Quantifying Occupational Stress in Intensive Care Unit Nurses: An Applied Naturalistic Study of Correlations Among Stress, Heart Rate, Electrodermal Activity, and Skin Temperature.

Objective: To identify physiological correlates to stress in intensive care unit nurses.

Background: Most research on stress correlates are done in laboratory environments; naturalistic investigation of stress remains a general gap.

Method: Electrodermal activity, heart rate, and skin temperatures were recorded continuously for 12-hr nursing shifts (23 participants) using a wrist-worn wearable technology (Empatica E4).

Post-acute care referral in United States of America: a multiregional study of factors associated with referral destination in a cohort of patients with coronary artery bypass graft or valve replacement.

Background: The use of post-acute care (PAC) for cardiovascular conditions is highly variable across geographical regions. Although PAC benefits include lower readmission rates, better clinical outcomes, and lower mortality, referral patterns vary widely, raising concerns about substandard care and inflated costs. The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with PAC referral decisions at acute care discharge.