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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 25 of 108 Research Studies DisplayedHuff NR, Liu G, Chimowitz H
COVID-19 related negative emotions and emotional suppression are associated with greater risk perceptions among emergency nurses: a cross-sectional study.
The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between emergency nurses' emotional experiences in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their perceptions of risk to both patients and themselves, and also to investigate the extent to which the use of suppression and reappraisal processes for emotion management were associated with these perceptions. Nurses' negative emotions in response to the pandemic were associated with greater perceptions of both personal and patient safety risks. Chronic tendencies to suppress emotions uniquely predicted higher perceptions of risk. The authors concluded that understanding the factors that influence perceptions of risk are important, since these perceptions can motivate behaviors that may impact patient safety adversely.
AHRQ-funded; HS025752.
Citation: Huff NR, Liu G, Chimowitz H .
COVID-19 related negative emotions and emotional suppression are associated with greater risk perceptions among emergency nurses: a cross-sectional study.
Int J Nurs Stud Adv 2023 Dec; 5:100111. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnsa.2022.100111.
Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Department, Provider: Nurse
Watach AJ, McPhillips MV, Saconi B
Exploring nurse practitioner students' perceptions of a sleep e-learning program.
The objective of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore nurse practitioner students' perceptions of a sleep e-learning program. Twenty-four students participated in two focus groups. The students embraced sleep education; they spoke of content relevance to themselves and patients and of their intentions to adopt sleep assessment practices. Two overarching themes emerged: perceptions of course design, and content. The authors concluded that their study highlighted the feasibility of increasing curricular exposure to sleep education and ensuring nurse practitioners have the skills to recognize implications of poor and disordered sleep for patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026372.
Citation: Watach AJ, McPhillips MV, Saconi B .
Exploring nurse practitioner students' perceptions of a sleep e-learning program.
Nurs Educ Perspect 2023 Jul-Aug; 44(4):229-36. doi: 10.1097/01.Nep.0000000000001132..
Keywords: Education: Curriculum, Education: Academic, Sleep Problems, Provider: Nurse
Saucke MC, Alagoz E, Arroyo N
The invisible work of transfer centre nurses: a qualitative study of strategies to overcome communication challenges.
The objective of this study was to explore the role of transfer center nurses and their strategies to facilitate communication between providers during calls related to interhospital transfers. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 transfer center nurses at one tertiary medical center and asked them to describe their work. The results indicated that transfer center nurses employed multiple strategies to overcome communication challenges; providers' lack of knowledge of the nurses' role can impede respectful and efficient transfer conversations. The researchers concluded that interventions to support and optimize the transfer center nurses' critical work are needed.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Saucke MC, Alagoz E, Arroyo N .
The invisible work of transfer centre nurses: a qualitative study of strategies to overcome communication challenges.
J Adv Nurs 2023 Jul; 79(7):2539-52. doi: 10.1111/jan.15603..
Keywords: Communication, Provider: Nurse, Nursing
Isbell LM, Chimowitz H, Huff NR
A qualitative study of emergency physicians' and nurses' experiences caring for patients with psychiatric conditions and/or substance use disorders.
This study’s aim was to develop a comprehensive data-driven model of the complex challenges and unique dynamics associated with caring for patients with psychiatric conditions and/or substance use disorders (SUDs) in the emergency department (ED), as well as the effect on patient care quality. The authors conducted a preplanned topical analysis of grounded theory data obtained from semistructured interviews with 86 ED physicians and nurses from 8 hospitals in the Northeastern USA. Participants described in detail their experiences and challenges in caring for patients with psychiatric conditions and/or SUDs. The authors identified themes inductively using constant comparative analysis and developed a grounded model of physicians' and nurses' perceptions of challenges, biases, and effects on patient care. Challenges identified were emotional, diagnostic, and logistical. These challenges magnified existing health care system issues and social structures, which fuel and reinforce negative attitudes, expectations, and biases. This creates a cyclical process whereby challenges and biases associated with patients with psychiatric conditions and/or SUDs can reciprocally threaten patient care quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS025752.
Citation: Isbell LM, Chimowitz H, Huff NR .
A qualitative study of emergency physicians' and nurses' experiences caring for patients with psychiatric conditions and/or substance use disorders.
Ann Emerg Med 2023 Jun; 81(6):715-27. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.10.014..
Keywords: Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse, Emergency Department, Provider: Nurse, Provider: Physician
Meddings J, Gibbons JB, Reale BK
The impact of nurse practitioner care and accountable care organization assignment on skilled nursing services and hospital readmissions.
