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Sickle cell crisis in the ED
Following the pain pathway leads to a good outcome.
Takeaways:
Quick action and critical thinking leads to optimal pain control for sickle cell patients in...
Acute hypopituitarism
Your recognition of troubling signs and symptoms results in prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Takeaways:
Hypopituitarism is the deficient secretion of one or more pituitary hormones.
...
Transurethral resection of the prostate
Quick response to postsurgical complication.
Takeaways:
Benign prostatic hypertrophy, if left untreated, may lead to chronic urinary retention.
Medical therapy failure may warrant urologic...
Cerebral vasospasm
Prompt recognition of subtle signs saves patient’s life.
Key Points:
Patients who experience an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) require frequent neurologic assessments to monitor for...
Fat embolism syndrome
Early identification prevents negative outcomes.
Takeaways:
Fat embolism syndrome is a rare complication that can occur after traumatic orthopedic injuries.
Early identification of neurologic, respiratory,...
FDA issues caution for robot-assisted mastectomy
On Feb. 28, the FDA issued a caution for robot-assisted mastectomy, noting that it has not cleared or approved any robotically-assisted surgical device based...
Venous ulcer care
Prompt, proper care will help reduce complications and improve quality of life.
Venous ulcers are the most common lower extremity wounds in the United States....
Night nurses and exercise
How regular activity can increase sleep quality and quantity.
Takeaways:
Working at night disrupts nurses’ circadian rhythms and impacts their physical and mental health.
Nurses...
Esophageal varices
Quick action prevents a negative outcome.
Takeaways:
Cirrhosis of the liver causes scaring, shrinking, and hardening.
Complications of cirrhosis include portal hypertension, esophageal varices, hepatic...
Nurses’ role in continuous renal replacement therapy
Expand your knowledge for safe, quality care.
Takeaways:
Acute kidney injury (AKI) in combination with other disease processes, such as COVID-19, significantly impacts patient mortality...
Diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state
Early identification and management are key to good outcomes.
Learning Objectives
Compare onset, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state.
Identify...
Recognizing and treating dissociative disorders
The nurse’s role in supporting patients and their families.
Takeaways:
Dissociative disorders are a group of psychiatric disorders that result from experiencing or witnessing trauma;...
The opioid epidemic—a crisis within a crisis
Opioid overdose deaths are skyrocketing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Author Jennie Burke movingly wrote of her brother’s death from a heroin overdose in May...
Medical device development
Things to know before you make the leap
Takeaways:
Nurses are perfectly positioned to engage in medical device development.
The pathway to medical device development...
Person-centered care and dementia
Best practices for residents living in long-term care
Takeaways:
A growing body of evidence supports the idea that personhood and selfhood are not lost even...
An overview of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Understanding conditions that can cause this disorder will help nurses educate and care for patients.
Takeaways:
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a description given to various...
Re-expansion pulmonary edema
An uncommon complication with serious consequences
Takeaways:
Re-expansion pulmonary edema is a rare complication of pleural drainage with potentially fatal consequences.
Nurses should suspect re-expansion...
Pressure injury prevention in long-term care
Follow the evidence to improve outcomes.
Takeaways:
High quality healthcare is established using evidence-based practice in nursing protocols and procedures.
To decrease pressure injury (PI)...
Early detection of acute compartment syndrome
Quick action prevents serious harm.
Takeaways:
Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a surgical emergency that requires early identification to avoid permanent disability of the affected...
C.A.R.E. to prevent medical device related pressure injuries
A facility’s innovative program effectively reduced patient injury.
Takeaways:
Learn how a nurse-led interprofessional innovation was designed at an organization that’s received Magnet® designation.
Gain...
Catching up to stay ahead
Getting back on track with routinely recommended vaccinations
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in dramatic declines in adolescent vaccinations, which began in March 2020 and...
Malignant hyperthermia
This potentially lethal condition calls for quick action.
Takeaways:
Malignant hyperthermia is a genetic life-threatening disease that results in an uncontrolled release of calcium that...
Drug diversion in healthcare
Prevention and detection for nurses
Special report to American Nurse Journal, supported by
an educational grant from Fresenius Kabi USA.
© 2021, HealthCom Media
Takeaways:
Drug diversion among...
Right-sided heart failure
Give the right side of the heart the attention it’s due.
Takeaways:
In right-sided heart failure, ventricular independence (between the right and left ventricles) can...
Nurses’ role in OR supply chain
Nurses can help achieve optimal outcomes.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought supply chain issues to the forefront, as hospitals and other healthcare settings struggled to provide...
Strategies for improving survivorship after sudden cardiac arrest
Survival and recovery continue long after resuscitation.
Takeaways:
Recovery after resuscitation from sudden cardiac arrest extends well after discharge.
Recovery will look different based on...
Leading the nursing profession
A roadmap for every nurse leader’s career journey
Ongoing challenges related to the pandemic have stretched nurse leaders and their teams in unexpected ways. How...
Understanding noninvasive ventilation
Knowing the benefits and drawbacks of the options helps drive patient-centered care.
Takeaways:
Traditionally, oxygen delivery systems are categorized as low, moderate, and high flow.
...
Seven steps for having difficult conversations
This simple guide can facilitate interactions.
Takeaways:
Be open minded when having a difficult conversation.
Practice self-reflection to prepare for difficult conversations.
Seek to understand...
Nurses rising
Recognizing, elevating, and caring for RNs during a pandemic
As we celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman...
Myxedema coma
Emergent and aggressive treatment are key to a good outcome.
Takeaways:
Myxedema coma is the most severe, potentially life-threatening form of hypothyroidism and a...
Mitigating melanoma
Early detection and intervention is key for higher survival rates.
Takeaways:
Late identification and recognition of melanoma lead to worsening health outcomes.
Nursing patient education...
Students support individuals with cognitive disabilities during COVID-19
Videos educate patients while meeting students’ learning needs.
Editor’s note: This is an early release of an article for the May 2021 issue of American...
Startling number of older adults take prescription drugs that increase risk of falling
A surprising recent study found that 94 percent of adults 65 years or older take at least one prescription drug that increases the risk...
Quality improvement training: A simplified approach
How a correctional facility engages all staff in QI
Takeaways:
The purpose of continuous quality improvement (QI) programs is to improve healthcare by identifying problems,...
The Stories That Never Get Told – Compassion
Compassion and caring at the heart of nursing.
It was too late. I could never speak to him again.
By the time I was notified that...
Most Recent Content
For Nurse Practitioners
Quiz: Migraines and Hormones
Women are 2 to 3 times more likely than men to have migraines. Decades ago, these were attributed to women’s inability to cope with...