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

CE Feature: Original Research: Do Nurses or Electronic Assessment Tools Better Predict Risk for Harm?

In many hospitals, nurse-led “safety huddles” are used to relay patient safety information, although whether this effectively identifies patients at risk for harm has not been determined. New electronic risk assessment tools are designed to identify patients at risk for harm during hospitalization, based on specific markers in the electronic health record. The authors of this study compared the results of both methods, finding statistically significant differences in the way nurses and data mining software identify risk of harm. In many instances, factors that the software captured had been anticipated by the nurses or were already addressed in the plan of care.

CE Feature: Overactive Bladder in Women

This article provides an evidence-based review of the screening, assessment, and management of overactive bladder in women, many of whom do not seek help for the condition and try to self-manage its symptoms, which may inadvertently worsen them. Those with overactive bladder often experience related physical and psychological symptoms and report a poorer quality of life than other women. However, many factors that increase the risk of developing overactive bladder are modifiable, and more treatment options are becoming available to women as research provides new information about the underlying pathophysiology of overactive bladder.

Special Feature: Climate Change and Mental Health

Most of the attention given to climate change has been about its physical impact; there has been much less focus on its psychological impact. This article examines the likely effects of climate change on mental health and well-being, such as anxiety, depression, and increases in violence and aggression, and discusses these impacts, their mechanisms of action, the unique vulnerabilities of some populations, and the need to build resilience.

Professional Development: How to Engage Funders and Get Money: the 10 Rs You Need to Know

The senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shares insider tips to help nurses effectively raise funds for their research or organization.

There’s much more in our April issue, including an Emerging Infections report on Candida auris, a new multidrug-resistant pathogen; and a Profile of Minnesota state representative Erin Murphy, a nurse who is running for governor of her state. Click here to browse the table of contents and explore the issue on our Web site.

A note on the cover:

On this month’s cover, a young boy witnesses the aftermath of severe flash flooding in Clendenin, West Virginia. His grandmother’s home was among many thousands destroyed by the June 2016 extreme weather event, which killed at least 25 people. At the moment this photo was taken by a passerby, the boy’s family members were combing through their possessions and trying to salvage what they could. The passerby posted the photo on Facebook; it ended up being shared more than 4,600 times and generated an outpouring of donations and support for the boy’s family.