Preparedness of Practicing Nurses in the Care of Sexual and Gender Diverse People in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Background: Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) people in the United States (US) experience health inequities due to societal stigma and marginalisation. The nursing workforce must provide evidence-based affirming, inclusive and culturally responsive care for SGD people to meet individual and community health needs and eliminate disparities.

Aims: The purpose of this scoping review was to synthesise what is known about (1) nurses' knowledge, skills and attitudes related to caring for SGD people in the US and (2) the existence, development and evaluation of SGD-related educational offerings available to practicing nurses in the US to develop the knowledge and skills needed to promote the health and wellbeing of SGD individuals, families and communities.

Why Voting and Voter Disenfranchisement Matter to Health.

Nurses can play a crucial role as trusted advocates.

The Nonsilent Assault on Democracy.

Ending voter disenfranchisement.

Wound Itch: An Update.

General Purpose: To present current evidence regarding the physiology, assessment, and management of wound itch.

Target Audience: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

Learning Objectives/outcomes: After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:1.

Gag order laws threaten nursing education and health equity.

Since 2021, some state legislators have passed laws that limit what public institutions can teach about discrimination. The number of these laws, also called gag orders, is increasing despite a national outcry against racism, homophobia and transphobia, and other forms of discrimination. Many nursing and other professional healthcare organizations have recognized and published statements decrying racism in healthcare and calling for an increased focus on health disparities and advancing health equity.

An Evidence-Based Approach to Protecting Our Biggest Organ: Implementation of a Skin, Surface, Keep Moving, Incontinence/Moisture, and Nutrition/Hydration (SSKIN) Care Bundle.

The skin, surface, keep moving, incontinence/moisture, and nutrition/hydration (SSKIN) bundle is a resource to aid in care planning when at risk of pressure injuries. The bundle uses best practices to minimize variations in care. The objectives of this quality improvement (QI) pilot project were as follows: (a) increase nurses' knowledge of pressure injury prevention, (b) increase nurses' knowledge of the use of the SSKIN bundle, and (c) to pilot the use of an SSKIN bundle in the clinical setting designed to standardize nursing interventions and documentation.

Unfolding Case Studies for Nursing Leadership.

The education of nursing students has changed radically during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more content being delivered virtually. With less face-to-face (F2F) contact with educators, content translation to real-world scenarios is diminished. To determine if an educational seminar using unfolding case studies will improve students' understanding of concepts.

Advancing Nursing Science and Practice in Unison.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the strengths of collaborative Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research drawing on the assets of the complementary skill sets, explore examples of current DNP/PhD collaborations, and provide a model for building these partnerships.

Design: A DNP and PhD collaboration was examined through case analysis. Courtney & Neiheisel's model was used as a framework to examine the development, implementation, and evaluation of DNP and PhD collaboration.

An Integrative Review of the Barriers and Facilitators to Nurse Engagement in Quality Improvement in the Clinical Practice Setting.

Background: Nurse engagement in quality improvement (QI) improves health care quality and outcomes but is typically low in clinical settings.

Purpose: An integrative review was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers of nurse engagement in QI.

Methods: This integrative review was conducted using an electronic search of databases with search terms specific to nursing engagement in QI.

Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Occupational Stress Levels Among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are exposed to multiple job-related stressors and therefore experience high levels of occupational stress and job burnout. In healthcare systems, job burnout from occupational stress may lead to poor patient care and safety outcomes. Prior research findings suggest nurses who reported higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI) had significantly lower work-related stress and less job burnout than nurses who reported lower levels of EI.

Perceived Barriers to Rapid Response Team Activation Among Nurses.

The purpose of this literature review was to investigate the major barriers nurses face when it is necessary to seek additional assistance and resources by calling the rapid response team (RRT) in order to manage and stabilize a clinically deteriorating patient. A total of 40 articles were reviewed. Eight barriers were identified as having an impact on RRT activation, either causing a delay in activation time or preventing activation altogether: a lack of consistent RRT education among nurses, the established hierarchy in the hospital, an uncertainty about when to call the RRT if clinical deterioration is subtle or gradual rather than abrupt, a perceived need to justify a decision to call the RRT, the increased workload for both the ICU nurse and the medical-surgical nurse, negative past experiences with RRTs, an unsupportive unit culture, and less nursing experience.

Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation.

Background: Despite the importance of family and its relationship to positive transplant outcomes, little is known about family experiences following organ transplantation from the perspective of the transplant recipients. The literature is also devoid of information that describes the family experiences of Muslim transplant recipients.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to describe Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation.

Mothers' Decisions About Donating Newborns' Blood Spots for Research: A Qualitative Study.

Residual dried blood spots from millions of newborns are being stored and used for research. The state of Michigan proactively developed a broad consent process for research use of newborns' blood spots. However, the extent to which mothers make informed choices about this research is unclear.

Descriptors for Itch Related to Chronic Wounds.

Introduction: Wound-related itch can be a source of great discomfort for patients with chronic wounds. Although itch is common among patients with chronic wounds, it is an understudied phenomenon. A greater understanding of itch is needed in order for clinicians to more effectively manage it.

Pathways to BSN Education: Teamwork in Ohio.

Aim: The Ohio Action Coalition was formed to address the key recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report.

Background: The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action is a national initiative to guide implementation of the recommendations in the Future of Nursing report.

Method: Through statewide meetings, leaders from nursing education and practice adopted a statewide competency model.

Nurse Assessment of Nutritional Status to Identify Patients at Risk for Complications After Pancreatic Resection.

To determine if serum prealbumin (PAB) levels can be used by nurses to predict patients who may be at higher risk for postoperative complications after pancreatic surgeries. A quantitative, retrospective study. One cancer center at an urban medical center in Detroit, Michigan.

Factors Influencing Registered Nurses' Decision to Activate an Adult Rapid Response Team in a Community Hospital.

Background: One factor impacting patient outcomes in the acutely deteriorating patient is a delay by nursing staff to activate a rapid response team (RRT); however, a gap in knowledge exists concerning factors influencing activation of an RRT by nursing staff working in adult areas outside the medical-surgical and telemetry setting.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs and behaviors that influence registered nurses' decision to activate an adult rapid response team in a community hospital that includes 3 specialties: medical-surgical and telemetry, peripartum, and psychiatric areas.

Methods: One hundred sixty-three nurses were surveyed using a 17-item Likert-style instrument to assess registered nurses' beliefs and attitudes on and barriers to utilizing an RRT.

Constructivist philosophy and nursing student medication calculations.

Prelicensure nursing students often have difficulty performing medication calculations (MCs). Faculty at one baccalaureate nursing program wanted to use nursing theory to guide the development of a teaching-learning approach related to MC's. Finding little theory related to the topic of MCs, a constructivist-based teaching-learning approach was used instead.

Critical thinking skills of basic baccalaureate and Accelerated second-degree nursing students.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the critical thinking (CT) skills of basic baccalaureate (basic-BSN) and accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing students at nursing program entry.

Background: Many authors propose that CT in nursing should be viewed as a developmental process that increases as students' experiences with it change. However, there is a dearth of literature that describes basic-BSN and ASD students' CT skills from an evolutionary perspective.

A closer look at academic probation and attrition: what courses are predictive of nursing student success?

The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify undergraduate courses that serve as predictors of success for nursing students completing a BSN program. The sample included records of 327 students placed on probation or dismissed from a Midwest school of nursing between 2002 and 2010. Though previous research has shown that science courses can be used as predictors of nursing student success, our results suggest that non-science courses can serve in this capacity as well.

The effect of context on nursing student math aptitude.

Math proficiency is a prerequisite to the performance of many nursing functions, including medication calculations, but many nursing students have difficulty performing this basic clinical skill. Research has demonstrated that math aptitude alone does not fully explain student outcomes on medication calculation assessments (MCAs), and contextual factors associated with reading and interpreting written medication questions are important for nurse educators to better understand. Reading and English aptitude are proposed as two potential contextual factors that may help explain the nursing student's ability to pass a written MCA.

Nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment.

The authors describe the relationship between nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment given during the second year of the nursing curriculum. The importance of understanding this relationship to nursing education is highlighted.