Impact of aromatherapy on anxiety among ICU nurses: A randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of aromatherapy with an essential oil blend containing lavender, bergamot, ylang-ylang, and sweet orange, compared with placebo, on perceptions of anxiety in ICU RNs.

Methods: Nurses recruited from six adult ICUs and a neonatal ICU participated in this blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study, which took place over a 30-day intervention period.

Results: Although there were no statistically significant changes in anxiety pre- to postintervention or between the intervention and placebo groups, there were also no adverse events or untoward effects.

Application of the model of leadership influence for health professional wellbeing during COVID-19.

Background: Nurse burnout is a top patient safety concern. Workplace stress and burnout results in high turnover rates, costs, and lessened productivity and quality care. Although the relationship of burnout to patient outcomes and communication has been proposed, there is little available in terms of a theoretical framework to guide leaders in developing a comprehensive and effective approach to promoting wellbeing and reducing burnout.

The nurse wellbeing self-assessment supports the model of leadership influence for health professional wellbeing.

Background: Despite emerging evidence of effective strategies for reducing burnout among health professionals, health professional burnout continues increasing.

Purpose: A systematic Model of Leadership Influence for Health Professional Wellbeing is presented suggesting steps to measurably improve wellbeing by managing or mitigating stressors that generate burnout.

Method: This paper examines (a) the psychometric properties of the Nurse Wellbeing Self-Assessment's (NWSAT)© four 10-item scales and (b) whether and how the Model of Leadership Influence can apply NWSAT results to reduce burnout.

Early Cardiac Rehabilitation to Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions.

Purpose: This research was conducted to determine whether early participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces readmissions following heart failure (HF) hospitalization.

Methods: A retrospective quasiexperimental comparison group design was used. Electronic medical records were abstracted for HF patients discharged between March 2013 and December 2017.

Examination of the Moderating Effect of Race on the Relationship between Vitamin D Status and COVID-19 Test Positivity Using Propensity Score Methods.

Introduction: With a well-established role in inflammation and immune function, vitamin D status has emerged as a potential factor for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the moderating effect of race on the relationship between vitamin D status and the risk of COVID-19 test positivity, and to compare propensity score (PS) model results to those obtained from classical bivariate and multivariable models, which have primarily comprised the literature to date.

Methods: Electronic health record (EHR) data from TriNetX (unmatched n = 21,629; matched n = 16,602) were used to investigate the effect of vitamin D status, as measured by 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], on the odds of experiencing a positive COVID-19 test using multivariable logistic regression models with and without PS methodology.

Pain management consultation for acute pancreatitis: impact on length of stay and opioid utilization.

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of a pain management consult for acute pancreatitis patients on their inpatient length of stay, morphine milligram equivalences (MMEs) and pancreatitis severity. Adult patient data were extracted from the electronic health records from 1 October 2016 to 31 December 2018. Of 277 patients with a single acute pancreatitis hospitalization, 23 had a pain consultation (treatment group), whereas 254 did not (control group).

A Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Schwartz Center Rounds on Moral Distress.

Moral distress occurs when moral integrity is compromised and can affect any healthcare professional. This study examined the impact of Schwartz Center Rounds (SCRs) on moral distress using a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design to examine SCR attendees from 2015 to 2019. Data were collected via a 2-part survey composed of demographics and Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT) readings before rounds and immediately after rounds.

Brief Mindfulness Practice Course for Healthcare Providers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the short-term and sustained effect on well-being, burnout, and mindful awareness of an abbreviated mindfulness practice course designed for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Background: Most mindfulness programs are impractical for frontline healthcare providers because of the intensive, off-site initial training and prolonged practice commitment. A psychiatric nurse educator developed a brief training program tailored for healthcare providers.

Pediatric and Neonatal Tracheostomy Caregiver Education with Phased Simulation to Increase Competency and Enhance Coping.

Purpose: Infants and children with medically complex needs depend on their caregivers for activities of daily life and specialized care of various devices they need to survive. Caregiver education is a primary goal in discharge planning to ensure safe, competent home care for these medically fragile children. Standard of care is bedside teaching.

The Nurse Manager's Experience of Moral Distress.

The purpose of this study was to describe the moral distress experiences of nurse managers. Moral distress has been studied among direct patient care providers including nurses and physicians. The moral distress experience among nurse managers is less understood.

Bras for Breast Support After Sternotomy: Patient Satisfaction and Wear Compliance.

Background: For women undergoing median sternotomy, especially those with a bra cup size C or larger, breast support can reduce pain, wound breakdown, and infection. This study addressed a gap in research, identifying the best bra after sternotomy in terms of patient satisfaction and wear compliance.

Objectives: To evaluate larger-breasted women's satisfaction and compliance with wearing 3 commercially available front-closure bras-with a hook-loop closure (the hospital's standard of care), a zipper closure, or a hook-eye closure-after cardiac surgery.

