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When a patient is admitted to a hospital, admission assessments are completed in the electronic medical record. There is minimal information about who the person is, what they liked to be called, favorite activity, and or past occupation to view. A communication board is visible to all caring for the patient. This pre-post design evaluated whether using "All About Me Board" (AAMB) could change workplace climate perception among 25 registered nurses (RN)s in a 28 bed medical surgical unit. RNs were asked to participate in a Person Centered Climate Questionnaire and were provided education about purpose and use of the AAMB, which were placed in each patient's room. Having the AAMB placed and visible in patient rooms provided healthcare providers personal information to assist in planning care with patients and family. Survey results were favorable in supporting a workplace environment where patients were empowered to participate in planning their care.

Background Optimizing early education in gynecological procedures utilizing an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program and a bundle concept may optimize patient outcomes after surgery. Purpose Evaluate whether an ERAS bundle compared to standard education can affect length of stay, 30 day readmission, and patient satisfaction among patients undergoing gynecologic surgery. Design Prospective, comparative, randomized design Setting 28 bed Medical Surgical Unit Sample/Intervention 50 patients undergoing hysterectomy, 25 who received post-operative evidence based bundle/standard education, and 25 who received standard education packet. Bundle components included 1) early mobilization, 2) early transition to oral pain medication, 3) early feeding, and 4) chewing gum. A follow-up phone call was made in two to three days following discharge for both groups utilizing teach-back. Results 84% (n = 21) patients in the bundle group were discharged in one day. There were no 30 day readmissions for both groups. Twenty two (88%) participants met the bundle components 100% of the time. For the indicator “walking helped with recovery” 100% (n = 25) responded “very good to excellent” for bundle group and 96% (n = 24) responded “very good to excellent” for standard group. Twenty three (92%) of the bundle group felt that that overall nursing care received was very good to excellent and 24 (96%) of the general group felt that overall nursing care received was very good to excellent. Conclusion Optimizing peri-operative education using a bundle approach to provide evidence based interventions can minimize risk and enhance early recovery for females undergoing gynecological surgery.

Background Workplace stress can affect nurse satisfaction. Aroma therapy as a therapeutic use of essential oil can be beneficial in reducing stress. Purpose Assess perceived stress pre-post introduction of Essential Oil Lavender among registered nurses, charge nurses, and patient care technicians in a trauma intensive care unit, surgical specialty care unit and an orthopedic trauma unit. Methods Pre-post intervention with a quasi-experimental design. After a pre-survey, Essential Oil Lavender was diffused 24 h per day over 30 days in a designated nursing area that all nurses were not required to enter on each unit. Results Dependent sample t-test for “how often do nurses feel stressed a work in a typical week” revealed pre-survey mean 2.97 (SD = 0.99) which was significantly higher than post-survey mean 2.70 (SD = 0.92) with significance, t(69) = 2.36, p = 0.021, suggesting a difference in how often staff felt stressed at work in a typical week, trending down from “feeling stressed half of time” to “once in a while”. There were no statistically significant differences in pre-post survey scores for TICU, TOU, or SSC as separate units. Relevance Use of essential oils to decrease work-related stress among nursing staff may improve retention, workplace environment, and increase nurse satisfaction.