Qualitative Analysis of Therapeutic Light Effects on Global Function in Alzheimer’s Disease
2011
Western Journal of Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 33
Pages 933-952
Author(s): Nowak, L., Davis, J.
The occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is growing, with 68% of cases occurring in women. In addition to declines in global function, patients with AD experience reversal of day–night patterns, disturbed sleep–wake rhythms, and excessive daytime sleepiness, making managing AD difficult. Symptom management includes pharmacologic measures, environmental or milieu management, and behavioral interventions.
Added January 2014
Using Rapid Assessment to Evaluate Noise on an In-Patient Unit
2009
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 24
Pages 27-32
Author(s): Deitrick, L.M., Kennedy, P., Cyriax, C., Davies-Hathen, N.
Research shows that many hospitals are noisy from a variety of sources: people, environment, and machines. Further, this excessive noise can have negative effects on patients and staff including lost sleep, higher blood pressure, lower overall patient satisfaction, increased readmission rates, and increased employee stress levels.
Added January 2014
Direct observation of behavior: a review of current measures for use with older adults with dementia
2008
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 1
Pages 52-76
Author(s): Curyto, K.J., Van Haitsma, K., Vriesman, D.K.
There are a number of methods to assess specific areas of behavior when evaluating changes in functioning, assessing the effects of an intervention, or measuring the effectiveness of a program of care. Some of these methods include: self-report, caregiver report, and family report of person-specific behaviors. However, self-reporting by dementia patients is often not reasonable given their cognitive decline and communication challenges. Ratings from other people can introduce measurement errors.
Added January 2014
The sound environment in an ICU patient room—a content analysis of sound levels and patient experiences
2012
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Johansson, L., Bergbom, I., Wayeb, K. P., Ryherd, E., Lindahl, B.
This study was a prestudy for the planning and design of a larger one, where the aim is to investigate the relationship between sound (objective and subjective) and adult intensive care unit (ICU) delirium and/or other factors. It used sound measurement, behavioral observation, and interview methods. The results provide a good list of sound/noise impact on patients and subsequent ICU design considerations.
Added January 2014
Impact of Medication Storage Cabinets on Efficient Delivery of Medication and Employee Frustration
2010
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 25
Pages 352-357
Author(s): Hull, T., Czirr, L. , Wilson, M.
Safe medication administration is essential to ensuring positive patient outcomes and is a priority in healthcare institutions. Recent innovations in technology and automation are designed to eliminate errors as well as move activities closer to the patient’s bedside to improve nursing workflow. It has been postulated that moving medications and supplies closer to the point of care reduces nurses’ traveling time and makes it easier to administer medication.
Added January 2014
Can modifications to the bedroom environment improve the sleep of new parents? Two randomized controlled trials
2011
Research in Nursing & Health
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 34
Pages 7-19
Author(s): Lee, K. A., Gay, C. L.
One of the major challenges of new parenthood is adjusting to the sleep disruption that comes with caring for a newborn. Parents-to-be know that caring for an infant with random sleep and feeding patterns will mean sleep deprivation and fatigue, but few are prepared for the actual physical and emotional demands.
Added January 2014
Person-Environment Interactions Contributing to Nursing Home Resident Falls
2009
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 287-294
Author(s): Hill, E. E., Nguyen, T. H., Shaha, M., Wenzel, J. A., DeForge, B. R., Spellbring, A. M.
Falls are common for older adults, with significant consequences, including injuries and even death as well as healthcare costs. However, few studies have looked at environmental factors, such as lighting, equipment, and slippery floor surfaces, as potential risk factors for falls by nursing home residents. This study explores the risk factors associated with resident falls in a nursing home using a focus group.
Added January 2014
Noise in the Operating Room—What Do We Know? A Review of the Literature
2010
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 25
Pages 380-386
Author(s): Hasfeldt, D., Laerkner, E., Birkelund, R.
Noise is a general stressor and should be avoided in the operating room (OR). However, over the last 10 years, while the focus has been on preventing air pollution and maximizing sterility in the OR, very little attention has gone toward preventing noise pollution. Meanwhile, there is more and more noisy technological equipment in the OR, and it can be assumed that problems with noise in the OR have not decreased.
Added January 2014
Patients’ Interactions in an Intensive Care Unit and Their Memories of Intensive Care: A Mixed Method Study
2013
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Meriläinen, M, Kyngäs, H, Ala-Kokko, T
The various equipment and devices in the intensive care unit (ICU) make it the most technologically sophisticated environment in any hospital. But, from a patient’s perspective, being connected to various devices; experiencing unsettling noises, smells, lighting, and uncomfortable temperatures; and enduring the perceptions of other patients as care objects can cause both physical and mental stress.
Added January 2014
Bathing people with dementia: when education is not enough
2012
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 38
Pages 43-51
Author(s): Gaspard, G., Cox, L.
Dementia is increasing at the rate of one case every 7 seconds. As such, the need for methods for caring for these patients with dignity also increases. Current research indicates that many people with dementia respond negatively to bathing, in part because they don’t feel comfortable being naked in front of other people or with unfamiliar bathing equipment, and may develop resistant behaviors.
Added January 2014
Sleep and the sleep environment of older adults in acute care settings
2008
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 34
Pages 15-21
Author(s): Missildine, K.
Not every patient has difficulty sleeping in an acute care setting, but it is common. Environmental factors, such as light and noise, can interfere with sleep, further compromising an existing sleep problem. Environmental light, considered a primary cue for setting the internal clock and maintaining normal day/night rhythms, is often different in acute care settings compared to home and may affect sleep.
