Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 359 2 August 2017
NATIONAL NEWS
Gisborne nurse’s contribution recognised
GISBORNE nurse and Open for Leadership Award winner Rachel Malone is proud to represent her area of mental health services.
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First scholarships awarded for trainee nurses
ARIANA Kairau and Lydia Taare are the first recipients in Gisborne to be awarded Hauora Maori Scholarships for 2017.They are first year nursing trainee students at EIT Tairawhiti and have received $1700 each, thanks to the Kia Ora Hauora Programme.
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ACADEMIC WITH A PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE
A newly appointed associate professor in EIT’s School of Nursing, Rachael Walker is as focused as ever on boosting health outcomes and reducing inequities for the people of Hawke’s Bay and beyond.
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District nurses 'completely gutted' over move to Blenheim health hub
Five months of lobbying has failed, and Blenheim's district nurses will move to the health hub, whether they like it or not. Reporter Jennifer Eder speaks to a district nurse, a patient and a health board member about the controversial decision.
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District nursing hub move one of several review recommendations
Marlborough's district nurses will be moved out of Wairau Hospital, in Blenheim, following an independent review.
The independent panel recommended shifting the nurses to the new health hub in the town centre, as well as suggesting more staff, new technology and better communication for district nurses across the top of the south.
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Nelson nurse with passion for child protection nominated for award
Nelson nurse Willow Duffy is on a crusade against child abuse.
Duffy is on a mission to educate people about how to spot signs of child abuse and what to do about it.
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Train more NPs not GPs says nurse leader
JENNY CARRYER argues that an answer to the ongoing concern about rural GP shortages is in "plain sight" - stop the calls to train more GPs and invest more in training NPs instead.
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The broad role of public health nursing recognised in newly launched framework
A long awaited knowledge and skills framework has been launched recognising the public health nurse's broad and varied role from treating a child's sore throat to responding to public health emergencies.
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New graduate nurses credit their families for achievement
Two Kaitaia women have overcome the burdens of distance, travel and juggling children, to graduate as nurses.
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Gentle champion of improving MH care wins award
A new mental health nurse's gentle championing of projects aimed at relieving patient boredom, reducing seclusion and improving handover has won her an emerging leadership award.
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Healthcare sector suffering skills shortage
Huge growth in healthcare vacancies has left employers struggling to fill roles.
Auckland is suffering a particular shortage in aged care workers, while Wellington is desperate for counsellors and psychologists, according to new figures released by Seek.
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Hospital staff attacked by patients more than 14,000 times
Medical staff around the country have been abused and attacked by patients almost 14,000 times since 2012.
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CANCER ISSUES
Jonathan Coleman: Social media to help save women's lives
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a new website and social media campaign will help encourage women to have regular cervical smear tests and mammograms.
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DHBs
More people waiting longer for colonoscopies and MRI scans at major DHBs
More people are waiting longer for crucial MRI scans and colonoscopies, and some doctors are performing procedures after-hours to keep up with demand.
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Dignity and respect for very large patients
Innovation and sensitivity are the cornerstones of the approach to treating very large – ‘bariatric’ – patients at local hospitals.
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DHBs stay mum on quake audits
District health boards (DHBs) in high quake-risk zones are not saying if they will audit their buildings to make sure they are up to scratch.|
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MENTAL HEALTH
Youth suicide in NZ: a discussion paper
Over recent months the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor together with the Departmental Science Advisors from Health, Education, Social Development and Justice have been preparing a discussion paper on youth suicide. This paper was provided to Ministers this week and is released today.
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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
'If the system isn't corrected, then it will fail' - family GPs
Hundreds of messages from stressed and overworked family doctors are being delivered to the Health Minister in a bid to get more funding for primary health care.
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New study hopes to identify ways to making health services more accessible to Pacific families
A team of researchers, led by Debbie Ryan of Pacific Perspectives, has been awarded a Health Research Council grant of $400,000 over two years to help practitioners and planners more deeply understand how Pacific individuals and families relate to our health system.
