Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 182, Wednesday 11 December 2013
From NZ media this week
Public health nurse to receive police recognition for bravery
Waikato DHB public health nurse Anne McNicol will this Friday (6 December) receive formal recognition from the New Zealand Police for helping prevent an act of violence on a young Waikato mother and her baby.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/public-health-nurse-receive-police-recognition-bravery/5/176334
Condolence letters 'too demanding', says DHB
A scheme to help families cope with bereavement in Whanganui will not be mimicked at MidCentral District Health Board due to the number of deaths and because the process would be too demanding.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9493082/Condolence-letters-too-demanding-says-DHB
Nurse faces disciplinary tribunal
A Wellington Hospital intensive care nurse is facing a charge of professional misconduct after allegedly getting his wife to impersonate his boss.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9496228/Nurse-faces-disciplinary-tribunal
Helpline taking 40 calls a day
A Whangarei Family Planning nurse who is receiving 40 calls a day from predominantly women seeking advice on sexual health and contraception says sexuality education isn't being taught early enough.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11166710
Focus on young doctors not sustainable: union
The nurses' union says money was found to employ surplus graduate doctors, while hundreds of young nurses are missing out.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/283982/focus-young-doctors-not-sustainable-union
Concern at shortage of positions for grad nurses
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) National Student Unit and Te Runanga Tauira rÅpÅ« are concerned that newly graduated nurses all around the country are fearful of not getting a job as a registered nurse and feel powerless to change the situation.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/concern-shortage-positions-grad-nurses/5/176182
DHBs and Primary Health Care
Kiwis face massive 'hidden' surgery wait list
About 280,000 New Zealanders are waiting for elective surgery, and more than half are not on waiting lists, new research shows.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169539
Busy ICU spilling patients
Chronically ill patients are being "routinely" turned away from Christchurch Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) due to a lack of resources.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9492224/Busy-ICU-spilling-patients
Public health
West Coast place to survive pandemic
If you want to survive a deadly epidemic, move to the West Coast.Living in isolated, hard-to-access areas would give you the best chance of survival as a disease spreads quickly through the population, says Otago University of Wellington associate professor of public health Dr Nick Wilson.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/west-coast/9483544/West-Coast-place-to-survive-pandemic
Social health
Shameful secret of poor kids
Hawke's Bay's youngest are suffering because of the region's high level of child poverty, Children's Commissioner and Hawke's Bay paediatrician Russell Wills says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11168660
Money spent on child poverty an investment, not a cost
New Zealand’s alarming child poverty rates, publicised in the first annual Child Poverty Monitor report released today, should be of serious concern to all New Zealanders, says the Public Health Association (PHA).
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/money-spent-child-poverty-investment-not-cost/5/176611
Warm houses key to child health.
Children’s Commissioner, Dr Wills, reports today that, over the last 12 years, the biggest increases in child hospitalisations with poverty-related illnesses have been in asthma and bronchiolitis. He has said that living in crowded, cold and damp houses is what matters.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1312/S00037/warm-houses-key-to-child-health.htm
Reducing poverty 'will reduce respiratory disease'
Being sick with a respiratory condition is often not inevitable or ‘just bad luck’. The link between poverty and respiratory disease is well established. With the first annual Child Poverty Monitor noting 265,000 Kiwi kids live in poverty, and increased hospital admissions for preventable diseases, action needs to be taken now to ensure that children with a respiratory condition get the start to life they deserve.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/reducing-poverty-will-reduce-respiratory-disease/5/176577
Child poverty ills rising
A "shocking" increase in the number of children being admitted to hospital with illnesses caused by poverty is revealed in a major new report.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11168848
Channel cash to poor, sick children, doctor urges
Commissioner wants tax credits system changed to help fight poverty-related illness.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11169145
One in four Kiwi children living in poverty
More children living in crammed homes are ending up in hospital, as a new report shows one in four children remain mired in poverty.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9492016/One-in-four-Kiwi-children-living-in-poverty
International media
Home Visits During Pregnancy and Beyond May Give Poor Kids a Boost
Better focus and stability noted in families seen by nurses and other trained caregivers, study finds
http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/child-development-news-124/home-visits-in-pregnancy-and-beyond-may-give-kids-a-boost-682668.html
Guidelines Highlight Importance of Nurses in Preventing Bloodstream Infections
Nurses are well positioned to stop dangerous and costly bloodstream infections caused by the improper placement of catheters in large veins in the neck, chest or groin, according to guidelines released by the Joint Commission, which oversees accreditation for U.S. hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) needlessly afflict thousands of patients each year, lengthening hospital stays, boosting hospital readmission rates, and driving up the cost of care.
http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/12/guidelines-highlight-importance-of-nurses-in-preventing-bloodstream-infections.aspx
New rules require veteran nurses to go back to college as RN-BSN programs flourish
NEW BRUNSWICK — Saint Peter’s University Hospital nurse Linda Stolfi calls it the letter that shook up her life and the future of many of her co-workers.
