patient care

benefits-digital-health-management

5 benefits of digital care management

A typical encounter within the healthcare system can be overwhelming and complicated, depending on the patient’s health condition. For example, imagine a patient with a cancer diagnosis, declining…

A troubled life, a difficult death

Editor’s note: National Homelessness Awareness Week is November 10-18. Like many of our homeless patients, “Sarah” was a bundle of contradictions. She came from money, got a good…

Act fast against anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis can kill within minutes unless the victim receives immediate treatment. Calling a rapid response team to the scene can avert disaster.
advance nurse role care coordination ant

Advancing nurses’ roles in care coordination

By Elizabeth Moore Traditionally, care coordination has been a central role for nurses, who are key to ensuring patients’ multidimensional needs are being met at the bedside, as…

Adventures in virtual meetings

Tired of unproductive staff meetings held at inconvenient times? Had it  up to here with being interrupted when trying to express your opinion? Maybe it’s time to explore…

AHRQ releases new guide for patients

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new guide to help hospitals better prepare patients to take care of themselves at home after they…

Beyond customer service

Many nurses don’t like to hear their patients called “customers” or be told to provide “customer service.” This expert explains how to lose the lingo and adapt the…

Calming a thyroid storm

Saving a patient’s life may rest on recognizing which findings are red herrings and which hold the key to the crisis.

Care without gaps

ANA, nurses nationwide work to improve transitions in care Mary Maryland, PhD, APRN,BC, ANP, has had to rely on good old-fashioned nursing ingenuity to ensure that her 84-year-old…

Care, not chaos

A new document created by ANA and other groups delineates emergency care principles for psychiatric patients.

Case Study: How much is enough?

Three-year-old Christy* has been in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) since birth, when she was diagnosed with McCune-Albright syndrome and multiple other conditions that left her…

Challenging nursing’s sacred cows

Do you routinely instill normal saline solution into endotracheal tubes before suctioning? Use only the Glasgow Coma Scale for neurologic assessment? Evidence on these and other sacred cows…
fund funding research nursing

Cleveland is backwards on health care reform

On June 22, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a 142-page draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA). The measure was drafted in secret over…

Clinical humility: A humbled patient care

There’s a story that goes something like this: An elderly man falls down a flight of stairs at home. In the emergency department, he’s found to have four…

Color awareness: A must for patient assessment

Color “blindness” may help minimize social and economic disparities, but can impede accurate patient assessment. The author explains why nurses should practice color awareness and tells how to…
commitment service graduate

DC Fil-Ams speak out on Trump and immigration

WASHINGTON, DC – What was billed as a briefing by immigration and justice department officials to provide the Filipino community here accurate information on current US immigration policy…
dementia quiet thief nurse forgetful

Dementia: The quiet thief

The nurse’s note read, “not orientated to place and time due to dementia.” Several hours of general anesthesia for a knee replacement and then morphine via a patient-controlled…

Doing the most good

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 provides many benefits.

Easing the anguish of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease afflicts not just the person who has it but everyone in that person’s orbit. Learn how to help family members caring for patients with this nursing…

Ending the cycle

Nurses nationwide work to eliminate partner violence.
crib iron bedside nurse care

From our readers…At the Bedside

As my parents were approaching the age of downsizing their earthly possessions, I became the recipient of the generational family crib. It was the wrought iron crib that…
nonadherent refuse treatment nurse challenged challenge

From our readers…Nonadherent or compassion challenged?