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) designation and nurse practitioners (NP) care delivery during skilled nursing facilities (SNF) visits and the relationship between NP care delivery during SNF visits and unplanned hospital readmissions. The researchers obtained a sample of 527,329 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with 1 or more SNF stays between 2012 and 2017 and then measured the association between patient ACO designation and evaluation and management care delivered by NPs in addition to the association between evaluation and management services delivered by NPs and hospital readmissions. The study found that ACO beneficiaries were 1.26% points more likely to receive 1 or more E&M services delivered by an NP during their SNF visits. ACO-designated beneficiaries receiving most of their E&M services from NPs during their SNF visits were at a lower risk of readmission than ACO-attributed beneficiaries receiving no NP E&M care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024698.
Citation: Meddings J, Gibbons JB, Reale BK .
The impact of nurse practitioner care and accountable care organization assignment on skilled nursing services and hospital readmissions.
Med Care 2023 Jun; 61(6):341-48. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001826..
Keywords: Nursing, Provider: Nurse, Hospital Readmissions, Provider: Clinician
Quigley DD, Slaughter ME, Qureshi N
Associations of pediatric nurse burnout with involvement in quality improvement.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships of inpatient pediatric nurse burnout with their perceptions on the importance of quality at the hospital, and with patient experience measurement, quality improvement (QI), unit culture, and staffing. The researchers implemented a cross-sectional study at an urban children's hospital and surveyed pediatric nurses about their perceptions including the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The study found that 27% of pediatric nurses reported burnout. Nurses who possessed greater confidence in patient experience measurement, received frequent patient experience performance reports, felt included in QI, and experienced QI efforts as integrated into patient care reported not being burned out when compared to those reporting burnout. Higher levels of open communication among nurses and unit-level teamwork were also related with lack of burnout, and a higher QI workload was related with burnout.
AHRQ-funded; HS025920.
Citation: Quigley DD, Slaughter ME, Qureshi N .
Associations of pediatric nurse burnout with involvement in quality improvement.
J Pediatr Nurs 2023 May-Jun; 70:e9-e16. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.11.001..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Burnout, Provider: Nurse, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Simpson KR, Spetz J, Gay CL
Hospital characteristics associated with nurse staffing during labor and birth: Inequities for the most vulnerable maternity patients.
The objective of this study was to estimate the relationship between hospital characteristics and adherence with Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses nurse staffing guidelines. Registered nurses were enrolled in a cross-sectional survey; hospital characteristics were obtained from the 2018 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. The findings indicated that, overall, nurses reported strong adherence to staffing guidelines within their hospitals. Higher birth volume, teaching status, higher percentage of Medicaid-paid births, and presence of a neonatal intensive care unit were all associated with lower mean adherence scores.
AHRQ-funded; HS025715.
Citation: Simpson KR, Spetz J, Gay CL .
Hospital characteristics associated with nurse staffing during labor and birth: Inequities for the most vulnerable maternity patients.
Nurs Outlook 2023 May; 71(3):101960. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101960..
Keywords: Hospitals, Maternal Care, Provider: Nurse, Workforce, Vulnerable Populations
Zhong J, Simpson KR, Spetz J
Linking patient safety climate with missed nursing care in labor and delivery units: findings from the LaborRNs Survey.
The objective of this study was to explore the association of nurses' perceptions of patient safety climate with missed nursing care in labor and delivery (L&D) units. Nurse respondents were recruited via email distribution of an electronic survey; hospitals with L&D units were recruited from states with projected availability of 2018 state inpatient data. Measures included the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire Safety Climate Subscale and the Perinatal Missed Care Survey. The results suggested that improving safety climate through means such as better teamwork and communication may improve nursing care quality during labor and birth through decreasing missed nursing care. Strategies to reduce missed care may also conversely improve the safety climate.
AHRQ-funded; HS025715.
Citation: Zhong J, Simpson KR, Spetz J .
Linking patient safety climate with missed nursing care in labor and delivery units: findings from the LaborRNs Survey.
J Patient Saf 2023 Apr 1;19(3):166-72. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001106.
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery, Nursing, Patient Safety, Provider: Nurse
James SM, James L
The impact of 12 h night shifts on nurses' driving safety.
