Mary K. Anthony

No Interruptions Please: Impact of a No Interruption Zone on Medication Safety in Intensive Care Units

nthe technologically advanced environment of the ICU, nurses play a central role in the maintenance of patient safety. Although safety encompasses many processes and personnel, nurses have the primary role in safe administration of medications, which is recognized as a nurse-sensitive outcome. Critical care nurses work with a multitude of potent and lifesaving medications that paradoxically can pose a No Interruptions Please Impact of a No Interruption Zone on Medication Safety in Intensive Care Units Cover Article

Delegation: what it means to acute care nurses.

As health care costs rise, nurses are increasingly delegating tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The purpose of this phenomenologic study was to describe delegation from the perspective of the acute care nurse. We analyzed interviews with staff nurses, and a description of the meaning of delegation was developed using Donabedians structure, process, outcome model to organize the findings. The process of delegation centered on communication and on nurse-UAP relationship and was shaped by the structural themes. The outcomes of delegation included nursing and patient outcomes. An enhanced content on communication and interpersonal relations is needed in nursing education.

Reliability and validity of the Preterm Infant Feeding Survey: instrument development and testing.

No instruments have been located that examine attitudes concerning feeding decisions of mothers of preterm infants. The purpose of this study was to describe the development and psychometric testing of the Preterm Infant Feeding Survey (PIFS). The PIFS was adapted from the Breastfeeding Attrition Prediction Scale. The five-subscale, 78-item PIFS was tested with 105 mothers of preterm infants shortly after hospital admission. Individual subscale Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from .75 to .82. Factor analysis demonstrated a five-factor solution. The PIFS is the first instrument to examine factors that contribute to feeding decisions of mothers of high-risk preterm infants; this knowledge will support the planning of interventions to improve breastfeeding outcomes for this population. Further psychometric testing with larger samples is recommended.

Correlates of Negative and Positive Mood State in Mothers of Twins

Relationships between parenting distress, social support, and sense of competence and negative and positive maternal mood were assessed in 162 mothers with twins younger than 2 years. Women with lower satisfaction scores on the sense of competence scale reported higher negative mood (adjusted R(2) = 21.7%, p < .001). Women with lower parenting distress and higher efficacy scores on the sense of competence scale reported higher positive mood (adjusted R(2) = 39.4%, p < .001). Neither instrumental nor subjective social support contributed to variance in maternal mood. Interventions should be aimed at decreasing parenting distress and increasing sense of competence for mothers of twins.

Energizing the Research Enterprise at Nonacademic Health Center Schools of Nursing

Strategic redirection of a universitys mission to focus on research is challenging. This article describes an approach to developing a culture of research in a school of nursing (SON) in a nonacademic health center university. Infrastructure changes and committed mentors were developed to move a dormant research culture into one characterized by a growing dynamism of camaraderie and espirit de corps about research and scholarly productivity. To sustain the momentum, a rapid mentor-faculty feedback loop was created so that within a 48-hour time frame, the mentor provided feedback to the faculty member. Timely and iterative feedback prompted discussions that led to more scientifically rigorous proposals and publications. Tailored approaches were adopted for junior and senior faculty. In the first academic year using this approach, publications increased by 144%, and grant proposal submissions increased by 169%, whereas presentations shifted toward more regional and national venues. The increased productivity was maintained over the next 2 years. Building and sustaining a culture of success in research require leadership and vigilance, infrastructure changes, and process-oriented initiatives.