Search

In 2007, the Neuroscience Nursing Foundation (NNF) convened a research panel to update NNF's research priorities used to guide funding. The research panel identified leaders in neuroscience nursing and conducted a review of neuroscience nursing research literature and an American Association of Neuroscience Nurses membership survey on research priorities. A workgroup of leaders in neuroscience nursing was then convened to draft and set priorities on the basis of the review of the literature and the membership survey. The updated priorities were submitted to the NNF Board of Trustees for approval. The revised document reviews the mission of NNF and outlines six strategies and five program areas (including specific subareas) that represent priorities for NNF research funding. The purpose of the updated priority document is to provide guidelines for the systematic development of knowledge in neuroscience nursing through the encouragement of selected neuroscience nursing research activities.

The purpose of this study was to extend a previous evaluation of neuroscience nursing research to an assessment of the research published during the 1990s--the Decade of the Brain. The evaluation was conducted to assess the focus of neuroscience nursing research and to identify research strategies and scientific methods. The Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, Nursing Research, Research in Nursing & Health, and Western Journal of Nursing Research were canvassed. An assessment form developed by the authors was used to evaluate selected articles published between January 1989 and December 2000. The number of neuroscience research studies published in nursing journals increased substantially during the 1990s. The studies focused more on individuals with neurological disorders and less on neurological trauma. The findings demonstrated major changes in subspecialty area, care orientation, and nature of study variables from that observed in the previous evaluation in which acute care and physiological variables were most representative of the pre-1989 studies. As noted in the previous evaluation, the trend toward theory-then-research studies continued and the scientific methods grew more complex.

Medications are the most common treatment for epilepsy. Regimens vary from once per day dosing to several pills several times per day. More complex regimens have been associated with lower adherence rates. To date, medication complexity has been measured by the number of pills and the number of times per day the pills are taken. However, complexity also includes special instructions (e.g., take at a separate time than other medications) and the specific administration actions (e.g., take 1/2 pill). This article describes the development of an instrument designed to measure the complexity associated with epilepsy treatment regimens. The medication complexity tool (MCI) was modified to create the Epilepsy Medication and Treatment Complexity Index (EMTCI). The EMTCI comprises four sections: (a) general medication information, (b) frequency of administration, (c) special instructions, and (d) administration actions. Points are given for dosing schedules, special instructions, and administration actions. A total complexity score is calculated by adding points for each section. One form is completed for each medication prescribed for each person. The initial development of the EMTCI included revising the MCI to make it applicable to epilepsy medication. Interrater and intrarater reliability assessments were conducted. The EMTCI was administered to adults with epilepsy as part of a larger study of self-management in people with epilepsy. Data from that study were used for further assessments of the EMTCI including test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and construct validity. The EMTCI shows evidence of both reliability and validity. Information from the tool can be used to describe the medication complexity of epilepsy medication regimens in much greater detail than has been done previously for this population. This information is useful in describing the treatment and adherence issues for persons with epilepsy.

An instrument for assessing nurses' perceived self-efficacy in implementing a variety of neuroscience nursing tasks was developed. Self-efficacy theory served as the guiding framework. From 1988 to 1998, the instrument was used to assess changes in the perceived self-efficacy of 54 nurses who attended a neuroscience nurse-internship program. Self-efficacy was assessed during clinical orientation, prior to the beginning of the program, and at the end of the program. The results showed that the nurses' confidence in performing a variety of neuroscience nursing skills increased during the 6- to 10-month program. The instrument was also useful in helping program directors identify areas in which nurses could benefit most from the program and refine the program to meet the educational needs of the nurses.

This article describes the evaluation of the Neuroscience Nurse Internship Program (NNIP). The NNIP was initiated in 1988 by the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center to meet the demand for highly skilled nurses to care for persons with nervous system disorders. To determine whether the program was meeting its goals, an evaluation component was incorporated into the program. The evaluation process was based on the RSA Model of Continuing Education for nursing. The RSA model consists of four basic components, three of which were included in the assessment of the NNIP--process, content, and outcome. The evaluation revealed that the nurse-interns were satisfied with the lectures and clinical content of the program. Moreover, the nurse-interns improved their knowledge of neuroscience nursing and their confidence in performing neuroscience nursing skills. Information from the evaluation was used to modify the structure of the program and to refine lecture content and clinical requirements.

This article describes the Neuroscience Nurse Internship Program (NNIP) and its implementation at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. The program, developed in 1988, is designed to prepare nurses to deliver care to persons with nervous system disorders. The program comprises 6 months of lecture and clinical instruction in the country's most well-known biomedical research center. In order to complete the program, nurse-interns must receive a passing grade of 90% or higher on all written tests and achieve satisfactory completion of all clinical assignments. NNIP is cosponsored by the NIH Clinical Center Nursing Department and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Nurses interested in NNIP may apply by submitting an application and a letter of interest to the Clinical Center Human Resources Department. Evaluation of the program is conducted on a regular basis and consists of both process and outcome assessments.

The purpose of this study, which was based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, was to determine the extent to which personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of behavioral control influence the intentions of nurses to care for persons with HIV/AIDS. Questionnaires measuring the concepts of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to care for persons with HIV/AIDS were completed by 368 members of a neuroscience nursing organization. Hierarchial regression analysis was used to determine if nurses' intentions were predicted by their attitudes and subjective norms, and if perceived behavioral control would add to the prediction. Attitudes accounted for a significant percent of variance when entered at the first step, and perceived behavioral control accounted for a significant increase in variance when entered at the second step. In the final model, only perceived behavioral control contributed significantly to the prediction of intention.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with epilepsy treated in outpatient settings would prefer to receive information about epilepsy and its treatment from physicians, nurses or other health care professionals. A second purpose of this study was to determine which health care professionals physicians and nurses believe are able to teach patients about epilepsy. Participants in this study included 59 persons with epilepsy, 73 nurses caring for people with epilepsy, and 38 neurologists and neurosurgeons. Results indicated that people with epilepsy generally prefer physicians to teach about epilepsy and its treatment. Nurses received the most responses about teaching general lifestyle information. Nurses and physicians provided very similar responses to inquiries about which health care professionals were able to teach information about epilepsy. Nurse and physician participants agreed that nurses are the preferred provider of information related to psychological concerns of patients and physicians are the preferred provider of information about the cause and treatment of epilepsy.