Capnometry Research Team

Nursing at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, has always been on the cutting-edge of innovation in patient care and professional advancement. As such, the Professional Nursing Staff Organization and the Rush University College of Nursing have formed a partnership designed to establish an evidence base for nursing care within the medical center. We firmly believe that all nurses, from administrators to nurses at the patients’ bedside, can contribute to the development of a practice-relevant body of knowledge. The Professional Nursing Staff Research Committee was established to support the generation of this knowledge base. The goals of the research committee are to:

• Stimulate and support nursing research in the medical center.
• Identify resources that will facilitate nursing research within the medical center.
• Highlight new and ongoing nursing research projects within the medical center.
• Serve as an initial review body for internal and external nursing research projects or projects that may use the nursing resources of the medical center.

Several projects are ongoing and include:

Demonstrating the Impact of a Family Education Program in the Intensive Care Unit
The purpose of this descriptive study is to assess the impact of a Web-based family education program in the intensive care unit (ICU). ICU-USA is a Web-based program that provides information about the ICU environment, ICU medical information, common diagnoses, treatment options and other information pertinent to the critically ill patient. The system is used via a dedicated computer that resides in a hospital’s ICU family waiting room and links to the Web site. Use of the Web-based system will be assessed in three ICU waiting rooms, and the following outcomes will be explored:

• Effect on family knowledge of ICU care
• Nursing time spent in educating family members
• Family and nurse satisfaction

Assessing Accuracy of Temperature Assessment Through Skill Validation
This purpose of this descriptive, exploratory study is to assess the clinical accuracy of temperature and vital sign assessment as part of annual competency training at Rush. Clinical observations have noted that the use of tympanic temperatures may not result in accurate temperature readings in the patient care areas. In addition to providing information on temperature accuracy and technique, the validation will enable reinforcement of correct temperature-taking skills. The study will provide clinically useful information about the accuracy of tympanic temperatures compared to oral temperatures.

Transitioning from New Graduate to Professional Nurse
The purpose of this study is to examine the process of transitioning from the role of new graduate to professional nurse.

Barriers to Nursing Research at Rush
The purpose of this project is to ascertain the barriers nurses perceive to conducting nursing research at the medical center. The project survey will be e-mailed to all medical center RNs. The information from this survey will help the PNS research committee, as well as Rush nursing service administrators, to address compelling needs of nurses in the initiation and completion of nursing research.

Implementing a New Emergency Severity Index in the Emergency Room
The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation and use of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), which is a new emergency severity index that the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Improvement advocates emergency rooms use. Rush emergency room will begin utilizing the new ESI, while studying issues related to its use.

Life Support Decisions for Extremely Premature Infants
This qualitative, descriptive, longitudinal study describes the determinants of parent decisions regarding life support, including end-of-life care for extremely premature infants, from the perspective of parents, nurses and physicians.

Evaluation of Capnometry as a Method to Evaluate Initial Gastric Tube Placement
This project seeks to determine what value capnometry might have in determining the placement of nasogastric feeding tubes. Currently, only a chest x-ray can confirm placement of these tubes with any certainty. Capnometry may be a more affordable way of ensuring these tubes are in the correct place. Ellen Elpern, RN, MSN, APN, CCNS, clinical specialist in MICU, was awarded the first Clinical Nursing Research Award to conduct this research study. The purpose of the Clinical Nursing Research Award is to foster nursing research at RUMC. A $1,000 research stipend is allocated to support the development and conduct of a nursing research study. Co-investigators on the grant include:  Kathryn Killeen, RN, MSN, APN; Laura Carter-Esposito, RN, BSN; Erlinda Talla, RN, BSN; and David Gurka, MD, PhD.

A variety of additional projects are ongoing throughout the medical center addressing quality of care initiatives and nursing care practices to improve the outcomes of care. Being a participant in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators facilitates the formulation of additional projects to improve the quality of nursing care.

This Web site highlights some of the medical center’s completed and ongoing projects. Contact either Ruth Kleinpell, RN, PhD, FAAN, or Lola Coke, RN, PhD, co-chairs of the PNS Research Committee, for more information.