Medication management at home: Enhancing nurse\u27s skills and improving patient satisfaction—a longitudinal study

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to improve nurse medication management skills during home care (HC) visits, and thus improve care quality and the related patient ratings of nurse performance. Nurses completed presurveys asking how often they asked to see, taught about, and explained side effects of patient medications. Two focus groups were held with HC nurses to determine barriers to provision of such medication interventions, followed by presentation of a series of 5 medication-related educational sessions. HC nurse\u27s surveys 6 months later reveal an increased frequency of medication skill performance, and patient ratings in these same areas improved statistically significantly, nearing or surpassing national benchmarks

Use of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil in subjects with Alzheimer's disease: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study, with an open‐label extension

Abstract Introduction Cerebral glucose and insulin metabolism is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ketones provide alternative energy. Will medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, a nutritional source of ketones, impact cognition in AD? Methods This was a 6‐month randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study, with 6‐month open‐label extension in probable AD subjects, on stable medications. MCT dose was 42 g/day, or maximum tolerated. Cognition was assessed with Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Cognigram®. Results Twenty subjects, average age 72.6 years, 45% women, 70% university educated had baseline MMSE 22.6/30 (10–29); MoCA 15.6/30 (4–27); baseline Cognigram® Part 1: 65–106, Part 2: 48–107. Average MCT oil consumption was 1.8 tablespoons/day (25.2 g, 234 kcal). Eighty percent remained stable or improved. Longer MCT exposure and age > 73, resulted in higher final MMSE (P < .001) and Cognigram® 1 scores. Discussion This is the longest duration MCT AD study to date. Eighty percent had stabilization or improvement in cognition, and better response with 9‐month continual MCT oil

Simulation scenarios for nurse educators: Making it REAL, 2nd ed.

Diana Mager is a contributing author: Home Care Patient with Elevated Blood Sugars, Post Operative Care Following an Appendectomy (with Jean Lange), and Building a Learning Resource Center (with Karen Daley and Suzanne Campbell). Book description: This second edition of an acclaimed book for nurse educators provides a practical, step-by-step guide to designing and developing simulation scenarios and integrating them into the nursing curriculum. Based on extensive discussion with contributing authors and new faculty, the text has been updated to include changes in simulation pedagogy since the first edition was published in 2008, and thoroughly reorganized to facilitate greater ease of use. Outstanding features include scenarios easily adaptable to the instructor\u27s own lab, and a new section on graduate nursing education and interdisciplinary clinical scenarios. Scenarios are ordered according to their complexity for ease of access. The authors provide concrete information about the use of simulation in a variety of programs, courses, and schools, and describe how nursing faculty have mastered the challenge of integrating simulation into their curricula, from fundamental nursing arenas to more complex levels of care. Chapters discuss how simulation can be used with such diverse populations as medical-surgical, geriatric, pediatric, trauma, obstetric, and home care. The book offers scenario-running instructions, as well as recommendations on developing faculty, integrating point-of-care decision-making tools and necessary equipment, how to set up a lab (including static to high-fidelity manikins), and much more. Scenarios explore key themes in nursing, from ethics, spirituality and palliative care, to communication and cultural diversity. A template for creating scenarios spans the text and includes student preparation materials, forms, and checklists.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/nursing-books/1033/thumbnail.jp

Exploring Anthropometric and Laboratory Differences in Children of Varying Ethnicities with Celiac Disease

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disorder with an increasing prevalence, including in ethnic minorities

Comparison of Body Composition, Muscle Strength and Cardiometabolic Profile in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Pilot Study

Syndromic and non-syndromic obesity conditions in children, such as Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), both lower quality of life and increase risk for chronic health complications, which further increase health service utilization and cost. In a pilot observational study, we compared body composition and muscle strength in children aged 7–18 years with either PWS (n = 9), NAFLD (n = 14), or healthy controls (n = 16). Anthropometric and body composition measures (e.g., body weight, circumferences, skinfolds, total/segmental composition, and somatotype), handgrip strength, six minute-walk-test (6MWT), physical activity, and markers of liver and cardiometabolic dysfunction (e.g., ALT, AST, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and lipid profile) were measured using standard procedures and validated tools. Genotyping was determined for children with PWS. Children with PWS had reduced lean body mass (total/lower limb mass), lower handgrip strength, 6MWT and increased sedentary activity compared to healthy children or those with NAFLD (p p < 0.05). Reduced lean body mass and endomorphic somatotypes were associated with lower muscle strength/functionality and sedentary lifestyles, particularly in children with PWS. These findings are relevant as early detection of deficits in muscle strength and functionality can ensure effective targeted treatments that optimize physical activity and prevent complications into adulthood