Faculty Bibliography

PURPOSE: To identify dimensions of the role enactment process of acute care nurses. DESIGN: Dimensional analysis, rooted in grounded theory methodology, was used to analyze the role enactment process. METHODS: Twenty-eight articles related to acute care staff nurse roles were selected for analysis. Articles were from eight countries and were published between 1995 and 2002. Significant phrases or themes from each document were categorized to identify themes. FINDINGS: Initial analysis of the articles indicated 37 separate dimensions in the role enactment process of acute care nurses. The final, integrative analysis reduced the initial 37 to 7 core dimensions: care delivery, autonomy, culture management, information management, leadership, psychologic management, and relationship management. The analysis showed a role that is rooted in management processes. CONCLUSIONS: The multidimensional nature of the role of acute care nurses was indicated in the dimensional analysis. The findings have implications for the administration and education of nurses, as well as for human resource development of nurses in many parts of the world.

This paper introduces a novel method for ultrasound (US) probe calibration based on closed-form formulation and using minimal US imaging allowing for an immediate result. Prior to calibration, a position sensor is used to track each image in 3D space while the US image is used to determine target location within the image. The calibration procedure uses these two pieces of information to determine the transformation (translation, rotation, and scaling) of the scan plane with respect to the position sensor. We utilize a closed form solution from two motions of the US probe relying on optical digitization with a calibrated pointer to replace with a great extent the traditional segmentation of points/planes in US images. The tracked pointer appeared to introduce significantly less error than the resolution of the US image caused in earlier approaches. Our method also uses significantly fewer US images and requires only minimal image segmentation, or none with a special probe attachment.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction is the most important outcome in facial aesthetic surgery. However, the need for evidence-based evaluation of aesthetic procedures dictates the use of more objective and quantitative measures of treatment outcome. OBJECTIVE: The present study was undertaken to validate a new clinical outcome instrument, the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale. METHODS: Five clinical investigators were presented with 30 photographic images of the lower face and asked to rate nasolabial fold severity on each side using the 5-grade Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS). Standardized definitions of the five grades were provided to the investigators in visual (photographic) and descriptive formats. To take into account possible facial asymmetry, nasolabial folds on the left and right sides of the face were rated separately. Assessments were conducted independently and were repeated after >or=2 weeks. RESULTS: Intra-observer (test-retest) agreement was 68.7% (left side) and 72.7% (right side); weighted kappa coefficients for the left and right sides were 0.77 and 0.81, respectively. Mean inter-observer agreement (internal consistency) was 67.7% (left side) and 72.3% (right side); weighted kappa coefficients for the left and right sides were 0.75 (95% CI 0.70-0.79) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.72-0.83), respectively. CONCLUSION: The WSRS is a valid and reliable instrument for quantitative assessment of facial skin folds, with good inter- and intra-observer consistency. By allowing objective and reproducible grading of data, the WSRS should prove a useful clinical tool for assessing the effectiveness of soft-tissue augmentation and other facial contouring procedures

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