Clinical Utility of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Screening for Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Review of Current Literature.

Significant clinical and financial consequences are associated with both inadequate and unnecessary exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics. As such, antimicrobial stewardship programs seek objective, reliable, and cost-effective tests to identify patients at highest or lowest risk for drug-resistant organisms to guide empirical antimicrobial selection. Use of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal screening to rule out MRSA in lower respiratory tract infections has led to significant reductions in duration of vancomycin therapy.

Prevention of Infection: A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Practice Interventions for Management in Patients With Cancer.

Background: Cancer-related infections lead to increases in mortality, antibiotic use, and hospital stays. Other adverse outcomes include dose delays and reductions, which can result in suboptimal treatment outcomes.

Objectives: Effective implementation of risk assessment and evidence-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of infection are essential to improve care and reduce costs related to infections in patients with cancer receiving immunosuppressive therapy.

Increasing patient recall of nurse leader rounding.

Nursing staff in a medical/surgical acute care 34-bed hospital unit were challenged by low percentages of patients able to recall nurse leader rounding activity (NLR). NLR occurred daily for all patients, yet many did not recall visits by nursing leaders when surveyed at discharge. Care giver credibility suffered as non-nursing executives questioned if NLR consistently occurred.

Recognizing and managing adrenal disorders in the emergency department [digest].

Primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency are underrecognized conditions among emergency department patients, affecting an estimated 10% to 20% of critically ill patients. The signs and symptoms of cortisol deficit can be nonspecific and wide-ranging, and identification and swift treatment with stress-dosing of hydrocortisone is vital to avoid life-threatening adrenal crisis. Laboratory evaluation focuses on identification of electrolyte abnormalities typical of adrenal insufficiency, and while additional testing may depend on the type and severity of symptoms, it should not delay corticosteroid replacement.

Reductive carboxylation is a major metabolic pathway in the retinal pigment epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a monolayer of pigmented cells that requires an active metabolism to maintain outer retinal homeostasis and compensate for oxidative stress. Using C metabolic flux analysis in human RPE cells, we found that RPE has an exceptionally high capacity for reductive carboxylation, a metabolic pathway that has recently garnered significant interest because of its role in cancer cell survival. The capacity for reductive carboxylation in RPE exceeds that of all other cells tested, including retina, neural tissue, glial cells, and a cancer cell line.

Education for medications and side effects: a two part mechanism for improving the patient experience.

Aim: A nursing study aimed to increase patient understanding of new medications and their side effects, and positively impact Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey scores for medications communication.

Background: Hospital patients' understanding of new medications and side effects is a major satisfaction indicator when formal surveys serve as quality measures. Medical/surgical unit survey scores at a 328-bed Texas hospital were below average.

Sperm retrieval and concomitant tumor resection in azoospermic men with congenital adrenal hyperplasia and bilateral testicular adrenal rest tumors: a case report.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to offer a new treatment approach for sperm retrieval simultaneously with tumor resection in azoospermic men with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), orchialgia, and bilateral testicular adrenal rest tumors (TARTs) who fail to respond to medical treatment.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review from a couple's fertility center.

Results: Between May 2013 and May 2015, two azoospermic men with CAH and bilateral TARTs, with orchialgia, and desire to conceive underwent bilateral TART resection in the same surgical setting as sperm retrieval after remaining azoospermic with normalization of gonadotropins with treatment with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Community Engagement: Leveraging Resources to Improve Health Outcomes.

Improving the health of communities requires creating partnerships and leveraging partner resources. Engagement with key stakeholders or partners who engage in collaborative community needs assessments has been linked to improved community health outcomes. Understanding how to engage community stakeholders, identify mutual goals, and establish a shared vision can maximize resources to improve the community's health.

Nonviolent crisis intervention training and the incidence of violent events in a large hospital emergency department: an observational quality improvement study.

Violence in hospitals complicates patient care. Emergency department settings (ED) pose significant risk for caregivers. Nonviolent crisis intervention (NCI) training was initiated to reduce the incidence of violence in an acute care hospital ED with more than 75,000 annual visitors.