Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 90
– 1 February 2012
From NZ media this week
Patient-care-manager-enjoys-busy-pace
American Becky Olson took over the post of service manager
at Wairau Hospital five months ago.
http://bit.ly/zFIvKF
Ambulance rides often needless
Marlborough rest homes have
been told they must not pass on to families the cost of ambulance transport for
their residents to Wairau Hospital, in Blenheim
http://bit.ly/zqPkYL
Misdiagnosis highlights need for more ED staff
A woman whose broken back was
misdiagnosed at Dunedin Hospital's emergency department as abrasions and
bruises says the department must get the extra specialists that doctors say it
needs.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/196074/misdiagnosis-highlights-need-more-ed-staff
Green Paper Campervan drive is on to collect submissions
The Green Paper Campervan drive is on to collect submissions
The drive is on to collect more submissions on the Green Paper for Vulnerable
Children, with a Green Paper campervan driving from Kerikeri in the north to
Invercargill in the south, making 32-stops over 13-days.
http://bit.ly/y5jk2g
Maori child abuse
linked to poverty and discrimination
A Maori health researcher says
reducing Maori child abuse will require tackling poverty and racial
discrimination.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10781130
Plan to keep Kiwi kids safe
Average Kiwi families could be subject to
greater state scrutiny if proposed rules around mandatory reporting of
suspected child abuse are introduced.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6314580/Plan-to-keep-Kiwi-kids-safe
Abused children the focus of paper
Current laws make it too easy
for family members who abuse children to hide behind name suppression, a
Rotorua child advocate says
http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/news/abused-children-focus-paper/1249868/
Psychiatric nurse tried to discredit colleague
A Christchurch psychiatric nurse has been censured and fined
$12,700 after accessing confidential information on a colleague in a bid to
discredit him.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6328422/Psychiatric-nurse-tried-to-discredit-colleague
Nurse sentenced for sex with teens
A registered nurse who had sexual liaisons
with three teenage boys has been sentenced to a year's home detention.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6306677/Nurse-sentenced-for-sex-with-teens
Midwife in drug theft probe
A
midwife is being investigated for stealing drugs from the Wairarapa Hospital
maternity unit.
http://www.times-age.co.nz/news/midwife-in-drug-theft-probe1/1253956/
'Flesh-eating' bug case causes concern
A patient in Palmerston North is the latest
in New Zealand to be treated for a rare and potentially lethal "flesh-eating"
bug.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10781554
Teens report ethnic bias in treatment
Hundreds of teenagers,
questioned in a recent survey, said they felt they had been unfairly treated by
police and health professionals because of their ethnicity.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6330501/Teens-report-ethnic-bias-in-treatment
New alcohol awareness project launched in Hawke’s Bay
A groundbreaking new project aimed at raising awareness of
the wider problems caused by high levels of alcohol use has been launched
across Hawke's Bay's general practice community.
http://bit.ly/xQvDRf
International media
Disbanding of
nursing board raises questions about public protection (USA)
The state Board of
Registered Nursing ceased to exist this year due to an October veto by Gov.
Jerry Brown, and now stark disagreement is emerging over whether the public is
adequately protected from nurses who need drug treatment or limits on their
practice or to be stopped altogether.
http://bit.ly/xQvDRf
Feds Target Roles of PAs and Nurses for Comparative
Research (USA)
January 23, 2012 — Physicians and hospitals are deploying
nurses, physician assistants, and other nonphysicians in new, expanded, and
sometimes controversial ways, especially as healthcare reform puts a premium on
medical homes and the teams that staff them.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/757358?sssdmh=dm1.752791&src=nldne
Government orders review of NMC
(UK)
It has been confirmed that the Nursing and
Midwifery Council is to undergo a strategic review.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5040701.article?referrer=e1
Worry grows as
second senior nurse leaves NMC (UK)
Concerns have been raised about a lack of
nursing leadership at the top of the Nursing and Midwifery Council after it
emerged another senior nurse had quit the troubled regulator.
