Nasal cannula or high-flow oxygen for patients with COPD in acute respiratory distress?

There may be some confusion regarding the use of supplemental oxygen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are experiencing acute respiratory distress. This article addresses a common nursing misconception regarding the use of high-flow oxygen administration via non-rebreather masks instead of low-flow oxygen administration via nasal cannulas in patients with COPD who are in acute respiratory distress, an issue that was investigated in a simulation education exercise and survey of the nursing staff at the authors' facility.

Emergency Preparedness Education for Nurses: Core Competency Familiarity Measured Utilizing an Adapted Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire.

The purpose of this project was to measure trauma nurse improvement in familiarity with emergency preparedness and disaster response core competencies as originally defined by the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire after a focused educational program. An adapted version of the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire was utilized to measure familiarity of nurses with core competencies pertinent to first responder capabilities. This project utilized a pre- and postsurvey descriptive design and integrated education sessions into the preexisting, mandatory "Trauma Nurse Course" at large, level I trauma center.