Over the years nurses have labeled patients who choose (knowingly or unknowingly) to disregard instructions that could potentially alter their health condition toward a “better outcome” as noncompliant,…
cpr cardiopulmonary resuscitation

From your ANA President

As healthcare professionals, we all know CPR to mean “cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” and we have all been trained in how to perform it. But CPR also has another important…

Get Savvy to syncope

Syncope is a common occurrence and is commonly benign. But sometimes a swoon signals a serious underlying condition. Learn what causes syncope and how to assess and intervene…

Going with the flow of infusion nursing

Thanks partly to the new Medicare and Medicaid hospital reimbursement rules and the trend toward home health care, infusion nurses are in greater demand than ever. As hospitals…

Healing the wounds: Quantum nursing V

Quantum nursing demands that nurses honor each person’s humanity, promote independence and autonomy, and offer the opportunity for individuals to redefine for themselves who they are and how…

How dolls can help patients with dementia

One evening while making rounds in the geriatric psychiatry unit, a nurse manager heard a patient crying in a little girl’s voice and pleading for her mother and…

How to fight fatigue in patients with cancer

“Cancer’s paint box includes many shades of fatigue.” —Dana Jennings, a patient with prostate cancer who blogs for The New York Times The shock of a cancer diagnosis.…

How to meet the challenge of disruptive patients

Disruptive patients can be challenging for even the most experienced nurse. Learn how identify those at high risk for disruptive behavior and strategies for defusing a person who…

ICU Diary: The Gift of Care™

As an ICU nurse you’ve probably encountered the critically ill patient who is experiencing hallucinations, delusions, and confusion. Healthcare providers are learning just how detrimental this state of…

Improving health care with systems thinking

We strive to reach the theoretical goal of perfect patient care. But is defect-free health care possible? Or are avoidable deaths from preventable errors inevitable? Sociologist and organizational theorist Charles Perrow describes…

Innovating better patient care

While the idea of innovation can conjure images of high-tech gadgets and artificial intelligence, more often innovation is a result of changes in approach or philosophy that allow…

Interprofessional education

Combining skills and knowledge from different disciplines enhances patient care. By Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN   In 2003, the Committee on Health Professions Education of the Institute…

Is intentional rounding effective?

A recent study from the National Institute for Health Research focuses on intentional rounding in hospitals to understand its efficacy for patients and healthcare providers. (more…)

Issues up close

Family nurse practitioner (FNP) and nurse-midwife Karen Holder, FNP-BC, CNM, MHS, sees patients at a large primary care clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona, as well as at small satellite…
uncertain, healthcare, registered nurse, nursing, nursing journal

Issues up close

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are increasing in number and in value to the healthcare delivery system. As more people have access to health care, expanded opportunities for…

Keeping asthma at bay

NIH has updated its guidelines on asthma diagnosis and treatment. Learn how to help your asthma patients lead fuller lives.

Keeping it simple

Given the fast pace of nursing work environments, implementing innovative ideas or processes in clinical settings can be challenging. This is especially true if the worker perceives that…

Magnet Recognition Program® update

The director of the National Magnet Recognition Program® previews the upcoming conference and reveals other activities at the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Make a difference as a rehabilitation nurse

From September 21 to 27, we celebrate National Rehabilitation Awareness Week by promoting the value of rehabilitation, highlighting the opportunities for the nearly 50 million Americans with disabilities,…

Medical futility: A nurse’s viewpoint

Caring for a medically futile patient can be a wrenching emotional experience. Learn how to cope with the complex medical, ethical, and legal issues and help patients and…
spiritual care

Meeting your patients spiritual needs

When a patient says, “I’m afraid I’m going to die,” do you offer empty reassurances? Find an excuse to leave the room? Read this article to learn about…

Moving toward a restraint-free environment

Sherry, age 17, is admitted to a behavioral health residential facility by her adoptive parents. She has mild mental retardation and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Recently, she reported…
nurse contribution patton zalon

Nurising’s contribution to patient care

Editor’s note: This month’s column is cowritten by Rebecca Patton and Margarete L. Zalon, President of the American Nurses Foundation. We have stories to tell about nurses and…

Nurses caring and sharing

From the U.S. to Uganda, in sleek American hospitals and makeshift Afghan clinics, nurses give of themselves to transform lives. Compelled by a deep passion to aid people…

Nurses’ role in managing pain

ANA offers guidance to help address a national and global epidemic. ON MY WAY INTO WORK at the burn center early in my career, I’d often worry about…

Nursing practice and work environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18% of Americans smoke cigarettes and more than half of these smokers want to quit. Further, CDC reports…

Of artichokes and angry patients

An angry patient is like an artichoke. An artichoke is prickly and rough on the outside, but by taking time to learn how to peel its rough leaves,…

Paget’s disease: A therapy update

Pain, arthritis, fractures, and skeletal deformities are calling cards of Paget’s disease. A new one-dose drug therapy can produce extended remission.

