Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 360 9 August 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
"I shed a lot of tears" says Kiwi nurse of his work in war-torn countries
Andrew Cameron's "why not?" attitude led the former Hawkes Bay man to study nursing more than 40 years ago, and the same "why not?" mindset led to his first posting in a disaster zone with the Red Cross in 2006. Speaking on the phone during a break from his current job as director of nursing in one of Australia's most remote health outposts, Birdsville, the 60-year-old talks about his nursing adventures in a quiet, humble way.
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What is expected of a Kiwi nurse graduate?
Nursing schools around the country are seeking a consensus on what new graduate nurses should be able to do and know at the end of their degree. The initiative could the first step in looking at a national curriculum for the nursing degree.
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A new way to measure deprivation in New Zealand might help those worst affected
The most deprived place in the country is near Fordlands in Rotorua, while the least deprived is an area near Merivale in Christchurch.
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AGED CARE
Homegrown research urged to gauge extent of dementia prevalence
As the population ages, Brain Research NZ has called for homegrown research into the prevalence of dementia in New Zealand.
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DHBs
Concerns raised over declined colonoscopy referrals
More than 400 patients had referrals for colonoscopies turned down by Waikato DHB - more than 11 times the rate of Wellington.
But Waikato health bosses say they are following national guidelines and staff are carrying out more colonoscopies than ever before.
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Leaked emails: Safety fears revealed at Tauranga mental health unit
Staff in Tauranga Hospital's mental health unit have raised safety fears after attacks by patients high on P or synthetic cannabis.
Instead of hiring more security guards to help deal with violent patients, a letter and leaked emails show staff claim DHB management have asked them to calm aggressive patients by "talking them down".
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Murders and attacks raise red flags over Capital & Coast DHB's mental health services
The Ministry of Health has parachuted its own experts in to monitor mental health services in the capital, following concerns it had not adequately addressed issues after a string of high-profile suicides, murders and assaults.
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Broken funding model leaves nurses feeling unsafe & unsupported at CCDHB
Only 19% of nurses and midwives feel safe or supported at CCDHB according to the recently run CCDHB staff engagement survey. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation say it is a direct result of a decade of underfunding causing financial deficits.
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Southern DHB decided helmets not required for mental health staff
The Southern District Health Board says it decided not to go ahead with a recommendation to issue helmets to mental health staff.
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ETHICAL ISSUES
Major inquiry on voluntary euthanasia does not recommend law change
Parliament's largest-ever inquiry into voluntary euthanasia has not recommended that Government make it legal.
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Palliative Care Nurses New Zealand
PCNNZ on parliamentary inquiry into euthanasia and assisted suicideA parliamentary inquiry into euthanasia and assisted suicide commends palliative care providers and services and states that “life has an innate value and introducing assisted dying and euthanasia would explicitly undermine that idea. To do so would suggest some lives are worth more than others.”
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Palliative Care Nurses like ostriches with their heads in the sand
Medical aid in dying (MAID) is going to come and Palliative Care organisations in New Zealand need to start taking their heads out of the sand and join forces in establishing a good integrated system for end-of-life care to benefit terminally ill patients, retired intensive care specialist Dr Jack Havill, of Hamilton, said Monday.
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HEALTH FUNDING AND RESEARCH
Health Ministry boss apologises for $38m funding blunder
Ministry of Health head Chai Chuah has apologised to the government for a $38 million funding allocation blunder.
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MENTAL HEALTH
Treasury found Minister of Health's mental health strategy not 'coherent' two months before Budget
An "incredibly damning" Treasury report criticised the Minister and Ministry of Health's (MOH) failure to deliver an effective mental health strategy.
A report published online shows Treasury officials pushed Finance Minister Steven Joyce to shelve Health Minister Jonathan Coleman's strategy two months ahead of Budget 2017.
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Hāpai Te Hauora launches new National SUDI prevention service
Hāpai Te Hauora has been awarded the Ministry of Health contract to deliver the national SUDI prevention coordination service for the newly designed national SUDI prevention programme.
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Break The Silence: Rainbow suicide rate five times higher than mainstream
Warning: This article is about suicide and may be distressing for some readers.
Pretending to be someone you're not or facing exile from society can drive those with fluid sexuality and gender to breaking point.
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Mental Health Foundation launches new website for people bereaved by suicide
The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) has launched a new website, After a Suicide, offering friends, whānau and family practical information and guidance after a loved one or someone close to them dies by suicide.