Added January 2014
Assessing the mirrors in long-term care homes: a preliminary survey
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 36
Pages 34-40
Author(s): Freysteinson, W. M.
According to geriatric environmental design literature, bringing the home to the long-term care (LTC) environment is key to residents’ comfort. However, the mirror is one environmental element that has received little attention in LTC environments, and yet appears to meet this conceptualization. Mirrors may fit with Lawton’s theory in that it functions to maintain, support, and stimulate the residents, perhaps even more so for those who have limited mobility.
Added January 2014
Falls, Technology, and Stunt Actors: New Approaches to Fall Detection and Fall Risk Assessment
2008
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 23
Pages 195-201
Author(s): Rantz, M. J., Aud, M. A., Alexander, G., Wakefield, B. J., Skubic, M., Luke, R. H., Anderson, D., Keller, J. M.
One in every 3 people aged 65 or older falls each year, making falls the most common cause of trauma-related injuries and hospitalizations in older adults and the leading cause of death due to injury. In addition, falls are often the prelude to rapid functional decline, costly hospitalization and rehabilitation services, loss of independence and physical function, and even death. Despite healthcare providers’ efforts at prevention, falls among older adults continue to be a critical and costly problem. Clearly, new methods are needed to address this issue.
Added January 2014
A pilot study testing a fall prevention intervention for older adults determining the feasibility of a five-sensor motion detection system
2012
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 38
Pages 13-16
Author(s): Ferrari, M., Harrison, B., Rawashdeh, O., Rawashdeh, M.,, Hammond, R., Maddens, M
With reported rates from 2 to 5 events per 1,000 patients, falls are the most commonly reported adverse event in hospitalized patients. In addition to the physical consequences of falls to patients, preventing falls has financial implications as well, as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations limit hospital reimbursement for fall-related injuries. Thus, interventions to prevent falls in hospitalized older adults are essential to reduce morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.
Added January 2014
Sleep promotion in the intensive care unit—A survey of nurses’ interventions
2011
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 27
Pages 138-142
Author(s): Eliassen, K. M., Hopstock, L. A.
For patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), sleep deprivation could lead to a variety of physical and psychological issues (Friese, 2008) that impact the healing process and increase morbidity and mortality. There are many factors that contribute to poor sleep. This small-scale study investigates the perceptions of the sleep-promoting interventions that ICU nurses provide.
Added January 2014
Factors influencing sleep for parents of critically ill hospitalized children: A qualitative analysis
2011
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 27
Pages 37-45
Author(s): Stremler, R., Dhukai, Z., Wong, L., Parshuram, C.
Given the shift in pediatric hospitals toward family-centered care, many parents spend the night with their hospitalized child. For parents who are already challenged by their child’s health condition, sleep is important to sustain their physical and emotional health and their strength to cope with the illness event, support their child and other family members, participate in decision-making, and maintain relationships. A number of factors may affect quality and quantity of sleep for parents while their child is hospitalized, but these remain unexplored in the literature.
Added January 2014
Environmental Noise Sources and Interventions to Minimize Them: A Tale of Two Hospitals
2008
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 23
Pages 216-224
Author(s): Dube, J. A. O., Barth, M. M., Cmiel, C. A. , Cutshall, S. M. , Olson, S. M., Sulla, S. J., Nesbitt, J. C. , Sobczak, S. C., Holland, D. E.
Delivering patient care in a hospital is noisy. Yet research shows that noise interferes with the healing process and can disrupt the patient’s experience. Higher noise levels are linked to stress reaction; sleep disturbance; and increased heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension, creating an overarching issue that touches multiple disciplines and departments in the hospital.
Added January 2014
Work environment factors other than staffing associated with nurses’ ratings of patient care quality
2011
Healthcare Management Review
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 38
Pages 105-114
Author(s): Djukic, M., Kovner, C. T., Brewer, C.S., Fatehi, F.K., Cline, D.D.
There have been many studies on the impact of registered nurse (RN) staffing on patient care quality, but this study set out to identify other modifiable work environment factors linked to patient care quality. This information could be significant given that the projected shortage of approximately 250,000 RNs over the next 15 years will limit healthcare institutions’ ability to rely on RN staffing alone to ensure high-quality care.
Added January 2014
The Work of Adult and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurses
2013
Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 62
Pages 50-58
Author(s): Douglas,. S., Cartmill, T., Brown, R., Hoonakker, P., Slagle, J., Van Roy, K. S, Walker, J, M.
Over the years, researchers have employed a variety of methods to describe and quantify nursing work. However, much of this research looked at nursing in general care settings and not at the unique work nurses perform in intensive care units (ICUs). This study uses behavioral task analysis to observe activities performed by adult ICU (AICU) and pediatric ICU (PICU) nurses as well as to compare the time they spent on various tasks across four different ICUs.
Added January 2014
Medication Room Madness: Calming the Chaos
2010
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 25
Pages 137-144
Author(s): Conrad, C., Fields, W., McNamara, T., Cone, M., Atkins, P.
This article describes a medication safety project that wanted to improve the physical design and organizational layout of the medication room, reduce nurse interruptions and distractions, and create a standard medication process for enhanced patient safety and efficiency. This successful change improved the medication administration process, decreased medication errors, and enhanced nursing satisfaction.
Added December 2013