Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 166, Wednesday 14 August 2013
From NZ media this week
Nursing Council decision pleases women
Two medical staff from New Plymouth's financially troubled-youth health clinic Waves will not face further disciplinary action over allegations of safety breaches.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/9025398/Nursing-Council-decision-pleases-women
Nurses stop work to discuss employment law changes
Nurses all around the country are taking time out over the next couple of weeks to attend one of over 80 meetings to discuss what they can do about proposed employment law changes.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1308/S00041/nurses-stop-work-to-discuss-employment-law-changes.htm
Nurses welcome extension of General Medical Subsidy
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) welcomes the Government’s announcement that the General Medical Subsidy (GMS) will be extended to nurses and nurse practitioners. Pharmacists will also become eligible for the subsidy.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/nurses-welcome-extension-general-medical-subsidy/5/163503
More flexible funding for general practice teams welcomed
The decision to give nurses and pharmacists access to the General Medical Subsidy (GMS) is a positive one, the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network says.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/more-flexible-funding-general-practice-teams-welcomed/5/163683
Report highlights disparity in health system for Maori
A new report highlighting the disparity in the health system for Maori shows the challenge in improving fairness in the health sector, the New Zealand Medical Association says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10910616
Training delivery review released for consultation
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners has today released a comprehensive review of how general practice training is delivered in New Zealand.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1308/S00055/training-delivery-review-released-for-consultation.htm
Patient could have been dead for two hours
A Wellington woman could have been dead for two hours before she was found in her bed in a locked hospital ward - despite being observed every 15 minutes by nurses.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9020333/Patient-could-have-been-dead-for-two-hours
Sex pills top drug imports
Cost, convenience and a healthy sex drive are leading thousands of men to import potentially dangerous erectile dysfunction drugs from online pharmacies.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9029105/Sex-pills-top-drug-imports
Review of Standing Orders
Public submissions are now being invited on the Review of Standing Orders.The closing date for submissions is Thursday, 10 October 2013The Standing Orders Committee conducts a general review of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives during each parliamentary term. This is a way for the House to consider whether to update its rules and practices in light of changes in society, technology and law.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/?document=50SCSO_SCF_00DBSCH_OTH_12378_1
DHB specific
Waitemata bowel cancer pilot making a difference
The latest data from the Waitemata DHB bowel screening pilot shows in the first 15 months of the pilot, cancers had been detected in 75 people.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/waitemata-bowel-cancer-pilot-making-difference/5/163942
Hospitals miss target for urgent treatment
Hospital emergency departments are missing waiting time targets, with rising numbers of urgent cases not being seen by a doctor within recommended times, new figures reveal.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9027526/Hospitals-miss-target-for-urgent-treatment
Health officials stand behind treatment time
Taranaki health officials are confident patients with immediately life-threatening conditions are treated promptly by emergency staff despite recent figures suggesting the contrary.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/9032814/Health-officials-stand-behind-treatment-time
Hutt ranks poorly on emergency wait times
Hutt Valley District Health Board's hospital emergency department is one of the worst performers for achieving the waiting time target for urgent cases to see a doctor within recommended times, new figures reveal.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/9028920/Hutt-ranks-poorly-on-emergency-wait-times
Health Minister congratulates Hutt Valley ED
Hutt Valley DHB is to be congratulated for its outstanding progress on faster better care for patients in emergency departments says Health Minister Tony Ryall.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1308/S00069/health-minister-congratulates-hutt-valley-ed.htm
Drunks huge drain on A&E
Drunk patients in the emergency department at weekends are taking attention away from people with heart attacks and other medical conditions, Wellington City Council has been told.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9020963/Drunks-huge-drain-on-A-E
Aged care
Vitamin D supplements linked to big drop in falls
An ACC-led programme to reduce falls amongst older people has passed two significant milestones, reaching more people and helping to reduce falls.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/vitamin-d-supplements-linked-big-drop-falls/5/163765
Public health
School campaign tackles rheumatic fever
A former Kiwis league international and a 13-year-old Glen Innes girl both kept quiet at first about their sore throats - and now regret it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909153
Cars next smokefree target
