Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 341 27 March 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
Managing tuberculosis with your smart phone
Public health nurse Carolyn Pye is celebrating world TB day this Friday with two awards under her arm after her project team won accolades for using digital devices to manage the disease.
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Reunion highlights challenge for Maori nurses
Maori nurses who trained at MIT are gathering at the Manukau campus this weekend to look at how far they have come and where the profession is going for Maori.
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New graduate nurses finding jobs sooner
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says data from the system which matches graduates with employers shows hundreds more nurses are now in mental health services, surgical, and medical areas.
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Wellington mum juggles work, family and study to reach Masters level in nursing
Wellington nurse Agnes McKay Vucago tries to complete two hours study each night, even after she has worked a 12-hour shift and put the kids to bed.
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Nurses spending their own money to help patients - union
The Nurses Organisation says hospital patients are soiling themselves because there aren't enough nurses to help them to the bathroom.
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Lack of resources 'soul-destroying', healthcare workers say in roadshow
Patients are being left cold and uncomfortable, as a lack of funding affects staff numbers and resources, say health workers.
Healthcare assistant Bev Watt worked in an aged care facility on Auckland's North Shore and said the effect of low staff and funding is "soul-destroying".
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Study shows 'damning' level of unmet health care need
A new study showing the level of unmet health care needs in New Zealand has been labelled as damning by medical professionals.
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Call for clinicians to share ‘disruptive’ ideas
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman is calling on clinicians to share their ideas on how technology can transform patient care.
"Clinicians have an insider’s view of where innovation can be applied to improve healthcare services," says Dr Coleman.
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Half of people with hip and knee problems denied specialist appointments
About 50 per cent of people suffering from hip and knee problems are denied access to a specialist, a new report has found.
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9% missing out on hospital treatment: study
A new pilot study finds that 9 per cent of adult New Zealanders are missing out on hospital treatment for non-urgent conditions - including mental, medical, surgical and dental problems. Kathryn Ryan speaks with the leader of the pilot study, the founder of the Canterbury Charity Hospital, surgeon Phil Bagshaw.
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Some Kiwis skipping costly doctor visits
One in six Kiwis are skipping visits to the doctor because of the cost, according to a new study that's being cited by the Labour Party.
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Thousands left off surgery waiting lists suffering indefinitely - study
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders living in pain are unable to access health care due to long waiting lists.
Concern is growing for the increasing number of mental, surgical and dental problems being overlooked, a study in the New Zealand Medical Journal has revealed.
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Midwife shortage 'heading for crisis level'
Staffing and resourcing of midwives is at a critical level and needs to be resolved before it escalates into a crisis, the College of Midwives says.
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Waikato Hospital on a recruitment drive for midwives
Health bosses are going offshore to fill midwife vacanc
ies at Waikato Hospital.The hospital is on a recruitment drive to fill seven vacancies in its maternity service – and is looking as far away as the United Kingdom.
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Overworked, understaffed maternity departments put mothers, babies at risk
A lack of support and care in hospital maternity wards has left new mothers needing counselling and shying away from having another baby.
Earlier this week, a Wellington woman spoke about how she felt "unsupported" and "alone" during her time in hospital.
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Midwife shortage won't affect care - ministry
A shortage of midwives in hospital wards does not mean mothers-to-be will not get the care they need, the Ministry of Health says.
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AGED CARE
Nuns model skillful ways to speak to ill seniors
Nun caregivers 'accept decline. They value a person in a sort of inherent way'
read more here
Living well in care homes increases quality of life
Treating elderly people in long-term care facilities with respect and dignity significantly increases their quality of life, according to new research from Massey University, in partnership with Metlifecare.
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DHBs
Middlemore Hospital's emergency department reaches full capacity
Middlemore Hospital's emergency department is full to overflowing - and it's happening all year round.
The south Auckland hospital's ED reached 100.4 per cent capacity in March due to a wide range of medical presentations, according to a primary care update.
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Auckland City Hospital struggling to cope as patients flood into emergency department
Auckland City Hospital is struggling to cope with a huge increase in demand which has seen almost 200 people coming through the emergency department every day.
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Hospital preferred over after hours
Patients without a community services card may end up paying up to $92 for a single after-hours visit to an emergency centre, an Auckland healthcare worker says.
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EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND SERVICES
New policy for major trauma patients
Transporting patients with severe injuries directly to the most appropriate hospital whenever it is feasible and safe to do so is the objective behind a Major Trauma policy launched today by St John, Wellington Free Ambulance and the National Major Trauma Clinical Network.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Families' despair as hospitals face severe shortages for acute mental health treatment
Hospital beds for people suffering from extreme mental distress are stretched to breaking point, with demand for places double that of availability.
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Ministry of Health says relief is coming for packed mental health crisis beds
Programmes are on the way to deal with the "pressure" on the mental health system, which has resulted in a squeeze on beds for patients in crisis, the Ministry of Health says.
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PHARMACY
How-to guide: Reducing opioid-related harm through the use of care bundles
The HQSC have released a how-to guide, supporting the use and testing of four emerging care bundles to reduce opioid-related harm. The bundles (and associated resources) were developed as part of our 18-month-long safe use of opioids national ‘formative’ collaborate (teams pictured above).
