Diane Szulecki, editor, Author at Off the Charts

AJN February Issue Highlights: Communication Challenges Due to PPE, Pressure Injury Prevention, Concussions, More

“Nurses are essential to administering the vaccines, and we need to be prepared with accurate information about the science behind them: how they work, what we know and don’t know about them, and what might change as more data emerge.”—editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her editorial, “Building Trust”

The February issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new. Some articles may be free only to subscribers.

Original Research: Concussions at School: The Experiences and Knowledge of School Nurses

This study explores the pediatric concussion-related knowledge, confidence, and management experiences among urban and rural school nurses in Washington State.

Communication Challenges in High-Containment Clinical Environments

The authors discuss the communication challenges that arise with the wearing of PPE and describe strategies they and their colleagues in the National Institutes of Health’s Special Clinical Studies Unit used to improve communication with other staff, patients, and external partners.

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Diane Szulecki, editor2021-02-01T14:29:13-05:00February 1st, 2021|Nursing|0 Comments

AJN’s Top 10 Articles of 2020

What captured the interest of AJN‘s readers in 2020? More than just COVID-19, suprisingly! Though the pandemic dominated our collective attention, other topics in nursing continued to resonate. We’ve compiled a list of the past year’s most-read (new) articles below—all are currently free to access.

1. “COVID-19 Brings Changes to NP Scope of Practice”

2. “Staffing Ratios and Burnout”

3. “Perceived Barriers to Rapid Response Team Activation Among Nurses”

4. “CE: Acute Care for Patients with Dementia”

5. “Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults”

6. “Original Research: How Magnet Hospital Status Affects Nurses, Patients, and Organizations: A Systematic Review”

7. “CE: Opioid Use Disorder: Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Effective Interventions”

8. “CE: Mitigating the Dangers of Polypharmacy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults”

9. “Mirror Therapy in the Management of Phantom Limb Pain”

10. “CE: PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection”

Diane Szulecki, editor2021-01-06T08:16:31-05:00January 6th, 2021|Nursing|0 Comments

January Issue Highlights: Understanding the CBC, COVID-19 Timeline, Book of the Year Awards, More

“As we move into 2021, my wish for this new year is that we resolve to approach it with a renewed sense of purpose . . .”—editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her editorial, “2020: A Year of Let Down and Loss”

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

Original Research: Nurses’ Perspectives on Caring for Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders

This study explored direct care nurses’ understanding and interpretation of do-not-resuscitate orders in relation to caring for hospitalized adults with such orders, and examined the misconceptions many nurses have about the meaning of DNR orders.

2020: The Year of COVID-19

A timeline of key events and milestones illustrates how the pandemic has unfolded over the past year.

CE: Back to Basics: The Complete Blood Count

The author discusses the meaning and function of complete blood count components, highlighting the important pathophysiological evidence they provide.

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Diane Szulecki, editor2020-12-29T09:28:31-05:00December 29th, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments

December Issue Highlights: Community-Acquired Pneumonia, Nurses’ COVID-19 Experiences, More

“As we go forward from this difficult year, we should take great pride in the fact that, perhaps for the first time, nurses’ work, commitment, and skills are visible all over the world.”—editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her editorial, “Moving On from the (Unimaginable) Year of the Nurse and the Midwife“

The December issue of AJN is now live. Here are some highlights.

Original Research: Assessing Organizational Focus on Health Literacy in North Texas Hospitals

“This mixed-methods study adds to the growing body of evidence for a lack of health literate practices in health care organizations.”

Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Review of Current Diagnostic Criteria and Management

This article discusses the 2019 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline on CAP diagnosis and treatment and provides an update on risk factors, signs and symptoms, and recommendations for treatment, discharge, and prevention.

Special Report: Frontline Nurses Say ‘Never Again’

A summary of a new report from the Frontline Nurses WikiWisdom Forum—an initiative of New Voice Strategies, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and AJN—in which nurses share their COVID-19 experiences and offer strategies to successfully manage future health care crises.

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Diane Szulecki, editor2020-11-23T09:26:16-05:00November 23rd, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments

November Issue Highlights: Family Presence During Resuscitation, Autism Spectrum Disorder, More

“I’m by no means a Pollyanna, but I believe incessant dwelling on the negatives doesn’t help any of us; we also need to examine the positives.”—editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her editorial “Finding Reasons to Be Thankful“

The November issue of AJN is now live. Here are some highlights.

Original Research: Family Presence During Resuscitation: Medical–Surgical Nurses’ Perceptions, Self-Confidence, and Use of Invitations

“The sample of 51 medical–surgical nurses reported overall neutral perceptions of FPDR. Yet 63% had never invited family members to experience resuscitation.”