Journal of Trauma Nursing最新文献

Background: Hospital-acquired, perioperative venous thromboembolism is a recognized patient safety indicator in the adult trauma patient population. Mechanical prophylaxis has been identified as a standard intervention to reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism when prescribed along with anticoagulation or if anticoagulation is contraindicated in the surgical population. Adherence to consistent mechanical prophylaxis remains a nursing issue impacted by numerous factors in patient care.

Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve the compliance of sequential compression device utilization to decrease the hospital-acquired, perioperative venous thromboembolism rate in the adult hospitalized trauma patient population.

Methods: A pre- and postintervention quality improvement approach utilized a nurse-led strategy to engage multidisciplinary team members to increase the consistency of sequential compression device utilization on patients within trauma units. The patient safety indicator rate per 1,000 for hospital-acquired, perioperative venous thromboembolism was monitored for improvement.

Results: The patient safety indicator rate per 1,000 for hospital-acquired, perioperative venous thromboembolism demonstrated a decline from 10.60 to 4.95 rate per 1,000 over 12 months. In the trauma units, sequential compression device compliance increased from an initial direct observation audit of only 12% to an average of 65% compliance rate during the last 16-week audits.

Conclusion: We found that a multidisciplinary, nurse-driven approach in the trauma units was effective in improving the compliance of sequential compression device utilization and impacted the hospital acquired, perioperative venous thromboembolism rate in the adult trauma patient population.

Background: The increase in firearm injuries at U.S. pediatric trauma centers is a national public health crisis. This spike in penetrating trauma has challenged even the most mature pediatric trauma centers.

Objective: This project aims to identify U.S. pediatric trauma center best practices for the evaluation and resources dedicated to pediatric firearm injuries.

Methods: This study used an exploratory cross-sectional survey design using a study-specific questionnaire. An electronic survey was distributed to 159 verified U.S. pediatric trauma centers targeting patients younger than 15 years with firearm injuries from 2017 to 2021. Trauma approaches to injury prevention, advocacy, and common performance improvement events were surveyed. A follow-up survey provided a drill-down on the top three performance improvement events.

Results: A total 159 surveys were distributed, of which 63 (40%) submitted partial responses and 32 (20%) completed the initial survey in full. A 49% increase in pediatric firearm injuries occurred between 2019 and 2020. Eighty-six percent of the trauma centers identified at least one to two opportunities for improvement events related to firearm injuries, with most of these events requiring a tertiary level of review. The top three performance improvement events included the massive transfusion protocol/fluid resuscitation, emergency department procedures, and operating room resource availability.

Conclusions: This study provides the first known examination of U.S. pediatric trauma center quality improvement efforts to address the crisis of pediatric firearm injuries. Our results indicate that most pediatric trauma centers are engaged in quality improvement and resource enhancement to combat firearm injuries.

Background: Transitions between clinical units are vulnerable periods for patients. A significant body of evidence describes the importance of structured transitions, but there is limited reporting of what happens. Describing transitions within a conceptual model will characterize the salient forces that interact during a patient transition and, perhaps, lead to improved outcomes.

Objective: To describe the processes and resources that trauma centers use to transition patients from critical care to nonintensive care units.

Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed all Level I and II trauma centers listed in the American Trauma Society database from September 2020 to November 2020. Data were merged from the American Hospital Association 2018 Hospital Survey.

Results: A total of 567 surveys were distributed, of which 152 responded for a (27%) response rate. Results were organized in categories: capital input, organizational facets, employee behavior, employee terms/scope, and labor inputs. Resources and processes varied; the most important opportunities for transition improvement included: (1) handoff instruments were only reported at 36% (n = 27) of trauma centers, (2) mandatory resident education about transitions was only reported at 70% (n = 16) of trauma centers, and (3) only 6% (n = 4) of trauma centers reported electronic medical record applications that enact features to influence employee behavior.

Conclusions: After years of focusing on transitions as a high-stake period, there remain many opportunities to develop resources and enact effective processes to address the variability in transition practice across trauma centers.

Background: Millions of children are treated annually for trauma-related injuries but comprise a smaller proportion of emergency department visits than adults. As a result, emergency department teams may not have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to care for pediatric patients, and specialty teams may not interact enough as an interprofessional team to provide high-quality patient care.

Objective: The purpose of this project is to describe a novel interprofessional simulation-based education initiative to assist pediatric trauma team readiness.

Methods: An escape room was designed to provide an interactive educational environment focused on pediatric trauma education. Using an interprofessional dyad of a trauma nursing specialist and a pediatric nursing expert, the escape room was designed as a series of clues to improve pediatric skills and interprofessional collaboration between specialty teams. The escape room training was conducted (from February to March, 2023) in a large Southeastern U.S. Level II adult trauma center.

Results: Twenty-one registered nurses from different specialty teams participated in the simulation exercises with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Colleagues reported this was a unique way to deliver education that resulted in innovative team building and enriched collegiality between the specialty teams.

Conclusions: The escape room educational format was positively received, and future events are planned across disciplines and various topics. Trauma centers with lower pediatric volumes seeking to provide engaging team-based education may use this format as a unique and innovative way to develop teams for clinical success.

