Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 136, Wednesday 16 January 2013
From NZ media this week
Virus outbreak strikes hospital
A gastroenteritis outbreak in the Western Bay has seen an influx of people seeking medical treatment at Tauranga Hospital emergency department.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10858144
Changing times mean new plan for rest home
The Claud Switzer Memorial Trust board has approved a plan to make a major change to the service provided by the Kaitaia rest home Switzer Residential Care, and hopes to have hammers swinging within the next four months.
http://www.northlandage.co.nz/news/changing-times-mean-new-plan-for-rest-home/1709165/
Overload at premature baby intensive care units
Neonatal experts plead for urgent action to ease pressure for beds
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10858614
DHB chief slams alcohol injuries
The Hawke's Bay District Health Board's top administrator has slammed a rise in "avoidable" alcohol injuries, which contributed to record numbers of emergency department admissions.
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/DHB-chief-slams-alcohol-injuries/1715128/
Children need changes now - commissioner
Last year saw a flurry of reports, public discussion and political rhetoric about how the lives of New Zealand's vulnerable children could be improved. The man charged with ensuring Kiwi kids have a voice says it's time for the Government to act. Kate Chapman reports.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8169690/Children-need-changes-now-commissioner
Our nation is pill-popping
New Zealanders are taking medications at soaring rates. Marika Hill asks whether the nation is addicted to a quick-fix.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8168147/Our-nation-is-pill-popping
Hospital spends up large on big patients
Wellington Hospital has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment to cater for obese patients, including larger wheel chairs, beds and commodes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8176774/Hospital-spends-up-large-on-big-patients
Warning over health clinic ownership
New Zealanders may find it more difficult and expensive to visit a doctor as an increasing number of clinics are bought up by large companies, experts say.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8179867/Warning-over-health-clinic-ownership
Loss of contract 'worries' caregivers
A Southland caregiver says home-help staff and clients are distressed and uncertain about their future care, three weeks after the Southern District Health Board said it would not renew the contract with Disability Resource Centre Southland.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/8181799/Loss-of-contract-worries-caregivers
Public health
NZ medical experts brace for arrival of deadly flu
Medical experts in New Zealand are bracing themselves for the arrival of a deadly flu that is sweeping the US which has already killed 20 children.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859337
New Zealanders don't exercise enough - survey
A worrying number of Kiwis exercise less than once a week a survey has found.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8160669/New-Zealanders-don-t-exercise-enough-survey
Beware risky drugs, hayfever sufferers told
Suffering through a long allergy season
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8165229/Beware-risky-drugs-hayfever-sufferers-told
1400 kids hurt on quad bikes in 4 years
More than 1400 children - 700 aged 9 or under - have been injured while on quad bikes or other all-terrain vehicles in the past four years.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8165197/1400-kids-hurt-on-quad-bikes-in-4-years
Study links asthma to fast food
Eating processed foods increases risk of severe symptoms in teens by up to 39 per cent, research finds.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859423
Older drunks in hospital stats
Young people may have a bad rap when it comes to binge drinking, but it is not just the under-25s who end up in hospital after drinking too much.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/8182911/Older-drunks-in-hospital-stats
Cannabis effects not to blame for IQ loss - study
Heavy cannabis use in the teenage years might not be directly responsible for lower intelligence, as previously believed, an overseas review of New Zealand research has found.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859185
White tail spiders put bite on kids
Hot weather brings pests who like to lurk in moist areas, such as wash houses and bathrooms
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10859147
International media
Nurses’ positivity can alleviate end-of-life suffering
Int J Nurs Stud 2013; 50: 53–62
medwireNews: The psychologic response to terminal illness can be summarized as the realization that life is short, say Spanish researchers.
http://www.medwirenews.com/472/103028/Hospice_and_palliative_medicine/Nurses%E2%80%99_positivity_can_alleviate_end-of-life_suffering.html
Nurses can help patients stay on oral chemo regimen
In a study, more than 40% of patients on oral chemotherapy initially were taking too many pills or were missing doses, with poor adherence more likely among those with complex treatment regimens.
http://news.nurse.com/article/20130113/NATIONAL02/101210009
Health Council of Canada report on culturally safe health care for First Nations
A new report from the Health Council of Canada highlights barriers faced by Aboriginal people seeking health services, and provides information about key practices that are contributing to positive change.
