Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses
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Geriatric trauma patients (GTPs) suffering minor injuries have suboptimal outcomes compared with younger populations. Patients 65 years or older account for 10% of all traumas but 28% of all trauma deaths. ⋯ A Delta Alert is activated when GTPs suffer injuries that fall outside traditional trauma alert guidelines. Early identification and treatment of injuries and expedited referral to specialty groups have improved our GTPs' outcomes including decreased mortality and length of stay and increased percentage of GTPs who are discharged home.
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According to the National Trauma Institute (2015), trauma accounts for more than 180,000 deaths each year in the United States. Nurses play a significant role in the care of trauma patients and therefore need appropriate education and training (L. ). Although several courses exist for trauma education, many nurses have not received adequate education in trauma management (B. ; L. ). ⋯ Pre- and postsurveys revealed an increase in overall confidence, test scores increased by an average of 2.5 points, and simulation performance scores increased by an average of 16 points. Trauma Tactics is a high-quality course that provides a valuable and impactful educational experience for nurses. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of Trauma Tactics and its impacts on quality of care and patient outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Feasibility and Efficacy of Function-Focused Care for Orthopedic Trauma Patients.
To overcome challenges associated with optimizing function and physical activity among hospitalized older adults, we developed function-focused care for acute care (FFC-AC). The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of this intervention. We hypothesized that hospitalized trauma patients exposed to FFC-AC would (1) maintain or improve function, spend more time in physical activity, and have fewer adverse events between admission and discharge; and (2) maintain or improve function, have less fear of falling, fewer depressive symptoms, less pain, be more physically resilient, and be less likely to experience adverse events at 1 month postdischarge compared with those exposed to FFC-education only (EO). ⋯ The sample included 89 older orthopedic trauma patients the majority of whom were female (N = 59, 66%), white (N = 82, 92%), and not married (N = 53, 59%). At discharge and/or 30 days postdischarge, participants in the treatment site showed greater improvement in function, less fear of falling, and better physical resilience when compared with those in the FFC-EO site. Future research is needed to continue to work on engaging staff in function-focused care approaches and optimizing the hospital environment and policies to support nurses in this type of care approach.
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Review
Interprofessional Implementation of a Pain/Sedation Guideline on a Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
Trauma patients experience pain and agitation during their hospitalization. Many complications have been noted both in the absence of symptom management and the in presence of oversedation/narcotization. To combat noted untoward effects of pain and sedation management, an interprofessional team convened to develop a pain and sedation guideline for use in a trauma intensive care unit. ⋯ In comparing pre- and postimplementation patient data, there was a significant decrease in mean analgesic treatment duration and an increase in the use of antipsychotics for delirium management. Following the trial period, this guideline was permanently adopted across the adult critical care service. The development of a nurse-driven analgosedation guideline was noted to be both feasible and successful.