Escalating the pathway from the associate's degree in nursing to the bachelor of science in nursing and/or the master of science in nursing: what is standing in the way?

For more than 25 years, promoting higher levels of education for registered nurses (RNs) has been a strategic theme in national reports. Yet, only 42.2% of RNs in North Carolina hold a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in nursing, or a doctorate in nursing. Creating a seamless educational pathway for RNs is essential for achieving this goal.     

Do guidelines on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in Dutch hospitals and nursing homes reflect the law? A content analysis

To describe the content of practice guidelines on euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) and to compare differences between settings and guidelines developed before or after enactment of the euthanasia law in 2002 by means of a content analysis. Most guidelines stated that the attending physician is responsible for the decision to grant or refuse an EAS request. Due care criteria were described in the majority of guidelines, but aspects relevant for assessing these criteria were not always described. Half of the guidelines described the role of the nurse in the performance of euthanasia. Compared with hospital guidelines, nursing home guidelines were more often stricter than the law in excluding patients with dementia (30% vs 4%) and incompetent patients (25% vs 4%). As from 2002, the guidelines were less strict in categorically excluding patients groups (32% vs 64%) and in particular incompetent patients (10% vs 29%). Healthcare institutions should accurately state the boundaries of the law, also when they prefer to set stricter boundaries for their own institution. Only then can guidelines provide adequate support for physicians and nurses in the difficult EAS decision-making process.     

Primary care research--what in the world is going on?

Primary care research has been described as a "lost cause", and, although this claim has been strongly refuted, general practitioners publish less research than their colleagues in surgery, medicine and public health. Despite a fivefold increase in Australian general practice research papers from the 1980s to the 1990s, fewer than half of these focused on clinical topics. Trying to establish a global figure for expenditure on general practice and primary care research is difficult, but data show that public expenditure for primary care research is minimal in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom--fewer than 1.50 dollars per capita in 2002-2003. Compared with hospital- and laboratory-based research, primary care receives significantly fewer resources, ranging from 3.2% of total public expenditure on health and medical research in the Netherlands to 6.8% in New Zealand. Government-led investment in interventions such as strengthening primary care departments and colleges and supporting primary care academics, establishing practice-based networks, fostering international initiatives for cross-national efforts, and engaging individual primary care practitioners in research projects, are all required to build research capacity in primary care.     

Priorities in care and services for elderly people: a path without guidelines?

The growing gap between demands and resources is putting immense pressure on all government spending in Sweden. The gap is especially apparent in care and services for elderly people in light of the rapid aging of the population. The article considers the decisions and priorities concerning resource allocation in the welfare sector in general and in elderly care in particular. The aim is to describe the political and administrative setting and to provide a conceptual structure that outlines the nature of the problem. Various levels of decision making are identified and discussed in the context of political accountability. Current transitions in elderly care are described with respect to service provision, marketisation, coverage rates, and eligibility standards. Basic principles of distribution are highlighted in order to clarify some central concepts of efficiency and justice, and a number of strategies for actual prioritising are identified. The article concludes with an endorsement of more conscious decisions in resource allocation. Existing knowledge and information concerning the effects of various strategies must be utilised, and the values and assumptions used for setting priorities must be made explicit.     

Is the quality of data in an electronic medical record sufficient for assessing the quality of primary care?

Objective

Quality indicators for the treatment of type 2 diabetes are often retrieved from a chronic disease registry (CDR). This study investigates the quality of recording in a general practitioner''s (GP) electronic medical record (EMR) compared to a simple, web-based CDR.

Methods

The GPs entered data directly in the CDR and in their own EMR during the study period (2011). We extracted data from 58 general practices (8235 patients) with type 2 diabetes and compared the occurrence and value of seven process indicators and 12 outcome indicators in both systems. The CDR, specifically designed for monitoring type 2 diabetes and reporting to health insurers, was used as the reference standard. For process indicators we examined the presence or absence of recordings on the patient level in both systems, for outcome indicators we examined the number of compliant or non-compliant values of recordings present in both systems. The diagnostic OR (DOR) was calculated for all indicators.

Results

We found less concordance for process indicators than for outcome indicators. HbA1c testing was the process indicator with the highest DOR. Blood pressure measurement, urine albumin test, BMI recorded and eye assessment showed low DOR. For outcome indicators, the highest DOR was creatinine clearance <30 mL/min or mL/min/1.73 m² and the lowest DOR was systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg.

Conclusions

Clinical items are not always adequately recorded in an EMR for retrieving indicators, but there is good concordance for the values of these items. If the quality of recording improves, indicators can be reported from the EMR, which will reduce the workload of GPs and enable GPs to maintain a good patient overview.     

CPR in the nursing home: fool’s errand or looming dilemma?

Background

The indications for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) have expanded greatly since the technique was introduced and theoretically it can be attempted on all prior to death. Policy initiatives (such as the British Medical Association/Royal College of Nursing guidelines) have attempted to provide a clinical rationale for the withholding of inappropriate CPR. Traditionally a care home was felt to be an inappropriate environment to attempt CPR but increased use of advance directives may bring the issue to the fore in this setting.

Aims

We elicited the views of managers of care homes regarding resuscitation strategies in hypothetical situations and in actual practice.

Method

A purpose designed questionnaire in two parts was compiled, gathering factual information and employing a Likert scale to gauge opinion about this issue. The survey was conducted among 187 continuing care homes in South London the subjects being the care managers of the homes surveyed.

Results and conclusion

Responses were obtained from 86 care homes. Care managers would resuscitate 66% of cases of witnessed cardiac arrest but few efforts were reported. Policies in assigning ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders were referred to by only 9% of homes but 80% of facilities would welcome them, yet 50% would exclude the patient from this discussion. Clear policy guidelines are required for continuing care homes, and advance statements about CPR as part of residents care plans could reduce inappropriate resuscitative efforts and hospital transfers.     

Effect of ischemic preconditioning on myocardial protection involves the participation of nuclear factor-kB in extraxorporeal circulation

Objective To explore the change of NF-kB after ischemia reperfusion and the effect of NF-kB on cell apoptosis in patients undergoing valvular replacement.Methods Thirty-six patients undergoing valve replacement were randomly divided into ischemic preconditioning （IP） group （20 cases） and control group （16 cases）.Patiects in the IP group received single cycle reperfusion before cardioplegia.     

Influence of early postoperative complication on the operative results in elderly intertrochanteric fractured patients

Objective： Early complications were analyzed in those with Evans Ⅲ type of intertrochanteric fracture treated with operation or nonoperative approaches. Methods：59 cases with Evans Ⅲ type of intertrochanteric fracture between June, 1999 to July, 2006 were admitted in our department. 38 patients were complicated with cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and arrhythmia. All the cases were operated. Results：58 cases were operated successfully. One died of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. Grade data of different age brackets indicated that early infective complications had apparent differences between the operation and the control group. Compared with the control group, the operation group had benefits such as fewer complications, especially the infective complications, and incidence of lower extremities venous thrombosis, and the results showed notable differences. Conclusion：In elderly patients with Evans Ⅲ type of intertrochanteric fracture, the incidence of pulmonary infection was the highest. Venous thrombosis in lower extremities was the most serious complication. So it will be helpful to perform the quadriceps femories function exercise. The postoperative effect is also related with the operation approach.