http://mail.nursingtimes.net/a/hBPHpK2B7gYBnB8VhXWNshWWRT6/new1
RCN issues
warning over public health nursing workforce (UK)
The government must clarify what will happen
to the public health nursing workforce before it attempts to implement its
reforms on the ground, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5040609.article?referrer=e1
RCN attacks planned cut in Scottish
student nurse places (UK)
The Royal College of Nursing has
strongly criticised moves by the Scottish Government to slash the number of
training places for nurses and midwives by nearly 300 in 2012-13.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5040768.article?referrer=e1
NMC agrees 'in
principle' to nurses removing themselves from register
Nurses accused of incompetence could in future
leave the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in order to avoid full fitness
to practise procedures, under plans agreed in principle by the regulator
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5040797.article?referrer=e1
Voluntary HCA plan could lead
to 'formal regulation', says Mid Staffs group (UK)
Voluntary healthcare assistant regulation
could be a “building block” towards a compulsory system, according to a report
expected to influence the findings of the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust
Public Inquiry.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5040498.article?referrer=e3
ANF Says Costs of Refresher
Courses Deter Nurses From Returning (Aus)
The Australian
Nursing Federation (ANF) has issued statements expressing concern over the
costs of refresher courses for nurses who want to rejoin the workforce.
According to the ANF, the fees for the re-entry programs, which can amount to
$10,000, may deter many nurses and midwives who are considering rejoining the
workforce at a time when the country faces major shortages in these sectors.
http://bit.ly/Agkd1k
Faith Community Nursing: Scope & Standards of Practice
is Co-Published (USA)
The American Nurses Association (ANA) in
collaboration with Health Ministries Association, the national professional
membership organization for faith community nurses, has published Faith
Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition. Developed
by twenty-one practicing RNs whose expertise represents the specialty’s roles
across the U.S., and refined by a public review period and a formal review
process by other RNs, this publication offers broad national perspective
applicable to many faith traditions.
http://bit.ly/zo5Goa
Decline in patients cuts nurses’ hours and jobs (USA)
Saturation of available nurses has cost some up
to a third of their income.
http://bit.ly/y8clpK
Colorado wants mandatory flu shots for most
hospital and nursing home workers (USA)
State health officials want to mandate flu
vaccinations for nearly all hospital and nursing-home employees, with no
religious or other personal exemptions, saying patient protections outweigh
individual choice.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19823527#ixzz1kmcldi6u
Mending the flock: Parish nurses promote
health and wellness (USA)
FARGO - Rick Burgess sat down with a nurse to
have his blood pressure checked, and the results raised a warning flag.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/348302/group/News/
Remote Monitoring Technology
to be Trialled by Nurses (Aus)
The Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) is using
high-speed broadband technology to enable nurses to monitor the medicine intake
of elderly patients living independently.
http://bit.ly/zvr4Mh
Health and
wellness
Long Shifts May Raise Some Nurses' Odds for Obesity
Arduous schedules take toll on their health, patient care,
study finds
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Nurses who work long
hours and have less physically demanding jobs are much more likely to be obese
than other nurses, according to a new study
http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=660795
Research offers a leg-up
"I have two doctors, my
left leg and my right leg," wrote British author George Trevelyan in 1913
about the health benefits of walking. Nearly a century later, modern medical
experts echo the same advice: Get up and walk.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/6330385/Research-offers-a-leg-up
Public health
Kiwis told of implant poison risk
About 500 Kiwis have been told their metal
hip replacements may be poisoning them.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/6338016/Kiwis-told-of-implant-poison-risk
A child a week hospitalised on roads: expert
Mothers caught breastfeeding while
travelling on the motorway are among thousands of other, unwitting parents
endangering babies in cars, experts say.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/6308266/A-child-a-week-hospitalised-on-roads-expert
Work and
management
5 low-cost ways to boost
employee competence and confidence
One memory sticks out from the
day I started my first "real" after-school job. It was a warning from
my mom, just as I was leaving the car, to expect a moment when I felt that I'd
have to quit immediately. No matter what triggered it, she said, the impulse to
run for the door would be almost overwhelming.
http://bit.ly/w6TdMo
Articles of
interest
OVoiD delirium and
improved outcomes in acute care. Introducing a model of care
THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2
In this article three aspects of prevention/management will
be available at a glance to nursing staff – the key personnel who manage this
difficult area in aged care.
