Publications by authors named "Laura Wentworth"

Aims And Objectives: To compare the incidence of femoral access puncture site complications in the control group, who underwent 6 hr of bed rest, with patients in the case group, who underwent 4 hr of bed rest.

Background: The ideal bed rest length after percutaneous coronary intervention with a 7-French arterial sheath has been investigated by nursing practice. However, in this larger-sheath-size group, best practices have not been determined, and bed rest time continues to vary markedly among institutions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Postoperative pain and anxiety are common in cardiac surgery patients. Studies have suggested that music can decrease anxiety in hospitalized patients. Primary Study Objective This study focused on the efficacy and feasibility of special music, which included nature sounds, for pain and anxiety.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Awareness for patient safety led a team to develop an electronic handoff communication tool for noncomplicated routine patients. The structure of SBAR (situation, background, assessment, and recommendation) was used when transferring patients to and from the progressive care unit and cardiac laboratories. The electronic SBAR gave staff a reliable and standard way to provide a patient handoff.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess whether a self-directed, computer-guided meditation training program is useful for stress reduction in hospital nurses.

Design: We prospectively evaluated participants before and after a month-long meditation program. The meditation program consisted of 15 computer sessions that used biofeedback to reinforce training.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There has been an increase in the use and awareness of complementary and integrative therapies in the United States over the last 10 years. Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) are in an ideal place to influence this paradigm shift in medicine to provide holistic care.

Purpose: This study was designed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by CNSs in a large Midwest medical center.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To assess the role of massage therapy in the cardiac surgery postoperative period. Specific aims included determining the difference in pain, anxiety, tension, and satisfaction scores of patients before and after massage compared with patients who received standard care.

Design: A randomized controlled trial comparing outcomes before and after intervention in and across groups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Integrative therapies such as massage have gained support as interventions that improve the overall patient experience during hospitalization. Cardiac surgery patients undergo long procedures and commonly have postoperative back and shoulder pain, anxiety, and tension. Given the promising effects of massage therapy for alleviation of pain, tension, and anxiety, we studied the efficacy and feasibility of massage therapy delivered in the postoperative cardiovascular surgery setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) To assess the efficacy of a 20 minute massage therapy session on pain, anxiety, and tension in patients before an invasive cardiovascular procedure. (2) To assess overall patient satisfaction with the massage therapy. (3) To evaluate the feasibility of integrating massage therapy into preprocedural practices.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF