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ana insights

Acute mesenteric ischemia

With a mortality rate exceeding 50%, acute mesenteric ischemia requires prompt nursing identification and vascular intervention. Most patients experience acute onset of abdominal pain out of proportion to…

Adult migraine: More than a headache

Migraine is a debilitating condition that alters the lives of many people worldwide. Migraine frequently goes misdiagnosed, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. Nurses play an important role in assessing for…

Applause and accolades

Each May during National Nurses Month, the American Nurses Association (ANA), our constituent and state nurses associations, and healthcare organizations nationwide acknowledge and celebrate RNs for their indelible…

Benzodiazepines

Providers prescribe benzodiazepines (BZDs)—also known as anxiolytics, hypnotics, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and amnestic medications—to manage several symptoms and conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, alcohol withdrawal, sedation, muscle spasms, agitation,…

Boost your mood with food

Traditionally, dietary research focused large­ly on physical health, producing well-documented findings about how what we eat impacts our cardiovascular system, weight, and activity levels. In more recent years,…

Capital investments

We might not think of ourselves as such, but nurses are the ultra-innovators of healthcare. Thinking critically, we respond continually to changes in our patients’ status and environment…

Climate action

Earth Day, celebrated each April 22, gives us all the opportunity to reflect on what we as individuals and in communities can do to counteract what the World…

Discharge planning assessment tool

Hospital discharge delay, defined as more than 2 hours from the time of a written order, can negatively impact patients and hospitals. In addition to patients experiencing some…

Do polio and smallpox present a threat?

The 2022 reemergence of polio and smallpox in the United States has many healthcare providers wondering if they should prepare for a potential outbreak. Nurses need to know…

Educational escape rooms

An innovative experience for teaching IPC In our dynamic and fast-paced healthcare prac­tice settings, nurses and patients routinely face potential risks for and exposure to infection. Identifying infection…

Effective clinical learning for nursing students

The nursing profession continues to experience several challenges—some longstanding and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortage of nurses at the bedside and reports of nurses planning to…

EHR burden reduction

Many of us chose nursing as a career because of a strong pull to take care of others, provide comfort, and leave each interaction better than when it…

Elevating the voice of nurses on Capitol Hill

ANA is pleased to report that Congress acted on mental health and well-being in 2022. One major push from ANA’s RNAction grassroots program was advocating for the Dr.…

Free career-building webinars from ANA

The American Nurses Association (ANA) offers webinars designed to help nurses advance in their careers, make informed decisions, and handle significant workplace challenges. These webinars are free and…

From poster, publication, podium to podcast

Nursing podcasts provide nurses and nursing students with opportunities to learn about trends and issues in the profession, new research, innovation, and more. Many nurses also come to…

Healthy hearts

Our profession, predominantly female, reflects the CVD risk all women face: CVD remains the leading cause of death in women, yet less than half of women know about…

Hemothorax

Treatment for respiratory distress follows the ABC acronym (airway, breathing, circulation). Responders must first ensure adequate ventilation and oxygenation and then perform FAST, a point-of-care investigative tool for…

Intimate partner violence

The World Health Organization describes intimate partner violence (IPV) as “behavior by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual…

Keys to understanding long COVID

Unlock the mystery to a clinical challenge. Do you know someone with long COVID? I do. As a result, I’m trying to understand it as much as possible,…

Lived experience

Sharing our experiences face-to-face or online through op-eds, blogs, and the like, reflects the very best of advocacy—the process of gaining public support for a cause or policy.

Membership matters

America’s more than 5 million RNs practice in rural clinics and tertiary medical centers, schools of nursing and elementary schools, health systems and health plans. We assess patients…

Moving the dial

Achieving and maintaining appropriate staffing has been a rallying cry for decades within the nursing profession and healthcare. The destructive COVID-19 pandemic only deepened underlying chronic work environment…

NCLEX vs Next Generation

Research by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) identified the link between clinical judgment and more than 46% of the tasks performed by entry-level nurses.…

Nurses make the difference

Through patient care, in the halls of legislatures, as managers and executives, and in communities across the country, nurses make the difference. As the largest group of providers,…

Nursing informatics career opportunities

Healthcare decisions depend on data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. Nursing informatics leverages these concepts to support the design, development, testing, implementation, adoption, and optimization of digital health tools,…

