Delirium in the older adult orthopaedic patient: predisposing, precipitating, and organic factors.

Delirium is a common problem with a reported incidence of 13%-61% in orthopaedic patients. The mortality rate for patients who develop delirium can be as high as 37%. Recent research indicates that delirium may not be completely reversible in all patients.

Clinical pathway across tertiary and community care after an interventional cardiology procedure.

Many patients who receive medical interventional cardiology procedures at a tertiary hospital live outside the metropolitan area and may experience fragmentation in care, less emotional support by family members, inaccurate and delayed communication, and lack of educational follow-up on discharge from the hospital. A clinical pathway titled "Heart Health Care Patterns" was developed to link acute phase, recovery phase, rehabilitation phase, and enhancement/maintenance phase. The 12-month clinical pathway combines Gordon's Functional Health Patterns and the Omaha System developed by the Omaha Visiting Nurse Association.

Making the most of nursing student projects: a collaborative pain management project.

A simple quality assurance project involving one facility and two nursing students provided an opportunity to meet the needs of the students, institution, nursing staff, and patients. Patients received more information on pain and pain management. Students met the objectives of their programs and also gained invaluable experience in research methods, education of staff members, and development of new policies.