Nursing research
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Predicting pressure ulcer risk: a multisite study of the predictive validity of the Braden Scale.
There have been no studies that have tested the Braden Scale for predictive validity and established cutoff points for assessing risk specific to different settings. ⋯ Risk assessment on admission is important for timely planning of preventive strategies. Ongoing assessment in SNFs and VAMCs improves prediction and permits fine-tuning of the risk-based prevention protocols. In tertiary care the most accurate prediction occurs at 48 to 72 hours after admission and at this time the care plan can be refined.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized trial of geragogy-based medication instruction in the emergency department.
Medication adherence by older adults who are discharged from the emergency department (ED) is an essential attribute of effective treatment. Researchers have demonstrated that delivery of well-structured instructions increases the knowledge of discharge regimens and increases adherence among ED populations. ⋯ These findings suggest that a medication teaching intervention geared to the special needs of the elderly can be effective in increasing medication knowledge.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Patient outcomes for the chronically critically ill: special care unit versus intensive care unit.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a low-technology environment of care and a nurse case management case delivery system (special care unit, SCU) with the traditional high-technology environment (ICU) and primary nursing care delivery system on the patient outcomes of length of stay, mortality, readmission, complications, satisfaction, and cost. A sample of 220 chronically critically ill patients were randomly assigned to either the SCU (n = 145) or the ICU (n = 75). Few significant differences were found between the two groups in length of stay, mortality, or complications. ⋯ The average total cost of delivering care was $5,000 less per patient in the SCU than in the traditional ICU. In addition, the cost to produce a survivor was $19,000 less in the SCU. Results from this 4-year clinical trial demonstrate that nurse case managers in a SCU setting can produce patient outcomes equal to or better than those in the traditional ICU care environment for long-term critically ill patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of the effects of jaw relaxation and music on postoperative pain.
This experimental study compared the effects of jaw relaxation and music, individually and combined, on sensory and affective pain following surgery. Abdominal surgical patients (N = 84) were randomly assigned to four groups: relaxation, music, a combination of relaxation and music, and control. Interventions were taught preoperatively and used by subjects during the first ambulation after surgery. ⋯ With preambulatory sensation, distress, narcotic intake, and preoperative anxiety as covariates, the four groups were compared using orthogonal a priori contrasts and analysis of covariance. The interventions were neither effective nor significantly different from one another during ambulation. However, after keeping the taped interventions for 2 postoperative days, 89% of experimental subjects reported them helpful for sensation and distress of pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Coping with unplanned childhood hospitalization: effects of informational interventions on mothers and children.
Two types of information, separately and in combination, were evaluated for their effects on the process and outcomes of maternal and child coping with unplanned childhood hospitalization. One hundred eight mothers of hospitalized children, 2 to 5 years old, were randomly assigned to one of four study groups. Child behavioral information and parental role information had positive effects on maternal state anxiety as well as on parental support and participation in their children's care during hospitalization. Ten to 14 days following hospitalization, positive main effects were shown for child behavioral and parental role information on mothers' state anxiety levels and for child behavioral information on children's negative behaviors.