Sleeping Soundlessly in the Intensive Care Unit

An estimated 70% of patients who have been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) experience some form of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). As a stressful environment, the ICU can be traumatic for any patient; however, the disruption of sleep experienced by patients in ICU negatively impacts their mental status and recovery. One of the most significant contributors to sleep disruption is the constant blare of monitor alarms, many of which are false or redundant. Through multisensory approaches and procedural redesign, the hostile acoustic environment of the ICU that causes so many to suffer from PICS may be alleviated. In this paper, we present suggestions for improving the ICU acoustic environment to possibly reduce the incidence of post-ICU complications such as PICS

Associations among Perceived Stress, Mindfulness, and Concussion-Related Outcomes in Young Adults with Concussion History

Concussion causes neurophysiological changes resulting in clinical deficits and psychological changes - presenting those injured with significant physical and psychosocial burden. Increased perceived stress, which is associated with decreased mental, physical health, and quality of life (QOL), may be heightened post-concussion. Furthermore, research suggests higher mindfulness is associated with decreased perceived stress and increased mental and physical health. Despite these connections, no research has identified the associations among perceived stress, mindfulness, and clinical and psychological concussion outcomes – knowledge necessary to inform effective interventions. This dissertation consisted of two studies: 1) a cross-sectional observational study in 80 young adults with a concussion history in which participants completed a single study visit including measures for demographics, concussion history, mental health history, current mindfulness practice, perceived stress, mindfulness, clinical concussion outcomes (concussion symptoms, balance performance, ANS function, vestibular/ocular function, and exertion tolerance), and psychological concussion outcomes (neurocognitive performance, psychological distress, and QOL); and 2) a single arm mindfulness intervention pilot study where 15 participants completed 10-20 minutes of mindfulness exercises/meditations daily for six weeks and were assessed for adherence, acceptability, feasibility, intervention perceptions, and preliminary efficacy (concussion symptoms, perceived stress, and mindfulness). Cross-sectional results suggest that higher perceived stress was significantly associated with higher concussion symptoms, higher psychological distress, and lower QOL. Additionally, higher mindfulness was significantly associated with lower concussion symptoms, lower psychological distress, and higher QOL. Mindfulness did not moderate the relationship between perceived stress and concussion outcomes. Pilot intervention results suggest positive adherence, acceptability, feasibility, and overall intervention perceptions. Additionally, concussion symptoms significantly decreased pre/post-intervention. Results provide a novel understanding of the association among perceived stress, mindfulness, and clinical and psychological concussion outcomes and the impact of a mindfulness intervention in young adults with a concussion history. This study will inform future interventions aimed to mitigate stress and/or target mindfulness post-concussion.Doctor of Philosoph

Creation and Implementation of a Pediatric Advanced Practice Nurse Critical Care Fellowship Program

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who begin their careers in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) may be challenged in this practice environment. Inadequate prior experience as a staff nurse, limited opportunities for clinical placements in the PICU during graduate education, and being in a fast-paced, high-acuity practice environment without prior exposure to critically ill children are practice challenges in the PICU setting. The goal of postgraduate education training programs (fellowship programs) for the acute care pediatric nurse practitioner (ACPNP) is to prepare students to become beginner practitioners who can function effectively in the acute care setting within a few months of being hired, much like that of their physician counterparts who complete a fellowship. The health care environment continues to be influenced by trends in national health care reform, shifts in the models for physician training, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident duty hour restrictions. These emerging trends have given health care organizations the opportunity to evaluate their current care delivery and training models. It is expected that the demand for APRNs with specialty training will increase. The aim of this article is to describe our experience in the creation and implementation of a critical care pediatric nurse practitioner (CCPNP) fellowship training program at a large midwestern U.S. tertiary care center. It is expected that the demand for APRNs with specialty training will increase. When this fellowship was created, there were no known fellowships available for pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) interested in pediatric critical care. To meet the needs of these providers, a focused training program is required to provide specific preparation and competencies to practice to the full extent of the provider\u27s license. A recent recommendation is for health care administrators to consider implementing fellowship training programs to assist nurse practitioners transitioning into specialty roles (Kells, Dunn, Melchiono, & Burke, 2015). We used several online search engines to identify pediatric health care institutions with active advanced practice provider postgraduate fellowships. Our search in June 2017 identified fellowship programs in primary care, pediatric hematology/oncology, palliative care, neuro-critical care, and urgent care/emergency department. To our knowledge, this fellowship program was the first of its kind and seeks to provide postgraduate specialty training and education focused on the unique requirements of critically ill children and their families to help fill a knowledge gap when entering practice in this highly specialized practice environment

