Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 171, Wednesday 25 September 2013
From NZ media this week
Low-cost clinics at crisis point as funding dries up
Thousands of vulnerable patients could struggle to see a doctor as low-cost health clinics reach "crisis point".
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9187881/Low-cost-clinics-at-crisis-point-as-funding-dries-up
College of Nurses offers a way to save low-cost health clinics
Press Release – College of Nurses Aotearoa Inc
It is very distressing to see the report that tens of thousands of Wellington’s most vulnerable patients could struggle to see a doctor unless threatened low-cost health clinics can be pulled back from “crisis point” and kept afloat. This situation is not confined to Wellington.
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=59717
Next steps in funded family care
The Government has been working with people from the disability and carers' community on key parts of implementing its $92 million policy of paying some family members to care for disabled people, Health Minister Tony Ryall says.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2013/september-2013/17/next-steps-in-funded-family-care.aspx
'Bold' child worker law changes receive unanimous backing
A major law change which will introduce compulsory security screening of up to 376,000 people working with children has been unanimously backed in Parliament at the first hurdle.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=11126517
Nurse censured and fined for stealing pain drugs
A nurse has been censured and fined for stealing the potentially addictive pain relief drug Tramadol while working at Middlemore Hospital.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11126106
Nurse suspended for privacy breach
A former Dunedin enrolled nurse who illegally accessed details of a patient's termination of pregnancy and then texted another person about it has been suspended from practising.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9176708/Nurse-suspended-for-privacy-breach
Nurse suspended for texting patient's private records to another person
A nurse who accessed health records about a patient's pregnancy termination and texted another person about it has been suspended for three months.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11126674
Ex-nursing head guilty of misconduct
Nelson registered nurse and former New Zealand Nurses Organisation president Nano Tunnicliff has been found guilty of professional misconduct for compromising the safety of 87 patients in the top of the south.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9180572/Ex-nursing-head-guilty-of-misconduct
Aged care
NZ dementia rates to triple by 2050
The rate of people living with dementia is set to triple by the year 2050, Alzheimer's New Zealand says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11127218
Video series showcases aged care nursing
An online resource to showcase new and innovative approaches to better care for older people has been launched today by Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/video-series-showcases-aged-care-nursing/5/168219
Mental health
Coroner: Support people with depression
A coroner has called for urgent attention to support systems and communication for people with depression.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9185963/Coroner-Support-people-with-depression
'Psycho-social' impacts on asthma sufferers
Asthma sufferers who also live with anxiety or depression are more prone to asthma attacks, a visiting expert says.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=11126948
Pharmacy
New prescription fees a bitter pill for some patients
Taranaki pharmacists say many customers are paying for medicines in a piecemeal fashion since prescription prices increased earlier this year.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/9188027/New-prescription-fees-a-bitter-pill-for-some-patients
Public health
Sugary beverages should be regulated like tobacco - researcher
Sugar-sweetened beverages should be regulated like tobacco as a first step to combating New Zealand's obesity epidemic, the Public Health Association Conference was told today in New Plymouth
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=11126579
Sore throats can break a heart
Northland has one of the highest rates of rheumatic fever in the world, and current swabbing projects in schools aren't enough to identify and treat the disease, the Public Health Association Conference was told today in New Plymouth.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2013/september-2013/18/sore-throats-can-break-a-heart.aspx
For children, including those with a respiratory condition, being sick is not inevitable or just ‘bad luck’
Why do children get sick? Being sick is not inevitable or just ‘bad luck’ said Associate Professor Nikki Turner at the NZ Respiratory Conference. There is considerable evidence showing that living in economic poverty makes people, and children in particular, at much higher risk of being sick. And not just occasionally sick, but also having recurrent illnesses, being admitted to hospital more frequently and ending up with long-term chronic conditions such as bronchiectasis.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1309/S00094/nz-respiratory-conference-kids-being-sick-is-not-inevitable.htm
Bad teeth affect many areas of health experts say
A whole range of people employed to protect the public’s health are voicing concerns about what will happen if the quality of Hamilton’s teeth declines due to drinking non-fluoridated water.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/bad-teeth-affect-many-areas-health-experts-say/5/168206
Parental neglect of kids' teeth at rotting point
Children are turning up for their first day of school with alarming levels of tooth decay, as too many parents neglect to take them to a dentist before they turn 5, oral health experts say.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/9177434/Parental-neglect-of-kids-teeth-at-rotting-point
Device's side effects are users' health nightmare
The Ministry of Health's Medsafe has stepped up warnings to GPs about a contraception rod, as thousands of Kiwi women turn to the seemingly trouble-free protection from pregnancy. Concerns are rising that side effects are not being made clear to patients
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=11128196
Social health
Being homeless hits children hard
Thousands of Kiwi children are homeless, with many missing out on schooling and basic medical care.A new Otago University study has used 2006 census data to provide the first measure of homelessness, finding that 34,000 people suffer "severe housing deprivation".
