The effects of advanced practice nurses (APNs) as intensivists in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) on patient outcomes, healthcare charges, and apn intensivist services in the SICU

Intensive Care Units (ICUs) account for over 10 percent of all US hospital beds, have over 4.4 million patient admissions yearly, approximately 360,000 deaths, and account for close to 30% of acute care hospital costs. The need for critical care services has increased due to an aging population and medical advances that extend life. The result is efforts to improve patient outcomes, optimize financial performance, and implement models of ICU care that enhance quality of care and reduce health care costs. This retrospective chart review study examined the dose effect of APN Intensivists in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) on differences in patient outcomes, healthcare charges, SICU length of stay, charges for APN intensivist services, and frequency of APNs special initiatives when the SICU was staffed by differing levels of APN Intensivist staffing over four time periods (T1-T4) between 2009 and 2011. The sample consisted of 816 randomly selected (204 per T1-T4) patient chart data. Study findings indicated reported ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) rates, ventilator days, catheter days and catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates increased at T4 (when there was the lowest number of APN Intensivists), and there was increased pressure ulcer incidence in first two quarters of T4. There was no statistically significant difference in post-surgical glycemic control (M = 142.84, SD = 40.00), t (223) = 1.40, p = .17, and no statistically significant difference in the SICU length of stay among the time-periods (M = 3.27, SD = 3.32), t (202) = 1.02, p = .31. Charges for APN services increased over the 4 time periods from $11,268 at T1 to $51,727 at T4 when a system to capture APN billing was put into place. The number of new APN initiatives declined in T4 as the number of APN Intensivists declined. Study results suggest a dose effect of APN Intensivists on important patient health outcomes and on the number of APNs initiatives to prevent health complications in the SICU. ^

The relationship between participation in unethical behaviors during the nursing student experience and participation in unethical behaviors as a registered nurse

The effect of unethical behaviors in health care settings is an important issue in the safe care of clients and has been a concern of the nursing profession for some time. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between use of unethical behaviors in the nursing student experience and the use of unethical behaviors in the workplace as a registered nurse. In addition, the relationship between the severity of unethical behaviors utilized in the classroom, clinical setting and those in the workplace was examined. To insure greater honesty in self-report, only a limited umber of demographic variables were requested from participants. During the summer of 1997, a 56 item questionnaire was distributed to registered nurses enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate courses in a public or private institution. The participants were asked to self-report their own use of unethical behaviors as well as their peers use of unethical behaviors. In order to assign a severity score for each item, nursing school faculty were asked to rate severity of unethical behaviors which could be used during the nursing student experience and nursing administrators were asked to rate unethical behaviors which could be used in the workplace. A significant positive relationship was found between individuals' use of unethical behaviors during nursing school and those used in the workplace r = .630. A significant positive relationship was found between the severity of unethical behaviors used in the nursing student experience and the severity of unethical behaviors used in the workplace r = .637. No relationship was found between years of practice, type of initial nursing education and whether or not the participant was raised inside or outside the United States and the use of unethical behaviors.

Um estudo sobre o perfil sexual e reprodutivo das adolescentes de um serviço de referência no município de Natal/RN

Adolescence is seen as a phase of life marked by a series of physical and behavioral changes, which leads to certain risk situations, such as early sexual activity, pregnancy and the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases. Based on this statement, this research aimed generally: meet the sexual and reproductive adolescents of a reference service in Natal profile. Specifically describe the socioeconomic, sexual and reproductive individual and family characteristics of the population in question, but also verify possible association between pregnancy and age of onset of sexual activity with the socioeconomic aspects. The sectional study conducted in the database from the records of 463 adolescents seeking care in a referral center in Sexual and Reproductive Health in the period March 2011 to June 2012. The data collected were subjected to analysis by Excel 2007 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17.0. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, with absolute numbers and percentages was used, and its presentation by means of distribution and frequency tables. Results showed that the parents of these adolescents (65.7% - father; 57.8% - mother), had primary education; family income less than two minimum wages (66.2%); any type of chemical dependency in the family (33.5%) and presence of domestic violence (20.6%). A higher probability of pregnancy was verified when the mother had only primary education (26.3%), persons other than the father or mother contributed to family income (33.3%) and (26%) when there was substance abuse in the family early onset of sexual activity was observed when the mother had primary education (57.3%), persons other than the father or mother contributed to family income (63.1%) and the use of drugs / alcohol as a problem family (67.6%). It was concluded that such vulnerabilities appear as a reflection of the low social status of these young people, aggravated by emotional inheritance that is offered to every individual from birth. These findings may perhaps, support public health surveillance policies for adolescents in several areas

Outpatient Mental Health Services in Mozambique: Use and Treatments.

