News bulletin 27 August

on 27 August

 

Welcome to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 217 Wednesday 27 Aug 2014

 

From NZ media this week

SIT Nursing graduates surpass National employment average
SIT 2013 Nursing graduates have significantly surpassed the national graduate employment average with 75% of SIT Bachelor of Nursing graduates and 100% of Diploma in Enrolled Nursing graduates gaining employment respectively. This significantly surpassed the national average of 52% while neighbours Otago polytechnic produced an employment rate of 48.9% (45 out of 92 graduates) for their graduates. (http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/otago-polytechnic/291760/nearly-half-nursing-graduates-find-jobs
http://www.indianweekender.co.nz/Pages/ArticleDetails/38/4841/Careers/SIT-Nursing-graduates-surpass-National-employment-average

Nurses' concerns revealed
More than half of the nurses in the Dunedin Hospital emergency department have been actively looking for a new job, a staff survey released to the Otago Daily Times reveals.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/313675/nurses-concerns-revealed

ED nurse shortage claim denied
The Southern District Health Board says it replaced senior nursing staff who left its Dunedin emergency department and rejects claims from a Labour MP who says the departures left it short of experienced staff.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/313205/ed-nurse-shortage-claim-denied

Stressed nurse fined $6k for 'snooping'
A nurse who snooped through multiple patient files has been fined $6000 for her ''serious abuse'' of her role.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/10412230/Stressed-nurse-fined-6k-for-snooping

HBDHB interventional radiologist honoured
Reflecting on his recent honour Dr Pandey says interventional radiology requires a team effort.
"There are other radiologists who help in the work according to their expertise.
"There are six nurses who assist in management of patients and their follow up. They are also trained to work as first assistant in various interventional procedures.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/hbdhb-interventional-radiologist-honoured/5/200151

Health workers halt industrial action
Planned industrial action by nearly 12,000 health workers has been called off after an agreement was struck over pay.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/252677/health-workers-halt-industrial-action

Commerce Commission launches website for health sector
The Commerce Commission has today launched a new website aimed at helping the health sector understand more about competition and consumer laws and what they need to do to comply.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2014/august-2014/19/commerce-commission-launches-website-for-health-sector.aspx

Programme launched to get children get off feeding tubes
Children on feeding tubes are being taught how to eat and drink again in a pilot programme at Starship Children's Hospital.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11311859

Volunteer doctors, nurses heading to Fiji
A team of volunteer doctors and nurses from New Zealand is heading to Fiji next month to perform a series of heart operations.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbhea/1055455444-volunteer-doctors--nurses-heading-to-fiji

Social networks key to improving health in NZ
Turning conventional thinking about health and healthcare on its head by championing social networks is vital if New Zealanders want to improve their health outcomes, and ultimately save the nation money, says a leading public health expert.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1408/S00092/social-networks-key-to-improving-health-in-nz.htm

Portal provides central access for health data
Low immunisation rates and a challenging geographical area are behind the Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki districts being used as a pilot for an innovative child healthcare information sharing scheme.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/10411516/Portal-provides-central-access-for-health-data

From international media sources this week

Nurses are versatile link in health care
For many years, a nurse was looked upon as little more than a handmaiden.
“Most people think nurses give shots or is someone who wears a cap,” said Dana Samson, facilitator for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “I know mine’s somewhere around here, but we don’t wear them anymore.”
http://bit.ly/1tRuIIX

Study identifies challenges faced by NYU nurses after Hurricane Sandy
Many recall the dramatic images of nurses at New York University's Langone Medical Center (NYULMC) heroically evacuating over three hundred patients, carrying many including the youngest and most vulnerable down flights of stairs during the power outage resulting from the storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-08-nyu-nurses-hurricane-sandy.html

'Nurse ratio' at weekends key to stroke survival for patients
The number of nurses available at weekends - but not the frequency of doctors' ward rounds - affects chances of survival after stroke, a study says.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-28850993

EMERGENCY NURSES REPORT NEED FOR EVIDENCE-BASED DISCHARGE PROTOCOLS
DES PLAINES, IL--(Marketwired - August 19, 2014) - Emergency nurses report a surprising lack of consistency in criteria for discharge after emergency department patients receive Schedule II or III narcotic medications. These findings appear in a new study published online today in the Journal of Emergency Nursing, the peer-reviewed journal of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).
http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/219251289/emergency-nurses-report-need-for-evidence-based-discharge-protocols

What causes nurse burnout?
Nurses who are motivated primarily by the desire to help others, rather than by enjoyment of the work itself or the lifestyle it makes possible, are more likely to burn out on the job, University of Akron researchers say.
http://www.uakron.edu/im/news/what-causes-nurse-burnout

University of Sydney research finds emergency nurses have more extroverted and agreeable personality
EMERGENCY department nurses are more extroverted, agreeable and open — attributes that make them successful in the demanding, fast-paced and stressful environment of their job, a new study by the University of Sydney has found.
http://bit.ly/1ztWYTB

