Nebraska biocontainment unit design and operations.

Planning and design of a unique biocontainment unit specifically for care of patients with rare and highly infectious diseases presented an opportunity for nurse leaders to engage staff in crucial groundbreaking decisions. The Magnet® philosophy and framework were used to structure committees with key stakeholders and staff to ensure best and safe practices. Members of the biocontainment unit are engaged in active research and outreach training.

Point-of-care ocular ultrasound to detect optic disc swelling.

Objectives: Emergency physicians (EPs) frequently evaluate patients at risk for diseases that cause optic disc swelling, and they may encounter conditions that make traditional fundoscopy difficult or impossible. The objective was to assess whether EP-performed point-of-care (POC) ultrasound (US) could accurately assess swelling of the optic disc.

Methods: This was a blinded, prospective study using a convenience sample of patients presenting to a neuroophthalmology clinic who were thought to be at risk for conditions associated with optic disc edema.

Designing a biocontainment unit to care for patients with serious communicable diseases: a consensus statement.

In spite of great advances in medicine, serious communicable diseases are a significant threat. Hospitals must be prepared to deal with patients who are infected with pathogens introduced by a bioterrorist act (e.g.