Financial Capability and Asset Building: Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps

In the midst of a global pandemic that brought untold numbers of families to a financial precipice, experts came together to examine the role of social work in ensuring financial security and equity for all. This conference report details the most recent of five Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) conferences held since 2015. The two-part virtual conference, held in September 2020 and February 2021, convened leaders in the academy and in the field to discuss achievements, challenges, and next steps in FCAB

Does Capnography Monitoring Reduce the Occurrence of Code Blue?

Nursing Scholarship Symposium Event Posters.https://scholarlycommons.libraryinfo.bhs.org/nurs_presentations/1003/thumbnail.jp

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Build Financial Capability and Assets for All

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs

Reporting of Concussion Symptoms By a Nationwide Survey of United States Parents of Middle School Children

This cross-sectional study assessed concussion symptom knowledge of parents of middle school (MS) children (aged 10–15 years) through a free-response item that solicited concussion symptoms and compared findings to a pre-validated scale-based measure. A self-administered online questionnaire was sent to a panel of randomly selected United States residents who were recruited by a third-party company, aged ≥ 18 years, and identified as parents of MS children. Via a free-response item, parents listed what they believed were concussion symptoms. Multiple sections later, parents identified potential concussion symptoms via a scale measure, which featured 25 items (22 actual symptoms, three distractor symptoms) with three response options: yes, no, maybe. Free-response item responses were coded into specific symptoms. The 1062 eligible parents that provided complete data commonly identified the symptoms of dizziness (90.2%), blurred vision (87.4%), and balance problems (86.4%) on the scale-based measure. However, these and other symptoms were less commonly identified via the free-response item (dizziness: 44.4%; blurred vision: 16.5%; balance problems: 3.5%). Concussion symptoms commonly reported via the scale-based measure were reported less frequently within the free-response item. Future research must explore strategies to help clinicians working with parents and their children to measure and assess concussion symptom reporting and knowledge

The Grizzly, November 11, 2010

UC Students Reach Out to Collegeville • Wireless Internet on Campus Causes Problems for Students • Career Services Offers Five Tips for Successful Networking • Animal Rights Group Comes to UC • Community Involvement • Students Celebrate National Novel Writing Month • Senior Spotlight: Katie Gigs Gigl • Leadership at UC • Internship Profile: Elisa DiPrinzio • Opinions: Fringe Candidate Goes Viral; Play Review: Breakaway\u27s Never Swim Alone Proves Big Hit • Field Hockey Wins Seventh Straight Title • Ursinus Football Comes Up Short Against Muhlenberghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1824/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 16, 2010

Activities Fair Brings Light to Organizations • Computer Science Students Begin Exciting New Projects • UC United Society of Leaders Emerges on Campus • Brandon Kamin Launches into MC Role for ABC\u27s Show Eaglemania • Calorie Counting Hits Zack\u27s • Theater Preview • Meet up with Two New Professors on Campus • Blend Cafe Hosts Open Mic Night for Students and Community • Opinions: Primaries are More Overrated Than They are Important; Unpredictable Turmoils of the Unreliable Ursinus WiFi • Ursinus Women\u27s Volleyball Heads Into Promising Seasonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1817/thumbnail.jp