About Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor

Senior editor, American Journal of Nursing; editor of AJN Off the Charts.

Should Nurses Be Better Prepared to Meet Patients’ Spiritual Needs?

[A] survey of over 4,000 nurses found that only a small minority (5%) felt that they could always meet the spiritual needs of patients, and the vast majority (80%) felt that spirituality should be covered in nurse education as a core aspect of nursing.

The most important spiritual need identified by nurses was having respect for privacy, dignity and religious and cultural beliefs (94%). Spending time with patients giving support and reassurance especially in a time of need (90%) and showing kindness, concern and cheerfulness when giving care (83%) were also key concerns.

The above excerpt is from an article in Health News Today about a survey conducted among nurses in the UK. And here’s one more excerpt, a direct quote from a nurse who took part in the survey:

“I am a Christian. However, I do not believe it is appropriate for me to impose my beliefs on others while they are in a vulnerable position. What I do believe is that I support them in the particular spiritual needs during that time – whether they be Christian, Muslim, Atheist, whatever. It is their right to be treated as a whole, unique person and it is our duty, as nurses, to treat all our patients holistically, for the person they are and the beliefs that they hold. Physical care has to be tailored to each individual and so should spiritual care.”

But why bother? After all, who has time? Well, spirituality may affect outcomes. A 2004 article published in the Journal of Family Practice reviewed […]

2016-11-21T13:17:44-05:00May 13th, 2010|nursing perspective|3 Comments
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Think Twice Before Inserting That Feeding Tube

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN interim editor-in-chief


One of the news stories in the May issue of AJN describes the “down the road” implications for a common practice—the use of feeding tubes in patients with end-stage dementia. Feeding tubes are often placed in these patients in the acute care setting and remain as the patient moves to a nursing home for continued care.

“Feeding Tubes Used Too Often in End-Stage Dementia” discusses a study recently published in JAMA that sought to examine this practice and identify what factors are associated with its continued use “despite a body of literature showing that they aren’t effective in improving clinical outcomes or survival.”

This is an important read as it reminds us to question why we do what we do, how it will improve or enhance outcomes, and what are the implications of intervening versus not intervening? Do we “follow the protocol” because it’s convenient, or do we look ahead at implications for patients and families?

So how does your hospital stack up?

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2016-11-21T13:17:48-05:00May 6th, 2010|nursing research|0 Comments
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What to Teach Patients and Their Families About Asthma

What do you need to know about asthma, and what should you teach your patients about its prevention and management? This month’s CE article gives a comprehensive and accessible overview, with medication, symptom, and common allergen tables, as well as advice like the following about the use of “action plans,” which may be particularly helpful with patients with “moderate or severe persistent asthma, a history of exacerbations, or poorly controlled asthma.” 

Action plans should be simple and easy to use. Many use a traffic light analogy, describing green, yellow, and red zones for which specific actions are prescribed. In the green (“go”) zone, patients’ [peak expiratory flow rate] PEFR is 80% to 100% of their personal best and they have no symptoms. These patients can continue using their daily medications and taking steps to limit exposure to triggers, as described in their plan. When patients’ PEFR is 50% to 80% of their personal best and they have symptoms, they’ve entered the yellow (“caution”) zone, and practitioners may consider prescribing alternative antiinflammatory medications and, possibly, a higher dose or more frequent use of the rescue medication. Patients whose PEFR drops below 50% of their personal best and whose symptoms fail to improve significantly with prescribed rescue medications are in the red (“danger–stop”) zone. They should increase medication as indicated in their action plan and call their health care provider immediately. If unable to reach their provider, they should stop what they’re […]

2016-11-21T13:17:49-05:00May 6th, 2010|nursing perspective|0 Comments
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Photo-essay Depicts Home Nursing in Gaza Strip; All AJN May Articles Free for Next Two Weeks

The above photo is from a photo-essay on home nursing in the Gaza Strip that appears in the May issue of AJN. The text and images depict Palestinian nurses trained by a medical aid organization called Merlin to attend to local communities in need, especially those cut off from urban health care services. Have a look (since it’s a photo-essay, we suggest you click through to the PDF version once you reach the article). 

In honor of Nurses’ Week, which occurs in early May, this and all other articles in AJN will be free from now until May 15. At all other times, the departments and article types listed below are always free (along with other selected articles):

  • Reflections, a monthly personal essay from a reader
  • Viewpoint, a position piece from an expert or concerned citizen
  • news articles like this on turf wars between physicians and nurse anesthetists, this on the continuing trickiness of treating sepsis, and this on a new plan for radiation safety
  • Art of Nursing (it’s a poem this month; click through to the PDF to read it)
  • the editorial
  • letters like this one on end-of-life opioid use
  • CE features such as this comprehensive look at asthma in adolescents and adults

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2016-11-21T13:17:56-05:00April 29th, 2010|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN 2010 Book of the Year Awards

The AJN Books of the Year Awards is regarded by nurses and authors as the most important designation of excellence in book publishing for and about nursing. For the 2010 contest, judges will consider only books and electronic products published between August 1, 2009, and August 1, 2010. Books published outside of that time frame will be disqualified.

(Click here or on the logo below to see the 2009 awards as published in AJN.) 

Deadline for submitting materials for consideration is August 2, 2010.

The list of winners will be published in the January 2011 issue of AJN.

For details, contact Amanda Geer at 646-674-6609, or amanda.geer@wolterskluwer.com.

Categories:

Advanced Practice Nursing 
Advanced clinical practice literature, including clinical research, physical assessment skills, critical thinking, case studies, and pathophysiology. The target audience for books in this category must include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, and/or nurse anesthetists.

Critical Care/Emergency Nursing 
Books that address the complex acute and emergent care needs of patients in a critical care environment. 

Gerontological Nursing 
Fundamental to understanding the complex physical, social, and emotional needs of the older adult in all settings.

Medical-Surgical Nursing 
Fundamental to understanding the complex clinical needs and comprehensive diagnoses of patients in acute care settings such as an adult hospital unit, home care, or long-term care.

Nursing Management/Leadership
Insights into […]

2016-11-21T13:17:57-05:00April 28th, 2010|nursing perspective, nursing research|0 Comments
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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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