DR. DONALD J. HAGLER SR., M.D.

Plain English
This study looked at how language barriers affect treatment times for adults with acute appendicitis. Researchers found that nearly half of the 1,469 patients studied had limited English proficiency, and these patients waited longer for surgical evaluations—an average of 376 minutes compared to 348 minutes for English speakers. However, their overall treatment outcomes, such as hospital stay and infection rates, were similar to those who spoke English well. Who this helps: This research helps patients with limited English proficiency and healthcare providers working in diverse communities.

Plain English
This study examined how brain structure differs in toddlers with autism compared to those without. Researchers looked at brain scans from 166 toddlers with autism and found that their brains showed specific changes, like larger areas related to language but smaller frontal lobes. These differences not only relate to the severity of autism symptoms but also help predict how well these children will develop language skills as they grow. Who this helps: This benefits parents and doctors by providing early indicators of language development in toddlers with autism.

Plain English
This study looked at how well nursing students recognize important cues about patient health during simulation training. Out of 228 studies reviewed from the last decade, only 17 provided solid data, showing that students often overlook key signs, like abnormal breathing rates or physical changes indicating a patient's decline. Improving students' abilities to notice these cues is crucial since it directly impacts patient care and safety. Who this helps: This benefits nursing students and ultimately improves care for their future patients.

Plain English
This study looked at how health care providers can use a method called motivational interviewing to encourage college students to get vaccinated. The researchers found that while flu vaccination rates improved among students, the rates for the HPV vaccine stayed the same and the meningitis B vaccine rates actually went down, despite health providers becoming better educated on how to use motivational interviewing techniques. This matters because better vaccination rates can help prevent diseases that negatively impact students' health and academic performance. Who this helps: This benefits college students who may hesitate to get vaccinated.

Plain English
This study looked at how honors nursing and pre-medical students learned to work together with other health professionals using simulation experiences. After participating, students showed a noticeable increase in their readiness for teamwork, with average scores improving in areas like collaboration and professional identity. This is important because it helps prepare future healthcare workers to cooperate effectively, ultimately leading to better patient care. Who this helps: This benefits students in health profession programs and their future patients.

Plain English
This study looked at unexpected results found in brain scans (MRIs) of nearly 11,700 children aged 9 to 10. About 21% of these children had incidental findings: 17.2% had issues that did not need further action, 3.7% could require checking by a doctor, and 0.2% needed immediate medical attention. Understanding these findings is important because they highlight how common such results are in children and can help guide medical decisions and care. Who this helps: This benefits parents, doctors, and pediatric healthcare providers by giving them better information about brain health in children.

Plain English
This study looked at how symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) can last for about 24 years and their link to changes in certain brain areas. Researchers found that as PTS symptoms increased in 247 men, the volumes of important brain regions, like the hippocampus and amygdala, became smaller; for example, participants with higher symptoms had a 24% lower hippocampal volume on average. This matters because it shows that even mild PTS symptoms long after trauma can lead to significant brain changes that affect stress management and overall mental health. Who this helps: This benefits patients with a history of trauma and healthcare providers treating them.

Plain English
This study looked at the concept of "continuing competence" in healthcare, expanding the focus to include perspectives from outside the U.S. and nursing. The researchers found significant gaps in how competence is defined and assessed, noting that while licensing organizations address this issue, there is little input from patients and healthcare providers. They emphasized the need for clear definitions and frameworks to improve ongoing education and skills validation in healthcare. Who this helps: This benefits patients and healthcare providers seeking better quality care and accountability.

Plain English
This study looked at how to measure nursing skills in simulated medical situations. Researchers had 67 nursing students complete three realistic simulation tests, which were scored using a detailed checklist. They found five key areas of competency that explained over half of the skill differences among students, helping to define what makes a nurse effective and safe in their practice. Who this helps: This benefits nursing educators and regulatory agencies by providing a better way to assess nursing competency.

