January 2014 Vol. 9 No. 1 Archives

January 2014 Vol. 9 No. 1

“Meeting Mondays” boosts staff nurses’ committee participation

January 11, 2014

Designating one day a month for meetings increased frontline nurses’ involvement in committees and councils.

A partnership to enhance outcomes through quality dashboards and action

January 11, 2014

Learn how a multidepartmental task force improved a hospital’s data display and action-planning tools

Act fast when new neurologic deficits arise

January 11, 2014

Alert clinicians take immediate steps to eliminate a life threatening epidural hematoma.

Advancing toward an 80% BSN workforce by 2020

January 11, 2014

Learn about the steps one Connecticut hospital is taking to increase its BSN nurses.

Confronting conflict with higher-ups

January 11, 2014

Conflict in the workplace is a fact of life, and dealing with it is never easy. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore it and hope it will take…

Déjà vu all over again

January 11, 2014

Some people simply can’t learn from the past—even the fairly recent and painful past.

Demystifying literature reviews

January 11, 2014

Every nurse should understand evidence-based practice and the terms used in literature reviews.

FDA approves marketing of postnatal test for developmental disabilities

January 11, 2014

On Jan. 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announce that it has authorized for marketing the Affymetrix CytoScan Dx Assay, which can detect chromosomal variations that…

FDA approves Mekinist in combination with Tafinlar for advanced melanoma

January 11, 2014

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had approved Mekinist (trametinib) in combination with Tafinlar (dabrafenib) to treat patients with advanced melanoma that…

Fever-reducing drugs may help spread flu

January 11, 2014

According to a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the widespread use of fever reducing medications may lead to more cases of, and deaths from, influenza.…

From your ANA President

January 11, 2014

Leading the way on quality

Guiding your patients through menopause

January 11, 2014

The more you know about menopause, the more you can help patients understand and cope with symptoms.

Headlines from the Hill

January 11, 2014

The ingredients of an ANA endorsement

Health, safety, & wellness

January 11, 2014

A sneak peek at the new Implementation Guide to the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Interprofessional National Standards

Healthcare reform: Resolve to increase your knowledge in 2014

January 11, 2014

Find out how the Affordable Care Act is reforming health care and how it could affect your practice.

How DNP and PhD nurses can collaborate to maximize patient care

January 11, 2014

Working hand in glove, these doctorally prepared nurses can improve care of patients and their families.

Improving the nursing work environment

January 11, 2014

Using NDNQI® data, leaders can promote changes that lead to sustained work-environment improvement.

Issues up close

January 11, 2014

Hand-off communication: Assuring the transfer of accurate patient information

Managing atrioventricular blocks

January 11, 2014

Not all AV blocks are dangerous. Find out which ones are and how they’re managed.

New guidelines on healthcare personnel attire

January 11, 2014

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America has issued guidance for “Healthcare Personnel Attire in Non-Operating-Room Settings,” published in the Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The…

Nurses are driving quality in all care settings

January 11, 2014

Improving the processes of care promotes better quality.

Only 1 in 6 have discussed their alcohol use with a health professional

January 11, 2014

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 1 in 6 adults have discussed their alcohol use with a health professional. The…

OSHA launches new safety website

January 11, 2014

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has launched its Worker Safety in Hospitals website, which include many resources to help hospitals to prevent worker injuries. Access the…

Quality-improvement initiative: Classifying and documenting surgical wounds

January 11, 2014

Interprofessional collaboration promoted a successful initiative to improve wound classification.

Scope and standards-of-practice documents: Guiding you to leadership success

January 11, 2014

Starting a new job in a new specialty can be a daunting experience. I recently transitioned to a new role as a nurse administrator. On my first day,…

Study: 8 million lives saved during years since Surgeon General Report on smoking

January 11, 2014

In the 50 years since the first Surgeon General Report on smoking (in 1964) 8 million premature deaths have been avoided, according to a study in JAMA. Read…

Study: Alcohol, tobacco, drug use higher in those with psychotic disorders

January 11, 2014

Rates of smoking, drinking, and drug use are significantly higher among those who have psychotic disorders than among those in the general population, according to a study published…

Study: Head trauma associated with Alzheimer disease changes

January 11, 2014

A study published in Neurology has found that among patients with mild cognitive impairment, self-reported head trauma with at least momentary loss of consciousness or memory was associated…

Study: Incidence of mental disorders in mid-life, older adulthood may be underestimated

January 11, 2014

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry has found that common methods of assessing mental or physical disorders may consistently underestimate the prevalence of mental disorders among middle-aged and…

Study: Vitamin E may slow decline from Alzheimer disease

January 11, 2014

“Effect of Vitamin E and memantine on functional decline in Alzheimer disease,” a study published in JAMA, reports that 2,000 units of vitamin E, compared to placebo, slowed…