This study’s purpose was to determine the impact of 12-hour day vs 12-hour night shift-accumulated fatigue on nurses’ driving safety. The study used a between-groups, repeated-measures non-randomized control trial. Forty-four nurses working 12-hour day shifts and 49 nurses working 12-hour night shifts were tested in a driving simulator on two separate occasions-once immediately following their third consecutive 12-hour hospital shift and once on their third consecutive day (72 hours) off work. The authors found that night shift nurses had significantly greater lane deviation during the post-shift drive home compared to day shift nurses, which is a key indicator of collision risk, demonstrating impaired driving safety.
AHRQ-funded; HS025965.
Citation: James SM, James L .
The impact of 12 h night shifts on nurses' driving safety.
Nurs Rep 2023 Mar 8;13(1):436-44. doi: 10.3390/nursrep13010040.
Keywords: Provider: Nurse
Thurman Johnson C, Ridge LJ, Hessels AJ
Nurse engagement in antibiotic stewardship programs: a scoping review of the literature.
This scoping review described how nurses are engaged in hospital-based antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) and to what extent this overlaps with the CDC framework. The authors concluded that, although hospitals were engaging nurses in antibiotic stewardship programs, their selected approaches did not reflect the full breadth of opportunities identified by the CDC. They noted that more detail as to how precisely nurses were engaged would be a useful addition to the literature; more research was also needed on nurse engagement in culturing or testing and penicillin allergy evaluation.
AHRQ-funded; HS026418.
Citation: Thurman Johnson C, Ridge LJ, Hessels AJ .
Nurse engagement in antibiotic stewardship programs: a scoping review of the literature.
J Healthc Qual 2023 Mar-Apr;45(2):69-82. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000372.
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Provider: Nurse
Barton AJ, Amura CR, Willems EL
Patient and provider perceptions of COVID-19-driven telehealth use from nurse-led care models in rural, frontier, and urban Colorado communities.
The aim of this study was to describe the patient and provider encounter in the unexpected telehealth application that took place with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and providers from 3 nurse-led models of care (federally qualified health centers, nurse midwifery practices, and the Nurse-Family partnership program) in Colorado were surveyed. Data from the Patient Attitude toward Telehealth survey and Provider Perceptions about Telehealth were collected. Patients who resided in urban areas utilized telehealth with greater frequency than in rural or frontier areas. Across each of the 5 domains assessed, rural/frontier patients had significantly lower attitude scores than urban patients. The mode of Telehealth employed differed across location, with video calls utilized more frequently by urban providers, and phone calls utilized by rural/frontier providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS028085.
Citation: Barton AJ, Amura CR, Willems EL .
Patient and provider perceptions of COVID-19-driven telehealth use from nurse-led care models in rural, frontier, and urban Colorado communities.
J Patient Exp 2023 Jan 25; 10:23743735231151546. doi: 10.1177/23743735231151546..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Primary Care, Patient Experience, Rural Health, Urban Health, Vulnerable Populations, Provider: Nurse
Aiken LH, Sloane DM, McHugh MD
A repeated cross-sectional study of nurses immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for action
The goal of this cross-sectional study was to establish whether hospital nursing care shortages are primarily due to the COVID pandemic, and therefore likely to subside, or if shortages are due to understaffing and poor working conditions that predated the pandemic. The study considered registered nurses in New York and Illinois, and a subset of staff nurses employed in 357 hospitals, before and during the pandemic. While no evidence was found to show that large numbers of nurses left in the first 18 months of the pandemic, the study’s findings indicate that nurses in hospitals with better staffing and more favorable work environments prior to the pandemic reported significantly better outcomes. The authors concluded that policies that prevent chronic understaffing have the most potential to stabilize the hospital nurse workforce.
AHRQ-funded; HS028978.
Citation: Aiken LH, Sloane DM, McHugh MD .
A repeated cross-sectional study of nurses immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for action
Nurs Outlook 2023 Jan-Feb; 71(1):101903. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2022.11.007..
Keywords: COVID-19, Provider: Nurse, Workforce, Burnout
Womack DM, Miech EJ, Fox NJ
Coincidence analysis: a novel approach to modeling nurses' workplace experience.
This study’s objective was to identify combinations of workplace conditions that uniquely differentiate high, medium, and low registered nurse (RN) ratings of appropriateness of patient assignment during daytime intensive care unit (ICU) work shifts. The RN members of the study team hypothesized a set of 55 workplace conditions having potential difference makers to define high, medium, and low perception of patient assignment appropriateness. An analysis of 64 cases (25 high, 24 medium, and 15 low) produced three models, one for each level of the outcome. The high appropriateness model was the simplest with two paths: 1) an absence of overtime and before-noon patient discharge or transfer; and 2) an absence of overtime and RN assignment to a single ICU patient.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: Womack DM, Miech EJ, Fox NJ .