Background: Half of all reported violent incidents in health care settings occur in the emergency department (ED) placing all staff members at risk. However, research typically does not include all ED work groups or validated measures beyond nurses and physicians.

Objective: The aims of this study were to (a) validate an established instrument measuring perceptions of causes of violence and attitudes toward managing violence within an inclusive workforce sample; and (b) explore variation in perceptions, attitudes, and incidence of violence and safety to inform a violence prevention program.

Methods: This is an investigator-initiated single-site cross-sectional survey design assessing the psychometric properties of the Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale (MAVAS) within a convenience sample (n = 134). Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and reliability was evaluated by the Cronbach's α estimation. Descriptive, correlational, and inferential estimates explored differences in perceptions, attitudes, and incidence of violence and safety.

Results: Exploratory factor analysis indicated validity of the MAVAS with a seven-factor model. Its internal consistency was satisfactory overall (Cronbach's α= 0.87) and across all subscales (Cronbach's α values = 0.52-0.80). Significant variation in incidence of physical assault, perceptions of safety, and causes of violence was found between work groups.

Conclusions: The MAVAS is a valid and reliable tool to measure ED staff members' perceptions of causes of violence and attitudes toward managing violence. In addition, it can inform training according to differences in work group learner needs.

Background: Trauma centers target injury prevention efforts based on trauma registry and local epidemiological data. Identifying geographic patterns of injury through geospatial mapping has emerged as a technology to help identify at-risk individuals. Yet, the feasibility of using spatial analysis to target injury prevention efforts remains unknown.

Objective: This study aims to demonstrate the use of geospatial mapping of older adult ground-level falls to target injury prevention efforts.

Methods: This retrospective cohort analysis of ground-level falls among older adults was conducted from 2017 to 2020 at a Level I trauma center and safety net hospital. Trauma admissions, U.S. census median income, Hispanic percentage, and population density by zip codes were combined to create choropleth and heat maps to identify injury hot spots to target fall prevention classes.

Results: A total of 5,629 patients were reviewed, of which 3,002 (53%) were fall cases. Low-level falls (<10 ft) accounted for 2,224 cases; 1,449 were among older adults centered around the study hospital. Ground-level falls accounted for 1,663 patients, of whom 1,182 were older adults clustering around senior housing, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. As a result, our fall prevention classes are now targeted at these newly identified locations.

Conclusion: Geospatial analysis provided powerful visualization of fall injury locations to target our fall prevention efforts. Geospatial analysis is a feasible tool for trauma centers to guide injury prevention strategies that effectively target the populations most in need.

Background: Little is known about the distribution and outcomes of hip fractures in pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To study the clinical outcomes of both pediatric and adult patients who underwent hip fracture surgeries and determine the effects of changes surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Both pediatric and adult surgical hip fracture cases were analyzed from the pandemic year (2020) and the control year (2019) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Results: Between the prepandemic (control) and pandemic years, a total of 2,438 pediatric and 28,180 adult cases were compared. Pediatric patients had similar perioperative characteristics and outcomes between the two years. Significantly fewer hip fractures were reported among adults during the pandemic (p < .001). Preoperatively, more adult patients had ventilator dependence (p = .020), transfusions (p = .029), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (p < .001) in 2020. Adult operations were more likely to be emergent in 2020 (p < .001) and adults had more severe disease states. Length of stay (p < .001) and the time from operation to discharge (p < .001) were significantly longer for the adult cohort in 2020. Mortality was also higher for adults during the first year of the pandemic (p = .003), and superficial surgical site infections became more common (p = .036).

Conclusion: Pediatric hip fracture patients had similar clinical outcomes between 2019 and 2020. Adults with hip fractures presented in more serious clinical conditions, which resulted in higher mortality in 2020. Further studies could better clarify the reasons as to why adult hip fracture patients had markedly worse clinical course during the COVID year than pediatric patients.

Background: Cervical spinal cord injury can greatly affect pulmonary function, resulting in complications, including respiratory failure with prolonged mechanical ventilation, ultimately leading to increased mortality and high health care costs. Weaning from mechanical ventilation is particularly challenging in patients with complete high spinal cord injury.

Case presentation: We present the case of a 42-year-old man who suffered a complete cervical 5-6 spinal cord injury following a rollover motor vehicle crash and subsequently developed postoperative pneumonia and severe hypoxemic respiratory failure. He received a novel approach to fast-track respiratory care, including early and aggressive secretion clearance management, moderate pressure level of airway pressure release ventilation, timely transition to spontaneous mode, early tracheostomy and humane care, and high-flow oxygenation via tracheotomy after weaning off the ventilator. As a result, the patient experienced significant improvement in pulmonary function and was successfully liberated from the ventilator within a 2-week period.

Conclusion: This case highlights the potential effectiveness of fast-track respiratory care in promoting lung function restoration and expediting liberation from mechanical ventilation in patients with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure following a complete cervical spinal cord injury. However, further research is warranted to validate these findings and expand our understanding in this area.