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9200104/Being-homeless-hits-children-hard
Campaign launched to combat loneliness
There are nearly 50,000 older New Zealanders who are very, very lonely.Age Concern is there to help these people when they feel like nobody else cares.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1309/S00119/campaign-launched-to-combat-loneliness.htm
International media
Be open over nurse numbers, hospitals urged by MPs
Hospitals in England should publicly display the number of nurses they have on duty on each ward - and whether that figure is high enough, MPs say.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24124526
Doctors and nurses' regulators asked to clarify guidance on face veils
Health minister Dan Poulter acts in response to claim that 17 hospital trusts ban wearing veils while treating patients
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/19/doctors-nurses-face-veils-ban
TV may reinforce stereotypes about men in nursing
(Reuters Health) - Fictional male nurses on television are sidelined in supporting roles, portrayed as the butt of jokes and cast as commentary providers or minority representatives, all of which makes it harder in reality to recruit men to nursing and retain them, according to a new study.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/us-tv-nurses-idUSBRE98G18G20130917
When Nurses Bond With Their Patients
As nurses we are taught that we are professionals and we must maintain a certain emotional distance with our patients. It’s a boundary that encompasses the therapeutic relationship: nurses as caregivers, patients as the recipients of the care. But now, working as a nurse, I have found that while most of my professional boundaries are well defined, sometimes the line between a professional and personal relationship with a patient can become blurred.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/when-nurses-bond-with-their-patients/?ref=health&_r=1
Palliative care program to employ nurses and allied health professionals
A pioneering community-based palliative care program will employ around 120 nurses, allied health professionals and community support workers in Tasmania next year.
http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/palliative-care-program-to-employ-nurses-and-allied-health-professionals/1882/
World-first study finds midwifery care costs less and delivers equally safe care
A world-first University of Sydney randomised controlled trial comparing continuity of midwifery care throughout pregnancy with standard public hospital care found that caseload midwifery reduced interventions in birth and reduced costs.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2013/september-2013/17/world-first-study-finds-midwifery-care-costs-less-and-delivers-equally-safe-care.aspx
Transforming Nursing Education to Meet Emerging Health Care Needs
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Human Capital Blog is asking diverse experts: What is and isn’t working in health professions education today, and what changes are needed to prepare a high-functioning health and health care workforce that can meet the country’s current and emerging needs? Today’s post is by Judith Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, president of the National League for Nursing and executive associate dean for Academic Affairs at the Indiana University School of Nursing.
http://rwjf.org/en/blogs/human-capital-blog/2012/09/transforming_nursing.html
Wanted: Young Nurse Faculty
Nursing schools are in desperate need of faculty and not enough young nurses are answering the call.
http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/newsroom-content/2013/09/wanted--young-nurse-faculty.html
Social media
34,000 people missing out on housing, University of Otago research shows
An estimated 34,000 people, or about one in every 120 New Zealanders, were unable to access housing in 2006, according to the latest available census and emergency housing data, say University of Otago, Wellington (UOW) researchers.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2013/september-2013/23/34,000-people-missing-out-on-housing,-university-of-otago-research-shows.aspx
Articles of interest
Infection Control: Is targeting MRSA the right infection prevention goal for surgical patients?
OR Nurse 2013
September 2013
Volume 7 Number 5
Pages 13 - 15Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen both in the perioperative setting and within the community. Many studies have shown that it increases morbidity and mortality when compared with its less drug-resistant relative, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/Static-Pages/Infection-Control-Is-targeting-MRSA-the-right-infe
From the Ministry of Health
Patient Experience 2011/12
Key findings of the New Zealand Health SurveyPublished online: 12 September 2013SummaryThe patient experience report presents key findings from the continuous New Zealand Health Survey 2011/12 about New Zealanders’ experiences with health care services. The report presents information about patient experience with general practitioners, practice nurses, after-hours doctors, emergency department doctors and medical specialists. Information about continuity of care is also presented.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/patient-experience-2011-12
Emergency Department Use 2011/12
Key findings of the New Zealand Health SurveyPublished online: 12 September 2013SummaryThe emergency department (ED) use report presents key findings from the continuous New Zealand Health Survey 2011/12 about ED use at public hospitals. This report focuses on differences in ED use over the past year for adults and children across population groups. It also reports on reasons for attending EDs, and whether respondents thought that they could have been treated by a medical centre, if one had been available, rather than by an ED. Patient experience of waiting times in ED is also presented.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/emergency-department-use-2011-12
Conferences and seminars
Australasian Society for Behavioural Health & Medicine Conference
The theme of the 2014 conference is “Healthy Behaviours: Connecting individuals and communities”. The event will be held on the 12-14 February 2014 in Auckland.
Abstract submissions are now open.Read more...
http://www.hrc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/CallforAbstracts.pdf
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 24 September 2013
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