The Nursing clinics of North America
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Limited patient literacy contributes to poorer health status, increased emergency room and hospital use, higher morbidity and mortality rates, and less use of preventive health services. All patients, however, need health information that is accurate, accessible, and actionable to make informed decisions about their health. A universal health literacy precautions approach is recommended to empower patients through shared decision-making interactions. Consistent use of evidence-based health literacy practices by front-line nurses offers the potential for transformations in nursing care through stronger patient-nurse interactions and health system partnerships.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Sep 2014
Improving pain management in orthopedic surgical patients with opioid tolerance.
As increasing numbers of the baby boomer generation seek health care, nursing staff educated in the evidence-based practice process can make significant contributions to successful patient outcomes. Health care providers who anticipate the approaching perfect storm in health care and thoughtfully plan, collaborate, and incorporate evidence-based practice methods will be well prepared to improve the quality of care, realize cost savings, and meet the challenges ahead.
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Fever is a significant contributor to secondary brain insult and management is a challenge for the neurocritical care team. The absence of standardized guidelines likely contributes to poor surveillance and undertreatment of increased temperature. A need for practice change was identified and this evidence-based practice project was initiated to compile sufficient evidence to develop, implement, and evaluate a treatment guideline to manage fever and maintain normothermia in the neurocritical care population. Ongoing education, inclusion in staff annual competency, and staff update on compliance performance is essential to maintain and sustain the practice change achieved through this project.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Sep 2014
Promoting sleep in the adult surgical intensive care unit patients to prevent delirium.
Ensuring adequate sleep for hospitalized patients is important for reducing stress, improving healing, and decreasing episodes of delirium. The purpose of this project was to implement a Sleep Program for stable patients in the surgical intensive care unit, thereby changing sleep management practices and ensuring quality of care using an evidence-based practice approach. Improving patient satisfaction with sleep by 28 percentage points may be attributed to a standardized process of providing a healing environment for patients to sleep.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Sep 2014
Part II: managing perioperative hyperglycemia in total hip and knee replacement surgeries.
Perioperative hyperglycemia management is an important factor in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) in all patients regardless of existing history of diabetes. Reduction of SSIs is one of the quality indicators reported by the National Healthcare Safety Networks of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2009 and 2010, the orthopedic surgical unit had an increased number of SSIs above the CDC benchmark. This article describes the impact of an evidence-based practice standard for perioperative hyperglycemia management in the reduction of SSIs in patients having total hip and knee replacement surgery.