Patient care in the dawn of the genomic age

Application of genetics and genomic science to health care is emerging in full force and having a powerful effect on nursing practice. Genomic medicine—using an individual’s genomic information to…

Putting a stop to postop nausea and vomiting

GI distress after surgery is a scary prospect for patients, and an all-too-common reality. But it isn’t inevitable. Learn how to minimize your patients’ risk and relieve their…

Putting an end to patient overcrowding

Serious patient-flow problems call for more than just quick fixes. In some facilities, the culture must be transformed before patient bottlenecks can be banished. Read about one hospital’s…

Pyelonephritis

Early identification results in a positive outcome.     Candance Walker* is a 28-year-old woman who arrives in a wheelchair in the emergency department accompanied by her husband. She’s crying…
awhonn womens health obstetric neonatal nurse

Q&A with the Executive Director of AWHONN

In May, we celebrate Nurses’ Week, Women’s Health Week, and Mother’s Day. In the spirit of these celebrations, we asked Joseph C. Isaacs, CAE, Executive Director of the…

Recognizing nurses who enrich our lives and the world

National Nurses Week, celebrated annually from May 6-12 and ending on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, is a time for everyone— nurses, employers, other healthcare professionals, community leaders,…
_Action_PresidentGrant

Reflection and action

Continuing to work together is key in 2021. In just a few weeks, a new year will be upon us. Our desire to focus on the future is…

Research 101: Forest plots

Patient care decisions must be made based on the current best evidence, and nurses critically appraise many kinds of research designs and their associated statistical analyses to determine…

Reversing SIADH

When a cancer patient’s thirst increases and urine output decreases, suspect syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone.

Robotic nurses: No substitute for real RNs

For the past decade, care innovation has exploded with new tools and technology. Keeping up with all of the new devices and gadgets available to ease caregiver burden…

Safe lifting: The assessment imperative

If you lift or transfer patients, make “Assess first, lift later” your motto. Find out which critical patient and ergonomic factors you must evaluate before starting any patient-handling…

Self-mutilation: The cutting truth

People who mutilate themselves excel at hiding their injuries. Find out how to identify self-mutilators and nurture their trust.

Shhhhhh! Quiet zone

Nurses play a significant role in helping patients to get the sleep they need.

Suffering and spirituality

Read these excerpts on suffering and spirituality from Nursing and Health Care Ethics: A Legacy and a Vision.

Suppressing a COPD flare-up

Nursing vigilance helps a patient with chronic obstructive oulmonary disease stave off respiratory failure.

Take Note – Sept/Oct 2009

Patients lose when nurse staffing is insufficient Heavy workloads and insufficient staffing affect patient care, according to about 2,000 nurses surveyed worldwide by the International Council of Nurses…

Taking the ICU to the Patient

How one rapid response team prevents cardiac arrest and provides other life-saving benefits outside the ICU.

The caring-quilting connection

Even if you’re not a quilt connoisseur, you’re sure to appreciate the beauty and handiwork of this nurse’s quilt. Its creator sees profound parallels between quilting and nursing.

