BACKGROUND: The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses established a 6-member Research Agenda Task Force in 2025 to update and define neuroscience nursing research priorities to lead the field for the next 5 years. The last research priority setting was completed in 2021. METHODS: A 6-member Research Agenda Task Force selected potential research priorities based on a literature search and review of neuroscience nursing research. Using a 2-round, Delphi methodology, electronic surveys were distributed to neuroscience nursing experts to gain consensus on the research priorities for neuroscience nursing. Survey data included demographics, agreement with selected gaps in neuroscience nursing research, and the impact of selected neuroscience nursing research topics on the field. RESULTS: Thirty-three of 58 experts (57% response rate) participated in round 1, and 32 of 58 experts (55% response rate) participated in round 2. In round 1, 26 topics achieved ≥70% agreement, and 2 new topics were identified by the expert panel: “Technology: Artificial Intelligence in Neuroscience Nursing” and “Nursing Care Outcomes: Value of Neuroscience Nursing.” In round 2, 14 topics were ranked ≥70% impactful and identified as the top neuroscience nursing research priorities. CONCLUSIONS: These priorities span 6 categories: assessment, biomarkers, nursing care outcomes, professional development, quality of life, and technology. The priorities reflect not only the foundation of neuroscience nursing but also raise questions concerning both the nature and volume of scientific evidence being generated by nursing scientists in the field.
BACKGROUND: Acoustic neuroma (AN), or vestibular schwannoma, accounts for 8% to 10% of intracranial neoplasms and 80% of cerebellopontine angle tumors. Postoperative vestibular symptoms are common, yet research has largely failed to integrate the perspectives of both health care providers and patients. METHOD: This case report documents the perioperative experiences of a nurse diagnosed with AN, including psychological changes, symptom progression, and rehabilitation, from a dual nurse-patient perspective. RESULTS: The patient presented with vertigo and an unsteady gait and was diagnosed with AN located at the left pontocerebellar angle. Microsurgical resection via retrosigmoid approach was performed, with no major postoperative complications. A structured rehabilitation program and staged vocational adaptation facilitated full recovery and return to work 4 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This reflective nurse-patient case narrative provides new information on a previously underrecognized phenomenon: clinically literate vestibular schwannoma patients experience heightened somatic hypervigilance and self-diagnostic cognitive bias that intensify perioperative distress, yet their medical training does not eliminate the perceptual gap between clinician-graded and self-reported facial outcomes. The dual-perspective introspection yields a novel three-pronged sensory-psychological-social rehabilitation framework—integrating objective facial assessment, patient-reported outcome capture, early vestibular rehabilitation, cognitive coping strategies, and phased vocational re-entry.
BACKGROUND: Prone positioning is effective for atelectasis but underutilized in neurocritical care due to concerns about neurological safety. This study examined the clinical outcomes and tolerability of prone positioning in a neurocritical care population predominantly comprising patients with encephalitis and status epilepticus. METHODS: In this historically controlled study, neurocritical care patients with atelectasis received either 135-degree semiprone positioning plus standard physiotherapy (intervention) or standard physiotherapy alone (historical control). The cohort primarily included patients with encephalitis or status epilepticus (66%); those with intracerebral hemorrhage or traumatic brain injury were not represented. Outcomes included oxygenation (PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio), CT-based atelectasis score, and clinical endpoints. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients in the prone group and 50 controls were analyzed. The prone group demonstrated significantly improved PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratios at days 3, 5, and 7 (all P <.05) and greater atelectasis resolution ( P =.002). Mechanical ventilation duration was shorter in the prone group (14.11 vs. 16.82 d, P =.045). ICU stay, mortality, and neurological outcomes were comparable between groups. No serious adverse events attributable to prone positioning occurred. CONCLUSION: Prone positioning was feasible and well-tolerated in this selected neurocritical care cohort, with improved respiratory outcomes and no detectable safety signals. These findings support consideration of prone positioning in similar patient populations, though further research is needed in patients with elevated intracranial pressure risk. In clinical practice, prone positioning can be safely implemented by a trained nursing team using clinical observation in selected neurocritical care patients with stable intracranial pressure.
