Clinical Simulation Augments Traditional Interviewing of Advanced Practice Provider Candidates

An essential role of critical care advanced practice providers—advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants—is to have knowledge and competency to make accurate and efficient decisions. The ability to manage clinical scenarios involving medically deteriorating patients requires higher-order cognitive thinking and leadership skills that are challenging to extrapolate in traditional interviews. In critical care, advanced practice providers must make rapid clinical assessments and implement appropriate medical interventions to deter progression of life-threatening illnesses. Adding clinical simulation to the traditional interview allows interviewers to evaluate applicants’ crisis resource management skills, leadership, and clinical competency.     

Assessing Southeastern Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ Business and Operational Skill Sets

As advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) open private practices in medically underserved areas, clinical, practice management, and business skills are needed conjunctively to remain operational. Further information is needed to understand APRN business and entrepreneurial skill needs. A convenience sample assessed perceptions of confidence in business and operational skill sets needed for entrepreneurial roles in 102 APRNs, representing diversity of subspecialties and practice locations in 4 southeastern states with provider shortages: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Sustaining practices in underserved areas requires providing innovative educational offerings to address APRN business skills needs.     

Clinical pharmacokinetics of oxaliplatin in a hemodialysis patient with advanced gastric cancer

We administered FOLFOX (oxaliplatin (L-OHP) plus infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin) to an hemodialysis (HD) patient with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), and investigated pharmacokinetics (PKs) and dialyzability of L-OHP. The patient was a 54-year-old Japanese man with a diagnosis of inoperable AGC. FOLFOX was instituted 3?h prior to the start of a 4?h HD period with the L-OHP and 5-FU doses reduced by 50% for the first cycle, and 30% reduced dose was administered for the second cycle. We performed an analysis of the PKs of L-OHP during these two cycles. Volume of distribution and area under the curve of the 30% reduced L-OHP dose were 56.7?L and 30.0?μg·h/mL, respectively. A dose reduction of L-OHP by 30%?50% may be advisable for the initial administration, given the need for careful administration of chemotherapy in HD patients, with particular attention to the development of hematological toxicities and neuropathy.     

Wound senescence: A functional link between diabetes and ageing?

Arguably, the two most important causes of pathological healing in the skin are diabetes and ageing. While these factors have historically been considered independent modifiers of the healing process, recent studies suggest that they may be mechanistically linked. The primary contributor to diabetic pathology is hyperglycaemia, which accelerates the production of advanced glycation end products, a characteristic of ageing tissue. Indeed, advanced age also leads to mild hyperglycaemia. Here, we discuss emerging literature that reveals a hitherto unappreciated link between cellular senescence, diabetes and wound repair. Senescent cells cause widespread destruction of normal tissue architecture in ageing and have been shown to be increased in chronic wounds. However, the role of senescence remains controversial, with several studies reporting beneficial effects for transiently induced senescence in wound healing. We recently highlighted a direct role for senescence in diabetic healing pathology, mediated by the senescence receptor, CXCR2. These findings suggest that targeting local tissue senescence may provide a therapeutic strategy applicable to a broad range of chronic wound types.     

基于Brown高级护理实践的癌痛专科护士岗位构建

通过文献回顾总结当前国内疼痛专科护士发展及癌痛管理中的不足,在此基础上以Brown高级护理实践理论框架为理论指导,侧重于资格要求、癌痛评估以及出院后的随访对癌痛专科护士岗位构建进行设计,旨在更好地促进癌痛专科护理的开展,提升癌痛护理水平。     

Cost-Effectiveness Study of Initial Imaging Selection in Acute Ischemic Stroke Care

PurposeNational guidelines recommend prompt identification of candidates for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) treatment, requiring timely neuroimaging with CT and/or MRI. CT is often preferred because of its widespread availability and rapid acquisition. Despite higher diagnostic accuracy of MRI, it commonly involves complex workflows that could potentially cause treatment time delays. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact on outcomes of imaging utilization before treatment decisions at comprehensive stroke centers for patients presenting with suspected AIS in the anterior circulation with last-known-well-to-arrival time 0 to 24 hours.MethodsA decision simulation model based on the American Heart Association’s recommendations for AIS care pathways was developed from a health care perspective to compare initial imaging strategies: (1) stepwise-CT: noncontrast CT (NCCT) at the time of presentation, with CT angiography (CTA) ± CT perfusion (CTP) only in select patients (initial imaging to exclude hemorrhage and extensive ischemia) for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) evaluation; (2) stepwise-hybrid: NCCT at the time of presentation, with MR angiography (MRA) ± MR perfusion (MRP) only for MT evaluation; (3) stepwise-advanced: NCCT + CTA at presentation, with MR diffusion-weighted imaging (MR DWI) + MRP only for MT evaluation; (4) comprehensive-CT: NCCT + CTA + CTP at the time of presentation; and (5) comprehensive-MR: MR DWI + MRA + MRP at the time of presentation. Model parameters were defined using evidence-based data. Cost-effectiveness and sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsThe cost-effectiveness analyses revealed that comprehensive-CT and comprehensive-MR yield the highest lifetime quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) (4.81 and 4.82, respectively). However, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of comprehensive-MR is $233,000/QALY compared with comprehensive-CT. Stepwise-CT, stepwise-hybrid, and stepwise-advanced strategies are dominated, yielding lower QALYs and higher costs compared with comprehensive-CT.ConclusionsPerforming comprehensive-CT at presentation is the most cost-effective initial imaging strategy at comprehensive stroke centers.     

Reimagining the IR Workflow for a Better Work–Life Balance

Several workflow changes were implemented in a large academic interventional radiology practice, including separation of inpatient and outpatient services, early start times, and using an adaptive learning system to predict case length tailored to individual physicians. Metrics including procedural volume, on-time start, accuracy at predicting case length, and room shutdown time were assessed before and after the intervention. Considerable improvements were seen in accuracy of first case start times, predicting block times, and last case encounter ending times. It is proposed that with improved role clarity, interventional radiologists can regain control over their schedules, utilize work hours more efficiently, and improve work–life balance.     

An Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Environmental Education

Climate change education in advanced practice registered nursing curricula prepares nurse practitioners to respond to the health effects of climate change. Knowledge of the relationship between human and environmental health is essential for nurse practitioners to identify, teach, and respond to the health effects of climate change in clinical and community settings. This article describes a webinar hosted by the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in partnership with the Duke University School of Nursing. Our webinar provided an opportunity for attendees to understand how gardening can mitigate climate change, the important relationship between human and environmental health, and nurses’ role in climate crisis.