Plain English
This study looked at why nurses choose to become certified educators and what benefits they receive from this certification. Out of 721 participants, researchers found that nurses are motivated by personal satisfaction and also seek recognition and better job roles. However, the impact on students was not clearly defined, highlighting the need for further research to emphasize the importance of nurse educator certification as a key part of advanced nursing. Who this helps: This helps nurse educators and healthcare institutions by highlighting the value of certification in nursing education.

Plain English
This study looked at how to better assess nursing skills using real-life simulations rather than written tests. Researchers found that to get reliable scores for assessing nurses' competencies, you need many more scenarios and raters; specifically, the study used data from 18 nurses assessed on 3 different scenarios by 3 raters. This is important because improving the way we evaluate nurses can lead to better patient care. Who this helps: This helps nurses, educators, and healthcare administrators.

Plain English
This research examined how well Doppler echocardiography can measure blood flow from the right side of the heart in patients with an atrial septal defect, a condition where blood flows incorrectly between the heart's chambers. They studied 128 patients and found a moderate agreement between measurements taken using two methods: the Doppler method showed a correlation coefficient of 0.57 with the Fick method. This means that Doppler echocardiography could be a useful tool for assessing heart function in these patients. Who this helps: This helps doctors evaluate heart function in patients with atrial septal defects.

Plain English
The study examined how academic nurse educators and administrators view the value of certification for nurse educators. Among the 718 participants from 48 states, certification was seen as important for showing expertise and competence, with more focus on personal satisfaction and professional accomplishments than on marketing or recognition. This matters because understanding how certification is valued can help improve educational standards and professional development in nursing education. Who this helps: This helps nurse educators and nursing program administrators.

Plain English
This study looked at a new method called the Nursing Performance Profile (NPP) to evaluate how well nurses perform in simulations. They tested 67 nurses with three simulation scenarios and found that the NPP effectively highlighted areas where some nurses might struggle and could differentiate based on factors like age and experience. The method had a strong agreement among raters, which means it consistently produced reliable results, and this is important for ensuring that nurses meet safety standards in their work. Who this helps: This helps patients by ensuring that their nurses are competent and well-trained.

Plain English
This study looks at how to better evaluate nursing students by using real-world scenarios that reflect actual nursing practice. The researchers found that when students are assessed through practical, authentic tasks, they are better able to showcase what they've learned. This matters because it helps prepare future nurses for real-life situations, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide safe care. Who this helps: This helps nursing students and educators by improving training and evaluation methods.

Plain English
This study focuses on creating reliable training scenarios in healthcare simulations to accurately assess the performance of healthcare professionals, specifically nurses. Researchers developed a system that relies on feedback from experts to ensure that the scenarios used in training truly reflect what nurses need to know, leading to more dependable evaluations. For example, the study shows how to connect these training scenarios directly to performance goals, improving how skills are assessed. Who this helps: This benefits nurses and healthcare training programs by providing more accurate assessments of their skills.

Plain English
This study looked at how nurse educators can best prepare for certification to show their expertise in nursing education. It found that following specific steps, like understanding eligibility and developing a tailored study plan, can significantly help them succeed in becoming certified. This matters because certification ensures that nurse educators have met a recognized standard of knowledge and skills, which ultimately improves nursing education. Who this helps: This helps nurse educators and, in turn, their nursing students.

Plain English
This study looked at how working in low-income settings, like homeless shelters, impacts nursing students' attitudes toward people living in poverty. It found that students who participated in these service-learning experiences showed some improvement in empathy and beliefs about fairness, although their overall perceptions of poor people's situations didn't significantly change. This matters because fostering empathy in nurses can lead to better patient care for low-income individuals. Who this helps: This helps nursing students and their future patients from low-income backgrounds.

Plain English
This study looked at how different teaching methods—using real human patients or computer simulations—affect nursing students' ability to reason through medical cases. The researchers found that students performed better with human patient simulations, leading to stronger diagnostic skills. Specifically, while both methods were useful, performance was notably higher with the human approach, suggesting it's more effective for teaching. Who this helps: This helps nursing students improve their diagnostic skills and ultimately enhances patient care.