Coincidence analysis: a novel approach to modeling nurses' workplace experience.
Appl Clin Inform 2022 Aug;13(4):794-802. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1756368..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Workflow
Choi KR, Hughesdon K, Britton L
Interpersonal trauma in the lives of nurses and perceptions of nursing work.
This study’s purpose was to explore associations between trauma experiences among nurses and nursing perceptions of risk for involuntary job loss and standing in society. This observational study used 2001 data from the Nurses’ Health Study which surveyed 53,323 female nurses. The outcome looked at were nurses’ perceptions of their risk for involuntary job loss and their social standing in the US and within their own community. The majority of nurses surveyed reported high rates of emotional trauma, in childhood and adulthood with lower rates of physical and sexual trauma. Emotional trauma was associated with perception of higher risk for involuntary job loss, but also higher perception of societal standing.
AHRQ-funded; HS026407.
Citation: Choi KR, Hughesdon K, Britton L .
Interpersonal trauma in the lives of nurses and perceptions of nursing work.
West J Nurs Res 2022 Aug;44(8):734-42. doi: 10.1177/01939459211015894..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Domestic Violence
Merkow RP, Chung JW, Slota JM
Correlation of the US News and World Report-calculated nurse staffing index with actual hospital-reported nurse staffing.
This study’s objective was to understand how the Nurse Staffing Index (NSI) used in the US News and World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings correlates to actual nurse staffing levels. Nurse staffing data was obtained from publicly available data in the states of Illinois, California, and New Jersey. No other states had publicly accessible data. Hospital characteristics were obtained from the 2016 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. The NSI was calculated using AHA data and is defined as the number of FTE RNs per adjusted patient day. Hospital characteristics were assessed using Hospital Compare data. Higher actual hospital-reported nurse staffing in Illinois and New Jersey was paradoxically associated with lower nurse staffing when measured by the NSI. California hospital-reported staffing intensity was weakly correctly with the NSI and RN nursing hours per patient day was not correlated with any of the 9 structural measures of hospital quality, while NSI was positively correlated with 3 of the 9 measures, particularly hospital volume status. None of the 11 outcome measures the authors assessed were associated with RN nursing hours per patient day or the NSI in either Illinois or California. All 12 patient experience measures were significantly and positively correlated with RN nursing hours in Illinois. However, none of the patient experience measures were significantly associated with the NSI in Illinois. The authors concluded that the NSI may not measure actual nurse staffing as intended.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516; HS026385.
Citation: Merkow RP, Chung JW, Slota JM .
Correlation of the US News and World Report-calculated nurse staffing index with actual hospital-reported nurse staffing.
J Nurs Care Qual 2022 Jul-Sep;37(3):195-98. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000619..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Provider: Nurse, Workforce
Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the experiences of inpatient floor-level bedside nurses caring for inter-hospital transfer (IHT) patients and to identify care coordination challenges and solutions. Results from this study are mapped to AHRQ’s Care Coordination Measurement Framework domains of communication, assessing needs and goals, and negotiating accountability. Findings showed that three key themes characterized nurses' experiences with IHT related to these domains: challenges with information exchange and team communication during IHT, environmental and information preparation needed to anticipate transfers, and determining responsibility and care plans after the IHT patient has arrived at the accepting facility.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H .
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 May;37(7):1729-36. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07276-5..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Provider: Nurse
Cimiotti JP, Becker ER, Li Y
Association of registered nurse staffing with mortality risk of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with sepsis.
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine if registered nurse workload was related with mortality in Medicare beneficiaries admitted to an acute care hospital with sepsis. The researchers evaluated the records of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 to 99 years with a primary diagnosis of sepsis that was present on admission to 1 of 1958 nonfederal, general acute care hospitals that had data on CMS SEP-1 scores and registered nurse workload. Researchers utilized 2018 data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, CMS Hospital Compare, and Medicare claims. The patient outcome of interest was mortality within 60 days of admission. The study found that 702,140 Medicare beneficiaries with a mean age of 78.2 years, 51% of whom were women, had a diagnosis of sepsis. In a multivariable regression model, each additional registered nurse hour per patient day (HPPD) was associated with a 3% decrease in the odds of 60-day mortality. The researchers concluded that hospitals which provide more registered nurse hours of care could possibly decrease the likelihood of mortality in Medicare beneficiaries with sepsis.