Smoking is likely to be banned in family cars as the Government minister leading the charge to a smokefree society steers towards the first incursion into private space by authorities.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10911021
New strategy: Tell smokers they stink
Forget their health, aim at their vanity - research suggests smokers who are told they stink are more likely to quit the habi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10911018
Smoking: The endgame
As smoking numbers drop and new statistics reveal it is no longer New Zealand’s worst killer, health workers are convinced we can eradicate smoking within just 12 years – much like we eradicated the southern saltmarsh mosquito, smallpox and polio. The tobacco industry, it seems, is in its final days.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10911003
Obesity a greater risk than tobacco - report
Obesity, rather than tobacco-related disease, will affect more people's health in the future according to a new report released today by the Ministry of Health.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10910111
Social health
Improving NZ housing for winter 'good for the economy'
The standard of housing in New Zealand needs to be significantly improved to reduce demands on the health system, according to the NZ College of Public Health Medicine.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/improving-nz-housing-winter-good-economy/5/163520
Ill health growing in society
Living longer has its benefits but not if that time is spent in poor health, Massey University academic Steve Stannard says.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9026670/Ill-health-growing-in-society
Mental health
NZ scientists picked to delve into autism mysteries
A crack team of scientists has been formed in Auckland in a bid to lead the world's autism research.The group will join the international race to find the underlying biological causes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a lifelong condition estimated to affect 45,000 New Zealanders.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/9032747/NZ-scientists-picked-to-delve-into-autism-mysteries
International media
Decision on self-education cap postponed (US)
Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals have won a reprieve in their fight against the Federal Government’s proposed $2000 a year cap on tax deductibility for work-related self-education expenses.
http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/decision-on-self-education-cap-postponed/1850/
Nurses union to file ballot question asking voters to limit number of patients (US)
The state’s largest nurses union intends to ask voters to do what the Legislature has refused to do: establish statewide limits on the number of hospital patients assigned to each nurse.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2013/08/03/mass-nurses-union-file-ballot-question-asking-voters-limit-number-patients-per-nurse/NFW7GUcADcf1mUTp9UPc3O/story.html
More at: https://www.facebook.com/massnurses
The economics of nursing (US)
Healthcare entities prepare to deal with possible fallout from the federal budget sequesterSince the federal budget sequester became a reality on April 1, there has not been an immediate effect on nursing and healthcare organizations. No hospitals or long-term care facilities reported nursing layoffs directly related to the cuts, according to state and national industry organizations.
Report: Healthcare worker safety needs closer monitoring (US)
Healthcare workers suffer more injuries and illnesses on the job each year than workers in any other industry, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts relatively few inspections of healthcare facilities, according to a report by the citizens-interest group Public Citizen.
http://news.nurse.com/article/20130718/ML02/307180019
Trust in us
Facilities work to boost patient satisfaction scores using relationship-building skillsThe trust patients always have placed in their nurses to help them get through the toughest moments in their lives has moved to the front-and-center of hospital culture with recent changes in reimbursement equations to incorporate patient satisfaction. That vital nurse-patient relationship can directly affect a facility’s financial health
http://news.nurse.com/article/20130805/NATIONAL05/108050036
Health Care's Long Employment Boom May Soon Be Over (US)
The industry's long, steady hiring climb appears to be flattening out
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/08/health-cares-long-employment-boom-may-soon-be-over
Intervention boosted foot exams among blacks with diabetes
PHILADELPHIA — Foot exams for the detection of peripheral neuropathy using monofilament increased in black patients with diabetes following intervention from a nurse facilitator in a primary care setting, according to a study presented at the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting and Exhibition.
http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/online/%7BD0E6EB67-6455-480F-A1E7-D160E9911DEC%7D/Intervention-boosted-foot-exams-among-blacks-with-diabetes
Social media
International Federation on Ageing blog
The International Federation on Ageing has launched a blog which aims to disseminate, analyze, and discuss the latest issues in the world of ageing by making several contributions per week. "While there are plenty of other resources that have a similar focus, this blog will distinguish itself by providing a fresh perspective on issues ranging from elder abuse, to gerontechnology, to the depiction of older adults in popular culture. We seek to accomplish this by providing dynamic written content and by examining issues through new, often unexplored lenses."