The four bundles are:
uncontrolled pain emerging care bundle
opioid-induced ventilatory impairment emerging care bundle
opioid-induced constipation emerging care bundle
emerging composite care bundle to reduce opioid-induced related harm.
Check out the bundles at a glance, the full guide or the webinar introducing the resources >>
PUBLIC HEALTH
Respiratory disease cost jumps to $6 billion per year
Respiratory disease continues to make a substantial contribution to New Zealand’s health burden. Over the past 15 years, hospitalisation rates have increased for bronchiectasis, childhood bronchiolitis and total respiratory disease.
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RURAL HEALTH
Top line-up of keynote topics and speakers for National Rural Health Conference
Dr Peter Moodie, Dr Robyn Toomath, Dr Eric Crampton, mental health campaigner Matt Shirtcliff, former All Black Norm Hewitt, and clean water campaigner Marnie Prickett are amongst the line-up of keynote speakers at this year’s National Rural Health Conference in Wellington.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Improving retention for student and early career nurses
Researchers from City, University of London are working in partnership with Barts Health NHS Trust to develop a new intervention which aims to improve nurse retention for students and early career nurses.
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BCNU launches graphic ad campaign to highlight dangers nurses face
With violent attacks in B.C. hospitals on the rise, the nurses’ union has launched a campaign of chilling ads to call attention to a situation they say is only getting worse.
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Nurses adopt plant-based prescription, boost health outcomes
WASHINGTON -- Joanne Evans, M.Ed., R.N., P.M.H.C.N.S.-B.C., provided a presentation to colleagues at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., about the health benefits of adopting a plant-based vegan diet and soon had 19 nurses eager to test it out.
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Informed patients have better surgical outcomes, study finds
A new study emphasizes the importance of doctors educating patients about procedures, an effort that leads to better outcomes and greater satisfaction.
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Nurses want patient ratio set by law
Hundreds of nurses marched from the Lansing Center to the State Capitol Wednesday in an effort to get the state's attention.
Katie Scott is an Infection Control Nurse from Ann Arbor.
She is concerned about the safety of nurses and their patients.
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Nurses must embrace ‘cultural competency’ to improve care for diverse patients
Nurses care for an increasingly diverse patient population, so it’s important that they are sensitive to their patients' cultures.
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WORKPLACE
Learning from mistakes
March 2017 Vol. 12 No. 3
Today’s healthcare organizations need to improve patient safety, which includes effectively communicating information to nurses about safety incidents and how to address them. After all, frontline nurses are at the sharp edge of patient care—the last step before an error occurs. But communicating to staff in a large, academic, Magnet®-designated medical center can be challenging, to say the least. In this article we describe a new, engaging format—the Roving Patient of Errors— that keeps clinical nurses informed and educated about internal safety events.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Combating workplace violence with peer mentoring
Nursing Management
September 2013, Volume 44 Number 9 , p 30 - 38
Hospitals are complex organizations with hierarchical structures that can be breeding grounds for miscommunication and maladaptive behavior, which can lead to workforce violence. Reports of these negative workplace activities include gossiping, criticism, innuendo, scapegoating, intimidation, passive aggression, withholding information, insubordination, bullying, pranks, and verbal and physical aggression.1 Workforce violence can include any behavior that causes the victim to believe that he or she's been harmed.2 Examples of violent workplace activities in healthcare settings have been researched and reported internationally.3-5
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EBM: A pathway to evidence-based nursing management
EBM is the utilization of various types of research evidence by managerial leaders to support decision making to improve processes and outcomes.2 EBM provides managers with the resources they need to create positive change, such as collective scientific evidence and validated information.
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Expressions of cultural safety in public health nursing practice
Cultural safety is an essential concept within New Zealand nursing that is formally linked to registration and competency-based practice certification. Despite its centrality to New Zealand nursing philosophies and the stated expectation of cultural safety as a practice element, there is limited evidence of its application in the literature. This research presents insight into public health nurse's (PHN) experiences, demonstrating the integration of cultural safety principles into practice. These findings emerged following secondary analysis of data from a collaborative, educative research project where PHNs explored the use of family assessment tools. In particular, the 15-minute interview tool was introduced and used by the PHNs when working with families. Critical analysis of transcribed data from PHN interviews, utilising a cultural safety lens, illuminated practical ways in which cultural safety concepts infused PHN practice with families. The themes that emerged reflected the interweaving of the principles of cultural safety with the application of the five components of the 15-minute interview. This highlights elements of PHN work with individuals and families not previously acknowledged. Examples of culturally safe nursing practice resonated throughout the PHN conversations as they grappled with the increasing complexity of working with a diverse range of families.
Read more here
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FIZZ Symposium - Taxing Sugary Drinks: An election issue.
Date: Monday 26th June, 2017
Venue: University of Auckland, School of Population Health
Official Opening: Dr Lester Levy CNZM Chair Auckland DHBs, Auckland Transport
Keynote 1 Professor Richard Johnson - Why are sugary drinks harmful?
Keynote 2 Dr Jennifer Falbe - The Berkley Sugary Drink Tax
Enquiries to Gerhard: g.sundborn@auckland.ac.nz
The above information has been collated for the College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc by Linda Stopforth, SNIPS and is provided on a weekly basis. It is current as at Tuesday 26 March 2017
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