http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol29/29-2_Hoolahan.pdf
Realistic evaluation of an emergency department-based mental
health nurse practitioner outpatient service in Australia
Evaluation of new models of care
requires consideration of the complexity inherent within health care programs
and their sensitivity to local contextual factors as well as broader community,
social and political influences. Evaluation frameworks that are flexible and
responsive while maintaining research rigor are therefore required. Realistic
evaluation was adopted as the methodology for the implementation and evaluation
of an emergency department-based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient
service in Sydney, Australia. The aim of realistic evaluation is to generate,
test and refine theories of how programs work within a given context. This
paper represents the final methodological step from the completed evaluation. A
summary of quantitative and qualitative findings from the mixed-methods
evaluation is presented, which is transformed into a set of overarching
statements or “middle range theories”. Middle range theory statements seek to
explain the success of a program and provide transferable lessons for
practitioners wishing to implement similar programs elsewhere. For example, the
research team consider that early consultation with key local stakeholders and
emergency department ownership of the project was pivotal to the implementation
process
http://dmmsclick.wiley.com/click.asp?p=13380267&m=48800&u=1214408
Interaction between
primary health care professionals and people who are overweight or obese: A
critical review
THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2
To identify through a review of the literature how primary
health care professionals interact with people who are overweight or obese.
http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol29/29-2_Walsh.pdf
Advanced Practice Nurse Outcomes 1990–2008
A Systematic Review
Quality, access, and cost of health care are high-priority
global concerns. In the United States, these issues are pressing due to the
escalating cost of managing chronic diseases (Department of Health and Human
Services, 2009), the variation in quality of care delivered (Kuehn, 2009), and
the inadequate number of primary care physicians (Freed & Stockman, 2009;
Kuehn, 2009; Lakhan & Laird, 2009). At this critical time, we still do not
know which models of care are best, how to integrate advanced practice
registered nurses (APRN) providers, or to what extent APRN providers can
contribute to improved access to and quality of health care. These deficits are
untenable when the health care needs of society are great and the health reform
debate progresses in legislative arenas. How to expand health care services for
the American public, at an affordable cost, is central to this dispute.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/751807?src=mp&spon=17
A systematic review: Students with mental health problems—A
growing problem
The number of university
students with a serious mental illness has risen significantly over the past few
years. A systematic review was conducted that addressed emotional and or mental
health problems of university students worldwide. In total, 572 articles were
identified, of which 11 met inclusion criteria. Issues identified included
types of problems experienced by students, how staff dealt with these students,
barriers to seeking help, tools that facilitated help-seeking and
epidemiological trends in the university student population. Recommendations
include (i) providing better links between the university and external mental
health providers, and (ii) increasing students' awareness of existing support
services within and external to the university. As it is unrealistic to expect
all academic staff to have the expertise required to deal with students with
emotional problems, it is also recommended that (iii) policies and personnel
with expertise in mental health are available to provide guidance for staff.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-172X.2009.01813.x/full
Enhancing
facilitation skills through a practice development Masterclass: the other side
of the rainbow
THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2
Professional impact and practice based outcomes of an
inaugural Practice Development Facilitation Masterclass, for facilitators of
Practice Development activity in Victoria, Australia, is presented. The
Masterclass educational program format is designed to incorporate experiential
learning strategies with individual transformation as an explicit goal. The
program structure is underpinned by critical social science and delivered
through a co-operative inquiry approach. Evidence of personal and professional
transformation, identified as a consequence of participation in the Masterclass
is reviewed, as we aim to share the ‘other side of the rainbow’, as a symbol of
participant’s transformation during the Practice Development Facilitation
Masterclass experience.
http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol29/29-2_Hardy.pdf
Mental health nursing in
emergency departments: the case for a nurse practitioner role
Aims and objectives. This paper
aims to explore the effectiveness of the mental health nurse practitioner role
in the emergency department in the context of the growing use of special units
or segregated areas to manage particular kinds of mental health presentations,
often complicated by substance use.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03504.x/full
Occupancy data:
unravelling the mystery
THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2
The main purpose of this study was to clarify the method
used to calculate bed occupancy rates.
http://www.ajan.com.au/Vol29/29-2_Webster.pdf
Experts Reveal What Nurses Want on the Job
According to a growing body
of research, nurses want a safe, collegial environment where members of the
health care team communicate and work well together. They want safe staffing
levels. They want flexibility from their employers. They want meaningful
recognition. They want to participate in the decision-making process. They want
to be mentored. They want to be able to speak up, and they want to be heard.
http://bit.ly/ybp2Sc
Creating a Safer Workplace for Nurses
January 19, 2012 - Patient lifting equipment and safety needles are
prevalent in today’s health care facilities, but a recent study from the
American Nurses Association and statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor
suggest that nursing remains a tough job, with opportunities to improve the
work environment.
