Reducing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections With a Multipronged Nurse-Driven Approach.

Background: Despite implementation of central catheter bundles, central line [catheter]-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) remain a preventable hospital-acquired infection.

Local Problem: A new population of patients with pulmonary artery catheters was introduced to the cardiac progressive care unit, increasing central catheter days, device use, and CLABSI rate.

Methods: A quality improvement project was conducted.

Partnering With Patients: Fall Prevention Agreement.

A fall prevention agreement was developed in a cardiac progressive care unit to engage patients and families on admission as partners in fall prevention. The postimplementation of the fall prevention agreement showed significant decreases in falls on this unit.

Readmitted Patients With Heart Failure Sick, Tired, and Symptomatic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study From a Quaternary Academic Medical Center.

Background And Objective: Heart failure (HF) readmissions will continue to grow unless we have a better understanding of why patients with HF are readmitted. Our purpose was to gain an understanding, from the patients' perspective, of how patients with HF viewed their discharge instructions and how they felt when they got home and were then readmitted in less than 30 days.

Methods And Results: We used a qualitative descriptive approach using semistructured interviews with 22 patients with HF.

Two Sides to Every Fall: Patient and Nurse Perspectives.

Background: Despite vast evidence describing risk factors associated with falls and fall prevention strategies, falls continue to present challenges in acute care settings.

Objective: To describe and categorize patient and nurse perspectives on falls and nurses' suggestions for preventing falls.

Methods: To improve transparency about the causes of falls, nurses interviewed patients in a 48-bed progressive cardiac care unit who had experienced a fall.

An Innovative Action-Learning Plan Designed for the Struggling Orientee.

When an orientee is struggling, early identification and intervention is key. Implementing an action-learning plan refocuses the orientee, placing the accountability on them, targeting specific areas that will develop them as a competent nurse. The action-learning plan factors in holistic measures that help the orientee in processing their experience.

Beyond Socks, Signs, and Alarms: A Reflective Accountability Model for Fall Prevention.

Despite standard fall precautions, including nonskid socks, signs, alarms, and patient instructions, our 48-bed cardiac intermediate care unit (CICU) had a 41% increase in the rate of falls (from 2.2 to 3.1 per 1,000 patient days) and a 65% increase in the rate of falls with injury (from 0.

CE: Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is a complex procedure. Although complications are rare and their incidence is decreasing, early recognition and appropriate nursing care can prevent an adverse event from spiraling into a major complication. A thorough understanding of complications associated with the ablation of atrial fibrillation and prompt recognition when they occur will help nurses to minimize the substantial morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs associated with them.

Increasing the odds, using peer review promotes successful abstract submission.

Purpose/objectives: Supporting clinical nurses to participate in professional growth and development is rewarding and grooms our future leaders. This is especially true during Magnet designation, as the bar gets higher. This article provides the structure and process required to develop a clinical nurse specialist-led peer review abstract workshop.