allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses - Nursing News http://allnurses.com Read the latest Nursing News. NOTE: Posted nursing news articles will go live after staff has approved posting. Along with your post, please include the source website. Press releases are not allowed. en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:55:44 GMT vBulletin 60 http://img.an-file.info/misc/rss.jpg allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses - Nursing News http://allnurses.com Australian surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/australian-surgeons-successfully-439642-new.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:51:20 GMT A marathon operation here in Australia, yesterday Tuesday 17th November, 2009, saw surgeons... A marathon operation here in Australia, yesterday Tuesday 17th November, 2009, saw surgeons successfully separate twin girls conjoined at the head ..............................

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/...separate-beds/ ]]> Nursing News Grace Oz http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/australian-surgeons-successfully-439642.html Disruptive behavior by doctors, nurses persists a year after crackdown http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/disruptive-behavior-doctors-439387-new.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:17:29 GMT *A survey of physician and nurse executives raises questions on how to implement zero-tolerance... A survey of physician and nurse executives raises questions on how to implement zero-tolerance policies required by the Joint Commission.

One group of nurses banded together to try to get a physician unfairly disciplined, while another encouraged fellow nurses to disobey doctors' orders outright. A surgeon told his staff that monkeys could be trained to do what scrub nurses do, while another doctor told a patient that the nurse in the room didn't know what she was doing.

A nurse witnessed the onset of complications in an intensive care patient but refused to contact the on-call physician for fear of his temper -- a delay at least one observer thought contributed to the patient's death.

These are some of the disruptive behaviors that persist among physicians and nurses at hospitals, group practices and other health care facilities, according to anonymous responses to a national survey of 13,000 physician and nurse executives conducted by the American College of Physician Executives.

The survey comes almost one year after the Joint Commission began requiring health care facilities to implement zero-tolerance policies that define intimidating and disruptive behaviors. The commission also required that facilities establish disciplinary procedures for medical staff and other health care professionals who violate the standards.

Most survey respondents, 48%, said doctors and nurses were equally culpable for the conflicts, but 45% said doctors were mostly to blame.

Full Story: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/200...6/prl11116.htm ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/disruptive-behavior-doctors-439387.html Woman sues after police tackle her in ER during premature birth http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/woman-sues-after-439137-new.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:47:24 GMT ---Quote--- 11/12/2009 - A federal court of appeals has ruled that Melanie Dawn Williams, 24, can...
Quote:
11/12/2009 - A federal court of appeals has ruled that Melanie Dawn Williams, 24, can sue after she was tackled by Jacksonville, Florida police in a hospital where she was experiencing a premature birth. Once inside the ER and she screamed, “I’m pregnant. Someone help me. I am bleeding.” It took the intervention of a nurse to get the police to release her to deal with her serious medical condition.

Williams was seven months pregnant and a doctor told her to rush to St. Vincent’s Medical Center. When she ran a red light, she was chased by Officers M.H. Sirmons and J.D. Mills who proceeded to tackle her and dragged her outside from the emergency room in handcuffs. Williams was bleeding from the labor and eventually a nurse went outside to force the officers to allow them to give her medical treatment.

Officer Sirmons said that he was told by Williams that she was bleeding but not pregnant. He assumed that she was just trying to get out off a ticket.

The panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that officers knew she was in medical distress and could be sued even if she did not mention that she was pregnant.
http://jonathanturley.org/2009/11/14...emature-birth/

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/c...nlawful_arrest ]]> Nursing News Anxious Patient http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/woman-sues-after-439137.html <![CDATA[Beyond The Last Lecture -For Randy & Jai Pausch nurses displayed humanity at its best]]> http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/beyond-last-lecture-439021-new.html Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:32:01 GMT From Advance for Nurses: Beyond The Last Lecture... From Advance for Nurses:

Beyond The Last Lecture
For Randy and Jai Pausch, nurses displayed humanity at its best.

By Amy McGuire

Last updated on: November 12, 2009

Quote:
Editor's Note: Randy Pausch was a 45-year-old computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in August 2006. His inspirational book about living life to its fullest, The Last Lecture (2008, Hyperion), became a New York Times best-seller. Pausch died of complications July 25, 2008. In an ADVANCE exclusive, regional editor Amy McGuire talks with Pausch's widow, Jai, who shared her own story about those who "live in the moment" - the nurses who cared for her husband.

...To help them cope, Wyatt shared a book, Gone From My Sight, by Barbara Karnes, RN, which provides a step-by-step guide to the dying process, Jai said. ...
Blessing on all the nurses who touched this families life and helped Randy live to be able to inspire thousands people ... and support Jai on this journey.