See www.ifa-fiv.org/news/blog/
The IFA is an international non-government organisation which has been operating since 1973 "generating positive change for older people throughout the world by stimulating, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on rights, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life of people as they age."
http://ncahslibraries.blogspot.co.nz/2013/08/international-federation-on-ageing-blog.html
Articles of interest
Building nurse executives
Nursing Management:
August 2013 - Volume 44 - Issue 8 - p 52–54
Historically, the nursing profession has been slightly behind other professions in creating leadership development programs for the purpose of succession planning. There's substantial need for leadership development due to the tremendous demands on nurse leaders to be skillful in numerous aspects of healthcare policy, human resource management, finance, and enhancement of quality patient care outcomes.
http://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2013/08000/Building_nurse_executives.10.aspx
Reports online from the Ministry of Health
The Well Child/Tamariki Ora Quality Improvement Framework
The 2007/08 review and the 2012 quality reviews of the Well Child/Tamariki Ora (WCTO) programme identified variable clinical practice, service quality and health outcomes, and recommended an evidence-based quality framework be developed to ensure the WCTO programme consistently achieves its aims.The Ministry of Health, in partnership with sector expert advisors, developed the WCTO Quality Improvement Framework, drawing on New Zealand and international research.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/well-child-tamariki-ora-quality-improvement-framework
Ministry of Health publishes study into HealthLoss In New Zealand
The Ministry of Health has today published "Health Loss in New Zealand", a systematic assessment of the health loss experienced by the population.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2013/august-2013/08/ministry-of-health-publishes-study-into-healthloss-in-new-zealand---resent-with-no-passwords-needed.aspx
Health Loss in New Zealand: A report from the New Zealand Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2006–2016
The New Zealand Burden of Disease, Injury and Risk Study 2006-2016 (NZBD) is a systematic analysis of health loss by cause for New Zealanders of all ages, both sexes and both major ethnic groups. It includes estimates of fatal and nonfatal health losses from 217 diseases and injuries and 31 biological and behavioural risk factors. This information is intended to support health policy and planning.This report, Health Loss in New Zealand, summarises the objectives, methods, and key findings of the study. Full results are available in a Statistical Annexe.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/health-loss-new-zealand-report-new-zealand-burden-diseases-injuries-and-risk-factors-study-2006-2016
New Zealand Burden of Diseases Statistical Annexe
SummaryThe statistical annexe provides the full data from the New Zealand Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study database, including both point estimates and standard errors (SEs allow users to guage the robustness of the estimates, for example by calculating 95% uncertainty intervals). The annexe comprises a set of excel worksheets, grouped into 6 workbooks. Many of the worksheets are pivot tables (instructions on using pivot tables are provided under 'Explanatory Notes' in each workbook).
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/new-zealand-burden-diseases-statistical-annexe
Injury-related Health Loss: A report from the New Zealand Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study 2006–2016
Injury-related Health Loss is a joint report from the Ministry of Health and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). The report presents the injury-related findings from the New Zealand Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study.(NZBD)The report estimates the level of health loss resulting from both injury-related deaths and disability. The report looks at both the external cause of injury (eg, road transport injury) and the nature of the resulting injury (eg, traumatic brain injury), for both intentional and unintentional injury.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/injury-related-health-loss-report-new-zealand-burden-diseases-injuries-and-risk-factors-study-2006
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 13 August 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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