On this month’s cover, perianesthesia nurse Carolyn Benigno helps prepare a young patient for surgery at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. The photo, the first-place winner of AJN’s 2015 Faces of Caring: Nurses at Work photo contest, shows Benigno practicing “Caring through Play.” The art of working at a pediatric hospital, she says, is “learning how to play with children so that part of your nursing care is play.” Such play can both distract a child in the moment and help the child cope with the disorienting experience of hospitalization.
For another piece on how nurses try to make hospitalization less stressful for children, see this month’s Cultivating Quality article, “Improving Pediatric Temperature Measurement in the ED.”
Some other articles of note in the September issue:
CE Feature: “Acute Pain Management for Inpatients with Opioid Use Disorder.” Inpatients diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) commonly experience acute pain during hospitalization and may require opioids for pain management. But misconceptions about opioids and negative attitudes toward patients with OUD may lead to undermedication, unrelieved pain, and unnecessary suffering. This article reviews the current relevant literature and dispels common myths about opioids and OUD.
CE Feature: “Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States: Overview and Update.” Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are the most common infectious diseases in the United States. This article provides an overview of symptoms, screening, and treatment recommendations for the most common STIs in this country and describes the most recent relevant findings—including updated CDC guidelines—in order to inform nursing practice.
This month’s Perspectives on Leadership column: “Conflict Engagement: Creating Connection and Cultivating Curiosity.” Addressing conflict in clinical work environments is an ongoing challenge for nurse leaders, but can result in significant benefits for both health care professionals and patients. This final installment of the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ Leadership column introduces an approach for practicing the skills needed for creating connection and cultivating curiosity when addressing conflict on the unit.
From the Ethical Issues column: “Teaching Crucial Knowledge vs. Helping Out on the Unit.” Clinical nursing instructors have two primary ethical responsibilities: to ensure a competent nursing workforce by educating students in the essential physical and psychosocial skills, and to ensure that patients who allow students to care for them receive safe, high-quality nursing care. This article explores the ethical considerations that arise when student education and urgent patient care needs conflict, and offers suggestions for arriving at a resolution.
There’s much more in our September issue, including a new column that chronicles a nursing professor’s experience teaching in Jordan this past year. Click here to browse the table of contents and explore the issue on our Web site.
Lynne I am very proud of you. Keep up the great work. Now I can call you ‘cover girl’.