Victoria Schirm

This community nursing partnership for student health is a well-recognized innovation, regionally and statewide. The initiative exemplifies 1 department of nursing’s commitment to community involvement that originated from the forward thinking of nurse leaders. The journey to engaging intraprofessional partners and firmly establishing the partnership within the community is described.

Accurate patient assessment and screening for pressure ulcer (PU) is difficult in the clinical setting, and evaluation of nutritional status is especially problematic. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the extent to which Braden Scale scores and other nutrition screening parameters (body mass index, poor intake, and weight loss) predict PU development in general and heel and sacral ulcers specifically. Records of 230 hospitalized patients who developed PU were compared to a matched control group without PU. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of total Braden scores, Braden nutrition subscale scores, and nutrition factors with PU development at any time, within week 1, or within week 2 of hospitalization; and development of sacral and heel ulcers at these same periods. Braden Scale scores on hospital admission were predictive of hospital-acquired pressure ulcer development at some point during the hospital stay; and more specifically Braden scores on day 7 were predictive of PU development within week 2 of hospitalization. Among nutrition screening factors and PU development, a low body mass index showed a statistically significant relationship with sacral ulcer development. Findings indicate that the overall Braden score is a valid predictor of PU development. Implications for clinical practice to decrease the risk for PU development include appropriate use of reliable and valid scales by nurses along with careful evaluation of nutrition parameters.

Nurses need easy access to authoritative resources for decision-making and development of nursing interventions at the point of care. Perceived lack of time, limited awareness of resources, and training opportunities are obstacles to accessing evidence-based resources at the bedside. A medical librarian and the nursing shared governance council for Nursing Research & Evidence Based Practice partnered to enhance education and training for nurses in evidence-based practice. Nursing Reference Center became one of the tools to accomplish the goal. This paper presents one organization’s attempt to overcome obstacles to evidence-based practice that clinical nurses encounter, namely, access to best available evidence at the patient’s bedside.

This article presents descriptive data and a psychometric evaluation of the Preferences for Care Near the End of Life (PCEOL) tool developed by Gauthier and Froman. The PCEOL tool identifies dimensions related to care near end of life and asks respondents to consider personal preferences in the context of their values. Analyses were conducted on data from a convenience sample of 68 adults recruited at a workshop series on anticipatory guidance for end-of-life care. Participants included nurses, nursing students, nursing assistants, social workers, and older adults. Findings supporting a 3-factor structure (personal autonomy, healthcare provider input, and spirituality and family) are interpreted and discussed. Implications are given for using the PCEOL tool in nursing care situations.