Research and clinical poster presenters win awards of merit: Sunday, March 11, to Thursday, March 15, 2007

AORN Journal,  June, 2007  

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Congress attendees had the opportunity to earn contact hours by viewing Research/Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Improvement/ Innovation posters. Nineteen Research/ Evidence-Based Practice posters and 158 Clinical Improvement/Innovation posters were on display in the Orange County Convention Center during the week of AORN's 2007 Congress.

RESEARCH POSTERS

Three Research/Evidence-Based Practice poster authors received awards of merit from AORN's Nursing Research Committee. Following are the winning Research/Evidence-Based Practice poster abstracts.

COMPUTER SELF-EFFICACY OF PERIOPERATIVE NURSES

Patricia Glader Munter, RN, MSN, CNOR, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

PURPOSE. The purpose of this research is to explore computer self-efficacy (CSE) of perioperative nurses. The theoretical framework of self-efficacy based on social cognitive theory by Albert Bandura (1986) is the foundation for this research.

METHODOLOGY. This quantitative study used survey collection as the tool, which included two of the most commonly used CSE measurement tools by Compeau and Higgins (1995) and Torkzadeh and Koufteros (1994). Participants included 92 perioperative nurses at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

RESULTS. Findings include a negative correlation between CSE and age and years of experience as a nurse; positive correlations between game playing and the use of an electronic health record (EHR); no statistically significant correlations between cell phone use, unit, campus, education, or years as a perioperative nurse. The study also found that two commonly used CSE measurement tools were correlated (P < .01) to each other.

IMPLICATIONS. Implications to nurse educators and leaders include the use of training to increase CSE, the evolving technology in the OR, and that research is needed to better understand the individual and organizational factors that may influence adoption of technology. An additional perioperative implication is that, as more and more communication and patient charting becomes electronic, there is the potential for some nurses to be left behind on the digital highway.

PERIOPERATIVE NURSE-PHYSICIAN COLLABORATION AND NURSE SATISFACTION WITH DECISION MAKING

Deanna Orfanidis, RN, MS, CNOR, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.

PURPOSE. Enhanced nurse-physician collaboration has been shown to have a positive effect on staff satisfaction, patient outcomes, and patient safety in the intensive care unit and other settings. It has not been studied in the perioperative setting. The purpose of this research study was to examine relationships between perioperative nurses' perceptions of nurse-physician collaboration and satisfaction with decision making.

METHODOLOGY. A descriptive, exploratory design was used. A convenience sample of 70 perioperative RNs working in a tertiary care academic medical center participated in the study. Nurses' perceptions of nurse-physician collaboration and satisfaction with care decisions were measured using the Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions Instrument (Baggs), modified for perioperative settings.

RESULTS. Perceptions of nurse-physician collaboration were correlated to satisfaction with patient care decision making (P < .01). Both subscales (ie, critical attributes of collaboration, global collaboration measure) were positively correlated to nurses' satisfaction with decision making (r = 0.758 and r = 0.663, respectively). There were no significant relationships between collaboration and the measures of experience. Reliability of the revised instrument was established (alpha = 0.95).

IMPLICATIONS. When perioperative nurses and physicians collaborate with patient care decisions, nurses are more satisfied with the decision-making process. In order for nursing leadership to support nurses in the perioperative setting, it is important to implement strategies to promote nurse-physician collaboration. These strategies will enhance nurse satisfaction, thus encouraging retention of experienced nurses and recruitment of new nursing staff.

EVALUATION OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF AN ALCOHOL-FREE 2% CHLORHEXIDINE GLUCONATE SOLUTION WHEN CHALLENGED WITH 7 DRUG-RESISTANT MICROORGANISM STRAINS

Barbara DeBaun, RN, MSN, CIC, Medbio Publications, LLC, McKinney, Tex.

PURPOSE. Determine antimicrobial properties of alcohol-free 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) solution against two multidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii (A baumannii) and five methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus).

METHODOLOGY. Antimicrobial properties were evaluated using time-kill and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing. MIC test tubes containing product dilutions ranging from 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, etc, through 1:8,192 were inoculated with challenge microorganism suspensions, incubated, and examined for growth of challenge microorganisms. Positive controls were run concurrently. The highest dilution of test product completely inhibiting growth was determined. Time-Kill: each challenge microorganism was exposed to test solution for 15 seconds and one, three, six, nine, 12, and 15 minutes. After exposure, solutions were neutralized and incubated, then reductions in microbial counts were calculated.