Sustainable Health Care Environments

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

Laura Anderko Laura Anderko

In our April issue, we give a nod to Earth Day (April 22) and its focus on the environment. The article, “Greening the ‘Proclamation for Change’: Healing Through Sustainable Health Care Environments” (free until May 8), by Laura Anderko and colleagues Stephanie Chalupka, Whitney Austin Gray, and Karen Kesten, highlights how hospitals can incorporate design elements and practices not only to reduce energy consumption and garbage, but to provide a healing environment for patients and staff. There is ample evidence in support of the use of natural light, noise-reducing materials for floors and walls, and other design elements in improving rest and healing. And the evidence also shows the benefit to staff AJN0413.Cover.2nd.inddin terms of reducing stress, fatigue, and errors. Denise Choiniere Denise Choiniere

Anderko put me in touch with Denise Choiniere, MS, RN, a former critical care nurse who is now director of sustainability, materials management, and in-house construction at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. So how does one go from being a bedside nurse to overseeing construction and environmental efforts? Choiniere says she had “an ‘aha’ moment” when she realized that the chemicals being used to clean hospitals could make people ill. Listen to my podcast with Anderko and Choiniere to learn more about how nurses […]

AJN’s April Issue: Sustainable Health Care Environments, Preventing Kidney Injury, Lateral Violence, Mental Health, More

AJN0413.Cover.2nd.inddAJN’s April issue is now available on our Web site. Here’s a selection of what not to miss.

Mechanical prophylactic devices such as intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices, are applied, maintained, and monitored exclusively by nursing personnel. In this month’s original research article, “The Application of Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Devices for Thrombophylaxis,” the authors observed frequent misapplications of ordered IPC devices, and highlighted the need to study the consequences of such errors. This article is open access and can earn you 2.3 continuing education (CE) credits.

Over the past decade, the incidence of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis has risen sharply in the U.S., with associated death more than doubling. “Preventing and Responding to Acute Kidney Injury” makes the case that by identifying the signs and symptoms of acute kidney injury in its early stages, nurses may be able to help reduce the severity of injury and improve outcomes. This article is open access and can earn you 2.6 CE credits. You can also listen to a podcast interview with the author.

Lateral violence is a term used to describe what happens when a person acts in a verbally, emotionally, or physically abusive way toward someone else of a similar status or level of authority. As has been noted more than once before, RNs sometimes commit lateral violence against other staff members. “‘Crucial Conversations’ in the Workplace,” the second article in our leadership series, offers nurse managers a framework […]

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