Avaliação da carga de trabalho no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca segundo o Nursing Activities Score

RESUMO Objetivo Identificar os fatores associados à carga de trabalho de enfermagem no cuidado a pacientes no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca. Método Estudo de coorte prospectivo, conduzido com 187 pacientes da Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Cirúrgica (UTI) do Instituto do Coração. Os dados foram coletados nas primeiras 24 e 72 horas do paciente na UTI. A variável dependente foi a carga de trabalho calculada por meio do Nursing Activities Score (NAS) e as independentes foram de natureza demográfico-clínicas e escores de morbimortalidade. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se os testes de Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney e de correlação de Spearman, e a regressão linear com modelo de efeitos mistos. Resultados A maioria dos pacientes era do sexo masculino (59,4%), com média de idade de 61 anos (±12,7) e 43,9% desenvolveram algum tipo de complicação no pós-operatório. Nas 24 horas, a carga de trabalho foi de 82,4% (±3,4) e foi de 58,1% (±3,4) nas 72 horas. Os fatores associados ao aumento do NAS foram: tempo de internação do paciente na UTI (p=0,036) e a presença de complicações (p<0,001). Conclusão A gravidade do paciente nas 24 horas, em oposição a inúmeros estudos, não influenciou no aumento da carga de trabalho, a qual se mostrou associada ao tempo de internação e às complicações.

Interrater reliability of Nursing Activities Score among Intensive Care Unit health professionals

ABSTRACT Objective To analyze the interrater reliability of NAS among critical care nurses and managers in an ICU. Method This was a methodological study performed in an adult, general ICU in Norway. In a random selection of patients, the NAS was scored on 101 patients by three raters: a critical care nurse, an ICU physician and a nurse manager. Interrater reliability was analyzed by agreement between groups and kappa statistics. Results The mean NAS were 88.4 (SD=16.2) and 88.7 (SD=24.5) respectively for the critical care nurses and nurse managers. A lower mean of 83.7 (SD=21.1) was found for physicians. The 18 medical interventions showed higher agreement between critical care nurses and physicians (85.6%), than between critical care nurses and nurse managers (78.7). In the five nursing activities the Kappa-coefficients were low for all activities in all compared groups. Conclusion The study indicated a satisfactory agreement of nursing workload between critical care nurses and managers.

Nursing Activities Score: an updated guideline for its application in the Intensive Care Unit

ABSTRACT Objective To describe nursing workload in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in different countries according to the scores obtained with Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and to verify the agreement among countries on the NAS guideline interpretation. Method This cross-sectional study considered 1-day measure of NAS (November 2012) obtained from 758 patients in 19 ICUs of seven countries (Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Egypt, Greece and Brazil). The Delphi technique was used in expertise meetings and consensus. Results The NAS score was 72.8% in average, ranging from 44.5% (Spain) to 101.8% (Norway). The mean NAS score from Poland, Greece and Egypt was 83.0%, 64.6% and 57.1%, respectively. The NAS score was similar in Brazil (54.0%) and in the Netherlands (51.0%). There were doubts in the understanding of five out 23 items of the NAS (21.7%) which were discussed until researchers&#8217; consensus. Conclusion NAS score were different in the seven countries. Future studies must verify if the fine standardization of the guideline can have a impact on differences in the NAS results.

The use of the Nursing Activities Score in clinical settings: an integrative review

ABSTRACT Objective analyze how studies have approached the results obtained from the application of the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) based on Donabedian&#8217;s model of healthcare organization and delivery. Method CINAHL and PubMed databases were searched for papers published between 2003 and March 2015. Results 36 articles that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed and double-coded by three independent coders and analyzed based on the three elements of Donabedian&#8217;s health care quality framework: structure, process and outcome. The most frequently addressed, but not always tested, variables were those that fell into the structure category. Conclusion variables that fell into the process category were used less frequently. Beside NAS, the most frequently used variables in the outcome category were mortality and length of stay. However, no study used a quality framework for healthcare or NAS to evaluate costs, and it is recommended that further research should explore this approach.