To describe current outpatient mental health service use and treatments in Mozambique, the authors reviewed registry entries for 2,071 outpatient psychiatric visits at the Beira Central Hospital in Sofala Province from January 2012 to September 2014. Service use was most common for schizophrenia, followed by epilepsy, delirium, and organic behavioral disorders. Only 3% of consultations for schizophrenia were first-visit patients. Treatment seeking among women was more likely for mood and neurotic disorders and less likely for substance use disorders and epilepsy. First-generation antipsychotics, most often paired with promethazine, dominated treatment regimens. Evidence-based reforms are needed to improve identification of mood disorders and broaden care beyond severe mental disorders.

Putting Adequate Financial and Human Resources in Healthcare for Effective Universal Health Coverage in Kenya: Lessons and Experiences from China

In recent years, most low and middle-income countries, have adopted different approaches to universal health coverage (UHC), to ensure equity and financial risk protection in accessing essential healthcare services. UHC-related policies and delivery strategies are largely based on existing healthcare systems, a result of gradual development (based on local factors and priorities). Most countries have emphasized on health financing, and human resources for health (HRH) reform policies, based on good practices of several healthcare plans to deliver UHC for their population.

Health financing and labor market frameworks were used, to understand health financing, HRH dynamics, and to analyze key health policies implemented over the past decade in Kenya’s effort to achieve UHC. Through the understanding, policy options are proposed to Kenya; analyzing, and generating lessons from health financing, and HRH reforms experiences in China. Data was collected using mixed methods approach, utilizing both quantitative (documents and literature review), and qualitative (in-depth interviews) data collection techniques.

The problems in Kenya are substantial: high levels of out-of-pocket health expenditure, slow progress in expanding health insurance among informal sector workers, inefficiencies in pulling of health are revenues, inadequate deployed HRH, maldistribution of HRH, and inadequate quality measures in training health worker. The government has identified the critical role of strengthening primary health care and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in Kenya’s move towards UHC. Strengthening primary health care requires; re-defining the role of hospitals, and health insurance schemes, and training, deploying and retaining primary care professionals according to the health needs of the population; concepts not emphasized in Kenya’s healthcare reforms or programs design. Kenya’s top leadership commitment is urgently needed for tougher reforms implementation, and important lessons from China’s extensive health reforms in the past decade are beneficial. Key lessons from China include health insurance expansion through rigorous research, monitoring, and evaluation, substantially increasing government health expenditure, innovative primary healthcare strengthening, designing, and implementing health policy reforms that are responsive to the population, and regional approaches to strengthening HRH.

Impact of Genetic Testing and Family Health History Based Risk Counseling on Behavior Change and Cognitive Precursors for Type 2 Diabetes.

Family health history (FHH) in the context of risk assessment has been shown to positively impact risk perception and behavior change. The added value of genetic risk testing is less certain. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) FHH and genetic risk counseling on behavior and its cognitive precursors. Subjects were non-diabetic patients randomized to counseling that included FHH +/- T2D genetic testing. Measurements included weight, BMI, fasting glucose at baseline and 12 months and behavioral and cognitive precursor (T2D risk perception and control over disease development) surveys at baseline, 3, and 12 months. 391 subjects enrolled of which 312 completed the study. Behavioral and clinical outcomes did not differ across FHH or genetic risk but cognitive precursors did. Higher FHH risk was associated with a stronger perceived T2D risk (pKendall < 0.001) and with a perception of "serious" risk (pKendall < 0.001). Genetic risk did not influence risk perception, but was correlated with an increase in perception of "serious" risk for moderate (pKendall = 0.04) and average FHH risk subjects (pKendall = 0.01), though not for the high FHH risk group. Perceived control over T2D risk was high and not affected by FHH or genetic risk. FHH appears to have a strong impact on cognitive precursors of behavior change, suggesting it could be leveraged to enhance risk counseling, particularly when lifestyle change is desirable. Genetic risk was able to alter perceptions about the seriousness of T2D risk in those with moderate and average FHH risk, suggesting that FHH could be used to selectively identify individuals who may benefit from genetic risk testing.