AHRQ-funded; HS026232.
Citation: Cimiotti JP, Becker ER, Li Y .
Association of registered nurse staffing with mortality risk of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with sepsis.
JAMA Health Forum 2022 May;3(5):e221173. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.1173..
Keywords: Sepsis, Mortality, Provider: Nurse, Nursing, Workforce
Jeffery AD
Data science for nurses.
This “Practice Matters” article discusses how nurses can apply data science methods to improve nurses’ insight into care delivery. Data science in nursing is defined and the data science process is described in five steps: capture, maintain, process, analyze, and communicate. A table is included which highlights several recently published studies that leveraged data science methods in nursing-relevant projects. The article ends with a call to action.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Jeffery AD .
Data science for nurses.
Am Nurse 2022 May; 17(5)..
Keywords: Provider: Nurse, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Dierkes AM, Aiken LH, Sloane DM
Hospital nurse staffing and sepsis protocol compliance and outcomes among patients with sepsis in the USA: a multistate cross-sectional analysis.
The timely and effective administration of sepsis treatment may improve sepsis outcomes, and those improvements may provide evidence of the need for mandated reporting of adherence to sepsis care protocol. The purpose of the study was to better understand the association between patient-to-nurse staffing ratios, sepsis protocol compliance, and patient outcomes. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing linked data from 537 hospitals from across California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York (representing 252,699 Medicare inpatients with sepsis present on admission), nurse and hospital surveys, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare and the corresponding MedPAR patient claims. The study found that every additional patient per nurse was associated with greater odds of mortality, readmission, ICU admission, and greater risk of relative duration of stay. Every 10% increase in compliance of sepsis protocol was only associated with a shorter duration of stay. The study concluded that improvements in nurse staffing and the nurse-to-patient ratios had a greater impact on sepsis infection outcomes than compliance with protocols.
AHRQ-funded; HS026232.
Citation: Dierkes AM, Aiken LH, Sloane DM .
Hospital nurse staffing and sepsis protocol compliance and outcomes among patients with sepsis in the USA: a multistate cross-sectional analysis.
BMJ Open 2022 Mar 22;12(3):e056802. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056802..
Keywords: Sepsis, Hospitals, Provider: Nurse, Workforce
Tzeng HM, Raji MA, Chou LN
Impact of state nurse practitioner regulations on potentially inappropriate medication prescribing between physicians and nurse practitioners: a national study in the United States.
The American Geriatrics Society regularly updates the Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) to improve prescribing safety. This study assessed the impact of nurse practitioner (NP) practices on PIM prescribing across states in the United States and compared the change in PIM prescribing rates between 2016 and 2018. The investigators found that the PIM prescription rate was lower in states with full NP practice and lower among NPs than among physicians; these rates for both physicians and NPs decreased from 2016 to 2018.
AHRQ-funded; HS020642.
Citation: Tzeng HM, Raji MA, Chou LN .
Impact of state nurse practitioner regulations on potentially inappropriate medication prescribing between physicians and nurse practitioners: a national study in the United States.
J Nurs Care Qual 2022 Jan-Mar;37(1):6-13. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000595..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Provider: Nurse, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Policy
Gaughan AA, Walker DM, Sova LN
Improving provisioning of an inpatient portal: perspectives from nursing staff.
This study’s aim was to identify and describe practices important for provisioning an inpatient portal from the perspectives of nursing staff and provide insight to enable hospitals to address challenges related to provisioning workflow for the inpatient portal accessible on a tablet. Qualitative interviews were conducted at 26 inpatient units in six hospitals within The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) with 210 nursing staff members following the introduction of tablets providing access to an inpatient portal, MyChart Bedside (MCB). Provisioning rates were divided into tertiles to create three levels of provisioning performance. Higher-performing units showed three critical strategies that contributed to MCB tablet provisioning success: (1) establishing a feasible process for MCB provisioning; (2) having persistent unit-level MCB tablet champions; and (3) having unit managers actively promote MCB tablets.
AHRQ-funded; HS024767; HS024091; HS024379.
Citation: Gaughan AA, Walker DM, Sova LN .
Improving provisioning of an inpatient portal: perspectives from nursing staff.
Appl Clin Inform 2022 Mar;13(2):355-62. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1743561..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Nurse
Cohen B, Sanabria E, Liu J
Predicting healthcare-associated infections, length of stay, and mortality with the nursing intensity of care index.
