A bold move to improve collaborationMay 11, 2015Interdisciplinary collaboration is the cornerstone of high-quality patient care. Several years ago at Orlando Health (Florida), we made a bold move and flipped the existing hierarchy to improve…
Attitude adds to a toxic work environmentMay 11, 2015Richard Aldington, a well-known British writer, poet, and reviewer, insisted that the best review he ever wrote wasn’t published. He explained, “In the early days of Dada [the…
Combining alcohol with cannabis increases THC levelsMay 28, 2015The simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis produces significantly higher blood concentrations of cannabis’s main psychoactive constituent, THC, and THC’s active metabolite, than cannabis alone, according to a…
Creating the environment for nursing excellenceMay 11, 2015It’s not easy to define basic nursing care in terms relevant to academia, research, and practice. Yet ensuring the delivery of basic care has never been more important.…
Dedicated education units: An innovative model for clinical educationMay 11, 2015Clinical rotations are the mainstay of basic nursing programs. The traditional model calls for one clinical instructor to eight students. Although still used, this model has several drawbacks:…
Differentiating statistical significance and clinical significanceMay 6, 2015To implement evidence-based practice, nurses must be able to comprehend and interpret research. That means you need to understand the distinction between statistical significance and clinical significance. Although…
Effects of patient migration in bedMay 28, 2015Patient migration to the foot of the bed flattens the torso, according to a study in Nursing Research, indicating that clinicians need to manage both the head of…
Enhance patient engagement through sharingMay 11, 2015We are in the midst of a patient experience revolution. The e-patient movement is igniting patients to become empowered, engaged, equipped, and enabled in their health and healthcare…
Excessive opioids lead to a close call for a burn patientMay 6, 2015Tim Waters, age 28, is admitted to a burn intensive care unit for treatment after a natural gas explosion in his home causes deep partial- and full-thickness burns…
FDA approves drug for rare lung diseaseJune 4, 2015On May 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Rapamune (sirolimus), to treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a rare, progressive lung disease that primarily affects women of childbearing age.…
FDA approves new spinal cord stimulation system for painMay 14, 2015On May 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Senza spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system to help manage chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or…
FDA approves Raplixa to help control bleeding during surgeryMay 7, 2015On April 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Raplixa (fibrin sealant [human]), the first spray-dried fibrin sealant approved by the agency. Raplixa is used to…
FDA approves treatments for irritable bowel syndromeMay 28, 2015On May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Viberzi (eluxadoline) and Xifaxan (rifaximin) for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea in adult men and women. Read…
Flipping your classroomMay 11, 2015As a teacher, do you ever feel as if your words sound like a string of jumbled trombone notes? Instead of doing all the talking, do you wish…
From your ANA PresidentMay 11, 2015Every May we celebrate National Nurses Week—a time when our profession and, ideally, our individual achievements, are acknowledged on some level. I don’t know of any nurse who…
Get your patients moving— now!May 15, 2015To keep patients on the move, healthcare professionals need to make planned mobility a priority intervention. Progressive mobility (also known as early mobilization) starts slowly and moves the patient…
Headlines from the HillMay 11, 2015Minnesota Deputy House Minority Leader Erin Murphy, MA, BSN, RN, is an example of how nurses’ talent and skills can translate to accomplishments in the political arena. First…
How nurses can help reduce hospital readmissionsMay 11, 2015For too many patients, the hospital door is a revolving one. About 20% of Medicare patients leave the hospital only to be readmitted within 30 days. Failure to…
How to get off the anger-go-roundMay 11, 2015One of the most complex emotions, anger is a normal response to certain situational triggers. It’s associated with physiologic changes, including increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and…
In with care boards, out with care plansMay 11, 2015To promote patient-centered care, healthcare professionals are striving to find new ways to respond to individual patient preferences, needs, and values. Traditionally, nurses created the patient’s plan of…
International Home Care Nurses Organization conferenceJune 4, 2015The International Home Care Nurses Organization will hold its third annual conference, “Home Care: Providing Collaborative & Holistic Care,” July 8-10 in Chicago. Read more.
Issues up closeMay 11, 2015The fourth recommendation in the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) groundbreaking report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, is a straightforward call to action for the nursing profession…
Keeping patients safe from falls and pressure ulcersMay 11, 2015Keeping hospital patients safe from untoward events is a crucial aspect of the essence of nursing. Every healthcare organization is accountable for the care and safety of its…
Letter to the Editor – Dedicated education units: An innovative model for clinical educationJune 2, 2015May 27, 2015 Lillee Smith Gelinas, Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Saver, HealthCom Media American Nurse Today Dear nursing colleagues, This feedback I offer about the article entitled ‘Dedicated education units:…
Long-term depression increases stroke riskMay 14, 2015Persistent depression may double the risk of stroke in adults over 50, and stroke risk remains higher even after symptoms of depression go away, according to a study…
Managing chest tubes: Air leaks and unplanned tube removalMay 11, 2015Once treated only in high-acuity settings, patients with chest tubes now receive care in inpatient medical-surgical floors, outpatient procedural areas (such as interventional radiology), and other settings. More…
Nursing practice and work environmentMay 11, 2015A mother spent 3 agonizing days in the hospital with her 10-month-old son. Too young for the measles vaccine, he had contracted measles from an unvaccinated child in…
Potential treatment for EbolaMay 21, 2015A research team has identified potential drug candidates that successfully treated up to 90% of mice exposed to the Ebola virus, according to a study in ACS Infectious…
Pretreatment with Intralipid may reduce side effects of platinum-containing chemotherapyJune 4, 2015Pretreatment with a single dose of Intralipid may reduce side effects of platinum-containing chemotherapy while increasing bioavailability, according to a study in Scientific Reports. Read more.
Preventing high-alert medication errors in hospital patientsMay 11, 2015Mistakes involving medications are among the most common healthcare errors. Medication errors lengthen hospital stays, increase inpatient expenses, and lead to more than 7,000 deaths annually in the…
Reducing functional decline in hospitalized olderMay 11, 2015Older adults make up 13% of the U.S. population but account for 36% to 50% of hospital admissions and 44% of hospital charges. About 20% of Medicare patients…
Research insufficient to support connection between sports concussion and CTEMay 21, 2015Available research is insufficient to establish causation between sports concussion and traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to an article in Neurodegeneration and Sport. Read more.
The essence of nursingMay 11, 2015In health care today, technological advances grab headlines while clinicians’ documentation duties mount almost daily. Is basic nursing care receding into the background? Recently, American Nurse Today’s Editorial…
The importance of executive presenceMay 11, 2015Paula is excited when her health system announces the position of chief nursing informatics officer. With her strong informatics background and years of leadership experience as her hospital’s…
The magic of kaizenMay 11, 2015For more than 20 years, cutting-edge healthcare systems have used lean tools and principles adopted from the Toyota Production System. Ample literature supports the efficacy of these tools…
The pressure is onMay 11, 2015Pressure ulcers are painful, life-threatening, and expensive —with medical costs of up to $11 billion annually in the United States. Medicare and private insurers know they’re largely preventable…
Why long-term care is an excellent clinical learning environmentMay 11, 2015As a nursing professor who has worked in long-term care (LTC), I’ve found it to be a rich and valuable learning environment where students can gain assessment skills,…
Your path to becoming a nurse educatorMay 11, 2015Looking for new professional challenges? Consider teaching nursing. This country has a growing need for academic nurse educators—nurses who teach students enrolled in formal academic nursing courses. The…
Managing chest tubes: Air leaks and unplanned tube removalBy: Angela C. Muzzy, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNS-BC, and Amy K. Butler, BSN, RN