Argaric Sociology: Sex and Death

The detailed, rich and diverse Argaric funerary record offers an opportunity to explore social dimensions that usually remain elusive for prehistoric research, such us social rules on kinship rights and obligations, sexual tolerance and the role of funerary practices in preserving the economic and political organization. This paper addresses these topics through an analysis of the social meaning of Argaric double tombs by looking at body treatment and composition of grave goods assemblages according to gender and class affiliation. The Argaric seems to have been a conservative society, scarcely tolerant regarding homosexuality, and willing to celebrate ancestry associated to certain places as a means of asserting residence and property rights.

20 Common Nursing Home Problems - and How to Resolve Them, July 2015

Includes a brief introduction to Medicare & Medicaid, 20 problems common to nursing facilities & suggestions as how to resolve them.

Attachment Style, Therapeutic Alliance and Recovery in forensic mental health: the A-STAR study and clinical research portfolio

Background: Research suggests that forensic mental health services and staff can play an important role in the recognition and intervention with attachment-related behaviours to promote engagement and recovery. There is a lack of literature exploring whether the attachment needs of forensic service-users are recognised and, associations between attachment style and factors predictive of recovery. Aims: This study aimed to examine the extent to which service-users and keyworkers agree about service-users’ attachment and to identify whether attachment was associated with service attachment, working alliance, ward climate and recovery. Methods: Twenty-two service-users from low and medium secure forensic services, completed questionnaire measures of their attachment style, service attachment, working alliance, ward climate and experiences of recovery. Nineteen keyworkers completed measures of the service-users attachment style and working alliance. Results: There was strong agreement between service-users and staff for attachment anxiety (ICC=0.71) but poor agreement for attachment avoidance (ICC=0.39). Service attachment was associated with more positive perceptions of staff support (r=0.49) and avoidant attachment was associated with lower ratings of recovery (r=-0.51). Correlations between attachment style and service attachment, working alliance and ward climate were small and non-significant. Conclusions: A focus on staff training to support recognition of the nature and impact of avoidant attachment styles is indicated. The findings suggest that interventions to enhance staff - service-user relationships may be important for service attachment and indeed promotion of a recovery focused orientation amongst service-users high in avoidant attachment may improve wellbeing and outcomes.

Clustering of variables with a three-way approach for health sciences

© 2014 Cises This work is distributed with License Creative Commons Attribution-Non commercial-No derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-BC-ND 4.0)

Perspective d'étudiantes infirmières de leur environnement d'apprentissage de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle lors d'une immersion clinique à l'international

Il existe une grande diversité dans les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières concernant l’organisation de stages d’immersion clinique à l’international et le soutien offert aux étudiantes (Kokko, 2011). Cette étude de cas qualitative explore, selon la perspective d’étudiantes infirmières, les éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle dans le cadre d’une immersion clinique à l’international. Le modèle constructiviste de développement de la compétence culturelle de Blanchet Garneau (2013 ; Blanchet Garneau et Pepin, 2015a) a servi de cadre de référence à cette étude. Dix étudiantes ayant participé à l’immersion clinique ont pris part à une entrevue individuelle en profondeur. Suite à une analyse qualitative thématique des données inspirée de Miles, Huberman et Saldana (2014), trois thèmes inter reliés ressortent : accompagnement par de multiples collaborations, trouver sa place dans le milieu d’accueil et écart entre les attentes des étudiantes et l’expérience vécue. Ces thèmes permettent de comprendre l’environnement d’apprentissage des étudiantes dans le développement de leur compétence culturelle, notamment leur capacité de s’ouvrir aux différentes réalités en contexte de diversité culturelle. Puisque peu d’écrits abordent spécifiquement les éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage liés à la capacité de s’ouvrir aux différentes réalités de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle à l’étranger, cette étude contribue à l’approfondissement des éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage présenté dans le modèle de Blanchet Garneau (2013 ; Blanchet Garneau et Pepin, 2015) et constitue un ajout aux connaissances actuelles liées au développement de la compétence culturelle.