The freeing force of laughter

By reciting wacky dialogue from a scene in a Monty Python movie, Mary Delisle, RN, interrupted the negative thought patterns of a patient mired in dread and dispair.
nurse story remembering teach

The little things we do

In December 2001, the graduating class of New York University’s College of Nursing asked me to give a speech during their pinning ceremony. As part of nursing education,…

The magnetic draw of information technology

With a shrinking workforce and more complex healthcare, how can nurses raise the bar on clinical excellence? One hospital uses health information technology to improve efficiency and reduce…
The Maslow effect: A humanist legacy for nursing

The Maslow effect: A humanist legacy for nursing

In the late 1960s, psychologist Abraham Maslow was moved by the kindness of the nurses and nursing students he encountered when hospitalized for heart disease. Curious about why…

The voice of the consumer

This month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) begin reporting patient experience data from its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS®) program. The first…

To sleep, perchance to heal

Sleep doesn’t come easily for ICU patients. Many suffer chronic sleep deprivation, which can raise stress levels, depress immune responses, and impair wound healing. To help them sleep, some…

Understanding MCS

More research is needed to increase our understanding of multiple chemical sensitivity.
correctional-nursing

What to expect from correctional nursing

Takeaways: Correctional nursing is a growing specialty that’s evolving to meet the needs of incarcerated populations in a variety of settings. People who are incarcerated need compassionate nurses…
patient tbi ant

What your patient would like you to know about TBI

Staff Sergeant Sarah Zimmerman, United States Army, suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) last summer during deployment in Afghanistan. A vehicle containing an explosive device rammed into…

Why making the rounds makes sense

Nursing rounds are making a comeback – but this time, they’re based on research and structured for maximum efficiency.
benefits-digital-health-management

5 benefits of digital care management

A typical encounter within the healthcare system can be overwhelming and complicated, depending on the patient’s health condition. For example, imagine a patient with…

A troubled life, a difficult death

Editor’s note: National Homelessness Awareness Week is November 10-18. Like many of our homeless patients, “Sarah” was a bundle of contradictions. She came from…

Act fast against anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis can kill within minutes unless the victim receives immediate treatment. Calling a rapid response team to the scene can avert disaster.

Adventures in virtual meetings

Tired of unproductive staff meetings held at inconvenient times? Had it  up to here with being interrupted when trying to express your opinion? Maybe…

AHRQ releases new guide for patients

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new guide to help hospitals better prepare patients to take care of themselves…

Beyond customer service

Many nurses don’t like to hear their patients called “customers” or be told to provide “customer service.” This expert explains how to lose the…

Calming a thyroid storm

Saving a patient’s life may rest on recognizing which findings are red herrings and which hold the key to the crisis.

Care without gaps

ANA, nurses nationwide work to improve transitions in care Mary Maryland, PhD, APRN,BC, ANP, has had to rely on good old-fashioned nursing ingenuity to…

Care, not chaos

A new document created by ANA and other groups delineates emergency care principles for psychiatric patients.

Case Study: How much is enough?

Three-year-old Christy* has been in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) since birth, when she was diagnosed with McCune-Albright syndrome and multiple other…

Challenging nursing’s sacred cows

Do you routinely instill normal saline solution into endotracheal tubes before suctioning? Use only the Glasgow Coma Scale for neurologic assessment? Evidence on these…
dementia quiet thief nurse forgetful

Dementia: The quiet thief

The nurse’s note read, “not orientated to place and time due to dementia.” Several hours of general anesthesia for a knee replacement and then…

Doing the most good

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 provides many benefits.
crib iron bedside nurse care

From our readers…At the Bedside

As my parents were approaching the age of downsizing their earthly possessions, I became the recipient of the generational family crib. It was the…
cpr cardiopulmonary resuscitation

From your ANA President

As healthcare professionals, we all know CPR to mean “cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” and we have all been trained in how to perform it. But CPR…

Get Savvy to syncope

Syncope is a common occurrence and is commonly benign. But sometimes a swoon signals a serious underlying condition. Learn what causes syncope and how…

Healing the wounds: Quantum nursing V

Quantum nursing demands that nurses honor each person’s humanity, promote independence and autonomy, and offer the opportunity for individuals to redefine for themselves who…

ICU Diary: The Gift of Care™

As an ICU nurse you’ve probably encountered the critically ill patient who is experiencing hallucinations, delusions, and confusion. Healthcare providers are learning just how…

Improving health care with systems thinking

We strive to reach the theoretical goal of perfect patient care. But is defect-free health care possible? Or are avoidable deaths from preventable errors inevitable? Sociologist and…

Innovating better patient care

While the idea of innovation can conjure images of high-tech gadgets and artificial intelligence, more often innovation is a result of changes in approach…

Interprofessional education

Combining skills and knowledge from different disciplines enhances patient care. By Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN   In 2003, the Committee on Health Professions…

Is intentional rounding effective?

