Welcome to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 529, Wednesday 3 February 2021
Weekly news round-up of nursing and health information in New Zealand and internationally
NATIONAL NEWS
'Kind to the core' nurse calls time on 49-year career in care
She was a student looking forward to a career as a music teacher, until the transfer of her mentor shattered her music dream, and left her with Plan B.
For Rosemarie Nicholls, Plan B was training as a nurse. This February, the much-loved nurse, known to most as Rosie, will retire after a 49-year nursing career.
Central Otago nurse brings up 50 years of caring for others
The feel-good factor of seeing people leaving hospital in better shape than when they arrived will never leave an ex-Southlander with 50 years in nursing.
It’s an occupation Jill Hansen has always wanted to do.
Rose Pere: Born to push against the current
Dr Rangimārie Te Turuki Arikirangi Rose Pere: educator, conservationist; b July 25, 1937; d December 13, 2020
When Rose Pere was born in the remote Eastern Bay of Plenty settlement of Ruatāhuna, her mother was told that she would be a boy.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nurse Practitioner Susan Orsega Appointed as Acting US Surgeon General
The Biden Administration appointed Rear Admiral Susan Orsega, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, as acting U.S. Surgeon General. The National League for Nursing (NLN) congratulated Adm. Orsega on her appointment and applauded President Biden for recognizing Adm. Orsega as one of the first nurses to serve in the surgeon general role
Dr. Fauci Says It's Nurses, Not Him, Who Are Inspiring The Next Generation
In November 2020, there were over 700,000 google searches on “how to become a nurse” and other related keywords. Now, more than ever, individuals want to become nurses. High school and college students are watching the pandemic unfold on TV and nurses are at the forefront of the fight. Most feel a need to help others, some are drawn to the fast-paced intensity of units such as the ICU and ER, and others see the job advertisements offering insanely high wages for crisis contracts.
Chief Midwifery and Nursing Officer, Professor Alison McMillan's statement about Nurses' Key Role ...
Read the statement of Chief Midwifery and Nursing Officer, Professor Alison McMillan's statement about Nurses' Key Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout.
Northern Ireland announces Covid-19 bonus for nurses and students
Making the announcement last night, Northern Irish health minister Robin Swann (pictured top) revealed that some student nurses would also be offered ...
1 in 3 Ontario registered practical nurses considering quitting due to pandemic, poll suggests
'I have held hands with those dying alone,' respondent says in survey by nurses' group
New BC study shows nurses' physiological impacts of stress
New B.C. study shows nurses' physiological impacts of stress.
CANCER NEWS
Cancer in NZ: Survival rates up, but inequities persist
More New Zealanders are surviving cancer than ever before, but survival rates languish behind other high-income countries – particularly among Māori.
Cancer society seeks new ways to reach out to Māori patients
"Māori are 20 per cent more likely to get cancer than non-Māori, and nearly twice as likely as non-Māori to die from cancer."
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Sugar treatment cuts risks for newborn babies in NZ-Australia trial
Rubbing sugar gel inside the mouths of newborn babies at risk of hypoglycaemia reduced their odds of developing the disorder, a four-year trial conducted in maternity hospitals across New Zealand and Australia has found.
COVID-19 / CORONAVIRUS
Covid long haulers fighting to be heard
As the world grapples with its worst health crisis in a century, a secondary pandemic is starting to take hold, one which could be with us for months if not years after Covid-19 has been eradicated.
Covid-19: Ministry of Health reveals increased stock of PPE, more ventilators available
The Ministry of Health says it has more than nine months worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) in stock at current usage rates, or over a month's worth at "high pandemic" use rates.
Will vaccine rollout help or hurt wider immunisation efforts?
An expert says the coming coronavirus vaccine roll-out could be a "double-edged sword" for New Zealand's wider immunisation rates, with the potential to help or hinder them.
Covid-19: Strong argument for mandatory vaccination for some workers - law expert
Questions are being asked about whether it should be mandatory for employees, including healthcare workers, to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Covid-19: Govt wants to vaccinate 70 per cent of NZ, but questions remain
Health authorities are aiming for 70 per cent of the population to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but it is unclear over what time period this will occur.
Coronavirus: Vaccine hesitancy will fade as more information comes to light - experts
The nearly one million New Zealanders who are hesitant about vaccinations should have their fears eased as more information about Covid-19 vaccinations comes to light, experts say. Read more
Health officials 'concerned' about new EU controls on Covid-19 vaccine exports
Health officials are worried new European Union controls on Covid-19 vaccine exports could mean there are not as many doses available in New Zealand.
Call for more input into how vaccine rollout is handled in rural communities
The group representing Rural Health say there will need to be a greater level of thought about how the Covid-19 vaccine will be rolled out into rural communities.
International results to factor in Pfizer vaccine decision
Covid-19 jabs given to millions of people around the world will factor into the decision this week about whether Pfizer's vaccine can be used here.
Most government information on COVID-19 is too hard for the average Australian to understand
Almost half of Australian adults struggle with reading. Similar levels of struggling readers are reported in the United Kingdom and United States.
DHBS
Task force to ease hospital pressures
A task force will be responsible for making serious headway to ease workload pressure at the Southern District Health Board and make the flow of patients through hospitals more efficient.
Increased threat of armed violence on Counties Manukau DHB's agenda
With a number of armed incidents in south Auckland making headlines, the Counties Manukau DHB is reviewing its emergency lockdown plans to deal with such events.
