Welcome
to the College of Nurses – News Update.
No. 252 20 May 2015
From NZ media this week
Southern hospitals bear the brunt of Government
underfunding
Nurses, families and
communities in Oamaru, Ranfurly, Dunstan, Balclutha and Gore may soon be
without jobs and quality healthcare services as Southern DHB is forced to cut 5
percent from its budget.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1505/S00157/southern-hospitals-bear-the-brunt-of-government-underfunding.htm
Nurses raise concerns over SDHB funding cuts
More criticism for the beleaguered Southern
District Health Board and the funding it receives from the Government.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/health/nurses-raise-concerns-over-sdhb-funding-cuts/
Nurses' day links with the
past
An old stethoscope, rickety stretcher and various
other instruments from times gone by made a comeback at Taranaki Base Hospital,
but not for use on the patients.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/midweek/68553481/nurses-day-links-with-the-past
Nelson nurses celebrate
their role in healthcare
Nurses from across the region got together to
celebrate the work they do caring for patients as part of International Nurses
Day.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/68509698/nelson-nurses-celebrate-their-role-in-healthcare
Debs 'a genuine Hawke's Bay nurses and midwives
hero'
Debs Higgins, who is the Family Violence
Intervention Programme Co-Ordinator at the Hastings Health Centre (HHC), was
the big winner at the International Nurses and Midwives Day Awards at Hawke’s
Bay Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital today (Friday, 15 May).
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/debs-genuine-hawkes-bay-nurses-and-midwives-hero/5/221342
Help on hand for
hepatitis patients
More
than 50 Rotorua residents living with hepatitis B or C have been educated by a
community hepatitis nurse and received a FibroScan assessment (liver
ultrasound) during the last two months.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11450539
Record numbers of
doctors and nurses in Taranaki
Getting
sick in Taranaki shouldn't be too much of a pain with more than 600 doctors and
nurses on the case.
As
of March 31, the Taranaki District Health Board employed 146 doctor and 499
nurse full-time equivalents.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/68642554/record-numbers-of-doctors-and-nurses-in-taranaki
New MidCentral chief
Kathryn Cook wants to build a 'hospital of the future'
Building
a hospital of the future that the community can be proud of is the priority for
new MidCentral District Health Board boss Kathryn Cook.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/68635595/new-midcentral-chief-kathryn-cook-wants-to-build-a-hospital-of-the-future
5,500 more doctors and nurses in our hospitals
Health
Minister Jonathan Coleman says a record number of doctors and nurses are
working in District Health Boards across the country.
"Our
dedicated health workforce is making a difference to the lives of New
Zealanders day in and day out," says Dr Coleman.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/5500-more-doctors-and-nurses-our-hospitals/5/221267
Over 1,300 doctors and nurses taking care of BoP
patients
Health
Minister Jonathan Coleman says a record number of doctors and nurses are
working at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (DHB).
"Our
dedicated health workforce is making a difference to the lives of patients in
the Bay of Plenty," says Dr Coleman.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/over-1300-doctors-and-nurses-taking-care-bop-patients/5/221285
Nursing a family calling
Watching the joy her mum got from nursing was
the prompt Claudia Huitema needed to follow her mother into the health field.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11448007
Ward 9 hits new record
Ward 9 at Middlemore
Hospital has hit a new record.
As of May 7, it has been
free of central line associated bacteraemia - known as CLAB - for a total of
1631 days.
The hospital says that's
been achieved by a dedicated team of nurses who focus on quality patient care.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/68454770/ward-9-hits-new-record
From International media this week
No penalty for Guantanamo nurse who refused to
force-feed
MIAMI (AP) " A Navy nurse who refused to force feed
prisoners on hunger strike at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is no
longer facing an administrative discharge over his protest, his lawyer said
Wednesday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11448354
The pros and cons of EHR adoption, according to
nurses
When it comes to adopting electronic health
record (EHR) systems in healthcare environments, there's good news and bad
news. Nurses love them and would dislike reverting back to paper-based systems.
Unfortunately, they're rarely consulted on EHR system deployments, even though
they're the ones using them on the front lines.
http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/what-nurses-love-about-ehr-adoption-what-they-dont/2015-05-13
EHRs, patient safety and
efficiency: 6 findings from nurses
A new survey from Allscripts gauging nurses'
perspectives on EHRs finds most nurses agree digitized records improve patient
safety, but they are less confident in EHRs' ability to boost efficiency.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ehrs-patient-safety-and-efficiency-6-findings-from-nurses.html
Why hospitals must educate nurses about healthcare costs (US
op-ed piece)
Every day hospitals waste money, and the
non-personnel expenses for a medical-surgical nursing unit at a typical
hospital in America are thousands of dollars over budget. The nurse manager
might investigate and find that one reason for the rise in costs is poor
handling and labeling of lab tests, leading to repeat testing that is usually not
reimbursed. Another potential reason is that nurses are taking far more
supplies than are needed to patient rooms, often forgetting to charge for these
items. The supplies cannot be used for other patients once they are removed
from the storage room, and the hospital loses reimbursement, as charges are not
reported.
http://go.questexweb.com/jDwQ0U1QM002u0GuFe70Q00
Does patient monitoring really improve patient
safety?