Plain English
This study looked at how peer coaching can help nursing students improve their writing skills. After receiving feedback from classmates on their draft papers, the students' writing scores increased significantly, with an average improvement of 14.24 points. This matters because effective writing is essential for nurses to communicate clearly in their work, and peer feedback can enhance their writing abilities. Who this helps: This helps nursing students and educators improve the quality of nursing education.

Plain English
This study looked at how well a specific framework, the Jeffries/National League for Nursing Simulation Framework, works when creating training scenarios for nurses in hospitals. The researchers found that while the framework is generally effective, some parts of it need improvement. This matters because using the right guidelines can enhance the training of nurses, leading to better patient care. Who this helps: This helps nurses and hospital staff involved in training and patient care.

Plain English
Researchers studied how effective a workshop was in boosting nurse preceptors' knowledge and support of evidence-based practice, which helps nursing students learn better. They found that after the workshop, the preceptors' belief scores on using evidence-based practice rose significantly from an average of 59 to 66, and 52% reported that they used evidence-based practices more often in the following months. This matters because improving preceptors' knowledge benefits nursing students and ultimately leads to better patient care. Who this helps: Patients and nursing students.

Plain English
The study focused on creating a new way to evaluate the skills of registered nurses who may be struggling in their work. Researchers developed a method called the nursing performance profile (NPP), which uses recorded simulations of nurses providing care in three different scenarios. They found that the NPP can effectively measure nurse performance in nine critical areas, helping regulators and employers decide on any necessary training or support. Who this helps: This benefits patients, nursing regulators, and employers who want to ensure safe nursing practices.

Plain English
This study explored how using special thinking tools can help teachers improve their course designs. The researchers found that these tools allowed faculty members with different levels of experience to work together effectively, leading to better overall outcomes. By supporting both individual and group thinking, the study shows the importance of these tools in enhancing the teaching process. Who this helps: This benefits teachers and educational institutions.

Plain English
This study looked at how effectively the ankle-brachial index (ABI) test can diagnose peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects millions of Americans and raises the risk of serious heart issues. It found that 78% of patients who underwent the ABI screening were diagnosed with PAD, compared to just 13% diagnosed through regular exams and questionnaires. This is important because earlier diagnosis and treatment can significantly reduce health risks and costs. Who this helps: Patients at risk of peripheral artery disease.

Plain English
This study looked at three treatments for a heart condition called coarctation of the aorta in children: surgery, stent placement, and balloon angioplasty. The researchers found that stents were generally more effective than balloon angioplasty in lowering blood pressure differences between the upper and lower body and resulted in shorter hospital stays (2.4 days for stent patients vs. 6.4 days for surgery patients). Overall, stent and surgery provided better outcomes than balloon angioplasty, especially in the short and medium term. Who this helps: This helps doctors and families of children with coarctation of the aorta by providing clearer treatment options.

Plain English
This study looked at how the brains of toddlers with autism develop over time, using MRI scans from ages 1.5 to 5. The researchers found that by 2.5 years, the brains of these toddlers had significantly larger areas of gray and white matter, especially in certain parts like the frontal and temporal lobes. This is important because it shows that brain growth patterns in autism start earlier than previously thought, and understanding these patterns can help researchers identify more about the causes of autism. Who this helps: This helps patients with autism and their families, as well as doctors and researchers studying developmental disorders.

Plain English
This study looked at a condition called protein-losing enteropathy, which can happen after heart surgeries or due to certain heart problems. Researchers treated three patients with this condition, finding that two of them had blocked veins, and by clearing these blockages, their symptoms improved significantly. The results suggest that restoring proper blood flow in the veins can effectively treat this issue in some cases, but it’s more challenging when linked to a specific type of heart surgery. Who this helps: This helps patients with protein-losing enteropathy related to heart conditions and their doctors in managing the condition.