Nurses - Tab Down Your Stress Level: A Pilot Study on the Use of Aromatherapy to Decrease Stress Levels

Introduction: The average day-to-day nursing profession is a stressful one. The job often requires dealing with patients enduring some of the worst times of their lives, as well as contending with patients\u27 emotional family members. This stressful environment is heightened even more for nurses employed in critical access hospitals (CAHs) due to the limited resources usually associated with these smaller facilities. Methods: Research and Evidence-Based Practice Council members at one CAH explored how to help nurses deal with the elevated work stress level. Aromatherapy tabs were used as an intervention to reduce nurses\u27 stress. The nurses who participated in this pilot study took a short survey before starting their shifts, indicating their stress levels. Following the survey, scented aromatherapy tabs were attached to the nurses\u27 uniforms and worn for the entirety of their shifts. At the end of their shifts, the participating nurses completed the same stress survey. Results: Twenty-five nurses participated in the pilot study. Nurses who did not wear the aromatherapy tab reported higher stress levels at the end of the shift than at the start, with a 3% overall average increase. Nurses who wore the aromatherapy tab reported lower stress levels at the end of the shift with a 12% overall average decrease. Discussion: Using aromatherapy tabs positively impacted nurses\u27 reported stress levels, indicating that aromatherapy tabs can be a tool for nurses to utilize within the workplace, supporting the need for further research

Engagement takes a (fishing) village to manage a resource:Principles and practice of effective stakeholder engagement

Highlights • Qualitative study of stakeholder engagement strategies used in natural resource management. • We identify 22 outreach strategies, how they help practitioners achieve nine management goals, and how they can be measured using five metrics. • Inclusive and transparent engagement is critical for creating and implementing legitimate, salient, and credible policy

Designing a solution to enable agency-academic scientific collaboration for disasters

© The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ecology and Society 22 (2017): 18, doi:10.5751/ES-09246-220218.As large-scale environmental disasters become increasingly frequent and more severe globally, people and organizations that prepare for and respond to these crises need efficient and effective ways to integrate sound science into their decision making. Experience has shown that integrating nongovernmental scientific expertise into disaster decision making can improve the quality of the response, and is most effective if the integration occurs before, during, and after a crisis, not just during a crisis. However, collaboration between academic, government, and industry scientists, decision makers, and responders is frequently difficult because of cultural differences, misaligned incentives, time pressures, and legal constraints. Our study addressed this challenge by using the Deep Change Method, a design methodology developed by Stanford ChangeLabs, which combines human-centered design, systems analysis, and behavioral psychology. We investigated underlying needs and motivations of government agency staff and academic scientists, mapped the root causes underlying the relationship failures between these two communities based on their experiences, and identified leverage points for shifting deeply rooted perceptions that impede collaboration. We found that building trust and creating mutual value between multiple stakeholders before crises occur is likely to increase the effectiveness of problem solving. We propose a solution, the Science Action Network, which is designed to address barriers to scientific collaboration by providing new mechanisms to build and improve trust and communication between government administrators and scientists, industry representatives, and academic scientists. The Science Action Network has the potential to ensure cross-disaster preparedness and science-based decision making through novel partnerships and scientific coordination.The authors thank the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for a grant to undertake this project and enable participation of a wide range of participants and interviewees. We thank the Center for Ocean Solutions and ChangeLabs for their oversight and support

Effects of Placental Transfusion on Neonatal and 18 Month Outcomes in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To assess the effect of delayed cord clamping (DCC) vs immediate cord clamping (ICC) on intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), late onset sepsis (LOS), and 18-month motor outcomes in preterm infants. Study Design: Women (n = 208) in labor with singleton fetuses (\u3c32 weeks gestation) were randomized to either DCC (30-45 seconds) or ICC (\u3c10 seconds). The primary outcomes were IVH, LOS, and motor outcomes at 18-22 months corrected age. Intention-to-treat was used for primary analyses. Results: Cord clamping time was 32 ± 16 (DCC) vs 6.6 ± 6 (ICC) seconds. Infants in the DCC and ICC groups weighed 1203 ± 352 and 1136 ± 350 g and mean gestational age was 28.3 ± 2 and 28.4 ± 2 weeks, respectively. There were no differences in rates of IVH or LOS between groups. At 18-22 months, DCC was protective against motor scores below 85 on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.10-0.90, P = .03). There were more women with preeclampsia in the ICC group (37% vs 22%, P = .02) and more women in the DCC group with premature rupture of membranes/preterm labor (54% vs 75%, P = .002). Preeclampsia halved the risk of IVH (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.2-1.0) and premature rupture of membranes/preterm labor doubled the risk of IVH (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-4.3). Conclusions: Although DCC did not alter the incidence of IVH or LOS in preterm infants, it improved motor function at 18-22 months corrected age

