Repurposing a Small Community Hospital Surgical Residency Program in an Epicenter of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background COVID-19 put a stop to the operative experience of surgical residents, leaving reassignment of the team, to the frontlines. Each program has adapted uniquely; we discuss how our surgical education changed in our hospital. Study Design A retrospective review of changes in general surgery cases, bedside procedures, and utilization of residents before and during the pandemic. Procedures were retrieved from electronic medical records. Operating room (OR) cases 1 month before and 5 weeks after the executive order were collected. Triple lumen catheter (TLC), temporary hemodialysis catheter (HDC), and pneumothorax catheter (PC) insertions by surgical residents were recorded for 5 weeks. Results Before the pandemic, an average of 27.9 cases were done in the OR, with an average of 10.1 general surgery cases. From March 23 to April 30, 2020, the average number of cases decreased to 5.1, and general surgery cases decreased to 2.2. Elective, urgent, and emergent cases represented 83%, 14.6%, and 2.4% prior to the order and 66.7%, 15.1%, and 18.2%, respectively, after the order. Bedside procedures over 5 weeks totaled to 153, 93 TLCs, 39 HDCs, and 21 PCs. Conclusion Repurposing the surgical department for the concerns of the pandemic has involved all surgical staff. We worked with other departments to allocate our team to areas of need and re-evaluated daily. The strengths of our team to deliver care and perform many bedside procedures allowed us to meet the demands posed by this disease while remaining as a cohesive unit.

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Efficacy of a Mentoring Program on Nurse Retention and Transition Into Practice

International Journal of Studies in Nursing ◽

10.20849/ijsn.v3i2.378 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 31

Author(s):

Jacquelyn D. Szalmasagi

Keyword(s):

Community Hospital ◽

Retention Rates ◽

Mentoring Program ◽

Mentor Program ◽

Small Community ◽

Graduate Nurses ◽

New Graduate Nurses ◽

New Graduate ◽

Transition Into Practice ◽

Small Community Hospital

Background: The United States and countries around the world are often faced with a nursing shortage. Studies indicate the reasons for the shortages include low job satisfaction and other factors leading to decreased retention rates.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if participating in a mentor program impacted the transition into practice and retention rates of new graduate nurses at a small community hospital in northern Indiana.Method: This was a retrospective, descriptive, quasi-experimental study. A total of 20 new graduate nurses were studied to determine whether participation in a mentoring program had any impact on their retention at the facility. The participants who completed the mentoring program were asked to complete a questionnaire which examined their perception of the correlation between their completion of the program and their transition into practice.Results: This study determined that participating in a mentor program impacted the transition into practice and retention rates of new graduate nurses at a small community hospital in northern Indiana. The questionnaire results indicated that participation in the mentoring program helped with the new graduate nurses’ transition into practice. This study was guided by Benner’s novice to expert theory.

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Laparoscopy: A retrospective study with two or more years follow-up of patients in a small community hospital

The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association ◽

10.1515/jom-1982-82s107 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 82 (Supplement) ◽

pp. 29-41

Author(s):

J . Dudley Chapman

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Community Hospital ◽

Small Community ◽

Small Community Hospital

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No Implementation Without Representation: Real-Time Pharmacist Intervention Optimizes Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Bacteremia at a Small Community Hospital

Hospital Pharmacy ◽

10.1177/00185787211037554 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001857872110375

Author(s):

Brandon J. Tritle ◽

Robert Watteyne ◽

Abby Hickman ◽

Todd J. Vento ◽

Bert K. Lopansri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Diagnostic Tests ◽

Community Hospital ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Pharmacist Intervention ◽

Rapid Diagnostic Tests ◽

Control Group ◽

Small Community ◽

The Impact ◽

Small Community Hospital

Background: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for bacteremia allow for early antimicrobial therapy modification based on organism and resistance gene identification. Studies suggest patient outcomes are optimized when infectious disease (ID)-trained antimicrobial stewardship personnel intervene on RDT results. However, data are limited regarding RDT implementation at small community hospitals, which often lack access to on-site ID clinicians. Methods: This study evaluated the impact of RDTs with and without real-time pharmacist intervention (RTPI) at a small community hospital with local pharmacist training and asynchronous support from a remote ID Telehealth pharmacist. Time to targeted therapy (TTT) in patients with bacteremia was compared retrospectively across 3 different time periods: a control without RDT, RDT-only, and RDT with RTPI. Results: Median TTT was significantly faster in both the RDT with RTPI and RDT-only groups compared with the control group (2 vs 25 vs 51 hours respectively; P < .001). TTT was numerically faster for RDT with RTPI compared with RDT-only but did not reach statistical significance ( P = .078). Median time to any de-escalation was significantly shorter for RDT with RTPI compared with both RDT-only (14 vs 33 hours; P = .012) and the control group (14 vs 45 hours; P < .001). Median length of stay was also significantly shorter in both RDT groups compared with the control group (4.0 vs 4.1 vs 5.5 hours; P = .013). Conclusion: This study supports RDT use for bacteremia in a small community hospital with ID Telehealth support, suggesting additional benefit with RTPI.

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