http://www.nj.com/education/2013/12/new_rules_require_veteran_nurs.html
Employment of New Nurse Graduates and Employer Preferences for Baccalaureate-Prepared Nurses
In August 2013, AACN conducted its fourth online survey of nursing schools offering baccalaureate and graduate programs in the U.S. to better assess the experience of new graduates in finding employment during these tough economic times.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading_initiatives_news/news/2013/employment13
Nurse-Led Innovations Demonstrate Improved Patient Outcomes, Bottom-Line Impact
Nurse-led initiatives in Indiana measurably improved patient outcomes while demonstrating anticipated financial savings of more than $5.2 million to their organizations, according to initial results from a hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program launched last year by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/12/nurseled-innovations-demonstrate-improved-patient-outcomes-bottomline-impact.aspx
Studies Assess Impact of IOM Report on Nursing Reforms
Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC (December 5, 2013)--Two new studies by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) examine how well hospitals and other health care facilities are doing when it comes to a call to reform the nursing profession.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/611202/?sc=rsmn
To Improve Foster Care, Add a Psychiatric Nurse to Treatment Team
Nurses Bring Fresh Perspective to Caring for Troubled Teens, SLU Researcher Finds
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/611305/?sc=rsmn&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewswiseMednews+%28Newswise%3A+MedNews%29&utm_content=FeedBurner
Social media
How Punitive Is Nursing Culture and How Does that Impact Patient Safety
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about punitive cultures in healthcare. It seems that the mantra of both nursing and medicine is that “nurses eat their young,” and that “doctors eat their young.” Don’t know about pharmacy, PT, OT and others, but it seems that no one is eating lunch but they everyone is nonetheless stuffed because of this professional canabalism. Well, we know that hungry people are also irritable and unpleasant and we also know that feasting on one’s professional young is neither a recipe for professional satisfaction nor for high quality performance. http://suzannecgordon.com/how-punitive-is-nursing-culture-and-how-does-that-impact-patient-safety/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Suzannecgordoncom+%28suzannecgordon.com%29
Articles of interest
Pressure Ulcer Prevalence, Use of Preventive Measures, and Mortality Risk in an Acute Care Population: A Quality Improvement Project
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing
October 2013
Volume 40 Number 5
Pages 469 - 474
The primary aim of this quality improvement project was to determine pressure prevalence, risk of mortality, and use of preventive measures in a group of hospitalized patients. Two hundred fifty-eight patients recruited from Skaraborg Hospital in Sweden were assessed. A 1-day point prevalence study was carried out using a protocol advocated by the European PU Advisory Panel. Patients' age, gender, severity of PU (grades I-IV), anatomical location of PU, and use of preventive measures were recorded. The Swedish language version of the Modified Norton Scale was used for PU risk assessment. Data were collected by nurses trained according to the Web-based training: PU classification, "ePuclas2." After 21 months, a retrospective audit of the electronic records for patients identified with pressure ulcers was completed. The point prevalence of pressure ulcers was 23%. The total number of ulcers was 85, most were grade 1 (n = 39). The most common locations were the sacrum (n = 15) and the heel (n = 10). Three percent of patients (n = 9) had been assessed during their current hospital stay using a risk assessment tool. There was a statistically significant relationship between pressure ulcer occurrence and a low total score on the Modified Norton Scale. The patients' ages correlated significantly to the presence of a pressure ulcer. Patients with a pressure ulcer had a 3.6-fold increased risk of dying within 21 months, as compared with those without a pressure ulcer. Based on results from this quality improvement project, we recommend routine pressure ulcer risk assessment for all patients managed in a hospital setting such as ours. We further recommend that particular attention should be given to older and frail patients who are at higher risk for pressure ulcer occurrence and mortality.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/Static-Pages/Pressure-Ulcer-Prevalence,-Use-of-Preventive-Measu
Advances in Skin & Wound Care: The Journal for Prevention and Healing
January 2013
Volume 26 Number 1
Pages 13 - 18ABSTRACT: Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) are a serious nosocomial problem that has been viewed as a ubiquitous consequence of immobility. This article provides data from the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes (CALNOC) that shows a significant reduction in HAPUs in adults from 78 acute care hospitals over 8 years (2003-2010).
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/Static-Pages/Eliminating-Hospital-Acquired-Pressure-Ulcers-With
A Sociotechnical Approach to Successful Electronic Health Record Implementation: Five Best Practices for Clinical Nurse Specialists
Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice - Featured Journal
December 2013
Volume 27 Number 6
Pages 283 - 285
Rising healthcare costs coupled with patient safety considerations and quality of care have become major concerns for healthcare purchasers, providers, and policymakers. Health information technology, particularly the electronic health record (EHR), is posed as a solution to address these concerns by delivering greater efficiencies and improved quality of care. Despite the national movement toward EHR adoption, successful EHR implementation continues to be challenging for many healthcare organizations, both large and small. This article uses sociotechnical systems theory as a framework to discuss 5 best practice guidelines for EHR implementation and outlines what clinical nurse specialists can do to make the process successful.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/JournalArticle?Article_ID=1610573&Journal_ID=54033&Issue_ID=1610556
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 10 December 2013
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