News bulletin 13 June

on 13 June

Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 401 Wednesday 13 June 2018

Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally

NATIONAL NEWS

NZ study: What amount of blood sugar is normal in newborns?
Scientists don't really know what amount of blood sugar is normal in newborn babies.Well, they sort of know, but the data are old and probably unreliable because the measurements date to a time when newborn care was very different from today, says Dr Deborah Harris a Nurse Practitioner Neonatology at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Waikato Hospital.
Read more here

Ara nursing graduates are ready to work
Ara nursing graduates remain in demand according to Nurse Education in the Tertiary Sector’s New Graduate Destinations report.
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New nursing education promises a better future for Kiribati
The Pacific nation of Kiribati is often described as the poster child of climate change, and as the tides continue rise on the people of Kiribati, a team from Wintec is working to upskill nurses to future-proof their careers.
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Health Minister urges nurses to 'seriously' consider pay offer
The Health Minister is encouraging nurses to consider the DHBs' latest pay offer "seriously", saying no one wants them to go on strike.
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On Newshub Nation: Lisa Owen interviews Health Minister David Clark
Lisa Owen: It’s not an easy time to be the Health Minister. Since the Labour-led government took office, there have been revelations of mouldy, damp hospital buildings, serious staff shortages, a lack of medical resources, and increasing demand. Minister David Clark has asked an expert panel to review the entire health system, and an extra $4 billion was allocated to health in this year’s budget. Well, David Clark joins me now. Good morning, Minister.
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Deeper issues beyond nurses' wages need to be addressed
Raising nurses' pay and boosting staff are long overdue, but if the management system is not addressed, will we just end up with more disgruntled staff who may be better paid, Elspeth McLean asks.
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Emergency department violence hugely under-reported as nurses don't have time to make complaints
Violence and aggression towards doctors and nurses in emergency departments has been occurring at a rate far higher than previously thought.
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Tougher penalties for offences against healthcare workers sought
Harsher penalties in line with those for prison guards and police are needed for people who assault hospital workers, a heath board member says.
It follows the release of a new study highlighting the extent of violence against emergency department (ED) staff, much of which goes unreported. 
Read more here

Lack of understanding prevents minority groups accessing chronic pain services
Ethnic minority groups are less likely to seek help for chronic pain despite having greater needs than Pakeha, new research has found. 
Read more here

AGED CARE

Dementia units to be redefined as 'places of detention' to protect elderly
A major shake-up of the monitoring of dementia units has been confirmed. The Office of the Ombudsman will have the power to randomly inspect about 180 privately-run dementia facilities, in changes gazetted by Justice Minister Andrew Little today.
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CANCER ISSUES

Big delay in life-saving improvements to cervical cancer screening
A change that would mean women would need to take a smear test every five years has been delayed until 2021.
Read more here

HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

A tenth of New Zealand houses not fit to live in, health researcher says
Up to 10 per cent of New Zealand houses are not fit for habitation, and most are not warm enough, a health researcher says.
Read more here

MENTAL HEALTH

Media guidelines: Portrayal of people living with mental illness and mental health issues in Aotearoa.
The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHF) has launched media guidelines to equip journalists with the confidence and understanding to report on mental illness and mental health issues safely, accurately and respectfully.
Read more here

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

Govt must confront our shunning of GPs for EDs
EDITORIAL: Not too many people head down to a hospital's emergency department with a tra-la-la.They, or the person they're taking, will likely be in pain, distress and quite often scared.
Scared not only for medical reasons, either. They'll perhaps have the added concern that they are going into one of the most notoriously stressful environments around, as witnessed by recent stories that department staff now see dealing with violence as part of their job. 
Read more here

After-hours care costs hits poor families hard
A west Auckland Māori urban authority says the government needs to take control of the soaring cost of after-hours medical care.
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Clinical Chief Advisor for Primary Health Care
Chief Medical Officer Dr Andrew Simpson is pleased to announce the appointment of the Ministry of Health’s new Clinical Chief Advisor with a focus on primary health care.
Read more here