Effects of Delayed Cord Clamping on 4-Month Ferritin Levels, Brain Myelin Content, and Neurodevelopment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To evaluate whether placental transfusion influences brain myelination at 4 months of age. Study design A partially blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted at a level III maternity hospital in the US. Seventy-three healthy term pregnant women and their singleton fetuses were randomized to either delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC, \u3e5 minutes) or immediate clamping (ICC, \u3c20 \u3eseconds). At 4 months of age, blood was drawn for ferritin levels. Neurodevelopmental testing (Mullen Scales of Early Learning) was administered, and brain myelin content was measured with magnetic resonance imaging. Correlations between myelin content and ferritin levels and group-wise DCC vs ICC brain myelin content were completed. Results In the DCC and ICC groups, clamping time was 172 ± 188 seconds vs 28 ± 76 seconds (P \u3c .002), respectively; the 48-hour hematocrit was 57.6% vs 53.1% (P \u3c .01). At 4 months, infants with DCC had significantly greater ferritin levels (96.4 vs 65.3 ng/dL, P = .03). There was a positive relationship between ferritin and myelin content. Infants randomized to the DCC group had greater myelin content in the internal capsule and other early maturing brain regions associated with motor, visual, and sensory processing/function. No differences were seen between groups in the Mullen testing. Conclusion At 4 months, infants born at term receiving DCC had greater ferritin levels and increased brain myelin in areas important for early life functional development. Endowment of iron-rich red blood cells obtained through DCC may offer a longitudinal advantage for early white matter development

Spatially organizing future genders: an artistic intervention in the creation of a hir-toilet

Toilets, a neglected facility in the study of human relations at work and beyond, have become increasingly important in discussions about future experiences of gender diversity. To further investigate the spatial production of gender and its potential expressions, we transformed a unisex single-occupancy toilet at Uppsala University into an all-gender or ‘hir-toilet’.1 With the aim to disrupt and expose the dominant spatial organization of the two binary genders, we inaugurated the hir-toilet with the help of a performance artist. We describe and analyse internal and external responses thereto, using Lefebvre’s work on dialectics and space. Focusing on how space is variously lived, conceived and perceived, our analysis questions the very rationale of gender categorizations. The results contribute to a renewed critique of binary thinking in the organization of workplaces by extending our understanding of how space and human relations mutually constitute each other

Advancing the integration of spatial data to map human and natural drivers on coral reefs

<div><p>A major challenge for coral reef conservation and management is understanding how a wide range of interacting human and natural drivers cumulatively impact and shape these ecosystems. Despite the importance of understanding these interactions, a methodological framework to synthesize spatially explicit data of such drivers is lacking. To fill this gap, we established a transferable data synthesis methodology to integrate spatial data on environmental and anthropogenic drivers of coral reefs, and applied this methodology to a case study location–the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). Environmental drivers were derived from time series (2002–2013) of climatological ranges and anomalies of remotely sensed sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-<i>a</i>, irradiance, and wave power. Anthropogenic drivers were characterized using empirically derived and modeled datasets of spatial fisheries catch, sedimentation, nutrient input, new development, habitat modification, and invasive species. Within our case study system, resulting driver maps showed high spatial heterogeneity across the MHI, with anthropogenic drivers generally greatest and most widespread on O‘ahu, where 70% of the state’s population resides, while sedimentation and nutrients were dominant in less populated islands. Together, the spatial integration of environmental and anthropogenic driver data described here provides a first-ever synthetic approach to visualize how the drivers of coral reef state vary in space and demonstrates a methodological framework for implementation of this approach in other regions of the world. By quantifying and synthesizing spatial drivers of change on coral reefs, we provide an avenue for further research to understand how drivers determine reef diversity and resilience, which can ultimately inform policies to protect coral reefs.</p></div

Parsing human and biophysical drivers of coral reef regimes

Coral reefs worldwide face unprecedented cumulative anthropogenic effects of interacting local human pressures, global climate change and distal social processes. Reefs are also bound by the natural biophysical environment within which they exist. In this context, a key challenge for effective management is understanding how anthropogenic and biophysical conditions interact to drive distinct coral reef configurations. Here, we use machine learning to conduct explanatory predictions on reef ecosystems defined by both fish and benthic communities. Drawing on the most spatially extensive dataset available across the Hawaiian archipelago-20 anthropogenic and biophysical predictors over 620 survey sites-we model the occurrence of four distinct reef regimes and provide a novel approach to quantify the relative influence of human and environmental variables in shaping reef ecosystems. Our findings highlight the nuances of what underpins different coral reef regimes, the overwhelming importance of biophysical predictors and how a reef's natural setting may either expand or narrow the opportunity space for management interventions. The methods developed through this study can help inform reef practitioners and hold promises for replication across a broad range of ecosystems. © 2019 The Author(s

Leadership As We Know It

Leadership as We Know it is a collection of insights into modern leadership compiled by graduate students in Winona State University’s Leadership Education program during the Spring 2019 semester in a course aptly titled, Change Leadership. Each chapter was penned by one of 20 unique class members who offer their vision of leadership based upon their eclectic personal backgrounds and professional experiences, whose fields include athletics, business, education, and more. These diverse narratives offer something for everyone; whether it be a veteran or blossoming leader eager to continue their growth and evolution. Leadership as We Know it provides accounts from seasoned professionals who oversee their own organizational departments as well as emerging leaders just beginning their careers. Throughout these unique stories, clear patterns will emerge for the reader in what it takes to inspire change and provide authentic leadership for followers.https://openriver.winona.edu/leadershipeducationbooks/1003/thumbnail.jp