Les représentations de l’infirmière chez les étudiantes nouvellement inscrites au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières

Certains chercheurs affirment que la principale raison qui pousserait une personne à devenir infirmière serait attribuable aux aspects vocationnels et non pas du désir d'exercer une profession qui requiert des connaissances et compétences inhérentes à la complexité des soins (Prater et McEwen, 2006; Price, McGillis Hall, Angus et Peter, 2013). Un des motifs principal d’attrition des étudiantes aux programmes de formation en sciences infirmières serait d’ailleurs la dissonance entre la représentation initiale qu’elles se font de l’infirmière et les exigences de la profession (AIIC, 2004). Une étude exploratoire a donc été réalisée auprès d’étudiantes nouvellement inscrites au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières (N=11), afin de mieux comprendre comment elles se représentent l’infirmière et quelles sont leurs attentes quant à la profession. Le cadre de référence de la théorie des représentations sociales de Moscovici (1961) soutient cette recherche. L’analyse qualitative de ces entretiens semi-dirigés nous renseigne à l’idée que les étudiantes québécoises se représentent le rôle de l’infirmière d’abord comme celui d’une personne qui aide, autant les bénéficiaires que les médecins. Les nouvelles étudiantes s’attendent à devoir faire face à des études exigeantes et à un travail difficile. Elles sont par contre prêtes à s’y engager par désir d’aider autrui et parce qu’elles se reconnaissent dans les qualités qu’elles jugent nécessaires à l’exercice de la profession infirmière, c’est-à-dire les habiletés relationnelles comme l’écoute, l’empathie et la patience. Ce constat laisse donc croire que le contexte historique dans lequel a évolué la profession infirmière au Québec, en plus des médias qui ne semblent pas actualiser l’image qu’ils projettent de l’infirmière, pourraient avoir une influence sur les représentations de l’infirmière de ces nouvelles étudiantes. Les résultats de cette étude pourraient permettre de circonscrire des angles de recherche future afin de comprendre davantage l’implication des représentations de l’infirmière dans le phénomène d’attrition des étudiantes, tout en ayant aussi des retombées pour la pratique infirmière au niveau des politiques et de la formation.

L’étendue effective de pratique des infirmières oeuvrant en santé mentale et le niveau de formation

L’importance du rôle de l’infirmière dans le système de santé autant au niveau de l’accessibilité que la qualité et la sécurité des soins et services donnés à la population est reconnue. Pour être en mesure d’exercer pleinement ce rôle, les infirmières doivent être en mesure d’exercer à leur pleine étendue de pratique. Les infirmières œuvrant dans le domaine de la santé mentale n’y font pas exception. Or, les recherches démontrent que les infirmières ne parviennent pas à mettre en oeuvre l’ensemble des activités pour lesquelles elles détiennent la formation et l’expérience. Cette recherche vise à mesurer l’étendue de pratique effective des infirmières oeuvrant en santé mentale ainsi qu’à identifier l’influence du niveau de formation sur cette étendue de pratique. Cette étude prend appui sur le SCOP model de Déry et al. (2015) qui mentionne que certaines caractéristiques de l’environnement et individuelles, telles que le niveau de formation, peuvent influencer l’étendue effective de la pratique des infirmières. Le déploiement de cette étendue de pratique a le potentiel d’influencer à son tour la satisfaction professionnelle des infirmières (Déry et al., 2013), la qualité des soins aux patients ainsi que d’autres variables organisationnelles telles que l’accessibilité, les durées moyennes de séjours et les coûts. Un devis corrélationnel descriptif a été retenu pour cette étude. Un questionnaire de type Likert a été complété par les infirmières (n=80) d’un Institut universitaire en santé mentale du Québec. Des analyses de la variance ont été utilisées pour comparer les moyennes d’étendue de pratique selon les ni-veaux de formation. Les résultats démontrent un déploiement sous-optimal de l’étendue de la pratique des infirmières (4,24/6; E.T.= 0,63). Cette étendue de pratique est tout de même supérieure à l’étendue de pratique des infirmières d’autres milieux qui a été mesurée à l’aide du questionnaire de l’étendue de la pratique infirmière (QÉPI). Les analyses effectuées concernant l’influence du niveau de formation sur l’étendue de pratique n’ont révélées aucune différence significative entre les niveaux de formation F (3, 77) = 0,707, p = 0,551. Le niveau de formation des infirmières, la présence d’un biais de représentation, le manque de puissance statistique et certaines caractéristiques de l’emploi peuvent expliquer ces résultats. Les résultats de cette étude semblent constituer une recherche empirique initiale puisqu'il s’agit à ce jour de l’unique recherche à avoir mesuré l’étendue de pratique des infirmières œuvrant en santé mentale à l’aide du QÉPI et à avoir tenté de connaître l’influence que pouvait avoir le niveau de formation sur l’étendue de leur pratique.

