Welcome
to the College of Nurses Aotearoa News Update.
No. 282 23 December 2015
From NZ media this week
Patients take centre stage in fundraising
calender
An enterprising Southland
nurse has created a fundraising calendar to raise awareness around the
prevalence of chronic illnesses in the region.
Maureen Kirby, a registered
nurse from the Southern DistricT Health Board, said she had a vision of
creating a calendar which would profile and and support the clients she worked
with and raise some funds for associated causes.
Nurse graduates struggle to get into work
programme
Many DHBs aren't hiring as
many graduate nurses this year, but Taranaki is bucking the trend.
Some DHBs take new graduate
nurses into the new graduate programme, but others are taking a significantly
reduced number, New Zealand Nurses Organisation associate professional
services manager, Hilary Graham-Smith said.
Heart checks no longer national priority,
targets reached but docs still worried
Heart
checks will no longer be a national priority, despite the fact Maori targets
are lagging behind.
More
than 90 per cent of the eligible population have received heart checks, which
is the milestone set. Maori, however, are at 85 per cent.
Improved palliative care guidance released
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes new
guidance on providing the best possible care for people during the last days of
their lives.
Immunisation against whooping cough crucial in
pregnancy: new report
A new report
discusses how rates of whooping cough can be reduced by immunising women during
pregnancy and improving education about the illness.
Extensive work needed to achieve health equity
for Māori, say public health experts
Action must be taken to
address the factors contributing to an unhealthy Māori population, the NZ
College of Public Health Medicine (NZCPHM) urges Government.
Aged care
Increasingly challenging to provide psychiatric
care in old age
The
specialist doctors providing psychiatric treatment for elderly people are
struggling to keep up with demand as the population ages, says Ian Powell,
Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).
\Drugs, alcohol and smoking
Nurses urge tobacco plain-packaging laws in NZ
The NZ Government is being urged to get on with
introducing plain-packaging laws for tobacco products after tobacco company
Philip Morris failed in its bid to challenge such laws across the Tasman.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says NZ
'well-positioned' to defend plain packaging laws
Trade
Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand is "well-positioned" to defend
a legal challenge if plain packaging for tobacco is introduced.
On
Friday, tobacco giant Philip Morris Asia suffered a major setback in its
attempt to overturn Australian restrictions introduced in 2011.
Public health
Preventable illnesses account 89pct of deaths –
NZ medical journal
Death
and disability for thousands of New Zealanders could be avoided if a handful of
proven prevention strategies to combat the nation's biggest health endemics are
implemented.
Social health
New Fund to Improve Health Outlook for
Disadvantaged Children
A new
programme of interventional research that has the potential to make a
significant and long lasting improvement to the health of disadvantaged young
New Zealanders will commence in 2016 following the formation of a funding
partnership between child health research charity Cure Kids and Perpetual
Guardian’s philanthropic services.
Child poverty 'moral crisis' for New Zealand
Child
poverty is a national, economic and moral crisis that requires a national
response, the outgoing head of the Auckland City Mission says
From International media this week
Nurses 'more stressed by being undervalued than
by workload'
Nurses may suffer more stress due to feeling
undervalued than because of their workload, a study has suggested.
Nurses raise concerns over patient safety in
new poll
Nurses are under such pressure that they cannot
guarantee safe care for their patients, according to a new poll.
Nurse staffing, work environments affect
survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest
Patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest have low survival rates
-- but why do some hospitals achieve higher survival than others? Higher nurse
staffing levels and better working conditions may be part of the answer,
reports a new study.
Reports point out nursing woes
THE lack of nursing professional development in the country
over the years has forced many towards greener pastures.
Articles of interest
Thoughts to Thrive (or Survive) Professional
Transitions
This article shares practical ideas on how to
thrive or survive an unexpected professional transition. The ideas are based on
the author's personal experience and years of listening to, and coaching,
professional colleagues. The logistics of transitioning out of an organization
are difficult enough when it is planned. The challenges of doing so when it is
an unexpected transition can be daunting. Logistical considerations on how to
leave an organization and begin to explore other opportunities are presented.
Topics include strategies on how to be resilient, manage financial and benefit
changes, communicate reasons for the job change, and tap into professional
networks. In today's environment, these logistical considerations are worthy of
proactive contemplation. Exceptional leaders have likely spent their
professional lives leading with valor, and times of transition should be no
exception. Thriving and surviving in transition calls for a sense of
resilience, careful consideration of potentially unforeseen logistics related
to exiting an organization, and a sense of inspiration to continue to lead with
courage.
In sickness and in health: Nurses and
presenteeism
recent study from JAMA
Pediatrics conducted a mixed-methods analysis of
more than 500 clinicians and their self-report on presenteeism. Of those
surveyed, more than 95% demonstrated the knowledge that working while sick puts
patients at risk. Despite this knowledge, 83% reported working despite illness
at least once that year. They didn’t want to let down their colleagues, create
staffing problems, or disappoint their patients.1 However, the study conclusions show that the issue is
more complex; presenteeism is shaped by sociocultural factors (peer pressure)
and systems-level factors (facility policy).
From the Ministry of Health
Te Ara Whakapiri: Principles and guidance for
the last days of life
Te Ara Whakapiri:
Principles and guidance for the last days of life outlines the essential components and
considerations required to promote quality care at the end of life for all
adults in New Zealand. It also provides examples of useful approaches and tools
that will serve as aids for the development of national and/or local resources
as part of implementation.
The guidance document is
based on an extensive evaluation of the available literature and is informed by
local research, ensuring it is applicable to the unique context that is
Aotearoa New Zealand.
It has been endorsed by key
professional health organisations in New Zealand and marks a major step towards
ensuring that all health care services across the country are focused on
delivering the very best care for people who are dying and for their
family/whānau whatever the setting.
The New Zealand Casemix System – An Overview
A guide for clinical staff,
clinical coders, service managers, and other sector participants in
understanding the casemix based funding system, the importance of clinical
coding, and how it is applied in the funding of inpatient hospital admissions
in New Zealand.
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
22 December 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
For more up to date news and information follow SNIPS at:
Facebook: Snips Info
twitter: @SnipsInfo
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