Using Simulation to Evaluate Nurse Competencies.

A multimodal nursing pedagogy utilizing simulation was incorporated into annual nurse competencies at a 465-bed academic medical center to translate into practice the required surveillance of a potentially septic patient and the necessary clinical decision-making. Pretest/posttest was used to determine knowledge retention from simulation. Nurses' sepsis knowledge following simulation was improved.

Different minimally important clinical difference (MCID) scores lead to different clinical prediction rules for the Oswestry disability index for the same sample of patients.

Background: Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) scores for outcome measures are frequently used evidence-based guides to gage meaningful changes. There are numerous outcome instruments used for analyzing pain, disability, and dysfunction of the low back; perhaps the most common of these is the Oswestry disability index (ODI). A single agreed-upon MCID score for the ODI has yet to be established.