News bulletin 7 May

on 7 May

 

Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 201 Wednesday 7 May 2014
 

From NZ media this week

Trainee Nurse Aims to Make a Difference
Nursing practice experience in Hawke’s Bay hospitals has shaped final-year degree student Nayda Heays’ ambition to work in an acute nursing setting like intensive care.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1405/S00020/trainee-nurse-aims-to-make-a-difference.htm

Study shows hospital bias
New research from Massey University shows smaller hospitals "seem to selectively treat" patients with complicated health conditions in order to benefit from population-based funding.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/10004267/Study-shows-hospital-bias

Embarrassing bladder cured by Botox
Botox is famous for freezing the faces of celebrities, but it could also ease the desperate urge to pee felt by half-a-million New Zealanders.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10006319/Embarrassing-bladder-cured-by-Botox/

Big gains in weight-loss procedure - surgeons
A record number of Kiwis are undergoing weight-loss surgery on the public purse as our obesity rate soars.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/10004128/Big-gains-in-weight-loss-procedure-surgeons

Nine defining moments of midwifery care in NZ
Today is International Day of the Midwife and we reflect on the changing face of midwives in New Zealand. It has been a journey from autonomous carers, to assistants and back again, fraught with politics, medical conflicts and women's rights.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11249784

Work to do on hospital hand hygiene scores
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board hand hygiene compliance is up 20 per cent but still remains under the national average.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/10010240/Work-to-do-on-hospital-hand-hygiene-scores

Oncologist says bowel screening benefits real
Scientific evidence supporting the merits of bowel screening is stronger than that for breast or prostate screening, Dunedin oncologist Christopher Jackson says.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/301084/oncologist-says-bowel-screening-benefits-real

Fresh look at old remedies likely
More interest in alternative remedies is likely to feature in a post-antibiotic world, a University of Otago infectious diseases authority says.
http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/university-otago/300929/fresh-look-old-remedies-likely

International media

More than $1.8 Billion in Savings Possible; Limitations Hurting Poor, Rural Communities
With more than 3.3 million more Californians now covered by the Affordable Health Care Act and Medi-Cal, granting full practice authority to nurse practitioners is “one of the most effective steps” California can take to increase the supply of primary care providers while maintaining high quality health care and driving down costs, according to a report released today by the Bay Area Council.
http://canpweb.org/news-room/press-releases/report-backs-full-practice-authority-for-nps/

What Is the Role of Nurse Practitioners?
The concerns raised in “Nurses Are Not Doctors,” by Sandeep Jauhar (Op-Ed, April 30), are unfounded. Decades of third-party research have shown that nurse practitioner outcomes are equivalent to those of physicians.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/opinion/what-is-the-role-of-nurse-practitioners.html?_r=1

Replacing registered nurses isn’t the answer to rising health costs
A shortage of qualified nursing staff and rising health costs have led to an increase in the employment of unregulated nursing workers.
http://bit.ly/1kPDq7i

Patient Flow Checklist for Nurses
While nurses can't completely control patient flow, there are several things they can do to improve bed availability and reduce length of stay, according to a blog post from TeleTracking Technologies. Nurses can:
1. Advocate for proper patient placement.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/capacity-management/patient-flow-checklist-for-nurses.html

Teenage patients need nurses 'trained in both adult care and paediatrics'
Nurses with qualifications in both children’s and adult nursing have a key role in improving health services for young people, according to a an independent group of experts.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/5070435.article?WT.tsrc=email&WT.mc_id=Newsletter1

Nurses hold key to providing quality care to older LGBT adults
Even though LGBT populations are often grouped together, each is a distinct group with specific health care needs, authors of a new study say. This is especially true with older LGBT persons and involves issues ranging from housing and long-term care placement to home-health and the selection of health promotion practices. More than 2 million older adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and they have specific physical and mental health needs of which nurses need to be aware.
http://bit.ly/1iUDRyL

AORN Releases New Guidelines on Perioperative Nurse Staffing
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses has revised and released official position statements on safe staffing guidelines and on-call practices.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/capacity-management/aorn-releases-new-guidelines-on-perioperative-nurse-staffing.html

The Changing Nurse Workforce: What Hospitals Need to Know
Changes in healthcare are starting to have a dramatic impact on the nursing workforce, which should concern any hospital that wants to retain top nursing talent.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/workforce-labor-management/the-changing-nurse-workforce-what-hospitals-need-to-know.html

Survey: Nurses Feel Patient Overloads, Short Staffing Detract From Care
A new survey from Jackson Healthcare shows that while nurses are generally satisfied with their work, they have a negative future outlook due to staff shortages and increases in patient volumes. Findings from the report include:
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/capacity-management/survey-nurses-feel-patient-overloads-short-staffing-detract-from-care.html

Graduate nurses and midwives should get jobs first: ANMF
Hundreds of home grown graduate nurses and midwives struggling to find work should be employed in Australia before overseas nurses and midwives, according to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF).
http://www.ncah.com.au/news-events/graduate-nurses-and-midwives-should-get-jobs-first-anmf/2075/

Mental health

'Focus needed' on youth mental health
There is a need for on-going youth mental health monitoring and interventions, given a small decline in aspects of self-reported mental health among New Zealand secondary school students.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/focus-needed-youth-mental-health/5/189387