The purpose of this study was to develop, validate, and utilize a simulation model to predict healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), length of stay (LOS), and patient mortality, as well as evaluate whether the variation in incidence of HAIs was dependent upon the adequacy of unit staffing levels. The researchers analyzed data from all patients discharged from four different types of New York City hospitals within a single healthcare network between 2012-2016 (N=562,435). The researchers developed a simulation model to estimate the daily probability rates of 5 different HAIs, length of stay, and mortality, and modeled staffing adequacy based on nursing care supply (as indicated by total nurse staffing) and nursing care demand (indicated using the Nursing Intensity of Care Index.) The study results indicated that the model predictions were within 95% confidence intervals of the actual outcomes. The authors reported that the incidence of HAI was the highest when total nurse staffing (supply) was lowest and nursing care intensity (demand) was highest.
AHRQ-funded; HS024915.
Citation: Cohen B, Sanabria E, Liu J .
Predicting healthcare-associated infections, length of stay, and mortality with the nursing intensity of care index.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Mar;43(3):298-305. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.114..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Provider: Nurse, Inpatient Care, Mortality
Crist K, Lafferty M, Umberfield E
Which factors promote shared understanding between physicians and nurses in inpatient oncology care settings?: A qualitative exploration.
This qualitative secondary analysis was conducted to identify factors that contribute to shared understanding between physicians and nurses from video-recorded conversations that occurred between them during inpatient rounds on oncology units. Four factors emerged as contributors to shared understanding: engagement, clarification, confirmation, and resolution. These factors occurred in sequence with engagement occurring first and resolution occurring last, as the closure of a communication exchange. A greater awareness of body language and positioning at the start of a communication exchange may increase the effectiveness of nurse-physician communication.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305.
Citation: Crist K, Lafferty M, Umberfield E .
Which factors promote shared understanding between physicians and nurses in inpatient oncology care settings?: A qualitative exploration.
Cancer Nurs 2022 Mar-Apr;45(2):E338-E44. doi: 10.1097/ncc.0000000000000959..
Keywords: Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse
Gray NA, Kamal AH, Hanson LC
Clinician perspectives guiding approach to comprehensiveness of palliative care assessment.
This paper discusses the results of a two-part web-based survey of palliative care clinicians from five academic groups in the United States. The objective was to describe clinicians’ assessment practices and factors influencing their approach to quality palliative care in contrast to the National Consensus Project guidelines for palliative care. Nineteen out of 25 invited clinicians completed the survey, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The majority (62%) reported that their usual practice was to tailor the focus of the consultation, mainly due to time limitations and workload, followed by beliefs that comprehensive assessment was unnecessary, and absence of the full interdisciplinary team. Most participants cited reason for consult as factors influencing a tailored approach. Physical symptoms were the most commonly assessed factor (81%), with spiritual and cultural factors least commonly (24% and 19%, respectively) listed. Although most clinicians reported usually tailoring their consultations, mean importance scores for almost all assessment elements were high (mean of 7.1 on a 0-9 importance scale).
AHRQ-funded; HS022763.
Citation: Gray NA, Kamal AH, Hanson LC .
Clinician perspectives guiding approach to comprehensiveness of palliative care assessment.
J Palliat Med 2022 Feb;25(2):307-11. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0391..
Keywords: Palliative Care, Provider: Nurse
Smith LB
The effect of nurse practitioner scope of practice laws on primary care delivery.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are an increasingly integral part of the primary care workforce. NPs' authority to practice without physician oversight is regulated by state-level scope of practice (SOP) restrictions. To the extent that SOP restrictions prevent NPs from practicing to their full abilities and capacity, they could create inefficiencies and restrict access to health care. The purpose of this paper was to explore what occurs at primary care practices when states ease their scope of practice (SOP) laws. The researcher utilized a novel dataset of claims and electronic health records to quantify the effects of easing SOP laws in 3 areas: 1. Nurse Practitioners' autonomy in their everyday jobs; 2. Total workload and the allocation of patients between physicians and NPs; and 3. The delivery of low-value services at primary care practices. The study found no evidence that easing SOP laws impacts neither the volume or allocation of patients to NPs, nor the delivery of low-value services.
AHRQ-funded; HS026659.
Citation: Smith LB .
The effect of nurse practitioner scope of practice laws on primary care delivery.
Health Econ 2022 Jan; 31(1):21-41. doi: 10.1002/hec.4438..
Keywords: Primary Care, Healthcare Delivery, Policy, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Nurse
