Kathleen Schell

Symbiosis--undergraduate research mentoring and faculty scholarship in nursing.

Although teaching is the major focus of academia, research and professional publications frequently determine faculty eligibility for promotion and tenure. In universities where funded research is scarce, faculty need creative means to accomplish research goals. Research is an essential part of baccalaureate nursing education. The goal of research education at the baccalaureate level is to prepare knowledgeable consumers in nursing research. The purpose of this article is to describe an undergraduate nursing research course that provide students with hands-on experience in the conduct of nursing research and provide faculty with assistance in moving their research agenda forward. Faculty members were solicited to work with 5-10 students in a research project that was either in the planning stages or actively in progress. After one year of program implementation, faculty and students were involved in presenting poster and oral presentations at state, regional, and international research conferences. Manuscripts and proposals for funding are in the process of submission.

Forearm and Upper-Arm Oscillometric Blood Pressure Comparison in Acutely III Adults

When patients’ upper arms are not accessible and/or when cuffs do not fit large upper arms, the forearm site is often used for blood pressure (BP) measurement. The purpose of this study is to compare forearm and upper-arm BPs in 70 acutely ill adults, admitted to a community hospital’s 14-bed ICU. Using Philips© oscillometric monitors, three repeated measures of forearm and upper-arm BPs are obtained with head of bed flat and with head of bed elevated at 30°. Arms are resting on the bed. Paired t tests show statistically significant differences in systolic BPs, diastolic BPs, and mean arterial pressures in the supine and head-elevated positions. Bland—Altman analyses indicate that forearm and upper-arm oscillometric BPs are not interchangeable in acutely ill adults.

Comparison of arm and calf automatic noninvasive blood pressures in pediatric intensive care patients.

The purpose of this study was to compare upper arm and calf automatic blood pressures (BPs) in a convenience sample of 221 children, ages 1 to 8 years, admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit of a 180-bed teaching hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Subjects were positioned in bed, with the head of bed elevated 30° and extremities resting on the bed. BP cuff size was based on arm and calf circumferences. BPs were measured simultaneously using bedside and portable Spacelabs monitors. Calf BPs were greater than arm BPs in approximately 73% of the sample. Paired t tests show statistically significant differences for systolic BPs and mean arterial pressures. Influence of demographics, agitation levels, medical diagnoses, and current medications was explored. Calf and arm BPs were not interchangeable in acutely ill children, ages 1 to 8 years.

Development of a Clinical Competency Checklist for Care of Patients Experiencing Substance Withdrawal Delirium or Delirium: Use of a Delphi Technique and Expert Panel

Health care providers are challenged by the presentation and management of inpatients experiencing substance withdrawal delirium (SWD) and delirium. The current Delphi study used an expert panel to develop a clinical competency checklist for nurse and physician educator use in teaching health care providers about the initial care of patients with SWD or delirium. The checklist includes categories of patient safety, history and information gathering, physical examination and assessment, treatment plan, and patient/family-centered care.