Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 465, Wednesday 9 October 2019
NATIONAL NEWS
Nurses star as Govt rebuilds health workforce
“Unfortunately, nursing was among a number of key health workforces which ... “There are more nurses than ever across New Zealand's DHBs, almost ...
Record number of nurses working in NZ - Minister
The government says the record number of nurses working in New Zealand is thanks to its initiatives and funding increases.
AGING AND AGED CARE
How New Zealand is adjusting to its ageing population
New Zealand’s population is ageing rapidly but how quickly are we adjusting to the needs of older people
Cultural identity key to treating Māori with dementia
The largest-ever study of Māori affected by dementia has found the disease is poorly understood and that whānau do not know how to access information that might help.
ALLERGIES
Brits struggling with allergies, hay fever after moving to New Zealand
New Zealand, a country of rolling green hills, furry pets and houses teeming with dust mites, is a hot-spot for airborne allergens.
CHILD AND MATERNAL HEALTH
Eczema care keeps children out of hospital
That was until Plunket referred them to the integrated children's eczema care service that sees nurses and social workers provide hospital-level care at ...
DHBs
DHB model under scrutiny ahead of body elections
Seven seats on the boards of almost every district health board are up for grabs on Saturday in the local body elections.
Govt points finger at National over 'eye-watering' DHB deficit
The Government is continuing to blame National for the increasing blowout in District Health Board (DHB) deficits, after announcing DHBs are now $1 billion in the red.
DHBs owe health workers up to $650m for Holidays Act errors
More than 100,000 health workers are owed about half a billion dollars for payroll breaches, but they may have to wait up to two years to get paid.
HEALTH FUNDING AND COSTS
Cost of treating knee osteoarthritis and surgeries likely to increase, experts say
The health cost of treating gammy knees is likely to nearly double by 2038, leading to an increase in extra knee replacement surgeries
HEART DISEASE
The researchers out to reduce heart health inequities for Māori and Pacific people
Reducing inequities in heart health for Māori and Pacific people is a key goal of Manaaki Mānawa, the University of Auckland’s new Centre for Heart Research, which will be launching in February. It has partnered with Māori and Pacific advisers and aims to have Māori participation and leadership in heart research.
MENTAL HEALTH
Student suicide numbers increasing, groups warn of more mental distress
Increased workloads and social media use could be contributing to the fact the number of students dying by suicide has almost doubled in just over a decade.
PHARMACY
Pharmac confirms funding for three new drugs
The government's drug-buying agency Pharmac has confirmed it will fund three new drugs for breast cancer, lung cancer and multiple sclerosis from 1 December.
PRIVACY
Ministry of Health fronts as cyber attack leaves patient data exposed
An urgent investigation by the Ministry of Health has found several other District Health Boards and Primary Health Organisations (PHO) could have been vulnerable to a cyber attack, which exposed the personal data of up to one million patients.
No evidence patients' data has been stolen, health body says
Patients in the lower North Island are being reassured there is no evidence that any of their personal or health information has been illegally accessed
SOCIAL HEALTH
How can homelessness be harmful to health?
The average life expectancy of someone experiencing chronic homelessness is 55 years. That’s over 20 years younger than the average New Zealander.
TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Synthetic cannabis problem at Wakari
Patients who have used synthetic cannabis are presenting new dangers and challenges for staff at the not-fit-for-purpose Wakari Hospital, a report on the facility says.
WORKFORCE
'Women pay price for staffing shortages' at hospitals
Women patients are paying the price for gaping holes as dire staffing shortages put hospitals on the edge, says Angela Belich, Acting Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). RNZ reported today that women in Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, South Canterbury and Blenheim are turning away women with "non-urgent" gynaecological conditions due to a shortage of specialists:
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Boost registered nurses to protect and retain staff, finds research
Researchers' findings linked number of registered nurses working on a ward to number of instances of aggression and harassment suffered by staff ...
Few critical care nurses feel competent in providing palliative care
(HealthDay)—Most critical care nurses feel inadequately prepared to provide palliative care, according to a study published in the October issue of ...
Nurses' concern can predict patient deterioration, study finds
Seventy-seven percent of nurses correctly predicted patient deterioration, with accuracy rates significantly higher in nurses with more than a year of experience, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in JAMIA Open.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The association between nurse staffing levels and the timeliness of vital signs monitoring: a retrospective observational study in the UK
Redfern OC, Griffiths P, Maruotti A The Missed Care Study Group, et al
BMJ Open 2019;9:e032157. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032157
Objectives Omissions and delays in delivering nursing care are widely reported consequences of staffing shortages, with potentially serious impacts on patients. However, studies so far have relied almost exclusively on nurse self-reporting. Monitoring vital signs is a key part of nursing work and electronic recording provides an opportunity to objectively measure delays in care. This study aimed to determine the association between registered nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) staffing levels and adherence to a vital signs monitoring protocol.
How to avoid gender bias in nursing education
Takeaways:
Many men who enter nursing face bias based on preconceived notions about who can be a nurse.
Nurse educators have a responsibility to ensure their biases don’t negatively impact a student’s career path.
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 October 2019
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