Reducing Waste in the Clinical Setting.

Nurses have the capacity and opportunity to alter their organization's environmental footprint. This article addresses how they can strengthen efficiency and environmental sustainability initiatives in their facilities by engaging in, monitoring, and supporting environmentally friendly clinical practices and programs at the point of care. Included are practical tips and examples of projects in which nurses identified sources of waste-the relaundering of unused linens; disposal of unused products; and improper sorting of pharmaceutical waste, recycling, and regulated medical waste-and realized significant cost savings as well as improved efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Being a Research Mentor: A Qualitative Study.

Objectives: This qualitative study was designed to describe the experiences of mentors for a nursing research fellowship at a southeastern US academic medical center.

Background: Mentoring is an important aspect of nursing and is a key strategy to develop nurse leaders and faculty. Research mentors have been identified as essential for novice researchers to be able to complete clinical studies.

Successful grant applications: Follow the 4 F's.

All nurses have the potential to influence the healthcare industry and the nursing profession through research, but preparing a grant application can be intimidating. This article addresses the process of writing and developing successful grant proposals.

Audit and Feedback: A Quality Improvement Study to Increase Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates.

The purpose of this quality improvement study was to explore the impact of audit and feedback on the pneumococcal immunization rate for at-risk adults in ambulatory settings. Study findings support the hypothesis that timely, individualized audit and feedback can have a positive impact on immunization rate; generalized feedback that did not provide actionable information did not have the same impact. The difference between the interventions was significant, χ (1, N = 1993) = 124.

Integrating High-Reliability Principles to Transform Access and Throughput by Creating a Centralized Operations Center.

High-reliability organizations (HROs) demonstrate unique and consistent characteristics, including operational sensitivity and control, situational awareness, hyperacute use of technology and data, and actionable process transformation. System complexity and reliance on information-based processes challenge healthcare organizations to replicate HRO processes. This article describes a healthcare organization's 3-year journey to achieve key HRO features to deliver high-quality, patient-centric care via an operations center powered by the principles of high-reliability data and software to impact patient throughput and flow.

A Blended Transfer and Communications Center: Designing a State-of-the-Art Mission Control.

Health systems frequently are challenged by barriers to patient flow and transfer intake processes. To achieve the goals of seamless entry of patients into the health system, coordination of the safest, most appropriate transport of these patients, and efficient management of hospital throughput needs, our tertiary health system created a central transfer and communications center. From the design of the center's physical space to the collaborative education efforts, the immediate synergies created by this new "Mission Control" model impacted throughput and customer service.

Evaluation of metal impurities in foods preserved with sodium lactate.

The public is being bombarded by the media almost dailywith real and potential food health concerns leadingto a public sentiment that questions the vulnerability and quality of our food. Sodium lactate is a food-grade product that in recent years has been used in bioremediation to stimulate microbial growth and contaminant breakdown processes. In previous work, impurities including arsenic and chromium were discovered to be present in the sodium lactate concentrate.

Creating patient-nurse Synergy on a medical-surgical unit.

Medical-surgical nurses care for a complex patient mix. The Synergy Model framed the development of tools to assess nursing competency and patient acuity which yield data for daily staffing assignments. Data support positive outcomes as a result of this model.

Addressing the hidden dimension in nursing education: promoting cultural competence.

The authors describe a cultural competence quality enhancement process to address the retention challenge of students who speak English as second language and international students as part of a school of nursing's continuous program quality improvement to achieve excellence. The process, strategies, outcomes, and evaluation of the training program are detailed within the given geographical, institutional, and curriculum context. Lessons and continuing challenges are also specified.

Use of PHN competencies and ACHNE essentials to develop teaching-learning strategies for generalist C/PHN curricula.

This paper provides a useful tool for the undergraduate community/public health nursing (C/PHN) faculty member to design courses and learning activities, and to interpret C/PHN education needs to undergraduate curriculum committees and administrators. Specifically, this paper provides a tangible bridge between the Public Health Nursing Competencies (Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations, 2004) and the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education (2000) for both didactic and clinical learning experiences. The tables may be used in multiple ways, including curriculum monitoring and improvement, course development and instructional design, clinical practice planning, and as a foundation for evaluation of conceptual learning and practice competence for the C/PHN generalist.

Innovations in community-based nursing education: transitioning faculty.

The health-care climate is changing rapidly and in ways that challenge the abilities of professionals who provide health care. Nursing educators are preparing professional nurses who can think critically, use sound clinical judgment, and participate as full partners in shaping health-care delivery and policy. Therefore, many schools of nursing, including five schools of nursing whose experiences are synthesized in this article, are revising their curricula to a community-based nursing perspective.