Off the Charts

‘I Notice, I Wonder’: Demystifying the Research Process for Nurses

Alexa Curtis

Nurses are drawn to their profession out of interest in people and the human condition. In particular, nurses are committed to improving the physical and social circumstances of individuals and diverse populations. During the rigorous process of qualifying for admission and graduating from a nursing program, nurses demonstrate the capacity for acquiring and applying scientific knowledge. However, when it comes to actively engaging with nursing research, too often nursing professionals steer clear.

It is an interesting phenomenon, given that nurses by nature tend to be curious and innovative individuals. We rely on our ability to problem solve creative solutions to difficult situations. We are also highly dependent on the evolving scientific knowledge that informs our clinical practice. And most importantly, we care. We care about doing the best by people and communities. So where is the disconnect when it comes to engaging nurses in conversations about research ?

Thinking of research as ‘methodized curiosity.’

As an academic, I can say it may start with how we teach research in nursing school. The curricula for these courses tend to include large texts with obtuse terminology and complicated formulas. Although research language and data analytics are important to investigative inquiry, entry into the research realm can really be much […]

Guest Author2022-11-10T10:14:48-05:00November 10th, 2022|Nursing, nursing research|1 Comment

Respiratory Illness Surge: Differentiating and Treating RSV, COVID, and Flu in Children

Concern about a respiratory ‘triple-demic.’

Electron micrograph image of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)/Image source: CDC

Take a walk through many of the country’s pediatric emergency departments (EDs) and inpatient units right now and you will be greeted with the sounds of pinging monitors, suction, and coughing as “respiratory season” settles in.

This will be the first fall and winter that many young children have been back at schools and day cares, largely unmasked, in nearly three years. While respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are yearly problems in pediatrics, an unseasonably early and severe surge in RSV is causing an unprecedented number of hospital admissions that is already straining many health systems.

Public health officials are already warning of a “triple-demic” this year as the current RSV surge coalesces with expected rises in influenza and COVID cases. This, of course, does not include the dozens of other respiratory viruses that affect children each winter, including the atypically severe cases of rhinoviruses/enteroviruses and parainfluenza that have already been reported this year.

RSV, influenza, COVID have subtly different symptoms.

While RSV, COVID, and influenza are all viral infections that cause acute respiratory symptoms, they can present with subtly different symptoms. The […]

Guest Author2022-11-07T11:09:33-05:00November 7th, 2022|infectious diseases, Nursing, pediatrics, Public health|0 Comments

Improving the Discovery and Care of Pressure Injuries in the Emergency Department

Jonathan Nover, MBA, RN

The problem.

Hospital-acquired conditions, particularly pressure injuries (PIs), increased at alarming rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital isolation precautions and infection prevention practices limited clinician time at the bedside. How does a nurse regularly turn and position a patient if they are unable to enter the room as often as they did prior to the pandemic? In addition, hospitals often operated with high percentages of their workforce out sick.

While Covid may be less of a threat by now, the number of patients admitted to EDs continues to increase while nurse staffing shortages intensify the pressure on nurses to maintain patient safety standards. With patient boarding in EDs becoming more common, the risk of hospital-acquired PIs grows as well, even in the ED. Traditional ED care focuses on rapid screening, assessment, and stabilization, followed by discharge or admission. But the reality is that medical–surgical inpatient care has become more necessary in the ED.

A central element of nursing care is the identification of PIs upon entry to the hospital, PI prevention, and care of existing PIs. Patients who are boarded in the ED, particularly older patient populations with underlying diseases and long length of stays, are at especially high risk for pressure ulcers […]

Guest Author2022-10-27T11:03:41-04:00October 27th, 2022|Nursing, patient safety|0 Comments

Resources for Mitigating Violence in the Health Care Workplace

Photo by Sandy Torchon/Pexels

Violence in health care facilities is on the rise and is yet another factor contributing to current levels of nurse burnout and stress.

The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and the American Association for Nursing Leadership (AONL) have jointly provided guiding principles and a toolkit for mitigating violence in the workplace.

In addition, AJN has some important resources on addressing violence against nurses in the workplace at both institutional and situation-specific levels. Click on the following links:

Workplace Violence Training Using Simulation

How an interdisciplinary team at an Ohio health system developed and piloted a training program to address workplace violence, which included classroom learning, simulation training, and hands-on self-defense techniques.

Violence Against Nurses in the Workplace

Consolidated approaches are needed from employers, victims, and the political system.

Workplace Violence

How violence affects health care, which providers are most affected, and what management and staff can do about it.

Carl Kirton2022-10-26T11:14:30-04:00October 26th, 2022|Nursing|0 Comments

November Issue: Nurse Vaccine Hesitancy, the Staffing Crisis, Palliative Care, More

“As nurses, we must push back on public health misinformation where and when we can, so that we don’t return to the days when viruses such as polio thrived and spread, and human health needlessly suffered.”—AJN editor-in-chief Carl Kirton in this month’s editorial

The November issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new. Some articles may be free only to subscribers.

Original Research: COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Southern California Nurses

This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of vaccine-hesitant nurses at two large medical centers where rates of COVID-19 vaccination were lower than expected, and to understand the reasons for such hesitancy.

Viewpoint: Reframing Hospital Nursing as a Specialty to Address the Staffing Crisis

In light of the current shortage of hospital nurses, the authors propose recasting the role as a specialty—instead of as an entry-level position—and call for an overhaul of nursing education, particularly clinical experiences.

CE: What COVID-19 Can Teach Nurses About Liability Risks

This article explores key nursing liability issues associated with the pandemic, including immunity, documentation, crisis standards of care, delegation and assignment, scope of practice, floating, travel nursing, telehealth, and misinformation and social media.

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Diane Szulecki, editor2022-10-21T08:14:54-04:00October 21st, 2022|Nursing|0 Comments

Thinking of research as ‘methodized curiosity.’

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Concern about a respiratory ‘triple-demic.’

RSV, influenza, COVID have subtly different symptoms.

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The problem.

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