The Essential Steps of Medication Administration Practices Project medication administration improvement practices among acute inpatients in a tertiary hospital: a best practice implementation project.

Objectives: The current project aimed to conduct an audit of nursing medication administration practices, to implement evidence-based best practice recommendations and assess the effectiveness of these changes in maximizing medication administration safety and reducing the risks of adverse incidents across 10 wards/units in a large tertiary hospital.

Introduction: Medications are the most common treatment used in healthcare. Because they are so commonly used, medications are associated with a higher incidence of errors and adverse events than other healthcare interventions.

Nursing clinical handover improvement practices among acute inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Sydney: a best practice implementation project.

Background: The nursing handover normally occurs at the beginning of a nurse's shift and is considered essential for continuity of care. Nursing handovers have the potential to communicate accurate information about a patient's condition, treatment and anticipated needs but also to be ineffective or even harmful if information is incomplete or omitted. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has recognized clinical handover as a National Standard, thus reinforcing its importance.

Implementing a Primary Healthcare Framework: The Importance of Nursing Leadership in Developing and Maintaining a Brain Tumor Support Group.

Background: Although brain tumor support groups have been available internationally for many years, Liverpool Hospital in Australia has not traditionally provided this service. As a leadership initiative, the development of a brain tumor support group that incorporates a primary healthcare framework is a sustainable approach that showcases the role of nursing leaders in changing attitudes and improving outcomes.

Objectives: The purpose of this review of the literature and reflection of clinical experience is to explore nursing leadership within brain tumor-specific support groups.

Frequency, clinical correlates, and ratings of behavioral changes in primary brain tumor patients: a preliminary investigation.

Purpose: Few studies have addressed the specific behavioral changes associated with primary brain tumor (PBT). This paper will report on the frequency and demographic/clinical correlates of such behaviors, and the reliability of rating such behaviors among people with PBT, family informants, and clinicians. The association of behavioral changes and patient functional status will also be discussed.

Development and evaluation of information resources for patients, families, and healthcare providers addressing behavioral and cognitive sequelae among adults with a primary brain tumor.

Behavioral and cognitive changes in patients with primary brain tumor (PBT) are common and may be distressing to patients and their family members. Healthcare professionals report a strong need for information, practical strategies, and training to assist consumers and better address management issues. A literature review by the current project found that 53% of the information resources currently available to consumers and health professionals contained minimal or no information about cognitive/behavioral changes after PBT, and 71% of the resources contained minimal or no information on associated strategies to manage these changes.

Is postoperative intensive care unit admission a prerequisite for elective craniotomy?

Object: Routine postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is often considered a necessity in the treatment of patients following elective craniotomy but may strain already limited resources and is of unproven benefit. In this study the authors investigated whether routine postoperative admission to a regular stepdown ward is a safe alternative.

Methods: Three hundred ninety-four consecutive patients who had undergone elective craniotomy over 54 months at a single institution were retrospectively analyzed.