Applied nursing research : ANR
-
Patients undergoing surgery are prone to develop pressure ulcers during surgery. The aim of this study was to identify pressure ulcer risk indicators in patients undergoing surgery which lasted more than four hours. ⋯ The results show that of the many indicators recorded, the only predictor of pressure ulcers was length of surgery. Because it is not possible to influence the length of the surgery, prevention should primarily be aimed at decreasing pressure and shearing forces during surgery.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The effect of self-selected music during colonoscopy on anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music therapy on self-reported and physiological signs of anxiety among ambulatory patients undergoing colonoscopy. Thirty-two patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group who listened to music during the colonoscopy or a standard procedure no music control group. Before and after the procedure, subjects completed the State Anxiety Inventory. ⋯ No significant effect of the treatment was observed on the State Anxiety Inventory, although a trend indicated that the music intervention decreased state anxiety. Finally, the group who received the music intervention required less physician-administered sedation during the procedure than did the control group. These findings indicate that music therapy has the potential to reduce physiological indicators of anxiety and the need for sedation among individuals undergoing a colonoscopy.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Transdermal fentanyl for the management of acute pancreatitis pain.
Although the hazards of using Demerol for pain management is well documented, physicians at a 350-bed tertiary-care center in the upper midwest continued to follow the antiquated practice of ordering intramuscular Demerol and Vistaril to manage pain for patients with acute pancreatitis. Their reasoning was based on early evidence that Demerol, unlike morphine, does not cause biliary-tract spasms resulting in epigastric or right upper quadrant pain. In an effort to change practice patterns, a multidisciplinary team was formed to study the efficacy of using Transdermal Therapeutic System (TTS) fentanyl to manage pain in this patient population. ⋯ Although not statistically significant, trends in the data revealed that the experimental group had lower self-reported pain intensity scores than the control group throughout the course of hospitalization. Even though the experimental group had significantly more previous hospitalizations for acute pancreatitis and a higher pain intensity score on admission, this group had a significantly shorter length of stay in the hospital c2 (1, N = 31) = 4.3706 p <.05. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for self-reported satisfaction with pain management.
-
This investigation sought to describe and compare dependency among dying persons. To accomplish this, healthcare records of all deceased persons who received care over a 6-month period in one Canadian hospital (n = 150) and one home care department (n = 59) were reviewed. Only 36% of the home care clients died at home; all others (n = 38) were hospitalized. ⋯ The duration of complete dependency varied between and among subject groups, which explains why a significant difference in lengths of complete dependency between hospital inpatients (M = 8.3 days) and home care clients who died at home (M = 4.1 days) was not found. In light of a dearth of research-based knowledge, this information should facilitate an improved understanding of the dependency needs of dying persons. Ultimately, it should assist end-of-life care planning and policy making.
-
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
The effectiveness of a thermal mattress in stabilizing and maintaining body temperature during the transport of very low-birth weight newborns.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a thermal mattress in stabilizing and maintaining body temperature during the transport of newborns who weigh less than 1,500 g. We compared 91 infants who were transported without a thermal mattress from April 1995 to March 1996 with 100 infants who were transported with the use of a transport thermal mattress (TTM) from April 1998 to October 1999. Temperature data were collected on arrival to the referring hospital, on departure from the referring hospital, and on arrival to the tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. ⋯ The data also supported that infants on a TTM maintained body temperature during stabilization and transport (F = 12.33, p =.001) better than the no mattress group did (F = 3.6, p =.061). Use of the TTM in the prevention of hypothermia in unstable environmental conditions can be extended to other areas within the hospital when thermoregulation of the premature infant is a concern, especially that of very low-birth weight infants. However, hyperthermia may also be a concern; body temperature should be monitored to watch for it.