Computerized bioterrorism education and training for nurses on bioterrorism attack agents.

Background: Biological agents have the ability to cause large-scale mass casualties. For this reason, their likely use in future terrorist attacks is a concern for national security. Recent studies show that nurses are ill prepared to deal with agents used in biological warfare.

Current practice in airway management: A descriptive evaluation.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia, a common complication of mechanical ventilation, could be reduced if health care workers implemented evidence-based practices that decrease the risk for this complication.

Objectives: To determine current practice and differences in practices between registered nurses and respiratory therapists in managing patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Methods: A descriptive comparative design was used.

Conflict management training and nurse-physician collaborative behaviors.

Collaboration between nurses and physicians continues to be elusive although it is a desirable goal for most in health care. This study used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the outcomes of a conflict resolution (management) training program on nurses' perception of their collaboration with the physicians with whom they work. Results showed no differences between the experimental and control groups following the intervention.

Nurse-physician collaboration on medical-surgical units.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is viewed as a critical factor in delivering quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to describe nurse-physician perceptions of collaboration relationship on general medical-surgical units.

Fatigue and sleep quality in nurses.

Fatigue is a critical issue for nurses that may lead to medical errors, degradation in performance, decreased mental acuity, and social problems. Poor sleep quality is also a contributing factor in fatigue that nurses experience. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences in perceptions of fatigue between night-shift and day-shift nurses, as measured by scores on the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and to examine differences in sleep quality between the two groups, as measured by responses on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Cryotherapy for treatment of ECT-induced headache.

Because headache is a common side effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), this study sought to determine the effectiveness of cryotherapy (i.e., a frozen gel band) in relieving pain in patients with post-ECT headaches, and whether headache intensity and physiological measurements could predict use of an alternative analgesic (rescue medication).

Nurse internship pathway to clinical comfort, confidence, and competency.

The purpose of this article is to report the outcomes of a nurse internship program initiated at a U.S. Navy hospital designed to increase new graduate nurses' clinical competence, confidence, and comfort.