I first became aquainted with Gone From My Sight in 1993 when I became educated as hospice RN and have shared it with 100's of families over the years --wonderful pamphlet that explains dying process in easy to understand terms.


PS: Jai if your reading this, thank Randy for the idea of dual computer monitors to increase work productivity.... something I'm now implimenting in my homecare agency's Central Intake department along with scanning technology. Trying to follow his Time Management ideas past 6 months, still have a way to go with mesy desk ;)

Time Management Talk

Time Management" by Randy Pausch, November 2007

Time Management slides pdf ]]> Nursing News NRSKarenRN http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/beyond-last-lecture-439021.html WHO: Give at-risk groups anti-flu drugs early http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/who-give-risk-438896-new.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:11:23 GMT Doctors should give anti-viral drugs to pregnant women, young children and other at-risk groups as... Doctors should give anti-viral drugs to pregnant women, young children and other at-risk groups as soon as they show clinical symptoms of swine flu to prevent them developing serious complications, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The global body is concerned that some doctors are waiting for lab confirmation of the disease before prescribing antivirals such as Tamiflu to vulnerable groups, a senior WHO medical officer said.

"In order to prevent progression to severe disease, antivirals need to be administered early," Dr. Nikki Shindo told reporters during a conference call.

"This also holds for otherwise healthy people who show progressive symptoms" such as breathing difficulty or prolonged fever, she said. The pandemic strain A(H1N1) can sometimes cause serious illness in young adults — a fact that still puzzles experts as that group is usually the most resistant to flu.

At least 6,000 people have died since the start of the outbreak last spring, according to WHO.

Shindo said the first 48 hours of illness are considered crucial for stopping the virus from causing serious harm, but antiviral treatment can be helpful even after that period if the patient is severely ill.

Full Story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...dE-WAD9BU3BN80 ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/who-give-risk-438896.html Nursing, medical schools should work together, experts say http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/nursing-medical-schools-438686-new.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:39:40 GMT Medical and nursing schools should collaborate and evolve their curricula to promote team-based... Medical and nursing schools should collaborate and evolve their curricula to promote team-based care, according to stakeholders at a summit sponsored by the New England Healthcare Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“We need a revolution in the way we train our future providers,” said Erin Mann, health policy associate at the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI). Nursing and medical schools must work together to embed long-term changes within education, she said. The summit addressed how to remove the barriers and ensure that transformation occurs.

Mann pointed out that medical and nursing schools are on different calendars. By aligning their schedules, schools can offer shared classes and faculty members can team teach and serve as role models for change, she said.

Full Story: http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com...-work-together ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/nursing-medical-schools-438686.html Army nurse honored after 100th birthday http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/army-nurse-honored-438564-new.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:13:51 GMT BANGOR, Maine — On the eve of Veterans Day, several local, state and military leaders couldn’t wait... BANGOR, Maine — On the eve of Veterans Day, several local, state and military leaders couldn’t wait to shake the hand of Maj. Eva Marie Price, the state’s oldest living Army nurse, now retired...

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/129014.html ]]> Nursing News VickyRN http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/army-nurse-honored-438564.html Pandemic seems to be leveling off, expert says http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/pandemic-seems-leveling-438294-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:13:56 GMT The H1N1 flu pandemic seems to be tapering off and appears to be no more dangerous than seasonal... The H1N1 flu pandemic seems to be tapering off and appears to be no more dangerous than seasonal flu, said Dr. James Wilde, an expert on emergency pediatric medicine and infectious diseases. Physicians, however, need to continue to focus on high-risk groups and diagnose the disease based on clinical symptoms, since some tests are inaccurate, Wilde said.

Doctor: Pandemic leveling - Director warns to remain guarded

Full Story: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2...emic-leveling/

So as nurses, what are you seeing? Do you see things leveling off? In your response, please indicate your rough location. ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/pandemic-seems-leveling-438294.html Patients happier when hospital staff discuss adverse events http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/patients-happier-when-438280-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:23:15 GMT *Patients rate care better if errors are disclosed to them, survey says* A telephone survey of... Patients rate care better if errors are disclosed to them, survey says


A telephone survey of patients treated at 16 Massachusetts hospitals found satisfaction rates were higher when hospital staff disclosed injuries caused by adverse events in their medical care. The study showed 4 of 10 adverse events were disclosed by staff, and injuries that required additional treatment were more likely to be discussed than less serious events.


Hospital staffers disclose injuries caused by medical care to patients less than half of the time, a new study reports. But when clinicians discuss the adverse events with patients, those patients are more likely to rate their care as better than patients whose caregivers did not tell them.

