evidence. Injured body tissues and cells throughout the body respond both beneficially and adversely to delivery of supplemental oxygen.

A qualitative study of factors in nurses' and physicians' decision-making related to family presence during resuscitation.

Aims And Objectives: To explore the similarities and differences in factors that influence nurses' and physicians' decision-making related to family presence during resuscitation.

Background: Despite the growing acceptance of family presence during resuscitation worldwide, healthcare professionals continue to debate the risks and benefits of family presence. As many hospitals lack a policy to guide family presence during resuscitation, decisions are negotiated by resuscitation teams, families and patients in crisis situations.

Non-Bachelor of Science in Nursing Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Registered Nurse: A Change in Critical Thinking.

With recommendations from national nursing associations and accrediting bodies to transition to an all baccalaureate prepared nurse workforce by 2020, it is important to understand the expertise that a baccalaureate degreed nurse brings to patient care. The purpose of this article is to establish the differences of a non-bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) registered nurse and a 4-year prepared nurse, as well as to identify the education and clinical trends in critical care that require a BSN-prepared nurse. The history of associate degree and diploma degree nurses is admirable and served a purpose serving up to and post World War II.

Being there: inpatients' perceptions of family presence during resuscitation and invasive cardiac procedures.

Background: Although patients' families want to be invited to the bedside of hospitalized loved ones during crisis events, little is known about patients' perceptions of family presence.

Objective: To explore adult inpatients' perceptions of family presence during resuscitation, near-resuscitation, and unplanned invasive cardiac procedures shortly after the life-threatening event.

Methods: In this qualitative study, data were collected by interviews at least 13 hours after a crisis event and before hospital discharge.

Perceptions Related to Falls and Fall Prevention Among Hospitalized Adults.

Background: Prevention of falls during hospitalization depends in part on the behaviors of alert patients to prevent falls. Research on acutely ill patients' intentions to behave in ways that help prevent falls and on the patients' perceptions related to falls is limited.

Objective: To explore hospitalized adults' perceptions related to risk for falling, fear of falling, expectations of outcomes of falling, and intention to engage in behaviors to prevent falls.

Early Initiation of Advance Care Planning for Veterans With Chronic Illnesses.

When treating patients with chronic illnesses, health care providers should involve patients in the decision-making process.

Advanced chest imaging interpretation of acute pulmonary disorders.

Bedside and advanced practice nurses in acute and critical care often view chest radiologic images of their patients. Correlation of findings on chest radiologic images with results of physical and other diagnostic assessments can provide information for making appropriate clinical judgments. Radiologic images of the chest available for acutely ill patients now include frontal/lateral chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans.

Pulmonary aspects of obesity in critical care.

Critically ill obese patients have many challenging pulmonary problems. The first key is to understand pathophysiology in the pulmonary system related to obesity. Second, it is important to identify the altered physical assessments and diagnostics that occur because of the pulmonary pathophysiology of obesity.

Chest radiograph evaluation and interpretation.

Chest imaging is an important tool in managing critically ill patients. Basic chest radiology is still used to quickly detect abnormalities in the chest. Critical care nurses are often the ones who first read the radiologist's report of chest radiograph results and provide their interpretation to a physician.

The shortage of nurses and nursing faculty: what critical care nurses can do.

Nurses are needed more than ever to support the healthcare needs of every American. Nurses make up the greatest single component of hospital staff. In 2004, of the almost 3 million nurses in the United States, 83% were employed in nursing, and 58% of those were employed full-time.

Nurses' perceptions of their self-confidence and the benefits and risks of family presence during resuscitation.

Background: Debate continues among nurses about the advantages and disadvantages of family presence during resuscitation. Knowledge development about such family presence is constrained by the lack of reliable and valid instruments to measure key variables.

Objectives: To test 2 instruments used to measure nurses' perceptions of family presence during resuscitation, to explore demographic variables and perceptions of nurses' self-confidence and the risks and benefits related to such family presence in a broad sample of nurses from multiple hospital units, and to examine differences in perceptions of nurses who have and who have not invited family presence.

Use of self-efficacy and dyspnea perceptions to predict functional performance in people with COPD.

This correlational and comparative study explored whether self-reports of self-efficacy and dyspnea perceptions predict the perceived level of functional performance in adults who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The convenience sample included 97 Caucasian men (52) and women (45). Participants had to have a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of less than 70% predicted, and a FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 70%.

Subjective perceptions and physiological variables during weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Background: As costs related to mechanical ventilation increase, clear indicators of patients' readiness to be weaned are needed. Research has not yet yielded a consensus on physiological variables that are consistent correlates of weaning outcomes. Subjective perceptions rarely have been examined for their contribution to successful weaning.