A recent study from the National Institute for Health Research focuses on intentional rounding in hospitals to understand its efficacy for patients and healthcare…

Issues up close

Family nurse practitioner (FNP) and nurse-midwife Karen Holder, FNP-BC, CNM, MHS, sees patients at a large primary care clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona, as well…
uncertain, healthcare, registered nurse, nursing, nursing journal

Issues up close

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are increasing in number and in value to the healthcare delivery system. As more people have access to health…

Keeping asthma at bay

NIH has updated its guidelines on asthma diagnosis and treatment. Learn how to help your asthma patients lead fuller lives.

Keeping it simple

Given the fast pace of nursing work environments, implementing innovative ideas or processes in clinical settings can be challenging. This is especially true if…

Magnet Recognition Program® update

The director of the National Magnet Recognition Program® previews the upcoming conference and reveals other activities at the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Nurses caring and sharing

From the U.S. to Uganda, in sleek American hospitals and makeshift Afghan clinics, nurses give of themselves to transform lives. Compelled by a deep…

Nurses’ role in managing pain

ANA offers guidance to help address a national and global epidemic. ON MY WAY INTO WORK at the burn center early in my career,…

Paget’s disease: A therapy update

Pain, arthritis, fractures, and skeletal deformities are calling cards of Paget’s disease. A new one-dose drug therapy can produce extended remission.

Putting an end to patient overcrowding

Serious patient-flow problems call for more than just quick fixes. In some facilities, the culture must be transformed before patient bottlenecks can be banished.…

Pyelonephritis

Early identification results in a positive outcome.     Candance Walker* is a 28-year-old woman who arrives in a wheelchair in the emergency department accompanied by…
_Action_PresidentGrant

Reflection and action

Continuing to work together is key in 2021. In just a few weeks, a new year will be upon us. Our desire to focus…

Research 101: Forest plots

Patient care decisions must be made based on the current best evidence, and nurses critically appraise many kinds of research designs and their associated…

Reversing SIADH

When a cancer patient’s thirst increases and urine output decreases, suspect syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone.

Safe lifting: The assessment imperative

If you lift or transfer patients, make “Assess first, lift later” your motto. Find out which critical patient and ergonomic factors you must evaluate…

Shhhhhh! Quiet zone

Nurses play a significant role in helping patients to get the sleep they need.

Suffering and spirituality

Read these excerpts on suffering and spirituality from Nursing and Health Care Ethics: A Legacy and a Vision.

Take Note – Sept/Oct 2009

Patients lose when nurse staffing is insufficient Heavy workloads and insufficient staffing affect patient care, according to about 2,000 nurses surveyed worldwide by the…

The caring-quilting connection

Even if you’re not a quilt connoisseur, you’re sure to appreciate the beauty and handiwork of this nurse’s quilt. Its creator sees profound parallels…

The freeing force of laughter

By reciting wacky dialogue from a scene in a Monty Python movie, Mary Delisle, RN, interrupted the negative thought patterns of a patient mired…
nurse story remembering teach

The little things we do

In December 2001, the graduating class of New York University’s College of Nursing asked me to give a speech during their pinning ceremony. As…

The voice of the consumer

This month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) begin reporting patient experience data from its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems…

To sleep, perchance to heal

Sleep doesn’t come easily for ICU patients. Many suffer chronic sleep deprivation, which can raise stress levels, depress immune responses, and impair wound healing. To…

Understanding MCS

More research is needed to increase our understanding of multiple chemical sensitivity.
correctional-nursing

What to expect from correctional nursing

Takeaways: Correctional nursing is a growing specialty that’s evolving to meet the needs of incarcerated populations in a variety of settings. People who are…

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