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,…

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…

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 it’s time to explore alternatives to the traditional in-person meeting. One hospital unit did just that, and their online meeting forum helped them create new protocols in record time.

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…

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 principles of customer service to patient care.

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…

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…

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 of nursing practice might surprise you.

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 adapt skin inspection for dark-skinned patients.

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…

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 research.

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…
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…

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 for a patient who has just experienced it.

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 they choose to live.

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 is being disruptive.

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…

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…

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…

Interprofessional education

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

Is intentional rounding effective?

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

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 units in remote communities sprinkled around northern Arizona.

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…

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…

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…

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 families make difficult decisions.

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 simple spiritual interventions that can aid a patient in spiritual distress.

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 in need, nurses help sustain human dignity and humanity through their caring presence and heart-to-heart sharing.

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…

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 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 symptoms.

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 system-wide cure for its throughput blues.

Pyelonephritis

Pyelonephritis

Early identification results in a positive outcome.     Candance Walker* is a 28-year-old woman who arrives in a wheelchair in the…
_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.…

Research 101: Forest plots

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

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 before starting any patient-handling task.

Saving lives with continuous ST-segment monitoring

Manay dangerous ischemic events are clinically silent. Continuous ST-segment monitoring gives early warning of the silent ischemia that many other diagnostic methods fail to detect.

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…

Taking the ICU to the Patient

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

Teaching Ostomy Care

WEB EXCLUSIVE – More information on teaching patients ostomy care.  Please download PDF for best viewing.

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…

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 unnecessary errors – and has gained Magnet status in the process.

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…

Therapeutic storytelling in nursing practice

Storytelling is a useful way to promote holistic care. The next time your patient shows poor coping ability, you might want to ask him to tell a story about what he’s experiencing.

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 ICU’s are enforcing regular quite times.

Tracheostomy care

Tracheostomy care: An evidence-based guide

To promote positive outcomes in patients with trach tubes, nurses need to stay up-to-date on best practices and develop and maintain the necessary skills.

Understanding MCS

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

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.

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