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PUBLIC HEALTH
Kiwi experts zero in on new possible cause of rheumatic fever
It’s long been known that Group A streptococcus in sore throats can trigger the self-sabotaging immune disease. But now many New Zealand and Australian researchers and medical professionals, interviewed by the Listenerfor this week’s cover story, believe strep A in skin infections is likely playing a causal role, too.
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Scientists find even a small dip in measles vaccination numbers could spark a major outbreak
A reducation as small as five percent in the number of people getting vaccinated for measles could lead to three times the number of annual cases of the disease, a new study shows.
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SOCIAL HEALTH
Children exposed to more safety risks if they live in rental homes, Auckland Uni study shows
Children exposed to more safety risks if they live in rental homes, Auckland Uni study shows
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TOBACCO, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Rise in e-cigarettes linked to rise in smokers quitting, say researchers
New research studying United States smokers has shown the recent rise in e-cigarette use in that country is getting more smokers quitting, according to Professor Chris Bullen of the University of Auckland.
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NZ youth more likely to discourage than promote smoking among peers
Young people more often discourage smoking among their peers than encourage it, new University of Otago research suggests.
Around half of 14- and 15- year old New Zealanders have carried out at least one behaviour during the past year to discourage smoking, most often by telling their peers that smoking is bad for their health; to stop smoking; that they do not like smoking; and that smoking is a waste of money.|
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‘Legal highs’ and mental health: raising nurse awareness
The use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) or ‘legal highs’ is an emerging issue worldwide. There is rising concern around the risks of NPS and the detrimental effects on individuals’ mental health. How can you as a nurse identify and manage risks around NPS in your everyday nursing practice? By David & Bernadette Solomon
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Major study: Community nurses with poor work environments 'more likely to miss care'
Better working environments, including time to care and access to training, are linked with better patient and workforce outcomes in community nursing, according to the first study of its kind.
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SingHealth nurses to get new standardised uniforms to help patients identify them more easily
SINGAPORE - For the first time in a decade, SingHealth is unveiling new standardised uniforms for its nurses.These changes will be made across its 11 healthcare institutions, such as Singapore General Hospital (SGH), KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and specialist centres.
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How Home Visits by Nurses Help Mothers and Children, Especially Boys
On her regular home visits, the nurse brought books for Aliah Arneson to read to her baby daughter, Aisaya. She taught Ms. Arneson how to safely install a car seat; how to position Aisaya when her ear hurt so the fluid would drain; and how to confront the anxiety she felt about motherhood.
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Care trust nurses training firefighters to help prevent falls in Yorkshire
Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust has teamed up with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to support vulnerable people across the district who are at an increased risk of falling.
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WORKPLACE
Have you heard of cognitive stacking?
Cognitive stacking is an invisible and dynamic process in which nurses organize and reorganize activities according to changes and priorities throughout the shift. Whatever your experience level, you can use the workflow management strategies described in this article to boost your prioritization and time management skills.
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Culture's Effects on Pain Assessment and Management
AJN, American Journal of Nursing
April 2010, Volume 110 Number 4 , p 38 - 47
OVERVIEW: Minority patients are at high risk for poor pain outcomes. When patients belong to a culture or speak a language that's different from that of their health care provider, the provider faces additional challenges in successfully assessing and managing the patients' pain. This article describes how and why culture affects both patients and nurses. It also discusses why members of cultural minority groups frequently receive suboptimal pain management and how nurses can improve patients' pain outcomes by using culturally sensitive assessments and providing culturally comfortable care.
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Improving cultural competence in end-of-life pain management
Nursing2017
January 2016, Volume 46 Number 1 , p 32 - 41
MANAGING PAIN is a central component of end-of-life care, and nurses are in a prime position to relieve pain and suffering throughout the dying process. But as the United States continues to become more ethnically and culturally diverse, healthcare providers face increasing challenges as they care for patients with different cultural values.
Read more here
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 1 August 2017
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