Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A G Gift

Publications and source records attributed to A G Gift.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Oxygen saturation in postoperative patients at low risk for hypoxemia: is oxygen therapy needed?

To evaluate the use of oxygen therapy in the immediate postoperative period, 293 postsurgical patients who had not had thoracic, upper abdominal, or neurologic surgery were randomly assigned upon admission to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) to receive: 1) 4 L unhumidified O2 via nasal cannula, 2) 40% oxygen by face tent, 3) nurse-coached lung hyperinflations, or 4) no oxygen enhancing regimen. Oxygen saturation was measured on all patients at the time of arrival in the PACU, after 15 min, and after 30 min in the PACU. Only 11 patients in all groups (4%) had their O2 saturation decrease to less than 90% during this time. Ten of these had an initial O2 saturation of 92% or less. Significant differences in O2 saturation were found at 15 min and 30 min between Groups 1 and 2 which received O2 compared to Groups 3 and 4 which did not receive supplemental oxygen. The clinical significance of these differences is open to question. Complaints of dryness were most common in those receiving unhumidified oxygen by nasal cannula. Fourteen percent of patients receiving oxygen by face tent found it uncomfortable and complained of nausea. Supplemental oxygen is not essential in maintaining adequate oxygen saturation in these PACU patients when oxygen saturation levels are more than 92% upon admission to the PACU.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Use of quality management to provide nutrition to intubated patients.

CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALISTS are in a pivotal position to impact patient outcomes. Quality management is one method CNSs can use to measure and validate the effect they are having on patient outcomes. An example of such a quality management program was implemented by the CNS to monitor initiation of feeding for intubated patients. Because it was determined that many patients were not being fed for over 7 days after intubation, nutritional guidelines were developed and implemented for physicians and nurses to follow. One year after implementation of the guidelines, 51 patients were identified as needing nutritional support. The average number of days to institute feeding was reduced by a mean 6.4 days across all types of feeding, including oral feeding, enteral bolus feeding, continuous postpyloric feeding and parenteral nutrition. The early nutrition quality management program initiated by the CNS had a positive outcome for patients.

Clinical Protocols↗
PubMed1995

Collaborative development of middle-range nursing theories: toward a theory of unpleasant symptoms.

One promising approach to strengthening theory-research and theory-practice linkages is to place greater emphasis on developing and using theories of the middle range to underpin nursing research and practice. In this article, a postpositivistic definition of middle-range theory is advanced, an argument is made for shifting nursing's theory development activities from discipline-defining grand theories to middle-range theories, and a collaborative and incremental approach to middle-range theory development is described and illustrated. A sustained substantive example is provided by the beginning development of a theory of unpleasant symptoms.

Dyspnea↗
PubMed1995

Cost effectiveness: designing research for product evaluation.

The focus of this paper is planning of research to evaluate products or interventions used by nurses in the acute care setting. Research designs that can be used are presented with a discussion of problems encountered when implementing the designs in a hospital setting. Techniques to standardize care delivered to treatment and control groups are presented. Outcome measures, analytic techniques, and funding sources for this type of research are discussed.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1993

Dyspnea and fatigue.

Research regarding dyspnea and fatigue has focused on the factors contributing to the symptoms. Physiologic factors, such as muscle use; psychological factors, such as anxiety and depression; and situational factors, such as hot weather, contribute to the symptoms of dyspnea and fatigue. Increased symptoms lead to impaired functional ability. Strategies for relief of dyspnea and fatigue can be obtained from patient report, but further research is needed to test the effectiveness of nursing interventions.

Adult↗