MENTAL HEALTH
Fast food outlets and liquor stores linked to poor mental health
People reporting recent mental distress or a diagnosis are more likely to live near fast food and alcohol stores and have less access to parks, rivers or waterways, a study has found.
Student Job Search partners with mental health platform, Clearhead
Confronting youth suicide with free, culturally competent care: Student Job Search partners with online mental health platform, Clearhead
PATIENT SAFETY
Burns from a surgical fire among hundreds of incidents in NZ hospitals last year
Surgeons operating in the wrong place, delays in recognising flesh-eating bacteria and a fire during surgery leaving a person with burns were among adverse events in New Zealand hospitals last year.
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
‘Work to be done’: Maori PHO enrolment low in South
Almost a quarter of all southern Maori may not be enrolled in the local primary health organisation.
214 doctors representing 28 ethnicities start specialist GP training
Across New Zealand this week, 214 doctors will begin their training to become specialist general practitioners. The new cohort of GP registrars are a diverse bunch of New Zealanders that represent 28 ethnicities including MÄori, Pacific Islanders, Asian, Middle Eastern, and PÄkehÄ.
Doc's prescription: take a walk to see me in the morning
A Saturday stroll with the doc could be just what the doctor ordered.
I The initiative from the Te Awamutu Medical Centre utilises its group of qualified nurses and doctors to encourage more people to get active.
SOCIAL HEALTH
Pandemic response creates perfect storm for self-harm, domestic violence - Otago study
Lockdowns and social distancing may be key to stopping the spread of COVID-19, but they are having other, deadly, effects too, a University of Otago study highlights.
WORKPLACE
What If a Colleague Refuses the COVID Vaccine?
All over social media, people are sharing photos and selfies of themselves getting the COVID-19 vaccine. They are really excited about the light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is a vaccine that is going to get us to herd immunity.
Nurses Teaching Nurses, Part Two: Faculty, Preceptors, and Mentors… Support Is An Amazing Thing
This is the second part of a special two-part article on the importance of nurse preceptorship and mentoring.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH REPORTS
Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 - Proposals for regulations
Summary
The Ministry of Health is seeking views on a number of regulatory proposals that will provide the operational detail to help achieve the intent of the new provisions of the Act. That intent is to:
better support smokers to switch to regulated products that are less harmful than smoking
protect children, young people and non-smokers from the risks associated with vaping and smokeless tobacco products.
The Act has a number of regulation-making powers but, at this stage, we do not propose to make all of the regulations that are possible under the Act. We will monitor and review the regulations regularly to ensure the intent of the Act is being achieved adequately.
The regulations must be workable for those they impact. Your feedback on the regulatory proposals is important because it will help shape the final regulations.
Read more
REPORTS AND NEW PUBLICATIONS
He Pūrongo Mate Pukupuku o Aotearoa 2020
The State of Cancer in New Zealand 2020
This report provides a detailed snapshot of New Zealand’s progress in relation to cancer. It is the first stage in the ongoing critical analysis by Te Aho o Te Kahu of our cancer care system.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
How does nursing research differ internationally? A bibliometric analysis of six countries.
Thelwall, M, Mas‐Bleda, A.
Int J Nurs Pract. 2020; 26:e12851. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12851
Background
International nursing research comparisons can give a new perspective on a nation's output by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Aim
This article compares strengths in nursing research between six mainly English‐speaking nations (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States).
Nurse practitioner work patterns: A cross‐sectional study.
Lowe, G, Tori, K, Jennings, N, Schiftan, D, Driscoll, A.
Nurs Open. 2020; 00: 1– 9. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.705
The aim was to determine how nurse practitioner (NP) roles are translated into clinical practice across Victoria, Australia. This paper reports details about NP work patterns and scopes of practice across multiple clinical settings and geographic locations.
The articles below are not freely available but may be accessed through databases and libraries to which readers have access
Nurses’ perspectives of recognising and responding to unsafe practice by their peers: a national cross‐sectional survey.
Blair, W., Kable, A., Palazzi, K., Courtney‐Pratt, H., Doran, E. and Oldmeadow, C. (2021),
J Clin Nurs. Accepted Author Manuscript. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15670
Aims
This study aimed to identify behaviours and cues that nurses recognise as indications of unsafe practice, perceived factors that contribute to unsafe practice and actions nurses take in response.
Methods
National cross‐sectional survey of a random sample of Registered Nurses (n = 231) in New Zealand, in 2017‐2018. The STROBE Checklist was used to report this study.
Results
Nurses reported a high rate of episodes of unsafe practices and recognised a range of behaviours and cues that alerted them to the potential for unsafe practice. Several organizational issues were perceived to contribute to unsafe practice occurring. The reporting of episodes of unsafe practice and perceived organisational support was low for nurses compared to managers.
Conclusion
Failure to recognise and respond to unsafe practice may indicate a tolerance for substandard practice by individual nurses, or by the organisation. Nurses who recognise unsafe practice must be supported by the organisation.
Introducing advanced level practice and the scope of developing new roles
Barry Hill and Aby Mitchell
British Journal of Nursing, Vol. 30, No. 1: 28-31.
Barry Hill and Aby Mitchell introduce a new series on advanced level practice. They describe the frameworks that outline advanced practitioner roles and explain how the roles affect patients, services and organisations
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 of 2 February 2021
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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