Welcome
to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 240 February 18
2015
From NZ media this week
81-year-old survives
potentially lethal methadone dose
An
elderly woman survived being given 10 times her normal dose of painkillers by
two registered nurses at a private hospital.
The
nurses and the hospital were found to be in breach of the Code of Health and
Disability Services Consumers' Rights, deputy health and disability
commissioner Rose Wall said in her report, released today.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/66248193/81yearold-survives-potentially-lethal-methadone-dose
Nurse sexually
exploited mental health patient
A
mental health patient with alcohol issues was sexually exploited by a male
nurse who seduced her with a bottle of wine, the health and disability
commissioner has found.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/66250226/nurse-sexually-exploited-mental-health-patient
Rebuild workers clog
Christchurch hospital ED
Rebuild
workers are believed to be behind a surge in visitors to Christchurch
Hospital's emergency department.
The
number of visitors to the department has increased by 46 per cent for the 25-29
year age group and 27 per cent for 20 to 24-year-olds since before the quakes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/66232375/rebuild-workers-clog-christchurch-hospital-ed
Plunket privacy breach
Plunket
have launched an investigation after medical records were found in a house at
the Taranaki Building Removers' yard.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/66275723/plunket-medical-records-found-in-taranaki-house
Alcotest Units' help hospital staff test drunk
patients
Two new 'Alcotest Units' will enable quick testing of
intoxicated patients at Wellington Hospital .
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11401563
Nurses support the call for TPPA transparency and
health check
The New Zealand Nurses
Organisation (NZNO) is deeply concerned about the potential, negative impact of
a Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) on the health of New Zealanders.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1502/S00041/nurses-support-the-call-for-tppa-transparency-health-check.htm
From International media
Healthtech:
Portland startup's app could ease nurses' scheduling headaches
For nurses, scheduling and swapping shifts can
be so convoluted that they often have to resort to pencil and paper.
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/health-care-inc/2015/02/healthtech-portland-startups-app-could-ease-nurses.html
Nurses Unions Propose Solution to Nurse
Injuries, Improved Patient Safety
The American Nurses Association reports 8 out of 10 nurses
say they frequently work with joint or back pain. The nursing profession has
the highest rate of on-the-job injuries of any other in the country. According
to many the solution to both problems: more nurses on staff at hospitals
http://wxxinews.org/post/nurses-unions-propose-solution-nurse-injuries-improved-patient-safety
Measles cases increase spurs US states to consider
mandatory vaccinations
The number of measles cases in
the United States is rising, with some states considering enforced
vaccinations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-10/measles-cases-spurs-us-states-to-consider-enforced-vaccine/6082090
Legal duty for nurses to report female genital
mutilation unveiled
All regulated health and social care
professionals will in the future be legally required to report “known” cases of
female genital mutilation in children under the age of 18, according to
government proposals.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5082189.article?WT.tsrc=email&WT.mc_id=Newsletter1
Health and wellness
Hand washing focus in hospitals has led to rise in
worker dermatitis
A new study from The University of Manchester
has revealed that the incidence of dermatitis has increased 4.5 times in health
care workers following increased hand hygiene as a drive to reduce infections
such as MRSA has kicked in.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/uom-hwf021115.php
Even 'Proper' Technique Exposes Nurses' Spines To
Dangerous Forces
Scientists say nurses like Sunny Vespico are prime examples
of what nursing schools and hospitals are doing wrong: They keep teaching
nursing employees how to lift and move patients in ways that could
inadvertently result in career-ending back injuries.
http://www.npr.org/2015/02/11/383564180/even-proper-technique-exposes-nurses-spines-to-dangerous-forces
Articles of interest
Bridging the gap between
acute and postacute care
Nurse leaders at all levels have a unique opportunity to
provide significant leadership when it comes to bridging the gap between acute
and postacute care, ensuring smooth transitions for the patient and family. The
chasm that exists is no longer tolerable. Patients and their families are
demanding better coordination, as are payers. By implementing employee
strategies commonly used within the acute care setting across the continuum,
the nurse leader will see the result of better outcomes, lower costs, and an
improved patient experience.1
http://bit.ly/1E4YNdc
Ebola virus disease: Managing a practice challenge
with evidence
In September 2014, a
patient with a possible exposure to Ebola virus disease (EVD) was admitted to
the Special Clinical Studies Unit (SCSU) at the National Institutes of Health
Clinical Center—one of three units in the United States originally designated
as able to accept patients with EVD. The SCSU opened in 2010 and was initially
designed to care for patients suspected of having a highly contagious
condition, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome or another emerging
infection, especially in the context of occupational exposures during research
with these agents. The highest possible principles of containment and biosafety
were built into the unit and its procedures, with a focus on patients with
highly contagious infectious diseases requiring respiratory and contact
isolation.1
http://bit.ly/1A0VnY8
Complexities of medicines safety: communicating about
managing medicines at transition points of care across emergency departments
and medical wards(pages 69–80)
Elizabeth
Manias, Marie Gerdtz, Allison Williams and Michael Dooley
To explore how health professionals, patients and family members
communicate about managing medicines across transition points of care in two
Australian public hospitals.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocn.12685/abstract
A Nurses' Guide to
Quantitative Research
This article provides a breakdown of the components of
quantitative research methodology. Its intention is to simplify the terminology
and process of quantitative research to enable novice readers of research to
better understand the concepts involved.
http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol32/Issue2/4Broomfield.pdf
“The educating nursing staff effectively
(TENSE) study”: design of a cluster randomized controlled trial
Hazelhof
TJ, Gerritsen DL, Schoonhoven L, Koopmans RT
BMC Nursing 2014, 13
:46 (19 December 2014)
Abstract | Provisional PDF
Challenging behavior exhibited by people with
dementia can have adverse outcomes, like stress, low morale, low work
satisfaction and absenteeism for nursing staff in long-term care settings.
Training nursing staff to manage challenging behavior may reduce its impact.
Although much of the research into training nursing staff shows methodological
limitations, several studies find some effect of training programs on knowledge
about and on management of challenging behavior. Effects on stress or burnout
are almost not found.Methods/designThe TENSE-study is a randomized controlled
study on 18 nursing home units (9 control, 9 intervention) investigating the
effects of a continuous educational program for nursing staff about managing
challenging behavior. Nursing staff of intervention units receive the program,
nursing staff of control units do not and continue usual care. The primary
outcome is stress experienced by nursing staff (N?=?135). Secondary outcomes
are: emotional workload, work satisfaction, stress reactions at work and
knowledge about challenging behaviour of nursing staff; and frequency of
challenging behavior, quality of life and social engagement of residents.
Because there are many unknown factors influencing the effect of the training,
a process evaluation to evaluate sampling-, implementation- and intervention
quality as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation will also be
included in the analysis. Nursing staff could not be blinded to the
intervention, but were blinded for the outcomes.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6955/13/46/abstract
Online resources
Reports online
Alcohol Use 2012/13: New Zealand Health Survey
The alcohol use report
presents the key findings from the 2012/13 New Zealand Health Survey about
alcohol use, misuse and alcohol-related harm among New Zealand adults aged 15
years and over.
The following topics are
covered:
- patterns of alcohol consumption
- alcohol use by pregnant women
- alcohol availability and use.
Separate publications will
report the findings about the use of recreational drugs by New Zealand adults
in 2012/13.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/alcohol-use-2012-13-new-zealand-health-survey
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
17 February 2015
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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