Children with Special Health Care Needs: Comparison of the Effects of Home Care Setting, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Setting, and Long-Term Care Setting on Child and Family Health Outcomes and Health Care Service Use

Technological advances during the past 30 years have dramatically improved survival rates for children with life-threatening conditions (preterm births, congenital anomalies, disease, or injury) resulting in children with special health care needs (CSHCN), children who have or are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and who require health and related services beyond that required by children generally. There are approximately 10.2 million of these children in the United States or one in five households with a child with special health care needs. Care for these children is limited to home care, medical day care (Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care; P-PEC) or a long term care (LTC) facility. There is very limited research examining health outcomes of CSHCN and their families. The purpose of this research was to compare the effects of home care settings, P-PEC settings, and LTC settings on child health and functioning, family health and function, and health care service use of families with CSHCN. Eighty four CSHCN ages 2 to 21 years having a medically fragile or complex medical condition that required continual monitoring were enrolled with their parents/guardians. Interviews were conducted monthly for five months using the PedsQL TM Generic Core Module for child health and functioning, PedsQL TM Family Impact Module for family health and functioning, and Access to Care from the NS-CSHCN survey for health care services. Descriptive statistics, chi square, and ANCOVA were conducted to determine differences across care settings. Children in the P-PEC settings had a highest health care quality of life (HRQL) overall including physical and psychosocial functioning. Parents/guardians with CSHCN in LTC had the highest HRQL including having time and energy for a social life and employment. Parents/guardians with CSHCN in home care settings had the poorest HRQL including physical and psychosocial functioning with cognitive difficulties, difficulties with worry, communication, and daily activities. They had the fewest hours of employment and the most hours providing direct care for their children. Overall health care service use was the same across the care settings.

Perspective d'étudiantes infirmières de leur environnement d'apprentissage de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle lors d'une immersion clinique à l'international

Il existe une grande diversité dans les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières concernant l’organisation de stages d’immersion clinique à l’international et le soutien offert aux étudiantes (Kokko, 2011). Cette étude de cas qualitative explore, selon la perspective d’étudiantes infirmières, les éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle dans le cadre d’une immersion clinique à l’international. Le modèle constructiviste de développement de la compétence culturelle de Blanchet Garneau (2013 ; Blanchet Garneau et Pepin, 2015a) a servi de cadre de référence à cette étude. Dix étudiantes ayant participé à l’immersion clinique ont pris part à une entrevue individuelle en profondeur. Suite à une analyse qualitative thématique des données inspirée de Miles, Huberman et Saldana (2014), trois thèmes inter reliés ressortent : accompagnement par de multiples collaborations, trouver sa place dans le milieu d’accueil et écart entre les attentes des étudiantes et l’expérience vécue. Ces thèmes permettent de comprendre l’environnement d’apprentissage des étudiantes dans le développement de leur compétence culturelle, notamment leur capacité de s’ouvrir aux différentes réalités en contexte de diversité culturelle. Puisque peu d’écrits abordent spécifiquement les éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage liés à la capacité de s’ouvrir aux différentes réalités de la pratique en contexte de diversité culturelle à l’étranger, cette étude contribue à l’approfondissement des éléments de l’environnement d’apprentissage présenté dans le modèle de Blanchet Garneau (2013 ; Blanchet Garneau et Pepin, 2015) et constitue un ajout aux connaissances actuelles liées au développement de la compétence culturelle.