One in three mental health nurses physically attacked at work each year: Survey
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: According to the latest research, more than one in three mental health workers have been physically assaulted at work over the past 12 months.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2014/s4070724.htm

Bolton nurses achieve a national first as they now carry out revolutionary eye injections
NURSES at Royal Bolton Hospital are among the first in the country to carry out eye revolutionary injections on patients.
http://bit.ly/1onCLbT

Aged care

Funding boost for rest homes & dementia care
Media release from health minister Tony Ryall and associate health minister Jo Goodhew
 The National-led Government is increasing the rest home bed subsidy by $10 million a year – a 5 per cent increase – as part of the government's ongoing plan to meet the changing needs of our population.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2014/august-2014/25/funding-boost-for-rest-homes--dementia-care.aspx

Pacific Island care of elderly needs special practices – Auckland conference
Le Vaotogo Rev Dr Frank Smith chuckles when he thinks of the time he was asked to go to Malta by the World Health Organization, to study and report on models for care of the elderly.  
http://bit.ly/1vMm8MP

Alzheimers Wellington launches ground breaking dementia guide “Understanding and Respecting Customers with a Dementia: A guide for staff”
This practical guide is designed to help customer service staff better support customers who have a dementia, recognise signs which suggest customers may be having problems and gives practical advice on how to help.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1408/S00091/alzheimers-wellington-launches-new-dementia-guide.htm

DHB specific

Hospital in tsunami zone
One of Auckland's main hospitals lies within a tsunami evacuation zone but officials say they are prepared to deal with any disaster.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/10407772/Hospital-in-tsunami-zone

Hospital set to be car-free area soon
Christchurch Hospital will soon become a car-free zone, but authorities are still deciding how to ferry people to and from the central-city site.
The hospital will lose about 150 car parking spaces when preparation work on the new acute services building starts.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/10422646/Hospital-set-to-be-car-free-area-soon

New hope in managed pain
Patients have made an impassioned plea to Marlborough Primary Health Organisation to keep funding a chronic pain programme, saying it has saved their lives.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/10405594/New-hope-in-managed-pain

Five years of Waikato 'Productive Wards' celebrated
Patients in Waikato District Health Board’s Older Persons and Rehabilitation service are reaping the practical benefits of the DHB’s five-year commitment to the internationally acclaimed Productive Wards programme.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/five-years-waikato-productive-wards-celebrated/5/199816

Mental health

Youth suicide rate falls by a quarter, but elderly rate rises
New Zealand's youth suicide rate has dropped by a quarter - but suicides among the elderly are rising as old people are increasingly isolated from their families.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11311656

Public health

Ensuring New Zealand is prepared for Ebola
Public health officers are being given additional powers to hold aeroplanes and ships at the border if there is a sufficient concern that a person on board is infected with the Ebola virus, says associate health minister Jo Goodhew. 
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/un-doctored/2014/august-2014/19/ensuring-new-zealand-is-prepared-for-ebola.aspx

Health and wellness

Depression: Supporting a family member or friend
Help a family member or friend dealing with depression get treatment and find resources.
http://mayocl.in/1mJtVph

Articles of interest

Patient and visitor assault on nurses and midwives: An exploratory study of employer ‘protective’ factors
Most Australian public health-care services have established a range of initiatives designed to help ‘protect’ nurses and midwives from patient and visitor assault (PVA); however, few studies have specifically examined their effectiveness. The present study is part of a larger survey that explored nurses' and midwives' experiences of PVA using the Department of Human Services, Victoria (2007) definition of occupational violence and bullying. Participants were asked about the presence of ‘protective’ factors in their workplace and the importance of having these factors to prevent and manage workplace aggression. Binary logistic regression was applied to ascertain the association between ‘protective’ factors and the occurrence of PVA, with adjusted odds ratios and their reported 95% confidence intervals for ascertaining the significance of the associations. The study found more ‘protection’ from assault when there was a high standard of patient facilities, sufficient staffing, effective enforcement of policies, and when staff were provided with personal protective equipment. Working in private health care, and being a registered nurse, also conferred ‘protection’. A higher occurrence of staff assault was associated with specific clinical settings, and being on rotation and on night duty. Findings point to important insights into factors associated with ‘protection’ for PVA.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/inm.12002/abstract

Models of care in nursing: a systematic review
Objective  This review investigated the effect of the various models of nursing care delivery using the diverse levels of nurses on patient and nursing outcomes.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1744-1609.2012.00287.x/pdf

Nursing's Role in Reducing Patient Suffering
As healthcare has evolved in this era of reform, so too has the need to redefine the patient experience in terms that acknowledge the anxiety, fear and distress that accompany it.  
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Nursings-Role-in-Reducing-Patient-Suffering.aspx

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 26 Aug 2014

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