August Issue: Obesity-Related Cancer, Simulation-Based Education, Secondhand Smoke Screening, More

“A respite for nurses may be more needed than ever. Workplaces are more complex than they used to be and . . . changing faster. . . . And there never seem to be enough people to do what needs to be done.” —editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, in her editorial, “A Day By the Sea”

The August issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new:

CE: Original Research: The Clinical Research Nurse: Exploring Self-Perceptions About the Value of the Role

This study analyzes how clinical research nurses perceive the value of their practice, specifically as it relates to the care of clinical research subjects and the implementation of clinical research protocols.

CE: Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: A Clinical Review

The author discusses the role of obesity in the development and recurrence of breast, gynecologic, and colorectal cancers in women; describes weight loss interventions that may help overweight or obese patients reduce their cancer risk; and explains interviewing techniques nurses can use with such patients.

Special Feature: The Changing Landscape of Simulation-Based Education

This article details three foundational concepts of simulation-based education: prebriefing, debriefing, and safety in simulation. It also provides examples of academic, hospital- and health care center–based, and in situ simulation programs.

Cultivating Quality: Improving Screening and Education for Secondhand […]

2019-07-29T13:28:02-04:00July 29th, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN in October: Nursing Student Errors, Septic Shock Resuscitation, the Ethics of Workarounds, More

The October issue of AJN is now live. Here are some articles we’d like to bring to your attention.

CE: Original Research: Exploring How Nursing Schools Handle Student Errors and Near Misses

The authors investigate nursing school policies and practices for reporting and tracking student errors and near misses. The first part of a two-part series.

CE: Assessing Patients During Septic Shock Resuscitation

How to integrate capillary refill time and skin mottling score into the perfusion reassessment after initial fluid resuscitation—as recommended by revisions to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign six-hour bundle.

Obesity and Sexual Dysfunction: Making the Connection

Obesity affects patients’ general health, but does it affect their sexuality? A review of the evidence on obesity and sexual functioning, plus nursing considerations for addressing weight-loss strategies with patients.

Workarounds Are Routinely Used By Nurses—But Are They Ethical?

How nurses can be creative problem solvers without resorting to workarounds that may be ethical in intent yet potentially harmful in their consequences.

[…]

2017-09-29T08:30:14-04:00September 29th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments
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Metabolic Syndrome: Lifestyle Factors and Prevention

Metabolic syndrome: one-third of U.S. adults.

Cycling Mother and Daughter, Netherlands/via Wikimedia CommonsConversations about health—whether between neighbors or between clinicians and patients—often revolve around weight problems, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Taken together, these are the cardiovascular risk factors referred to as metabolic syndrome.

In the United States, more than one-third of all adults have metabolic syndrome. This is an astonishing figure, especially because these risk factors can be modified.

What keeps some who are obese or overweight ‘metabolically healthy’?

In recent years, researchers have learned that some people who are overweight or obese do not demonstrate the other risk factors that are part of metabolic syndrome, and therefore these people have a lower-than-expected risk of cardiovascular disease. In a study reported in this month’s AJN (“Examining the Links Between Lifestyle Factors and Metabolic Syndrome“), a group of Taiwanese nurse researchers set out to learn whether there might be lifestyle factors that keep this subgroup of people “metabolically healthy,” protecting them from the other cardiovascular risk factors that usually come with extra weight.

Lifestyle factors associated with prevention.

Dr. Shu-Hung Chang and colleagues performed community-based physical exams on more than 700 people in northern Taiwan and questioned them about lifestyle factors including smoking, drinking, exercise, and the foods they ate. The […]

2017-07-27T11:53:43-04:00December 5th, 2016|nursing research, personal health practices|1 Comment
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AJN in December: Lifestyle Factors and Metabolic Syndrome, Contrast-Induced Kidney Injury, Pearl Harbor Nurses, More

The December issue of AJN is now live. Here are some articles we’d like to bring to your attention.

CE Feature: “Original Research: Examining the Links Between Lifestyle Factors and Metabolic Syndrome”

In 2008, according to the World Health Organization, more than 1.4 billion adults were overweight and more than half a billion were obese, and those numbers have likely increased since these data were reported. The authors of this study examined lifestyle risk factors for metabolic syndrome—such as dietary and exercise habits—in people who are overweight or obese, aiming to distinguish those lifestyle factors associated with metabolic health in this population.

CE Feature: “Preventing Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury”

Diagnostic radiographic imaging scans using intravascular iodinated contrast media can lead to various complications. The most salient of these is contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) or contrastinduced nephropathy, a potentially costly and serious patient safety concern. In order to ensure safe, high-quality care, nurses must be involved in efforts to prevent CI-AKI as well as interventions that minimize patients’ risk of kidney injury. This article provides an evidence-based review of screening, risk assessment, and hydration protocols for the clinical management of patients receiving contrast agents for radiographic imaging studies.

Supporting Family Caregivers: “Administration of […]

2016-11-28T09:42:20-05:00November 28th, 2016|Nursing|0 Comments
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Are the Benefits of Nutrition for Cardiovascular Health Being Undersold ?

By Betsy Todd, MPH, RN, CIC, AJN clinical editor

By Eric Hunt/via Wikimedia Commons By Eric Hunt/via Wikimedia Commons

A nutrition conference at which physicians and medical students outnumber either nurses or dietitians is a rare event. This was the case at last month’s International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine: Cardiovascular Disease in Washington, DC, cosponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and George Washington University.

The speakers, shared a wealth of data on the influence of different types of diets on weight, blood pressure, lipids, serum inflammatory markers, hemoglobin A1c levels, and diseased coronary arteries. More than one pointed out that we too often overestimate the benefits of drugs and medical procedures and discount the effectiveness of diet and lifestyle changes. Some highlights:

Does heart disease begin in utero? Children who are large for gestational age (> 95th percentile) and those born to overweight mothers are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vascular physiologist Michael Skilton, PhD, associate professor at the University of Sydney in Australia, has also identified microscopic lesions in aortic endothelium of babies born small for gestational age (< 10th percentile). He suggests that their diets include the American Heart Association’s recommendations for omega-3 fatty acid intake beginning in childhood (breast milk, flax seeds, walnuts, or child-friendly omega 3 supplements can be used in lieu of fish-derived omega 3s when mercury is a concern).

Children […]

2017-03-15T16:58:14-04:00September 14th, 2015|Nursing, personal health practices|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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