Today was the day of nurse practitioner school when I would learn how to perform a pelvic exam—on a living person. What if I couldn’t find the cervix or said the wrong thing? Or, worst of all, what if I hurt someone?
Alice Facente, a clinical educator in Connecticut, has published two Reflections essays in AJN in the past year: “The Dirtiest House in Town” and “At Her Mercy.” Her last post on this blog can be found here.
We just returned home from Moab, Utah, where our 20-something son lives and works. His 50-something parents decided to visit him—we hadn’t seen him in many months. He earns his living as a mountain guide, leading people on extreme mountain-climbing adventures.
We just wanted to see him, not fulfill any fantasies of becoming daredevils. But we were game to see what he did for a living. He took us on a three-mile hike through incredibly gorgeous canyons and rock formations. It was strenuous, but we were able to keep up. When we came to the edge of a cliff, with the bottom of the canyon “only 100 feet down” or so, our son took off his bulging backpack—which we’d mistakenly assumed was full of snacks—and pulled out harnesses, ropes, helmets, and gloves. He then told us there was no way down except to rappel.
Did I mention I am afraid of heights? Since my son was well aware of my (very reasonable) fears, he had neglected to tell us his […]
By Shawn Kennedy, Interim EIC of AJN
. . . and unfortunately, because of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there will be many more veterans of war and its brutality. And there will also be many more families who struggle with the stress of having a family member deployed, often to dangerous places.
In this month’s issue of AJN, Erin Gabany and Teresa Shellenbarger, authors of the feature article “Caring for Families with Deployment Stress,” note that “deployment was found to have a markedly negative effect on health and well-being, with spouses reporting loneliness, anxiety, and depression in 78.2%, 51.6%, and 42.6% of all cases, respectively.” And just this week, a study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that, among children ages three to eight, “[m]ental and behavioral health visits increased by 11% in these children when a military parent deployed; behavioral disorders increased 19% and stress disorders increased 18%.”
While nurses in the military may be aware of the demands and stresses on active duty military families, civilian nurses may not be—and they are the ones who are likely to see the families of the many reserve and National Guard troops now deployed. We’re pleased to be publishing Gabany and Shellenbarger’s article, and hope it will increase awareness of the issues many families face and help nurses provide support to these families.
Nurses, too, are being deployed in large numbers; many, like army nurse Major Christopher Vanfossen, author of our new […]
By Christine Moffa, MS, RN, AJN clinical editor
For most people, eating is a simple pleasure that they usually take for granted. However, for patients recovering from stroke or esophageal disease, getting food down is a pretty big deal. Patients with dysphagia are at increased risk for malnutrition (which can lead to impaired healing), dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia. Unfortunately, liquid, soft, and pureed diets are not only unappealing and unappetizing for many patients, but they also mean different things at different hospitals. Have you ever seen a health worker “prepare” a liquid diet tray for a patient by taking the milk, juice, and mashed potatoes and mixing them together, then wondering why it’s taking an hour to get the patient to eat it? […]
By Shawn Kennedy, AJN interim editor-in-chief
In 2008, a survey by the American Nurses Association (ANA) indicated that 64% of nurses reported a needlestick injury. That startling figure was reported by Marla Weston, CEO of the ANA, in her opening remarks last week when the ANA relaunched “Safe Needles Save Lives,” its campaign for use of safe needles in the workplace. The campaign originally launched ten years ago and was instrumental in passage of Public Law 106-430, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which requires employers to “identify, evaluate, and make use of effective safer medical devices.” And while there have been inroads towards use of safer needle systems, the 2008 data show that much needs to be done.
Speaking from experience. Karen Daley, the ANA president, has long been a leader in advocating for safer needle systems. She sustained a needlestick injury while working in the ER a decade ago and contracted hepatitis and HIV infection. Her home state, Massachusetts, has been in the forefront of legislation. According to Angela Laramie from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, all hospitals in Massachusetts are mandated to use sharps injury prevention devices, maintain a log of any injuries, and submit an annual report to the state. Yet, state data show an average of 3,000 needlestick injuries yearly—and more than half of these are with devices that lack safe […]