Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 125, Wednesday 17 October 2012
From NZ media this week
Educator keen to pass on skills to develop nurses
Jacky Watkins hopes her research will help nurses perform a highly skilled but infrequent procedure more safely.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/eastern-courier/7802556/Educator-keen-to-pass-on-skills-to-develop-nurses
Wanganui bucks national shortage in nursing ranks
A local polytech is helping to stave off a nursing skills shortage affecting other parts of the country, a District Health Board director says.
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/wanganui-bucks-national-shortage-in-nursing-ranks/1581280/
Five practices to host physician assistants
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) strongly opposes the further recruitment of US physician assistants.NZNO professional services manager, Susanne Trim says, "We are disappointed that following a flawed and poorly evaluated 'demonstration' at just one District Health Board more US health workers are being funded and recruited to work in rural New Zealand. There are New Zealand trained specialty registered nurses and nurse practitioners who do similar work but who have not been considered for these funded positions."
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/five-practices-host-physician-assistants/5/137344
US-trained medics scheme raises ire among nurses
Nurses are up in arms about plans to bring United States-trained medics to New Zealand to fill rural vacancies.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7805709/US-trained-medics-scheme-raises-ire-among-nurses
Govt database to track 30,000 at-risk kids
Bennett accepts proposal may intrude on privacy, but 'for those kids, let's get intrusive'A database of about 30,000 "at risk" children is to be created and accessed by health, school and social workers without parental knowledge as part of a huge overhaul of laws tackling child cruelty.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10839604
How the new child protection system works
The new child protection system will bring teachers, doctors and social services together to protect each of New Zealand's 20,000 to 30,000 most vulnerable children.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10839710
Nurses 'vital' to child abuse fix
The Government's plan for addressing child abuse misses a valuable link in the chain, warns the College of Nurses.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/7812052/Nurses-vital-to-child-abuse-fix
Nurses 'just one of the missing elements' in White Paper
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) believes the Government’s White Paper for Vulnerable Children is a good start but has serious concerns regarding its focus on the ‘problem’ and not on its prevention.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/nurses-just-one-missing-elements-white-paper/5/137450
Nurse gave heart patient wrong drug
A senior nurse who gave the wrong drugs to a heart patient who died hours later may face professional misconduct charges
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/15122523/nurse-gave-heart-patient-wrong-drug/
Nurse apologises after patient dies
A registered nurse gave a seriously ill patient the wrong medication, then failed to report the error until two days later, by which time the patient was dead, a Health and Disability Commissioner's (HDC) report says.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7818766/Nurse-apologises-after-patient-dies
Health report due for releaseA pilot study of how adverse incidences are reported by GPs in the south - one of the first major primary care studies in the world - is likely to be released by the end of the year, a Otago University associate professor said yesterday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7803275/Health-report-due-for-release
Youth health service to close
Thousands of young people may miss out on vital healthcare or be dumped on GPs and emergency rooms after a lack of funding forces New Plymouth's free youth health service to close next week.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7800139/Youth-health-service-to-close
Government's youth health priority doesn't extend to funding
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) is dismayed to learn of the closure of an important youth health Service. WAVES is a one stop youth health service that provides a range of health and social services to more than 3000 young people in New Plymouth.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1210/S00077/governments-youth-health-priority-doesnt-extend-to-funding.htm
Care efforts unsustainable: report
Good patient care is being achieved through the "largely invisible" and unsustainable efforts of staff, a report about Southern District Health Board work practices says.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/230197/care-efforts-unsustainable-report
Abortion clinic opens in secrecy to protect staff
An abortion clinic has opened under a shroud of secrecy designed to protect its medical staff.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7813405/Abortion-clinic-opens-in-secrecy-to-protect-staff
International media
Nurses' Assessment of Hospital Quality
A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing affirms a straightforward premise: Nurses are accurate barometers of hospital quality.Perceptions from nurses – the healthcare providers most familiar with the patient experience -- about hospital quality of care closely matches the quality indicated by patient outcomes and other long-standing measurements.
http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/sia/Pages/Nurses-Assessment-of-Hospital-Quality.aspx#chrome
Wondering About Your Hospital's Quality? Ask a Nurse
Research finds they have accurate insights into level of care providedTHURSDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The easiest way to assess a hospital's quality of care might be to just ask the nurses, new research suggests.
http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=669449
States mandate flu vaccinations for health workers
The Rhode Island Department of Health on Friday adopted regulations that require all health workers in the state to receive flu vaccinations. The vaccinations are mandatory for all workers, students, trainees and volunteers who come into direct contact with patients, unless they have a medical exemption from their provider or if they are opposed to it and submit a form, according to the state health department.
http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/states-mandate-flu-vaccinations-health-workers/2012-10-09?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
New generation of nurse leaders to 'help change culture' (registration required)
The government is to plough millions of pounds into leadership training for nurses with the central aim of improving compassion and care delivered to patients.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5050566.article?referrer=e1
Online test could find nurses with the right values (registration needed)An online test that could be used to identify nursing course applicants who lack kindness and compassion is being trialled at universities across the UK.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5050257.article?referrer=e1
Keeping Older Patients Out of the Hospital
Keeping people out of the hospital whenever possible is a big focus for health care these days, and it's only going to get bigger. A new report and an emerging type of physician are focused on exactly that goal, particularly for older Americans.
http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/HHNDaily/HHNDailyDisplay.dhtml?id=8410009828
Developing a culture of compassionate care
Care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. These are the six Cs set out in the Chief Nursing Officer's recent consultation paper Developing the culture of compassionate care: Creating a new vision and strategy for nurses, midwives and care-givers.