PUBLIC HEALTH

Unicef: Polio’s awful impact still being felt in New Zealand 
SPECIAL REPORT: Shirley Hazlewood was just 14 months old when she got polio. She would spend the next fourteen years in hospital, allowed home only in the weekends. Her childhood was a daily struggle with polio, and she has spent her adult life dealing with the effects.
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An end to tuberculosis in Māori in sight?
Every year, 300 active cases of tuberculosis (TB) are notified in New Zealand. Of the about 60 cases in NZ-born Kiwis - about half are Māori. Jody Hopkinson looks at a research project that ultimately hopes to eradicate TB in Māori forever.
Read more here

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UMass Inventor Insists On Due Credit For Nurses Who Innovate
A UMass Amherst nursing professor has been named to a national panel of inventors — the first nurse to be honored alongside engineers and computer scientists from companies like Microsoft and IBM.
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Students sought for higher nursing qualifications in Samoa
A new postgraduate programme in Samoa to address the shortage of higher qualified nursing graduates is now open to suitable applicants
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New York nurses union unveiling $1M campaign for 'safe staffing' bill
ALBANY — With the state legislative session winding down, the union representing nurses statewide on Monday will begin an ad campaign to pressure senators to pass a law requiring minimum nurse-to-patient staffing levels.
Read more here

WORKPLACE

Journaling for Professional Development
Improving Yourself Through Reflection
Reflect on your thoughts, and learn from your mistakes, by keeping a journal.
Would you like to become a better communicator, to develop self-awareness, to build self-confidence, and to learn quickly from mistakes, via one simple, daily event? All of this – and more – is possible when you keep a journal.
Read more here

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Drennan VM, Calestani M, Ross F, et al
Tackling the workforce crisis in district nursing: can the Dutch Buurtzorg model offer a solution and a better patient experience? A mixed methods case study
BMJ Open 2018;8:e021931
Despite policy intentions for more healthcare out of hospital, district nursing services face multiple funding and staffing challenges, which compromise the care delivered and policy objectives.
Read more here

Preventing chronic disease in patients with low health literacy using eHealth and teamwork in primary healthcare: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial
BMJ Open, Vol 8, no 6
Introduction Adults with lower levels of health literacy are less likely to engage in health-promoting behaviours. Our trial evaluates the impacts and outcomes of a mobile health-enhanced preventive intervention in primary care for people who are overweight or obese.
Read more here

Medication administration evaluation tool design: An expert panel review
Collegian (Articles in press)
Aim
To identify criteria and content for inclusion in a tool to evaluate medication administration by nurses in the clinical setting, using an expert panel.
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Perception Gap on New Graduates’ Practice-Readiness Narrows Between Nurse Hiring Managers and Clinical Educators
A healthcare system reliant on a growing array of technologies to keep pace with emerging quality-based care initiatives, is ratcheting up the pressure on nursing education programs for graduate nurses who begin their careers more proficient and better able to support new care models. Yet, despite this emphasis on graduating practice ready nurses, there remains a gap between how well academia, and those practicing in the trenches, think students are prepared to enter the workforce.
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MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in New Zealand Children: New Zealand Health Survey
Based on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), this publication explores the prevalence of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in New Zealand children aged 3–14 years. Data come from the New Zealand Health Survey child developmental health and wellbeing module, which was in the field in 2012/13, 2014/15 and 2015/16. The publication reports on differences in the prevalence and nature of the difficulties experienced by children across age, sex, ethnicity and neighbourhood deprivation.
Read more here

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Māori Health Review Issue 73
In this issue:

Inequalities in cervical cancer between Māori and non-Māori
Ethnic disparities in attendance at chronic pain services
Have NZ doctors reached the Smokefree 2025 goal?
Ways to achieve tobacco endgame targets
A new approach for Māori mental health
AF burden amongst Māori and Pacifica people
Equity in public health economic analyses
Māori perceived appearance linked to smoking status
Weight loss programmes need to be culturally relevant
Enquiring about family violence
The occupational environment contributes to health inequities
Read more here

Every Nurse an E-nurse: Insights from a consultation on the digital future of nursing
PUBLICATION CODE : 007 013
This publication presents the detailed findings of a consultation, led by the RCN, into the digital future of nursing. The consultation took place over January and February 2018. The consultation explored 1) ideas for a shared vision of a digitally enabled health and social care service 2) the barriers and enablers to the vision becoming a reality and 3) examples of how data, information, knowledge and technology are already bringing that vision to life.
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 12 June 2018

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