Cost of nursing turnover in a Teaching Hospital

Abstract OBJECTIVE To map the sub processes related to turnover of nursing staff and to investigate and measure the nursing turnover cost. METHOD This is a descriptive-exploratory study, classified as case study, conducted in a teaching hospital in the southeastern, Brazil, in the period from May to November 2013. The population was composed by the nursing staff, using Nursing Turnover Cost Calculation Methodology. RESULTS The total cost of turnover was R$314.605,62, and ranged from R$2.221,42 to R$3.073,23 per employee. The costs of pre-hire totaled R$101.004,60 (32,1%), and the hiring process consumed R$92.743,60 (91.8%) The costs of post-hire totaled R$213.601,02 (67,9%), for the sub process decreased productivity, R$199.982,40 (93.6%). CONCLUSION The study identified the importance of managing the cost of staff turnover and the financial impact of the cost of the employee termination, which represented three times the average salary of the nursing staff.

Informatics competencies essential to decision making in nursing management

Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify informatics abilities essential to decision making in nursing management. METHOD Survey study with specialist nurses in health informatics and management. An electronic questionnaire was built based on the competencies Information Literacy (five categories; 40 abilities) and Information Management (nine categories; 69 abilities) of the TIGER - Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform - initiative, with the guiding question: Which informatics abilities are essential to decision making in management? Answers were sorted in a Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5. Rasch analysis was conducted with the software WINSTEPS ®. Results were presented in logits, with cutoff value zero. RESULTS Thirty-two specialists participated, coming from all regions of Brazil. In the information literacy competency, 18 abilities were considered essential and in Information Management, 38; these were sorted according to their degree of essentiality. CONCLUSION It is believed that the incorporation of these abilities in teaching can support the education of nurse managers and contribute to evidence-based practice, incorporation of information and communication technologies in health and information management.

Time standards of nursing in Primary Health Care: an observational study

Abstract OBJECTIVE To determine time standards for interventions and activities conducted by nursing professionals in Family Health Units (FHU) in Brazil to substantiate the calculation of work force. METHOD This was an observational study carried out in 27 FHU, in 12 municipalities in 10 states, in 2013. In each unit, nursing professionals were observed every 10 minutes, for eight work hours, on five consecutive days via the work sampling technique. RESULTS A total of 32,613 observations were made, involving 47 nurses and 93 nursing technicians/assistants. Appointments were the main intervention carried out by nurses, with a mean time of 25.3 minutes, followed by record-keeping, which corresponded to 9.7%. On average, nursing technicians/assistants spent 6.3% of their time keeping records and 30.6 intervention minutes on immunization/vaccination control. CONCLUSION The study resulted in standard times of interventions carried out by the FHU nursing team, which can underpin the determination of nursing staff size and human resource policies. Furthermore, the study showed the panorama of interventions currently employed, allowing for the work process to be reviewed and optimized.

Aromatherapy and nursing: historical and theoretical conception

Abstract Aromatherapy is a Practical or Complementary Health Therapy that uses volatile concentrates extracted from plants called essential oils, in order to improve physical, mental and emotional well-being. Aromatherapy has been practiced historically and worldwide by nurses and, as in Brazil is supported by the Federal Nursing Council, it is relevant to discuss this practice in the context of Nursing through Theories of Nursing. This study of theoretical reflection, exploratory and descriptive, aims to discuss the pharmacognosy of essential oils, the historical trajectory of Aromatherapy in Nursing and the conceptions to support Aromatherapy in light of eight Nursing Theorists (Florence Nightingale, Myra Levine, Hildegard Peplau, Martha Rogers, Callista Roy, Wanda Horta, Jean Watson and Katharine Kolcaba), contributing to its inclusion as a nursing care practice.

Preventing violence by intimate partners in adolescence: an integrative review

Abstract OBJECTIVE To analyze the scientific literature on preventing intimate partner violence among adolescents in the field of health based on gender and generational categories. METHOD This was an integrative review. We searched for articles using LILACS, PubMed/MEDLINE, and SciELO databases. RESULTS Thirty articles were selected. The results indicate that most studies assessed interventions conducted by programs for intimate partner violence prevention. These studies adopted quantitative methods, and most were in the area of nursing, psychology, and medicine. Furthermore, most research contexts involved schools, followed by households, a hospital, a health center, and an indigenous tribe. CONCLUSION The analyses were not conducted from a gender- and generation-based perspective. Instead, the scientific literature was based on positivist research models, intimately connected to the classic public healthcare model and centered on a singular dimension.

