This paper reports on a study conducted to determine the incidence of phlebitis related to peripheral cannulae, and its predisposing factors in a general surgery department. Phlebitis is a serious health problem that affects a large proportion of hospitalized patients receiving intravenous therapy. A data collection tool was developed based on the previous literature and was completed between 15 October and 30 November 2010 in a general surgery department. All patients with peripheral cannulae who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and who agreed to participate in the study where monitored. This was a quantitative study, which used descriptive, inferential, and correlational analysis. A total of 171 patients and 286 peripheral cannulae were monitored. The average incidence of phlebitis was 61.5%, and factors such as diabetes and tobacco consumption were identified as relevant to the development of phlebitis. Other elements identified as predisposing to the development of phlebitis include administration of potassium chloride, the dwell time of the peripheral cannula, and the anatomical location of the cannula. Phlebitis associated with peripheral cannulae is still a current problem requiring knowledgeable staff who can prevent, recognize and act appropriately in a timely manner to minimize its severity.

This article reports the results of a clinical audit conducted to assess the minimum requirements for safe maintenance of peripheral intravenous catheters. The audit also determined the incidence of phlebitis and attempted to establish a causal relationship between some of the variables used to assess a catheter's maintenance status and the development of phlebitis.

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Changes in the anatomy and function of the gastrointestinal tract after bariatric surgery markedly change patients' eating patterns. Malnutrition is a significant risk associated with all bariatric procedures, which can lead to dangerous nutritional deficiencies. However, if correct patient selection is conducted and if patients receive thorough preoperative nutrition education and postoperative nutritional follow-up, these deficiencies are largely preventable. Nurses are important members of the multidisciplinary team; assisting in patient selection, providing hands-on care, and educating the patient on the surgical process and post-operative dietary restrictions. It is critical for nurses to understand immediate and projected nutritional consequences of surgery, in order to monitor the patient for diet tolerance and nutrient deficiency symptoms, to encourage dietary compliance, and to reinforce the long-term dietary restrictions. With appropriate supplementation and patient compliance, all nutritional deficiencies can be avoided or corrected.

The authors aimed to identify nurse managers' leadership behaviors and determine if they had a direct impact on turnover or career abandonment intention among nurses. This descriptive and inferential study was conducted in two public hospitals in Azores (Portugal). The sample consisted of 266 individuals (22 head nurses and 244 staff nurses). Data were collected during May 2010. The most expressive leadership styles were S(2) (persuading) and S(3) (sharing). Nurse retention seems easier when dealing with profile S(2)-S(3) or effective adaptability. This study brings light to a severe problem of nurse retention in Portugal.

Bariatric surgery is an effective intervention for weight loss in the morbidly obese patient and can result in resolution of associated comorbidities. However, it is a complex area of practice and care, as these patients suffer a series of comorbidities that can compromise outcomes after surgery. Nurses must be aware of these comorbidities and anticipate the required interventions to ensure timely and effective treatment, and to minimize potential problems. This article reviews the technical procedures of the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP)--which is considered the gold standard in bariatric surgery--and outlines its complications and outcomes. Other forms of bariatric surgery are briefly discussed in comparison to the LRYGBP. With knowledge in this area, nurses are in a ideal position to educate and prepare patients for life after surgery, and to diminish their anxiety during adaptation to this new phase of life.

Leadership is a complex process that is not separable from job satisfaction. Promoting effective leadership through formal training among nurse managers may translate into having more satisfied nurses, better nursing care, and stronger leadership.

Medication errors represent a concern for healthcare organizations due to their negative consequences. In the nursing context, these errors represent a threat to the quality of care and patient safety. Many factors have been identified as potential causes for these errors in intensive care units. A scoping review will be developed to identify interventions/strategies to minimize the occurrence of medication errors by nurses, considering the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A search will be conducted in the EbscoHost (CINAHL Complete and MEDLINE), Embase and PubMed databases. Data analysis, extraction and synthesis will be carried out by two reviewers independently. This review will attempt to map which interventions are more specific to minimizing medication error by nurses in intensive care and to recognize which factors influence this type of error to mitigate practices that may lead to error. This protocol acts as the framework for a scoping review in the strategy to map the interventions and which factors contribute to the medication error by intensive care nurses. This study was prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework on 21 April 2023 with registration number DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/94KH3.