scholarly journals Increasing Staff Nurse Knowledge Related to Organ and Tissue Donation: A Quality Improvement Project

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly Shields-Pirri
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Organ Donation ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Tissue Donation ◽  
Staff Nurse ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Organ And Tissue Donation ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Organ Tissue

<p>Initially viewed as doubtful and plagued with uncertainty, the process of organ/tissue transplantation has proved to be one of the most successful medical breakthroughs of modern medicine. From the initial documented success of organ/tissue donation and subsequent transplantation, the need for organ/tissue donation exceeds the available resources. Many individuals are aware of the need for organ/tissue donation for life-saving transplantation but do not take the necessary steps to become a donor or share that desire with family and/or loved ones. There are no national programs or efforts in place for standardized nursing education about organ/tissue donation and transplantation. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase nurses’ knowledge of the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) guidelines for organ and tissue donation. The project design was a pre-test, an educational program, and post-test. Twenty-two nurses completed the pre-test component (N=22, 63%) and fourteen nurses completed the post-test (N=14, 40%). Results indicated nurses had better overall better knowledge of organ donation then specifically tissue donation. Nursing staff demonstrated increased knowledge of NEOB guidelines and the nurse’s role in timely reporting after the educational program on organ donation with improved post-test over pre-test scores. Future replication of education related to NEOB guidelines for donation of organs and tissues and nurse responsibility for timely reporting should increase emphasis on the area of tissue donation. A need based assessment to determine specific areas of deficit may aid in promoting positive outcomes in future replication.</p>

scholarly journals Emergency Department Nurses Ability to Identify ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Electrocardiogram: A Quality Improvement Project

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Gillard
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Test Design ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Emergency Department Nurses ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Baseline Knowledge ◽  
St Elevation ◽  
The Impact

A quality improvement project was developed using a pre-test, education intervention, post-test design to assess nurse’s ability identify STEMI ECGs from non-STEMI ECGs and to assess the impact of a brief educational program on nurses’ performance. The pre-tests were available to nursing staff over a two-week period to obtain the nurses’ baseline knowledge. Following the pre-test period nurses were provided the educational sessions followed immediately by distribution of the post-test. The pre-tests were then compared to the post-tests to assess whether or not the education improved nurses’ performance in STEMI recognition.

scholarly journals Telemetry Nurses Knowledge of Alarm Fatigue and Interventions for Change: An Education Program Development

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Cruz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Alarm Fatigue ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Nurses Knowledge

Alarm fatigue is known to be one of the top safety concerns in the healthcare setting. The Joint Commission recognized Alarm safety as one of the 2017 National Patient Safety Goals. Alarm fatigue occurs when a healthcare worker becomes overwhelmed and often desensitized to patient monitor alarms. It has been established that interventions including ECG daily electrode and battery changes, skin prep for electrode placement, and adjusting alarm parameters to fit patient needs can lead to a reduction in false or nuisance alarms. In order for these interventions to be carried out successfully, education of nurses regarding alarm fatigue and interventions for change needs to be completed. Education is one of the most important phases of creating change. The purpose of this program development project was to determine the effectiveness of an educational program on alarm fatigue awareness for telemetry unit nurses. A program development project was developed utilizing a pre-test, educational intervention, and a post-test design. Tests were used to evaluate the nurses’ knowledge improvement related to the educational intervention. Sixteen out of a possible 60 telemetry nurses completed the pretest portion of this quality improvement project. (N=16, 26.6%). Fourteen of a possible 60 nurses attended the educational session and completed the post-test portion of this quality improvement project. (N=14, 23%). For the purpose of presenting the first four questions, only those tests with matching pre-and-post responses were utilized, (N=14). The mean scores from pre-tests were 51.2% and mean post-test scores were 92% which revealed an increase by 40.8% after an educational intervention. The APRN can assist in establishing and implementing an educational program. This educational program can help to implement interventions and provide evidenced based research to support the prevention of alarm fatigue.

scholarly journals Nurses' Knowledge of Hypoglycemia and Treatment in the Adult Hospitalized Patiend with Diabetes: A Quality Improvement Project

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittney O'Neale
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Care Setting ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Acute Care Setting ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Hospital Protocols ◽  
Nurses Knowledge

