Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 472, Wednesday 27 November 2019
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
NATIONAL NEWS
Māori graduates 'the future of nursing'
A fresh cohort of Māori nursing graduates hopes to transform the industry, which has not seen a rise in Māori nurse numbers for 40 years.
Nurse recruiting between countries could ramp up ahead of predicted global shortage
A predicted global shortage of nurses by 2030 has sent some countries scrambling to fill the gaps early.
Adverse events report reveals heavy under-resourcing
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes "Learning from adverse events: Te ako I ngā pāpono kōaro", released by the Health ...
'Doctors punched, nurses attacked' at White Cross medical clinic in West Auckland
A "brutal attack" in which a doctor was allegedly punched in the face and nurses were shoved to the ground had a mother and her sick son fearing for their lives.
Psychiatrist, nurse in breach of health code after patient sells house
Mental Health Commissioner Kevin Allan today released a report finding a psychiatrist and a nurse in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) for failing to maintain professional boundaries with their patient.
Nurse suspended, censured after using hospital taxis for personal use
A registered nurse who used nearly $1000 worth of DHB taxi vouchers for personal use – including allegedly getting friends home on nights out – has been suspended for six months.
CANCER
Study links rising cancer rates in adults under 50 to obesity
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found increasing rates of cancer in men and women under age 50 and suggested obesity may be a key factor. Researchers said public health programs are needed to address weight management in young adults.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate crisis likely to increase demand for nurses, says ICN
Immediate action is needed to tackle climate change, an international nursing body has warned, after a report found that it will have lifelong effects on children's health.
DHBs
SCDHB rates highly on implementation of care programme at Timaru Hospital
"It is basically for the minister (David Clark) to see what is happening nationally out of the NZNO (New Zealand Nurses Organisation) Meca (Multi ...
Report critical over lack of action on dire state of public hospitals
Hospital specialists around the country say they're "suffering" and warn public hospitals have reached a tipping point.
INFECTION CONTROL
Super bug incidence on the rise in NZ
This week is the World Health Organisation’s Antibiotic Resistance Awareness Week, and it’s a good opportunity to think about the impact of ‘super bugs’ on the health of New Zealand communities.
MEASLES
Confirmed measles cases top 100 in Northland
As the number of confirmed measles cases in Northland top 100, the region is contributing towards fighting the disease in Samoa that has so far claimed 22 lives.
Samoa measles outbreak: 32 people have died, 243 new cases in 24 hours
The death toll from the measles epidemic in Samoa has reached 32 - up 10 cases from Saturday.
MENTAL HEALTH
Will a new suicide plan bring down the numbers?
The new boss of the Suicide Prevention Office has a big job ahead of her: turning around New Zealand’s alarming suicide rate.
PATIENT SAFETY
Learning from adverse events report
The annual Learning from adverse events report from the Health Quality & Safety Commission has been released.
'Under-reporting' of Māori patients who suffer adverse incidents in healthcare
Of the 916 reported cases of adverse events at district health boards and other health providers in the last year, only 58 involved Māori patients.
PHARMACY
'We don't know what we don't know' on medicinal cannabis
A Marlborough GP says the prescription of medicinal cannabis could be premature.
The Medicinal Cannabis Scheme is expected to be operational at the beginning of next year, enabling the commercial cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis in New Zealand.
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
New South Taranaki healthcare plan revealed as health chief thanks residents for holding them to account
A new healthcare model, which will retain existing provision and add a walk-in GP service at Hāwera hospital to ease pressure on services, has been set out for South Taranaki residents.
SOCIAL HEALTH
Call to lift thousands of NZ households out of poverty
There are 50,000 working households living in poverty in New Zealand, new research shows.
WORKFORCE
More foreign doctors could help improve 'precarious state of NZ hospitals' - union
An extensive recruitment campaign to entice specialist doctors from overseas could help ease the burden on the country's senior doctors, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) says.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
'Fuzzy logic' alarm system may help NICU nurses predict catheter infusion failure
'Fuzzy logic' alarm system may help NICU nurses predict catheter infusion ... Care, official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses.
Violence against nurses tackled using virtual hospital visitor Angry Stan
A virtual hospital visitor is being used to confront nursing students to help them deal with real cases of abuse and violence in the workplace.
'Fraught issue': Religious nursing homes, hospitals to be able to discriminate on staffing
Religious hospitals and aged care providers will be able to refuse to employ people on the basis of their religion, under a change to the Morrison government's proposed religious discrimination bill.
New Jersey bill proposal would let nurses — not state law — set nurse-to-patient ratios
New proposed legislation would let nurses determine nurse-to-patient ratios at New Jersey hospitals, according to local news source NJ Spotlight.
Bill A-5954 — introduced Nov. 18 by New Jersey Republican Assemblymember Nancy Munoz, RN — proposes having nurse-led committees determine nurse staffing levels for their hospital as part of the facility's licensing conditions. Committees made of at least 55 percent nurses would consider nurse experience, technological advances, patient needs and facility layout. Hospitals would have to file the staffing plan with the state department of health.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Medical Cannabis: What Nurses Need to Know
Takeaways:
Nurses frequently treat patients who use or are considering using cannabis as a medicine.
Finding and validating information can be challenging, but proper and timely research can inform clinical nursing practice.
This article is not freely available but may be accessed through databases and libraries to which readers have access. Alternatively SnIPS can provide it on a cost recoverable basis
Educating health professionals for cultural competence in emergency situations: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Slobodin, O, Clempert, N, Kula, Y, Cohen, O. J Adv Nurs. 2019; 00: 1– 7. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14245
The current study is aimed at developing a culturally informed education program to increase cultural competence in emergencies among healthcare students and to examine its effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial.
CONSULTATION
The following documents matching your alert criteria have been published.
Public submissions are now being invited on this Bill
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 November 2019
If you have any feedback about content - what parts are most useful or what you would like added - please email admin@nurse.org.nz
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