Editor's Note ICU readmission risk for surgical patients can be predicted using a simple, clinical nomogram based on seven demographic and physiologic variables, this study finds. Of 3,109 patients admitted to the ICU by general surgery, transplant, trauma, and vascular surgery services, there were 141 (5%) unplanned readmissions within 72…
Editor's Note An annual poll from Gallup found nurses rated the highest among professions in the US for their honesty and ethical standards for the 17th straight year. A total of 84% of respondents rated the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as “very high” or “high.” Physicians came in…
Editor's Note In this study, a multimodal program that included education, role-play, and debriefing resulted in a lower prevalence of job stress in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. A total of 198 ICU nurses from 8 hospitals in France were randomized to the multimodal program intervention group (101 nurses) or…
Editor's Note A nurse’s ability to provide optimal patient care is influenced by a variety of factors, not just nurse to patient ratios, this study finds. In this study of 136 neonatal intensive care nurses caring for 418 infants during 332 12-hour shifts, subjective workload was the one variable that…
Editor's Note Every year, Perioperative Nurse Week focuses attention on the work of more than 160,000 nurses who advocate for surgical patients. During the week, perioperative nurses are honored by colleagues and communities to highlight the ways in which nurses are working to improve patient safety−before, during, and after surgery−in…
Editor's Note Appropriate nursing staff mix is important for quality care, and understanding how staffing skill mix affects outcomes allows policymakers and clinicians to make good staffing decisions, finds this study. Researchers from the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario analyzed 626 studies on the effectiveness of RNs on clinical, patient,…
Editor's Note The results of this study indicate that US nurses do not believe they are meeting evidence-based practice competencies. In this survey of 2,344 nurses from 19 hospitals or healthcare systems, the nurses overall reported they were not yet competent in meeting any of the 24 evidence-based practice competencies.…
Editor's Note National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. National Nurses Week is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society. This year’s theme is “Nurses Inspire, Innovate, Influence.” The American Nurses Association has a…
Editor's Note An innovative use for a known drug, amisulpride, is showing promise as an effective treatment for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), finds this study. Amisulpride works by blocking dopamine signaling in the body. A total of 1,147 patients undergoing general anesthesia, who had three or four PONV…
Editor's Note In this nationwide French study, bariatric surgery was associated with a significantly higher 6-year postoperative diabetes treatment discontinuation rate, compared with baseline and a control group who did not have bariatric surgery. Of more than 30,000 patients included in the study, the treatment discontinuation rate was 49.9% for…
