Prevention of surgical site infections (Updated)

Posted on by
Reply

“The morbidity for 2018 in the US was 157,500 for surgical site infections (SSI), with an estimated mortality of 8,205. 11% of all deaths in intensive care units were associated with SSI. It is a burden for the patient with an additional 11 days of hospitalization for each SSI and a burden to the system with an overall cost of $3.2 billion per year.”1

A collection of 50 PubMed citations has been compiled related to prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). This material is an update to a 2018 post.

Continue reading →

What is health equity and how can it be achieved?

Posted on by
Reply
“Understanding the drivers of differences in outcomes requires understanding social determinants of health.These determinants include economic stability (such as a living wage, adequate housing, and transportation)literacy including numerical and cultural literacy,adequate access to healthy food, social support, and finally access to care.”
Carlos, Ruth C, and Efren J Flores. “Health Equity.” Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR. 16.4 Pt B (2019): 539-41. Print.
Full Text for Emory Users

Continue reading →

What strategies can hospital administrations take to alleviate and prevent psychological issues encountered by clinicians on the Covid-19 frontlines?

Posted on by
Reply

Clinicians caring for Covid-19 patients have shown multiple signs of stress including anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance.1 Predictors of these adverse effects include young age, low work experience, female gender, heavy workload, working in unsafe settings, and lack of training and social support.2

Issues in COVID-19 care that may provoke these problems include “limited information about COVID-19, unpredictable tasks and challenging practices, insufficient support, concerns about family, and emotional and psychological stress”3, as well as “working in an isolated environment, concerns about personal protective equipment shortage and usage, physical and emotional exhaustion, intensive workload, fear of being infected, and insufficient work experiences with COVID-19.”4

Continue reading →

What are some strategies to increase compliance of correctly completing the bedside shift reports?

Posted on by
Reply

“Bedside report is an evidence-based practice used to increase patient involvement in their care and improve patient satisfaction. A change management strategy and standardized approach to bedside report can help increase nurse compliance with the process.”
In this study “A change management strategy and standardized approach to bedside report helped increase nurse compliance with the process, leading to improved patient satisfaction.”

Scheidenhelm, S, et. al  Hardwiring Bedside Shift Report. (2017). Journal of Nursing Administration., 47(3), 147.

Full Text for Emory Users

Continue reading →

How does nursing work engagement effect patient and hospital outcomes?

Posted on by
Reply

“The vital connection of nurse engagement to the experience of care, and ultimately to nurse and patient outcomes, is clear. Quality improvement efforts that equally emphasize initiatives to improve the patient experience and create and sustain a highly engaged nursing workforce are key to achieving desired safety and quality outcomes.”

Dempsey C, Assi MJ. The Impact of Nurse Engagement on Quality, Safety, and the Experience of Care: What Nurse Leaders Should Know. Nurs Adm Q. 2018 Jul/Sep; 42(3):278-283.

Full text for Emory users.

Continue reading →

What are modifiable risk factors for cancer?

Posted on by
Reply
“An estimated one third to one half of cancers could be prevented by healthy lifestyle choices: eliminating tobacco use, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), moderating alcohol consumption, and maintaining an active lifestyle.”
Arem, Hannah, & Loftfield, Erikka. (2018). Cancer Epidemiology: A Survey of Modifiable Risk Factors for Prevention and Survivorship. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine., 12(3), 200-210.

Continue reading →

What are the disparities and barriers to breast feeding and how to help new mothers overcome those impacts?

Posted on by
Reply

Despite recognized health benefits for both mothers and infants, significant disparities still exist in the rates of breastfeeding in the United States.  This article reviews the evidence related to barriers (prenatal, medical, societal, hospital, and sociocultural) that many mothers face, and explore the known barriers and the impact they have on a woman’s ability to breastfeed her infant.Strategies will be discussed to address (and potentially overcome) some of the most common barriers women face along with a list of resources that can be useful in this effort.
From: Sriraman, Natasha, et al

Sriraman, Natasha K, & Kellams, Ann. (2016). Breastfeeding: What are the Barriers? Why Women Struggle to Achieve Their Goals. Journal of Women’s Health., 25(7), 714-722.

Continue reading →