OBJECTIVES: This systematic review evaluates the literature for patient-oriented opioid and pain educational interventions that aim to optimize pain management using opioid-sparing approaches in the orthopaedic trauma population. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021234006). DATA SOURCES: A review of English-language publications in CINAHL (EBSCO), MEDLINE through PubMed, Embase.com, PsycInfo (EBSCO), and Web of Science Core Collection literature databases published between 1980 and February 2021 was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. STUDY SELECTION: Only studies implementing patient-oriented opioid and/or pain education in adult patients receiving acute orthopaedic care were eligible. Outcomes were required to include postinterventional opioid utilization, postoperative analgesia and amount, or patient-reported pain outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION: A total of 480 abstracts were reviewed, and 8 publications were included in the final analysis. Two reviewers independently extracted data from selected studies using a standardized data collection form. Disagreements were addressed by a third reviewer. Quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. DATA SYNTHESIS: Descriptive statistics characterized study findings, and content analysis was used to discern themes across studies. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the merit for patient-centered educational interventions including verbal/written/audio-visual trainings paired with multimodal approaches to target opioid-sparing pain management and reduce short-term pain scores in urgent and acute care settings after acute orthopaedic injuries. The scarcity of published literature warrants further rigorously designed studies to substantiate the benefit of patient-centric education in reducing prolonged opioid utilization and associated risks after orthopaedic trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic level III.

Metabolomics, one of the newest omics, allows for investigation of holistic responses of living systems to myriad biological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Researcher use metabolomics to examine the underlying mechanisms of clinically observed phenotypes. However, these methods are complex, potentially impeding their uptake by scientists. In this scoping review, we summarize literature illustrating nurse scientists’ use of metabolomics. Using electronic search methods, we identified metabolomics investigations conducted by nurse scientists and published in English-language journals between 1990 and November 2019. Of the studies included in the review (N = 30), 9 (30%) listed first and/or senior authors that were nurses. Studies were conducted predominantly in the United States and focused on a wide array of clinical conditions across the life span. The upward trend we note in the use of these methods by nurse scientists over the past 2 decades mirrors a similar trend across scientists of all backgrounds. A broad range of study designs were represented in the literature we reviewed, with the majority involving untargeted metabolomics (n = 16, 53.3%) used to generate hypotheses (n = 13, 76.7%) of potential metabolites and/or metabolic pathways as mechanisms of clinical conditions. Metabolomics methods match well with the unique perspective of nurse researchers, who seek to integrate the experiences of individuals to develop a scientific basis for clinical practice that emphasizes personalized approaches. Although small in number, metabolomics investigations by nurse scientists can serve as the foundation for robust programs of research to answer essential questions for nursing.

Although morbidity and mortality rates are declining for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in most high-income countries, it is rising at an alarming pace for low to middle income countries (LMICs). A major factor that is contributing to the poor clinical outcomes among LMICs is largely due to prehospital treatment delays. This systematic review was conducted to determine the mean length of time from symptom onset to treatment in LMICs and the sociodemographic, clinical and health system characteristics that contribute to treatment delays. We conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant literature published in English between January 1990 through May 2020 using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-nine studies were included and time to treatment was defined from ACS symptom onset to first medical contact and dichotomized further as less than or >12-hours. The mean time from symptom onset to first medical contact was 12.7 h which ranged from 10-minutes to 96 h. There was consensus among studies that being older, female, illiterate, living in a rural area, and financially limited was associated with longer treatment delays. Lack of a developed emergency transportation system, poor communication and organization between community facilities and interventional facilities were also cited as major contributors for ACS treatment delays. Findings from this systematic review provide future directions to potentially reduce prehospital delays in LMICs and improve ACS outcomes.

This column describes the creation of an online interactive tutorial for health sciences students in a general library at a large, urban university. The project was a collaborative effort among the health sciences subject librarian, the library’s web programmer, an assessment and user services librarian, and an instructional support specialist. The column details the initial exploration, design, web programming, student usability study, and subsequent upgrades to the tutorial. Implementation of the tutorial is discussed as well as sampled student input. The effort resulted in the design of improved and more versatile open access coding available for any library to use.