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Suicide reduction goal is needed: Mental Health Commissioner
The Mental Health Commissioner has called on the Government to set a suicide reduction target.Kevin Allan is the independent watchdog tasked with monitoring and advocating for improvements to mental health services, and dealing with complaints.
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New mental health helpline already well used
About 30 people a day are using a new four-digit phone number to ask for help.
The helpline, Need to talk? 1737, was launched on June 29 to provide a free, easy number for people to call or text when they needed to talk.
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Talking about suicide 'crucial' in moving toward a zero suicide target
Shaun Robinson has bipolar disorder. He tried to commit suicide – he's open about it."Friends, colleagues and family were the first line of support," he says. Clinical support came second.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
More than 180 Kiwis are hospitalised with the flu a week
Kiwis are being hit hard by this year's flu with more than 180 people a week so sick they need hospital treatment.
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
New pathway for smokeless tobacco products
The Government will establish a pre-market approval system for smokeless tobacco and nicotine-delivery products, other than e-cigarettes, Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner says.
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Chewing tobacco, snus and inhaled nicotine products to be legalised in New Zealand
Smokeless tobacco products - including chewing tobacco and inhaled nicotine - are to be legalised.Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner announced on Wednesday a move to establish a pre-market approval system for smokeless tobacco and nicotine-delivery products, other than e-cigarettes.
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Smokefree 2025: make it harder to get tobacco and it will be snuffed out, report says
Smokers might need to travel to the next town to buy a pack of ciggies by 2022, if the Government accepts drastic recommendations made by a group of health experts.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nurses file ballot bid to require minimum staffing requirements
BOSTON -- Minimum nurse staffing levels would be initiated in operating rooms, maternity wards and outpatient units under a proposed ballot question that the Massachusetts Nurses Association says would affect every hospital in the state.
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Develop strategy to export Ghanaian nurses – Lecturer to gov’t
A Public health lecturer at the University of West London, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Da Costa Aboagye has urged government to immediately develop a strategic arrangement to export nurses officially to countries where their services are needed.
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Florida found a cure for nursing shortage. It didn't work.
Florida’s effort to train more nurses has faltered, raising concerns about whether there will be enough to care for the state’s increasing number of patients.
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WORKPLACE
Design Thinking for Doctors and Nurses
The trauma area at my hospital is similar to thousands of others. When a patient with a gunshot wound or a motor vehicle accident arrives, a bed is prepped, the right supplies are on hand, and up to 20 nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians are ready to spring into action.
There is one difference: The leader of our trauma team now wears an orange vest.
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Privacy Commissioner urges email caution after medical clinic bungle impacts a 1000 people
About 1000 people's privacy was breached in an email sent out by a medical clinic.
Privacy Commissioner John Edwards tweeted about the breach this morning, imploring people to be careful.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Nurses’ reports of staffing adequacy and surgical site infections: A cross-sectional multi-centre study
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Volume 75, October 2017, Pages 58–64
It is indicated that healthcare personnel’s perceptions of the work environment may reflect the clinical outcomes for the patients they care for. However, the body of evidence is inconsistent when it comes to the association between work environment and surgical site infection.
ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to examine the associations between nurse-reported characteristics of the work environment and incidence of surgical site infections after total hip arthroplasty.
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Effectiveness of teaching strategies to improve critical thinking in nurses in clinical practice: a systematic review protocol
JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports
June 2017, Volume :15 Number 6 , page 1602 - 1611 [Free]
Objectives: The aim of this review is to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on the effectiveness of teaching strategies aimed at improving critical thinking (CT) in registered nurses who provide direct patient care. Specifically, the research question is: What are the best teaching strategies to improve CT skills in registered nurses who provide direct patient care?
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Call to action: How to implement evidence-based nursing practice
Nursing2017
April 2017, Volume 47 Number 4 , p 36 - 43
EVERY DAY in their practice settings, nurses encounter questions, problems, and patient needs that require effective clinical decision making for appropriate intervention. To address these situations, nurses have historically applied knowledge and skills acquired from various mechanisms, including healthcare instruction, ritual and tradition, and personal choice.1
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FROM THE NURSING COUNCIL
Nursing Council elections 2017
Voting to elect three (3) nurse members on the Council’s board is now open. The Nursing Council of New Zealand (the Council) has contracted electionz.com, an independent election management company, to manage its 2017 election process.
Read more here
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 8 August 2017
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