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2012/10/developing-culture-compassionate-care
Public health
Antidepressant use in NZ doubles
In the past six years the number of New Zealanders taking antidepressants has doubled, and a psychiatry professor says the drugs are being over-prescribed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10839802
Work and management
Smart Ways to Deal When Your Boss is a Bully
Growing up, bullies were everywhere. They pulled your hair on the playground, they made fun of your name in high school, they were even people you called “friends.” But now you’re an adult, so all of that should be behind you, right?
http://www.thedailymuse.com/career/smart-ways-to-deal-when-your-boss-is-a-bully/
Article of interest
Intensity Index: Quantifying workloads and balancing assignments
Nursing Management - Featured Journal
October 2012,
Volume 43 Number 10
Pages 36 – 42
In the acute care setting, charge nurses must make fair and manageable nursing assignments every 4 to 12 hours. This can be difficult, time consuming, and involve many factors that affect perceived workloads.1 The charge nurse uses his or her experience and information received from the off-going staff to create assignments. The resultant patient assignment for each RN is predicted to be manageable, safe, and fair.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/JournalArticle?Article_ID=1431551&Journal_ID=54013&Issue_ID=1431399
Team Concepts: Make an impact with transformational leadership and shared governance
Nursing Management - Featured Journal
October 2012
Volume 43 Number 10
Pages 12 - 17
Transformational leadership is an action-based leadership style that recognizes the need for change, which is guided by admirable influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized attention
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/JournalArticle?Article_ID=1431422&Journal_ID=54013&Issue_ID=1431399
The time is now: Developing a nurse manager residency program
Nursing Management - Featured Journal
October 2012
Volume 43 Number 10
Pages 18 - 24
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is changing the face of healthcare by creating opportunities for new models of care delivery in the United States.1 These changes demonstrate a need for leadership development at all levels, but most important, at the first-line nurse manager (FLNM) level. For nurse leaders to meet these challenges, they must have the capacity to redesign work processes/workflow that results in safe and effective care while maintaining reduced costs.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/JournalArticle?Article_ID=1431494&Journal_ID=54013&Issue_ID=1431399
Nurses Create a Culture of Patient Safety: It Takes More Than Projects
Healthcare organizations are embracing the sciences of safety, improvement, human factors, and complexity to transform their culture into a culture of safety and high reliability. Nurses are the front lines of healthcare delivery, and as such, the front lines of safety and quality processes and outcomes. Nurses are required to both understand and develop the skills needed to improve care processes and to own the work of improvement as a professional responsibility. These changes demand that nurses understand both the complex demands of providing harm-free care and the system dynamics needed to create the conditions for improved outcomes, organizational, and system performance, and intraprofessional development and teamwork. The author presents thechallenge of maintaining a safe patient care environment and describes amodel that can detect and mitigate the migration of safe nursing care into at-risk and unsafe nursing care. She emphasizes the importance of healthcare organizations performing as high reliability organizations and outlines ‘planned practices’ steps to introduce new technology and innovation, and concludes by considering the interaction betweenindividual practice and system performance.
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-16-2011/No3-Sept-2011/Nurses-Create-a-Culture-of-Patient-Safety.html
New from the Ministry of Health
Guidance for implementing high-quality multidisciplinary meetings
Published online: 02 October 2012
SummaryThe Guidance for implementing high-quality multidisciplinary meetings and the accompanying factsheet Quick reference for high-quality cancer multidisciplinary meetings provides a framework and toolkit to support district health boards (DHBs) in establishing and implementing high-quality multidisciplinary meetings (MDMs).
MDMs are deliberate, regular meetings either face-to-face or via videoconference at which health professionals with expertise in a range of different specialities discuss the options for patients’ treatment and care prospectively. Prospective treatment and care planning involves making recommendations in real time, with an initial focus on the patient’s primary treatment. MDMs facilitate a holistic approach to the treatment and care of the patient.
International evidence shows that multidisciplinary care is a key part of providing best-practice treatment and care for patients with cancer. Multidisciplinary care involves a team approach to planning treatment and providing care for cancer patients as they move along the pathway of services they need.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/guidance-implementing-high-quality-multidisciplinary-meetings
Auditing Requirements: Home and community support sector Standard. NZS 8158:2012
Published online: 08 October 2012 This publication outlines the requirements for conformity assessment bodies (CABs) that are auditing and certifying providers of home and community support services (HCSS) against the Home and Community Support Sector Standard (NZS 8158:2012).
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/auditing-requirements-home-and-community-support-sector-standard-nzs-81582012
HPV Immunisation Programme Implementation Evaluation
Published online: 08 October 2012 In September 2008, the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) launched the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Immunisation Programme (the Programme) across New Zealand.The Programme aims to reduce cervical cancer rates in New Zealand by protecting young women against HPV infection, which if left untreated can develop into cervical cancer.The Ministry commissioned Litmus Ltd to evaluate the implementation of the Programme to assess how well it achieved the Ministry’s short-term goals, objectives and implementation priorities.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/hpv-immunisation-programme-implementation-evaluation
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 16 October 2012 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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