The Business Case for Magnet ® Designation : Using Data to Support Strategy

The Magnet® journey has increased in relevance as the sources of evidence reflect the complex role of the nurse in quality, safety, and the patient care experience. Creating a business case to secure the resources required to embark and travel on the Magnet journey is an essential tool for the chief nurse. Identifying expenses, cost savings or avoidance, and return on investment for nursing services are all important elements of a business case

It Is Time to Focus Digital Strategy on Supporting Nurse Workflow

In this column, 2 recognized healthcare leaders discuss the stresses experienced by nurses in today\u27s workforce and offer suggestions for the use of technology in improving nurse engagement as well as the quality of patient care

Healthcare System Disaster Preparedness, Part 1: Readiness Planning

Recent world events have raised the scope and intensity of disaster planning and readiness activities, including assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. In all efforts, the chief nurse executive is critical to the clinical operations and implementation of changes across a system, whether that system is a single hospital or a multiple site integrated healthcare system. In this article (part 1 of a 2-part series), the authors discuss the use of the nursing process as a framework to prepare for an all-hazards threat to disaster and mass casualty possibilities. They share one region\u27s attempt to better integrate communication efforts across all care providers, including public health, county fire and rescue, state agencies, and hospital and service providers. Part 2 (October 2002) will discuss the role competencies of the nurse executive in disaster preparation

Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vivo

[Image: see text] The use of nebulizable, nanoparticle-based antimicrobial delivery systems can improve efficacy and reduce toxicity for treatment of multi-drug-resistant bacteria in the chronically infected lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Nanoparticle vehicles are particularly useful for applying broad-spectrum silver-based antimicrobials, for instance, to improve the residence time of small-molecule silver carbene complexes (SCCs) within the lung. Therefore, we have synthesized multifunctional, shell cross-linked knedel-like polymeric nanoparticles (SCK NPs) and capitalized on the ability to independently load the shell and core with silver-based antimicrobial agents. We formulated three silver-loaded variants of SCK NPs: shell-loaded with silver cations, core-loaded with SCC10, and combined loading of shell silver cations and core SCC10. All three formulations provided a sustained delivery of silver over the course of at least 2–4 days. The two SCK NP formulations with SCC10 loaded in the core each exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity and efficacy in vivo in a mouse model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. SCK NPs with shell silver cation-load only, while efficacious in vitro, failed to demonstrate efficacy in vivo. However, a single dose of core SCC10-loaded SCK NPs (0.74 ± 0.16 mg Ag) provided a 28% survival advantage over sham treatment, and administration of two doses (0.88 mg Ag) improved survival to 60%. In contrast, a total of 14.5 mg of Ag(+) delivered over 5 doses at 12 h intervals was necessary to achieve a 60% survival advantage with a free-drug (SCC1) formulation. Thus, SCK NPs show promise for clinical impact by greatly reducing antimicrobial dosage and dosing frequency, which could minimize toxicity and improve patient adherence