Researchers led by Dr. Lenny Lopez of Massachusetts General Hospital conducted a telephone survey of more than 2,500 people who had been patients at 16 hospitals in Massachusetts in 2003. Nine months after their hospital stays, 603 people said they had experienced 845 "negative effects" caused by their medical care, including problems with medications or complications from surgery. The authors analyzed the patients' responses, classifying some events as avoidable and others not, such as an unexpected reaction to a new drug.

Only four out of 10 adverse events were disclosed by hospital staff, the survey found. Harm that required additional treatment was more likely to be discussed than other events. Patients were less likely to be told about preventable medical errors than unavoidable problems.

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/news/health/bl...al_person.html ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/patients-happier-when-438280.html Cleveland RN says disability did not stop career switch http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/cleveland-rn-says-438279-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:20:21 GMT *Mid-career change to nursing a happy switch for disabled woman* Carey Lewis was sitting in a... Mid-career change to nursing a happy switch for disabled woman

Carey Lewis was sitting in a graduate school preparatory class, an 11-year career behind her, when she decided she just didn't want to be a financial analyst anymore.

She turned back to the college's catalog and made a list of all the courses that appealed to her. They all were nursing classes. And so, while continuing to work full time, and with the support of her employer, Lewis enrolled in nursing school.

For anyone, the decision to move mid-career from a relatively sedate office job to a fast-paced profession with high physical and emotional demands is not one to be taken lightly. For Lewis, the decision had an added dimension: she lost part of her left forearm and her hand in a lawnmower accident when she was five years old.

Her disability has never been an issue. Lewis was a cheerleader in junior high, played trumpet in the school band and ran cross-country for the Strongsville High School team. She earned an accounting degree from Cleveland State University, and worked for nearly a decade in finance all over the country.

Full Story: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/i...nursing_a.html ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/cleveland-rn-says-438279.html ED nurse faces big decision after needle stick http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/ed-nurse-faces-438276-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:17:53 GMT *Stuck by a Needle, Not by a Decision * Emergency department nurse Sibyl Shalo Wilmont writes... Stuck by a Needle, Not by a Decision


Emergency department nurse Sibyl Shalo Wilmont writes in The New York Times that just a few months into her career she stuck her thumb with a large-bore needle filled with blood from a hepatitis C patient. She had to decide whether to endure post-exposure prophylaxis treatment for possible H.I.V., which would make her sick, or risk contracting the virus.

I didn’t think it would happen to me so soon, just a few months after beginning my second career as a nurse. I stuck my thumb with a large-bore needle filled with the blood of a patient with hepatitis C who had come to the emergency room with abdominal pain.

This happened with a 10-milliliter syringe I was using to transfer blood from one tube into another. I was trained not to do this; it was a bad idea. But I put my patient’s comfort above my own safety: when I learned an extra blood test had been ordered, I hoped to save him the pain of a second needle stick.

I thought better of my decision to make the transfer and hesitated — just as I noticed the needle bending while I struggled to pierce the tough rubber top of the specimen tube. Two drops of blood came out of the tip of the needle. Afterwards, I saw one bloody smudge on my glove; I feared the other drop had gone into my thumb.

I froze, breathless.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/he...gewanted=print


 ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/ed-nurse-faces-438276.html Report says hospitals are rebounding from recession http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/report-says-hospitals-438274-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:13:23 GMT Hospitals are starting to rebound from the recession, according to a report released Monday. ... Hospitals are starting to rebound from the recession, according to a report released Monday.

Thompson Reuters Corp., a New York-based financial information company, tracked 439 hospitals nationwide – 37 in Texas – covering small, medium and large community hospitals and teaching hospitals.

Among the key findings:

•The percentage of hospital revenue left over after regular business expenses increased from zero in the third quarter of 2008 to 4 percent in the second quarter this year. In Texas, the proportion increased from 6 percent to 8 percent.

•The average number of days that hospitals could run their business with money readily available increased from 90 days in the first quarter to 150 days in the second quarter.

•The number of patients discharged from hospitals – the common way of counting hospital visits – dwindled when the recession started, but now it's growing.

A recession is typically defined as a decline in the country's economic performance for two or more consecutive quarters.

Many economists believe it ended last month.

Full Story: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...d.3d93a2a.html ]]> Nursing News brian http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/report-says-hospitals-438274.html Initiative aimed at retaining nurses, improving patient care http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/initiative-aimed-retaining-438115-new.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:54:53 GMT Heartbeats: Initiative aimed at retaining nurses, improving patient care November 10, 2009 ... Heartbeats: Initiative aimed at retaining nurses, improving patient care
November 10, 2009

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/artic...911100305/1040

With an ongoing nursing shortage, a major transformation in the nursing work environment is needed so health-care facilities can continue to provide safe, effective quality care to patients.

