Frailty prevalence and associated factors in community dwelling older adults: An examination of the frailty care model.

Background: Age-related changes put older adults at risk for frailty. The Frailty Care Model was created to inform the care of older adults with or at risk for frailty. The purpose was to test the Frailty Care Model.

Development and Implementation of a Procedural Sedation Course for Registered Nurses.

Procedural sedation is the administration of medication to obtund, dull, or reduce the intensity of pain or awareness associated with a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure. Because registered nurses play a key role in ensuring patient safety during procedural sedation, it is essential they have the requisite knowledge and skills to provide safe, quality care. This paper describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a course designed for nurses providing care to patients undergoing procedural sedation.

Assessing Nutrition Status in an Outpatient Wound Center: A Feasibility Study.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) to assess the nutrition status of patients with chronic wounds receiving care in an outpatient wound clinic.

Methods: The PG-SGA was administered to a single cohort convenience sample of adults with chronic wounds who presented to an outpatient wound clinic. The authors performed univariate descriptive analyses and calculated interrater reliability.

Application of a new frailty care model.

Frailty is an age-related physiological deterioration that results in weakness, slowness of movement, fatigue, weight loss, and multimorbidity. These limitations lead to an inability to respond to stressors, which ultimately increase risk for poor outcomes including falls, disability, hospitalization, and mortality. Although many medical and physiology-based frailty screening tools and associated theories exist, none are specific to advanced practice nurses and the care of the older adult.

Effect of a QI Intervention on Nursing Assistants' Pain Knowledge and Reporting Behavior.

Background: Pain among long-term care residents is often underdiagnosed and inadequately treated. We examined the effect of a multimodal intervention on certified nursing assistants' pain recognition knowledge and verbal reporting behavior. Secondarily, we examined pain documentation in a newly established pain log compared with pain verbally reported to nurses and documented in the electronic health record (EHR).

A scoping review of nurse practitioner workforce data: Part two of a four-part series on critical topics identified by the 2015 Research Agenda Roundtable.

Background And Purpose: There is no single comprehensive data source for conducting nurse practitioner (NP)-focused workforce and outcomes research. The 2015 Research Agenda Roundtable of the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners supports the development of a national NP data source. A scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of data being used in NP-focused research and to identify key issues relevant to making progress toward a national NP database.

Obesity and disability in older adults.

The prevalence of obesity and disability in older adults has significant public health implications. This case review discusses the benefits and risks of weight loss in older adults and outlines treatment options available to Medicare beneficiaries. The importance of preserving lean muscle mass in weight management is emphasized.

Older Rural- and Urban-Dwelling Appalachian Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Purpose: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a well-recognized risk state for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. MCI is rapidly increasing among older adults in general and has not yet been examined in older adults within the Appalachian region. Our objective was to compare MCI symptom severity among older rural and urban Appalachian adults with MCI at an initial neuropsychological testing visit.

Improvement in colon cancer screening through use of a multilevel intervention: A QI initiative.

Background And Purpose: Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States but is highly treatable when diagnosed early. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to develop, implement, and evaluate a multilevel intervention to raise colon cancer screening rates.

Methods: A pre- and postintervention design was used with patients who were largely Caucasian and English speaking.

Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Older Adults.

Preparing nurses to care for a growing population of older adults is one of the most significant challenges for nursing education. The purpose of the current study was to describe baccalaureate nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes toward older adults, and explore the impact of a gerontological nursing course on their knowledge and attitudes. Results showed that students who had prior experience with older adults had significantly more positive attitudes toward them.