Public health

Good Asthma Control For Patients Is Often Sabotaged By Factors Beyond Their Control
World Asthma Day, on Tuesday May 6, is an annual event organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and treatment around the world. Asthma affects approximately 235 million people and causes an estimated 250,000 deaths annually worldwide. The theme for 2014 is You can control your asthma.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1405/S00005/asthma-sabotaged-by-factors-beyond-patients-control.htm

Teen illness a hidden killer
Rheumatic fever is leaving many teens with hidden heart damage, with some calling it a health "timebomb".
A district health board-backed ultrasound screening pilot of Porirua children has uncovered four previously undetected cases of rheumatic heart disease for every known case.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/10008083/Teen-illness-a-hidden-killer

Living with a broken heart
For Buxton Popoali'i, rheumatic fever not only cut short a promising rugby career, it nearly cost him his life.
At 24, the former Wellington and Highlanders back has already had heart surgery twice, most recently in March when he was given a 50/50 chance of survival.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/10007939/Living-with-a-broken-heart

Call to regulate TV to stop kids getting fat
Two Otago University researchers have called for government intervention to stop children watching so much television
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/10009279/Call-to-regulate-TV-to-stop-kids-getting-fat

Vaccination recommended
The recent outbreak of a disease that had largely disappeared in New Zealand shows the benefits of immunisation, Public Health South public health physician Keith Reid says.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/301083/vaccination-recommended

Social media

Insights into health system costs of living and dying in New Zealand – New study
A study in the NZ Medical Journal shows how public spending on health varies markedly by age and proximity to death (Blakely et al 2014, health system costs). It raises interesting questions about the best use of taxpayer funds for preventing and treating ill health. In this blog we detail the main findings of this study and reflect some of the possible implications.Our study used linked administrative health data, with costs attached – so called HealthTracker, an amazing resource for New Zealand analysts, planners and researchers. We looked at how health system expenditure varied by age and whether people were within six or 12 months of death.  One analysis simulated health expenditure over a Kiwi’s lifespan, assuming 2007-09 costs by age applied.  The results are in Figure 1(click on it for higher quality image).
https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/2014/05/02/insights-into-health-system-costs-of-living-and-dying-in-new-zealand-new-study/

Articles of interest

Deaf culture: Competencies and best practices
To successfully navigate in the hearing world, deaf individuals must be able to read and write to bridge the gap when others do not know American Sign Language. Unfortunately, 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and do not develop language skills early on, which negatively impacts their ability to access health information and healthcare. Healthcare providers must ensure they provide culturally competent care and their practices accommodate the needs of deaf patients to mitigate communication barriers and ensure equitable care with positive health outcomes.
http://journals.lww.com/tnpj/Fulltext/2014/05000/Deaf_culture__Competencies_and_best_practices.6.aspx

Publications and Reports online

Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost
Expanding access to and improving the quality of primary care is critical to controlling healthcare costs for businesses and consumers. It is also
essential to respond to the greater demand for healthcare from the coverage expansion of the Affordable Care Act and the aging of our
population. Granting full practice authority to nurse practitioners (NPs) is one of the most effective steps that states can take to increase the
supply of primary care providers while maintaining high quality and driving down costs 
http://www.bayareaeconomy.org/media/files/pdf/BACEI_NPs_CA_Final.pdf

Consultations

Draft for public comment
DR100397 - Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organizations (Revision of AS/NZS 4187:2003)
To ensure that RMDs that are reprocessed by HSOs are adequately cleaned, disinfected and/or sterilized to protect patients. Correct reprocessing of a RMD prior to or between patient use produces a RMD that is able to be used safely without risk of transmission of infectious agents.
http://bit.ly/1njg9vm

From the Ministry of  Health

Hauā Mana Māori - Living unique and enriched lives
The aim of this research project was to examine the barriers that hauā Māori and their whānau may experience in accessing these services; and to identify elements that could make accessing services easier.
The research focused specifically on the needs of disabled Māori and their whānau in the Murihiku/Southland region. The research drew from a range of sources including a community survey, a literature review and consultation with service providers in the area.
Four key themes identified that correlate to increased feelings of wellbeing and health: feeling valued; being connected; a strong sense of self identity and worth; and access to appropriate resources.
Conversely, factors that left hauā Māori feeling the opposite included: not being valued; experiencing negative impacts of discrimination, colonisation, and disconnection; lack of self-worth; and poor access to resources.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/haua-mana-maori-living-unique-and-enriched-lives

Enrolling Babies at Birth
2014 - A resource for general practice
This resource provides general practice with practical suggestions to support the process of ensuring newborns are enrolled with general practice as close to birth as possible and no later than two weeks after birth.
It is important that newborns are enrolled close to birth to ensure childhood immunisations are given on time and to maximise the child’s health as they grow.
On 1 October 2012, the preliminary newborn enrolment policy (the B code) was implemented to improve the timeliness of enrolment.  It enabled general practices to pre-enrol newborns following an NIR notification that they have been chosen as the newborn’s general practice.  This resource complements the 2012 policy changes.
The Ministry of Health established a working group, comprising a range of stakeholders to look at improving the timeliness of enrolling newborns in general practice and inform the development of this resource.  The group focused on the process of transferring birth information from hospital systems to theNational Immunisation Register (NIR) and from NIR to general practice based systems if the GP has been identified as the nominated provider.  District health boards (DHBs) are also working to improve their systems and processes.
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/enrolling-babies-birth

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 6 May  2014

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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