AJN0813.Cover.OnlineAJN‘s August issue is now available on our Web site. Here’s a selection of what not to miss.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken in order to serve the greater good. This month’s CE feature “Exploring the Concept and Use of Positive Deviance in Nursingaims to increase our understanding of positive deviance (“an intentional act of breaking the rules in order to serve the greater good”) within the context of nursing practice. You can earn 2.5 CE credits with this article. If you’re reading AJN on your iPad, you can listen to a podcast interview with the author by clicking on the podcast icon on the first page of the article. The podcast is also available on our Web site.

The early warning signs of deterioration that patients often exhibit several hours before cardiopulmonary arrest often go unrecognized by nurses. “Developing a Vital Sign Alert System describes an automated vital sign alert system that was designed to enhance patient monitoring without increasing the nurse’s workload. Earn 2.4 CE credits by reading this article and taking the test that follows it.

“Using Focus Groups to Inform Innovative Approaches to Care,” an article in our Professional Development department, uses case studies to describe how nurses can use patient focus groups for gathering qualitative data that can advance patient advocacy.

And if you are interested in what’s going on in the nursing world in other countries, read this month’s In Our Community article, “Buurtzorg Nederland,” which focuses on a grassroots effort led by nurses in the Netherlands to create an improved model of home care. Called Buurtzorg—Dutch for “neighborhood care”—the model is designed to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs and increasing nurse and patient satisfaction.

Despite many challenges, Bangladesh is a rapidly developing part of the Indian subcontinent that has made significant progress on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. “Teaching Nurses in Bangladesh,” an article in our Correspondence From Abroad column,  describes the experience of teaching bachelor of science in nursing–prepared nurses in Bangladesh since 2004, and provides some lessons in transcultural education.

There is plenty more in this issue, including an article on how to best measure wounds. Stop by and have a look, and tell us what you think on Facebook or here on our blog.

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