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Background: Intraprofessional simulation and training in acute care nursing specialties can generate synergies that will promote safe, quality patient care., Method: Implementation of multiple intraprofessional simulations across the life span allowed for sharing of faculty and simulation resources. Simulations encompassed both adult and pediatric patients and consisted of airway skills, point-of-care ultrasound, and a multi-skills day encompassing vascular access experiences, chest tube placement, and lumbar puncture., Results: During 5 years, 235 graduate students across three advanced practice nursing specialties participated in the intraprofessional simulation. Learner feedback showed improved confidence, benefit to future practice, and improved clinical judgment via these intraprofessional simulations., Conclusion: Future development of standardized and validated assessments to evaluate each skill will provide quantitative metrics for each clinical skill set and patient population. Further, additional initiatives will include both continuing and expanding intraprofessional simulation offerings, as well as developing interprofessional simulations with physician assistant and perfusionist colleagues. [ J Nurs Educ . 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.] .

Background: As the opioid epidemic continues, a better understanding of the use of opioids in surgery is needed. We examined whether intraoperative opioid administration was associated with greater postoperative opioid use prior to discharge in opioid-naïve patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Further, we sought to determine predictors of higher intra- and postoperative opioid use including demographic and patient factors and hospital., Methods: Data on patients who underwent elective thoracic surgery between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, were extracted from a data repository at a large health system in the Southeast United States. All patients and data on total intraoperative and postoperative (prior to discharge) opioid administration were included. A total of 126 patient encounters were analyzed., Results: Increased intraoperative morphine milligram equivalent was associated with increased postoperative administration, where each unit increase in intraoperative morphine milligram equivalent was associated with 0.57 increased units in postoperative use (B = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.29-0.87, P < .0003), controlling for patient race, sex, age, weight, Elixhauser comorbidity score, and hospital. Younger age ( P < .002), comorbidity ( P < .054), and weight ( P < .026) were associated with higher intra- and postoperative opioid use, but race ( P < .320) and sex ( P < .980) were not associated with opioid administration., Conclusions: Intraoperative opioid use had a significant impact on postoperative opioid use in patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery, even when controlling for age, weight, comorbidities, race, and sex. Substantial variation in both intra- and postoperative opioid administration was noted., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to examine nurse anesthetists' practice and encounters with ambulatory surgery patients experiencing transportation difficulties after the provision of anesthesia., Design: A mixed method approach was used., Methods: An eleven-item questionnaire was disseminated nationally to 2,827 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) practicing in the outpatient setting. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions and open text for qualitative assessment. Questions focused on frequency of encounters with patients experiencing transportation difficulties post-anesthesia and policies for rideshare options., Findings: A total of 43% of responding CRNAs work in a clinical practice setting in which patients have the option of being discharged using rideshare (Uber/Lyft) but only if accompanied by an adult. Issues emerged around patient safety when using a rideshare service for discharge postanesthesia., Conclusions: The proliferation of rideshare options may provide increased access to surgical services in the outpatient anesthesia care setting. Practice considerations associated with transportation policies for postanesthesia patients in the era of rideshare services are warranted., (Copyright © 2021 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The practice of anesthesia includes multiple competing practice models, including services delivered by anesthesiologists, independent practice by certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and team-based approaches incorporating anesthesiologist supervision or direction of CRNAs. Despite data demonstrating very low risk of death and complications associated with anesthesia, debate among professional societies and policymakers persists over the superiority or equivalence among these models. The American Society of Anesthesiologists uses published findings as evidence for claims that anesthesia is safer when anesthesiologists lead in providing care. The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists cites its own research on safety and cost-efficiency outcomes to defend against these claims. We review and critique studies of the safety outcomes and cost-effectiveness of anesthesia delivery that have been cited in the Federal Trade Commission comment letters related to competition in health care, where each profession has laid out their case for how they ought to be recognized in the market for anesthesia services. The Federal Trade Commission has a role in protecting consumers from anticompetitive conduct that has the potential to impact quality and cost in health care. Thus, it is important to evaluate the evidence used to make claims about these topics. We argue that while research in this area is imperfect, the strong safety record of anesthesia in general and CRNAs in particular suggest that politics and professional interests are the main drivers of supervision policy in anesthesia delivery.

Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in military and veteran populations mirrors the experience of chronic pain in America; however, these two populations have unique characteristics and comorbid conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, postconcussive syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, and behavioral health disorders that complicate the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. Military members and veterans may also be stigmatized about their conditions and experience problems with integration back into healthy lifestyles and society as a whole following deployments and after military service. The military and veteran health care systems have made chronic pain a priority and have made substantial strides in addressing this condition through advances in practice, education, research, and health policy. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain in responding to the wide-spread problem of chronic pain. The purpose of this article is to: (a) examine the state of CNCP in military and veteran populations; (b) discuss progress made in pain practice, education, research, and health policy; and (c) examine research, evidence-based practice guidelines, and expert consensus reports that are foundational to advancing pain care and improving health for military service members and veterans with CNCP. In addition, recommendations are proposed to address this widespread health problem through the expanded use of advanced practice registered nurses, the implementation of models of care, and use of national resources to educate health care providers, support practice, and promote effective pain care., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The 2010 Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing recommended residency programs for nurses. The number of such postgraduate residencies for nurse practitioners (NPs) is increasing in community settings; still, the Institute of Medicine's recommendation departs from the tradition of direct entry into practice after the completion of a formal nursing program. Research shows that residencies support NPs' transition to practice, but very few data support their impact on patient care. Postgraduate residencies are controversial, and the authors of this Commentary discuss the naming, funding mechanisms, and possible mandating of these programs.The authors believe that residencies should not be mandated but encouraged for new NPs and for those moving to new clinical settings. Team-based residencies provide both an opportunity to improve collaboration and a model of patient-centered care.

Objective: To determine whether and to what extent the lower mortality rates for patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in high-volume hospitals is explained by better nursing., Data Sources: State hospital discharge data, Multi-State Nursing Care and Patient Safety Survey, and hospital characteristics from the AHA Annual Survey., Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis of linked patient outcomes for individuals undergoing AAA repair in four states., Data Collection: Secondary data sources., Principal Findings: Favorable nursing practice environments and higher hospital volumes of AAA repair are associated with lower mortality and fewer failures-to-rescue in main-effects models. Furthermore, nurse staffing interacts with volume such that there is no mortality advantage observed in high-volume hospitals with poor nurse staffing. When hospitals have good nurse staffing, patients in low-volume hospitals are 3.4 times as likely to die and 2.6 times as likely to die from complications as patients in high-volume hospitals (p < .001)., Conclusions: Nursing is part of the explanation for lower mortality after AAA repair in high-volume hospitals. Importantly, lower mortality is not found in high-volume hospitals if nurse staffing is poor., (© Health Research and Educational Trust.)