<p>There are currently more than 29 million people in the United States with diabetes. With increasing numbers of diabetic patients across the nation, it is imperative that health care professionals receive the knowledge and skills required to manage them in the acute care setting. Hypoglycemia is the most common side effect of diabetes treatment (Borzi et al., 2016) and is defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a condition that occurs when one's blood glucose is lower than normal, usually less than 70 mg/dl. Nurses’ knowledge of hypoglycemia and their adherence to hospital protocols are essential to achieving positive patient outcomes. Research demonstrates that nurses in the acute care setting are not receiving consistent formal training on the care of adult diabetic patients and sometimes fail treat the patient according to evidence based hospital protocols. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase nurses’ knowledge of hypoglycemia and treatment in the adult hospitalized patient with diabetes. The project design was a pre-test, educational program and post-test on two medical-surgical units in a small community hospital in Rhode Island. Seventeen nurses completed the pre-test component (N=17, 22%) and eighteen nurses (N=18, 23%) attended the educational program and completed the post-test. Pre-test scores ranged from 11 to 94 out of a possible 100, with a mean score of 59.8%. Post-test scores ranged from 27 to 100, with a mean score of 76.5%. The average of post-test scores increased by about 16.7%. These findings suggest that providing hypoglycemia education can be successful in increasing nurses’ knowledge of hypoglycemia treatment and management in the adult hospitalized patient with diabetes.</p>

scholarly journals Cardiac Catheterization Nurses Knowledge of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy: A Quality Improvement Project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Maurice
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Contrast Media ◽  
Kidney Failure ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Contrast Induced Nephropathy ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Radiographic Contrast ◽  
Radiographic Contrast Media

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the development of acute kidney failure after radiographic contrast media administration. CIN is the third leading cause of hospital acquired kidney failure and is associated with increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Currently no treatment exists for CIN and only supportive care is provided with the anticipation renal function will resolve eventually. Cardiac angiogram or catheterization is one of the most commonly performed procedures with an average of 2 million cases annually. Cardiac catheterizations require large amounts of radiographic contrast media placing patients at risk for the development of CIN. Prevention of CIN is key and requires early identification of risk factors, timely precautions and patient education, which is conducted largely by nursing staff. For this quality improvement project, an informal needs assessment was conducted within the cardiac catherization laboratory at Landmark Medical Center which identified nurse’s had limited knowledge of CIN. All staff nurses in the cardiac catheterization laboratory were invited to participate in an education seminar on CIN. A pretest, educational program, posttest design was used to identify change in nurse’ knowledge of CIN. Nine out of eleven nurses (82%) participated in the educational seminar, completed the pretest and posttest. The posttest scores had a 51-percentage point increase and every posttest question improved in comparison to the pretest. Findings from this quality improvement project suggest that nurses’ ability to recognize CIN risk factors and knowledge of preventative strategies increased significantly after participation in an educational program.

scholarly journals Development of an Education Program for Registered Nurses Related to the Use and Function of Mechanical Prophylaxis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mollie Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Quality Improvement Project ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Mechanical Prophylaxis ◽  
Mechanical Therapy ◽  
And Function

Venous thromboembolism events (VTE) are one of nine hospital-acquired events monitored by organizations, such as The Joint Commission, that are considered preventable when the proper safeguards are in place. Practice recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and The American College of Chest Physicians include adhering to pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapy for at risk patients. In patients with contraindications to pharmacological prophylaxis, mechanical therapy provides adequate protection against VTE when used correctly. Registered nurses within the acute care setting are key players in ensuring that mechanical therapy is implemented and maintained at the bedside. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess nurse understanding on the use and function of mechanical prophylaxis. The project included a pretest, educational program, and posttest design on a surgical unit at Rhode Island Hospital. The Logic Model Framework guided the quality improvement project. Twenty-one nurses completed the pretest (66%) and 21 attended the educational sessions and completed the posttest (66%). Pretest scores ranged from 2.4 to 4.2 out of a possible 5 points for each question, with a mean response rate of 3.6. In comparison, posttest scores ranged from 3.5 to 4.6, with a mean response rate of 4.3. The average posttest response rate increased by 0.7 points. Seventeen nurses completed a program evaluation (n=17; 60%). Three themes were derived after analysis of open ended responses by nurses from the program evaluation. Overall, the findings supported increased understanding on the use and function of mechanical prophylaxis by nurses after attending the educational program. Further research is needed to determine if incorporating this educational program in new hire orientation or developing a formal nursing policy on mechanical prophylaxis would increase nurse and patient compliance.

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