http://bit.ly/yifS7V
Reports online
New Federal Policy
Initiatives To Boost Health Literacy Can Help The Nation Move Beyond The Cycle
Of Costly 'Crisis Care'
January 20, 2012
22:11
Source: Health Affairs
From the abstract:
Health literacy is the
capacity to understand basic health information and make appropriate health
decisions. Tens of millions of Americans have limited health literacy—a fact
that poses major challenges for the delivery of high-quality care. Despite its
importance, health literacy has until recently been relegated to the sidelines
of health care improvement efforts aimed at increasing access, improving
quality, and better managing costs. Recent federal policy initiatives,
including the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the Department of Health and Human
Services’ National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, and the Plain
Writing Act of 2010, have brought health literacy to a tipping point—that is,
poised to make the transition from the margins to the mainstream.
http://bit.ly/A083AH
Sharps safety (PDF 843.9 KB)
The RCN has a long history of campaigning on improved
protection for nurses and other health care professionals exposed to the risk
of needlestick and other sharps injuries. This guidance has been developed
primarily for RCN safety representatives, but other members of the nursing team
with a role in infection prevention and control of sharps injuries may also
find it useful. The guidance covers the law on sharps injuries, including the
European Directive 2010/32/EU and its underlying principles as well as its
requirements on health care providers. It also includes information on
preparing your organisation, introducing risk assessments, selecting and
evaluating safety-engineered devices and it details what employers should be
doing to comply with the directive and minimise the risk of sharps injuries. It
also includes a checklist to help safety representatives assess organisational
and ward/departmental level compliance with the directive.
http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/418490/004135.pdf
Native
Voices: Native People's Concepts of Health and Illness
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/
Understanding Native people's
ideas about wellness and general health is a complex process, and this online
exhibit does a good job of providing an introduction to the subject. Created by
the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the website has an introductory video
and welcome message from Donald A.B. Lindberg, MD, the director of the NLM.
After this, visitors should click on the "Exhibition" tab. Here they
can browse through four sections (such as "Healing Ways") to learn
about the transformations of Native populations' ideas about health, death, and
healers over the centuries. The "Timeline" tab provides a detailed
look at events from 100,000 BC to the present day that have shaped Native
peoples' perceptions of these related phenomena. The site is rounded out by a
"Resources" area, which includes lesson plans and a list of suggested
readings. [KMG]
Best practice guidelines for mental health promotion for
adults 55+
A joint project between the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health; the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; and
Toronto Public Health has produced the "Best Practice Guidelines for
Mental Health Promotion Programs: Older Adults 55+."
This free resource was developed to support health
and social service providers in using best practice approaches for mental
health promotion for people aged 55 years and older.
The resource includes:
Eleven best practice guidelines
Background definitions
Examples of outstanding programmes
Outcome and process indicators
Theory about underlying concepts, particularly as it relates
to resilience
Resources
References and acknowledgements
To download your free copy, go to www.knowledgeex.camh.net
New
publications
Title Mental
Health in Primary Care : A Resource for New Zealand Health Professionals
Author LARACY ET AL
Publisher WHITIREIA
PUBLISHING
Synopsis Mental
Health in Primary Care is a practical resource for all New Zealand health
professionals working within the Primary Health Care Strategy. This
quick-reference guide to the most common mental health conditions includes
information on how to recognise and respond to symptoms. It also provides easy-to-access
information about mental health services, step-by-step intervention flowcharts
and clear suggestions for support and recovery. Mental illness affects a
quarter of New Zealanders at some stage in their lives, and early intervention
has a significant impact on the person's recovery. Mental Health in Primary
Care provides the tools that
health professionals need to make a difference.
https://www.ubsbooks.co.nz/bookweb/details.cgi?ITEMNO=9781877192470
Vital Signs for
Nurses: An Introduction to Clinical Observations
Monitoring, observing and recording the vital signs of
patients is a fundamental aspect of delivering quality patient care. This
practical and accessible guide will develop your underpinning knowledge and
skills in both theory and practice for the adult patient found either in
hospital, private sector or community settings.
A must-have for health care assistants, student nurses or
newly qualified registered nurses working within any health care environment,
this book explores not only how to assess and monitor patients, but also
covers:
Legal and ethical issues
Infection prevention and control
Pain
Communication
Nutrition
Reflective practice
Continuing professional development
This essential and practical resource also features learning
objectives, case studies, a glossary of key terms, activities and multiple
choice questions to assist you in your understanding of this subject.
ISBN:
978-1-4051-9038-1
Paperback
280 pages
June 2011,
Wiley-Blackwell
AUD $44.95 / NZD $49.99
http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405190388.html
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 31
January 2011
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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