Nursing professional development at night

The Institute of Medicine advocates for well-prepared nurses to manage today’s complex healthcare environment. However, the nursing shortage presents a multifaceted and growing challenge. In an effort to…

Obesity in nurses

Occupational challenges contribute to weight gain. Research shows that about half of American nurses are living with obesity or are overweight. American Nurses Association (ANA) research via the…

Observations on nursing shortages

I graduated from my basic nursing program in 1973 (50 years ago!). Just like now, a significant nursing shortage existed then, too. As a matter of fact, I…

Partnerships for better care

What can public–private partnerships do for nursing’s future? How does full scope of practice benefit nurses and patients? This content is for Digital Access and Print Plus subscribers…

Peer support and nurse well-being

Complexity, uncertainty, and ever-changing professional landscapes remain ongoing characteristics of nursing. These factors challenge and inspire our engagement in our work; they can cause both stress and a…

Powering policy

Darlene Curley wants more nurse leaders in office. Darlene J. Curley, EdD, RN, FAAN, is an advisor and assistant professor at the Center for Health Policy at Columbia…

Progress and potential

Nurses hold the keys to the nation’s health. An exciting new phase of my career began on January 1 with the start of my 2-year term as American…

Proper documentation protects patients and your license

Nursing documentation plays a critical role in healthcare. Errors or incomplete information can affect data accuracy and ultimately best practices. Improper documentation also can contribute to adverse, sometimes…

Reduce unnecessary transfers from clinics to EDs

When reflecting on the needs of patients using ambulatory care services, it doesn’t take long to realize that their requirements frequently exceed what these settings can offer, which…

Room at the top

It’s not often that aspiring medical students go to nursing school. But Julian Gallegos, PhD, MBA, RN, FNP-BC, CNL, FAUNA, wanted to acquire patient experience while taking his…

Safeguard patient safety in a refugee crisis

What I learned at the International Council of Nurses Congress 2023 Lillee Gelinas As an experienced healthcare executive and patient safety advocate, my passion lies in creating safer…

Setting the course

Over 2 days in June 2023, more than 350 RNs from across the United States gathered in Washington, D.C., for a thoughtful, dynamic, and consequential meeting—the 2023 American…

Standard bearers

Certified nurses’ march to excellence Every year on March 19, organizations worldwide observe Certified Nurses Day to celebrate and publicly acknowledge nurses who maintain the highest credentials in…

Technology trials

Artificial intelligence (AI)—for better or worse—is all the rage. This broad description of algorithms and computer systems that drive the behavior of software programs, machines, devices, and the…

The Joint Commission: How to prepare and what to expect

Many healthcare organizations find preparing for regulatory and accreditation surveys challenging. Between the unannounced aspect of surveys and everyday challenges, such as staffing shortages and varying patient acuity,…

The more you know

Janice Phillips, PhD, RN, CENP, FAAN, is director of nursing research and health equity at Rush University Medical Center and an associate professor in the Rush University College…

The power of flexibility

Smart scheduling drives a satisfied nursing workforce “The more you use the reins, the less they use their brains” is one of my favorite leadership quotes. It reminds…

The value equation

In 2022, the Partners for Nurse Staffing Think Tank, a collaboration among the American Nurses Association (ANA) and other leading organizations, identified 150 strategies that accountable parties could…

Toward a more inclusive nursing profession

National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing reaches 2-year mark. It’s been a momentous 2 years since the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (the Commission) formed…

Using large language models in nursing education

I’m a nurse educator and realize that artificial intelligence (AI) crossing over into the academic environment via ChatGPT and other chatbots affects how we frame the use of…

Valentines and kindness

The power of positivity through compassion and smiles February brings us Valentine’s Day. It’s a day that always makes me smile. I have so many positive memories about…

Vital actions

Diversity, inclusion pave the way to a healthier nation Just over 2 years ago, the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (the Commission) started its consequential efforts…

Wait for the new or consider the old?

So much has been written about the nursing shortage and staffing issues that unraveling it boggles the mind. Healthcare delivery complexity makes focusing on individual problems and finding…

When a nurse is the patient

Use your voice for those who can’t speak up. I’ve been a nurse for 46 years, serving in positions from critical care staff nurse to chief nurse executive.…

Workplace violence policy

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed several gaps in our healthcare system, including the ongoing challenge of nurse safety and workplace violence (WPV). Organizations that tracked data identified that incivility,…

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