Surgery cancellations are costly and can be frustrating for patients, their families, and the surgical team. Because of the inherent nature of an ambulatory surgery center, which only performs scheduled elective procedures, surgical cancellations typically result in wasted time and resources. Pediatric surgery cancellations can be mitigated with proper preoperative screening and communication between nurses and patients' guardians. To reduce the rate of cancellation at our pediatric ambulatory surgery center, we implemented a Nurse-Patient Preoperative Call Log. Preoperative nurses called patients or their guardians on two separate occasions during the two weeks before surgery to review health history and instructions and answer questions about the upcoming surgery. Three months after implementing the call log, surgery cancellation rates significantly decreased from 16.8% to 8.8% (P < .05). Nurses used the call log for all patients, with 85.6% of patients receiving two calls in the two weeks before their surgery.
In-hospital cardiac arrests have high mortality rates, increased by delayed resuscitation. Using a single group pre–post interventional design to implement virtual cardiac arrest simulations for medical-surgical units, the purpose of this project was to decrease resuscitation delays and improve self-confidence of the nursing staff. Both response times and confidence improved following virtual simulation. Conducting virtual simulation for resuscitation training may be a valuable alternative to in situ simulation.
Effective pain management for orthopedic major joint replacement is key to achieving earlier recovery, better functioning, and high rates of patient satisfaction. In an effort to decrease opioid dependency, practitioners are turning to multimodal pain management, which involves the use of multiple analgesic agents and techniques. In order to utilize this technique, a patient’s history of and preoperative consumption of medications to treat pain impacts the success of this regimen. Multimodal pain management involves the use of NSAIDS, acetaminophen, NMDA antagonists, gabapentin, serotonin inhibitors, regional techniques and opioids as needed. It is necessary for the nurse to understand the mechanism of pain and how the multimodal adjuncts target the pain response in order to benefit the patient’s perioperative course as well as their postoperative and discharge management.
The development of psychomotor and procedural skills requires opportunities for repetitive practice combined with specific, informational feedback from the teacher, another expert, or simulator to correct performance errors. Practice enables learners to refine skills and progress through the phases of motor learning: cognitive, associative, and autonomous. Practice should be spaced over time, can occur in dyads, and can rapidly cycle between practicing and receiving feedback and coaching until skills are mastered. The purpose of this article is to examine psychomotor skill learning in nursing and to suggest strategies for nurse educators in teaching motor and procedural skills in nursing programs, as well as in clinical settings. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(6):278-282.
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