Composition of the electrocautery smoke: integrative literature review

Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify the composition of the smoke produced by electrocautery use during surgery. METHOD Integrative review with search for primary studies conducted in the databases of the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, covering the studies published between 2004 and 2014. RESULTS The final sample consisted of 14 studies grouped into three categories, namely; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile compounds and volatile organic compounds. CONCLUSION There is scientific evidence that electrocautery smoke has volatile toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds, and its inhalation constitutes a potential chemical risk to the health of workers involved in surgeries.

Nursing care in the anesthetic procedure: an integrative review

Abstract OBJECTIVE To search for the scientific evidence available on nursing professional actions during the anesthetic procedure. METHOD An integrative review of articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish, indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, National Cochrane, SciELO databases and the VHL portal. RESULTS Seven studies were analyzed, showing nurse anesthetists' work in countries such as the United States and parts of Europe, with the formulation of a plan for anesthesia and patient care regarding the verification of materials and intraoperative controls. The barriers to their performance involved working in conjunction with or supervised by anesthesiologists, the lack of government guidelines and policies for the legal exercise of the profession, and the conflict between nursing and the health system for maintenance of the performance in places with legislation and defined protocols for the specialty. Conclusion Despite the methodological weaknesses found, the studies indicated a wide diversity of nursing work. Furthermore, in countries absent of the specialty, like Brazil, the need to develop guidelines for care during the anesthetic procedure was observed.

L'erreur en médecine ambulatoire: comment l'aborder. [Error in ambulatory medicine: how to deal with it?]

Medical errors compromise patient safety in ambulatory practice. These errors must be faced in a framework that reduces to a minimum their consequences for the patients. This approach relies on the implementation of a new culture without stigmatization and where errors are disclosed to the patients; this culture implies the build up of a system for reporting errors associated to an in-depth analysis of the system, looking for root causes and insufficient barriers with the aim to fix them. A useful education tool is the "critical situations" meeting during which physicians are encouraged to openly present adverse events and "near misses". Their analysis, with supportive attitude towards involved staff members, allows to reveal systems failures within the institution or the private practice.

How are "teaching the teachers" courses in evidence based medicine evaluated? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become widespread in medical education. Teaching the teachers (TTT) courses address the increased teaching demand and the need to improve effectiveness of EBM teaching. We conducted a systematic review of assessment tools for EBM TTT courses.To summarise and appraise existing assessment methods for teaching the teachers courses in EBM by a systematic review. METHODS: We searched PubMed, BioMed, EmBase, Cochrane and Eric databases without language restrictions and included articles that assessed its participants. Study selection and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. RESULTS: Of 1230 potentially relevant studies, five papers met the selection criteria. There were no specific assessment tools for evaluating effectiveness of EBM TTT courses. Some of the material available might be useful in initiating the development of such an assessment tool. CONCLUSION: There is a need for the development of educationally sound assessment tools for teaching the teachers courses in EBM, without which it would be impossible to ascertain if such courses have the desired effect.

A Delphi study on National PICU nursing research priorities in Australia and New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence to direct and support nursing practice in the specialty of paediatric intensive care (PIC). The development of national PIC nursing research priorities may facilitate the process of undertaking clinical research and translating evidence into practice. PURPOSE: To (a) identify research priorities for the care of patients and their family as well as for the professional needs of PIC nurses, (b) foster nursing research collaboration, (c) develop a research agenda for PIC nurses. METHODS: Over 13 months in 2007-2008, a three-round questionnaire, using the Delphi technique, was sent to all specialist level registered nurses working in Australian and New Zealand PICUs. This method was used to identify and prioritise nursing research topics. Content analysis was used to analyse Round I data and descriptive statistics for Round II and III data. RESULTS: In Round I, 132 research topics were identified, with 77 research priorities (mdn&gt;6, mean MAD(median) 0.68±0.01) identified in subsequent rounds. The top nine priorities (mean&gt;6 and median&gt;6) included patient issues related to neurological care (n=2), pain/sedation/comfort (n=3), best practice at the end of life (n=1), and ventilation strategies (n=1), as well as two priorities related to professional issues about nurses' stress/burnout and professional development needs. CONCLUSION: The research priorities identified reflect important issues related to critically ill patients and their family as well as to the nurses caring for them. These priorities can be used for the development of a research agenda for PIC nursing in Australia and New Zealand.