Patient surveillance — including detecting and reporting
changes in vital signs — may make a big difference in improving patient
outcomes, according to a whitepaper published
by patient monitoring services company Isansys.
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/does-patient-monitoring-really-improve-patient-safety.html
Public health
More asthma research needed for Maori
The Global Asthma Network is desperately in
need of funding to undertake asthma research, which it says results in high
death rates for Maori and Pasifika.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/273470/more-asthma-research-needed-for-maori
NZ is the 'gout capital of
the world'
Cherry juice may be the
remedy to New Zealand's reputation as the "gout capital of the
world".
Professor Lisa Stamp, a
rheumatologist and researcher at Otago University, Christchurch, has won
$144,000 in funding from the Health Research Council (HRC) to study the
scientific basis for claims that tart cherry concentrate helps those suffering
from the painful joint condition.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/68542626/nz-is-the-gout-capital-of-the-world
Medical Maggots for Wound Healing
In World War I the efficacy of maggots as a treatment was noted,
and nearly 100 years later they are still being used to clean chronic ulcers
and wounds in hospitals and veterinary clinics around New Zealand. Ruth Beran
catches up with Neville Keen who received larval therapy for his diabetic
ulcer, nurses Judy Geary and Sonia Richardson who use maggots at Gore Hospital,
and Dallas Bishop who grows the medical maggots from flies in her insectary.
http://bit.ly/1Fb8AQT
Leprosy cases still popping up in New Zealand
The days of the infamous
leper colonies are behind us, but leprosy continues to be diagnosed in New
Zealand.
About four people a year
come down with a confirmed or suspected case of leprosy each year, according to
a New Zealand Medical Journal article released on Friday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/68539046/leprosy-cases-still-popping-up-in-new-zealand
Drugs, alcohol and smoking
Smoking cannabis linked to respiratory problems
People who smoke cannabis
as little as once a week are more likely to suffer respiratory symptoms such as
morning cough, bringing up phlegm, and wheezing, according to University of
Otago research.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1505/S00082/smoking-cannabis-linked-to-respiratory-problems.htm
Doctors call for
stricter alcohol laws
New
Zealand's top medical body had called for a clampdown on our rampant boozing,
including banning advertising, raising the drinking age, and increasing taxes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/68668215/doctors-call-for-stricter-alcohol-laws
Work and management
Six effective ways to have that difficult conversation at work
Employees
want more feedback. Gen Y employees in particular, want constant feedback. Managers
however are often reluctant to give feedback if they fear that what starts as a
rational conversation may degenerate into an emotional one.
Even managers trained in coaching have admitted to being reluctant to tackle
employees seen as abrasive or aggressive.
http://bit.ly/1RHX4CZ
Articles of interest
Original Research: The Efficacy of a
Nurse-Led Breathing Training Program in Reducing Depressive Symptoms in
Patients on Hemodialysis
AJN, American Journal of Nursing
The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the efficacy of
a nurse-led, in-center breathing training program in reducing depressive
symptoms and improving sleep quality and health-related quality of life in
patients on maintenance hemodialysis.
http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/CEArticle?an=00000446-201504000-00020&Journal_ID=54030&Issue_ID=2794782
Research article
Teaching science content in nursing programs in
Australia: a cross-sectional survey of academics
Birks M, Ralph N, Cant R, Hillman E, Tie Y
BMC Nursing 2015, 14
:24 (1 May 2015)
Abstract | Provisional PDF
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/s12912-015-0074-x.pdf
50 years of NP excellence
Abstract: The nurse practitioner (NP) role is marking its
50th anniversary in 2015. This article explores the history and future of the
role by talking with NP thought leaders.
http://journals.lww.com/tnpj/Fulltext/2015/05000/50_years_of_NP_excellence.4.aspx?WT.mc_id=HPxADx20100319xMP
Nurse practitioners are not a consolation prize
There are many forces trying to prove that nurse
practitioners (NPs) are not qualified to practice independently, care for
patients with chronic and complex illnesses, or lead a healthcare team. We are
often referred to as “second rate” or a substitute for physicians now that
there are not enough physicians to go around. More years of training for
physicians versus NPs is a sticking point often used to back up this argument.
Clearly, it takes more years of formal training to become a family physician
than an NP
http://journals.lww.com/tnpj/Fulltext/2014/11000/Nurse_practitioners_are_not_a_consolation_prize.3.aspx?WT.mc_id=HPxADx20100319xMP
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
19 May 2015
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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