http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/mental_health_notes_story.asp?cID=1773678
Health and wellbeing
Video Pick: Managing ADHD in the Workplace
Whether you’re dealing with ADHD yourself, or you are a manager of someone who is, you probably know that it can present some unique challenges (and unique opportunities) in the workplace.
http://www.thedailymuse.com/career/video-pick-managing-adhd-in-the-workplace/
Articles of interest
Staff development special: Don't cross the line: Respecting professional boundariesNursing Management
January 2013
Volume 44 Number 1
Pages 24 – 32At best, nurses and patients develop a special bond based on trust, compassion, and mutual respect. The nurse-patient relationship can provide the "context for care" linked to improved patient outcomes, including satisfaction and trust.1
http://www.nursingcenter.com/prodev/ce_article.asp?tid=1486625&Journal_ID=54013&Issue_ID=1485357&utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Nursing%20Management%20eNews&utm_campaign=NM%20eNews:%20%20January%202013,%20Issue%201
“It's a Tube Up Your Bottom; It Makes People Nervous:” The Experience of Anxiety in Initial Colonoscopy PatientsGastroenterology Nursing - Featured Journal
December 2012
Volume 35 Number 6
Pages 392 - 401This study aimed to prospectively consider the effect of colonoscopy on patients' experiences of anxiety at 4 time points related to an initial colonoscopy, using a qualitative approach.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/JournalArticle?Article_ID=1472490&Journal_ID=54035&Issue_ID=1472429
The Role of the Electronic Health Record in Patient Safety Events
Pa Patient Saf Advis 2012 Dec;9(4):113-21.
As adoption of health information technology solutions like electronic health records (EHRs) has increased across the United States, increasing attention is being paid to the safety and risk profile of these technologies. However, several groups have called out a lack of available safety data as a major challenge to assessing EHR safety, and this study was performed to inform the field about the types of EHR-related errors and problems reported to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and to serve as a basis for further study. Authority analysts queried the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System for reports related to EHR technologies and performed an exploratory analysis of 3,099 reports using a previously published classification structure specific to health information technology. The majority of EHR-related reports involved errors in human data entry, such as entry of “wrong” data or the failure to enter data, and a few reports indicated technical failures on the part of the EHR system. This may reflect the clinical mindset of frontline caregivers who report events to the Authority.
http://patientsafetyauthority.org/ADVISORIES/AdvisoryLibrary/2012/Dec;9(4)/Pages/113.aspx
Reports online Online resources
Guide Offers a Blueprint for End-of-Life Conversation With Youth
Enlisting the advice of adolescents and young adults with serious illness, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have developed a guide to help young people and their families address issues surrounding end-of-life care.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2013/guide-offers-a-blueprint-for-end-of-life-conversation-with-youth.shtml?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govdelivery
Emergency Department Suicide Screening Tool Accurately Predicts At Risk Youth
A set of four questions that takes emergency department nurses or physicians less than 2 minutes to administer can successfully identify youth at risk for attempting suicide, reported a study by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers that was published in the December 2012 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2013/emergency-department-suicide-screening-tool-accurately-predicts-at-risk-youth.shtml?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govdelivery
The Mental Health Foundation – in collaboration with Office of the Pro Vice Chancellor Māori, Victoria University of Wellington – will be hosting a series of free webinars about Māori suicide prevention in 2013.The webinars will address the issue of Māori suicide from an indigenous perspective. The invited presenters are Māori practitioners, researchers and leaders who will speak from their own personal and professional experiences in Māori suicide prevention.For many people, New Zealand’s high suicide rates – especially for Māori – can seem overwhelming. We hope these webinars increase understanding of what can be done to prevent suicide, and increase viewers’ capacity to help vulnerable people in their own whānau and communities.
The webinar schedule is:
Preventing Māori suicide: What do we need to do? 29 January 2013 with Keri Lawson-Te Aho
Preventing Māori suicide: Involving whānau and community 19 February 2013 with Di Grennell and Michael Naera
Preventing Māori suicide: Improving care and intervention 19 March 2013 with Dr Nicole Coupe and Dr Lynne Pere.
Each webinar will run from 12:30 – 1:30pm, and we hope about half of this time will be spent answering viewers’ questions. If you would like to attend these free webinars, please RSVP here: http://www.fanmail.co.nz/url/x7xskZ2SmWdkpGKWamnMcWqVm2aVY250ZA/aJPHo8WVbXKZl8eZmJXCkpmTZ2NhlZzAZmFgl5STxGRvk5yjxw/
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 Wednesday 16 January 2013 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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