Very few areas in nation are as saturated by hospitals and other health-care outfits as Central Jersey, so this need is especially important here.
To help address this issue, the New Jersey Hospital Association's Institute for Quality and Patient Safety, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched a major three-year initiative, "Transforming Care at the Bedside," that will train and support nurses so they can spend more time with their patients while increasing job satisfaction.
"We need to increase the amount of time nurses spend providing direct patient care and investigate ways to keep our more experienced nurses in the workforce longer while helping them to maintain their enthusiasm and passion caring for others," said Aline Holmes, director of the Institute for Quality and Patient Safety. "This project is the transforming innovation for improving the work environment in which professional nurses practice."
To help nurses achieve these goals, the initiative will:

Provide education and training in performance improvement for front-line staff nurses, which will give them the tools they need to implement improvements on their units and identify and test changes in their work environment.

Empower staff nurses to make the changes needed to increase the amount of time spent on direct care on their unit.

Provide education and training for nurse managers to help them facilitate their staff's work and provide the leadership necessary to make changes.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has given $732,000 to this project, and some of those funds will go toward a Monday, Nov. 16, to Wednesday, Nov. 18, learning session, which will be attended by 47 of the Garden State's hospitals.
"We also will develop a toolkit and educational resources for hospitals so they can spread these changes throughout their organization," Holmes said. "We plan to measure the effectiveness of TCAB by monitoring nursing retention and turnover rates, patient safety and by surveying staff, managers and chief nurse executives."
(2 of 3)
More information is available by visiting www.ihi.org. ]]> Nursing News lee1 http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/initiative-aimed-retaining-438115.html Nurse Practitioner listed with the fallen at Fort Hood http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/nurse-practitioner-listed-437785-new.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:47 GMT 'This is not the way she was going to go'
Sunday, November 08, 2009
By Michael A. Fuoco and Kaitlynn Riely, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Quote:

...Lt. Col. Warman, 55, had been at Fort Hood for only 24 hours to be processed for duty in Iraq, a deployment for which she had volunteered....

...I knew she was going in harm's way in Iraq. [But at Fort Hood], this is not the way she was going to go," he said, choking up.
His wife's military career spanned 25 years in active duty and Army reserves.
A certified psychiatric nurse practitioner originally from Pittsburgh and whose relatives still live in area, she had undergone training in California in preparation for her mission and was due for more training at Fort Hood.
Mr. Warman and his wife were both graduates of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a master's degree in nursing.
The couple, who married in the late 1990s, had moved to Maryland in 2005 where Lt. Col. Warman accepted a job at a Veterans Administration facility in Perryville, Md. Prior to the move, the couple lived in Pittsburgh and she had a civilian practice at UPMC. She was an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury....


Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09312/101...#ixzz0WKe8KSES
]]> Nursing News oramar http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/nurse-practitioner-listed-437785.html Hospital bill stuns slain student’s parents: $ 30,000 for 5 minutes http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/hospital-bill-stuns-437713-new.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:33:31 GMT ---Quote--- SACRAMENTO, CA - The parents of a Sacramento State student beaten to death in his dorm...
Quote:
SACRAMENTO, CA - The parents of a Sacramento State student beaten to death in his dorm room received a bill from the UC Davis Medical Center -- a bill for nearly $30,000.

The hospital admitted the bill (sent to the parents) was a mistake since Scott Hawkins had insurance.....(but that) the bill is correct and reflects the services the staff provided to Hawkins after he was beaten by his roommate.

But what could possibly cost $30,000 in five minutes? Some say the answer is why we have a health care reform debate.

"Trauma surgeons, nurses, technicians and others had to treat Scott before they realized they couldn't help", according to Scott Seamons with the California Hospital Council. "They're all right there." "And those are highly trained, highly specialized and highly paid clinical experts."
this was challenged by a medical student:

Quote:
UC Davis is a teaching hospital. Emergency Rooms are traditionally staffed by medical students and doctors in training to gain experience. Students receive no salary, and interns and residents get way less than a licensed practicing specialist. Most of the monies of that inflated bill will not go toward "highly trained, highly specialized and highly paid clinical experts.", but rather into the hospital coffers.


http://www.news10.net/news/story.asp...=69932&catid=2 ]]> Nursing News Anxious Patient http://allnurses.com/nursing-news/hospital-bill-stuns-437713.html