Diane Szulecki, editor, Author at Off the Charts

October Issue: Treating Hemorrhagic Shock, Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder, Workplace Violence, More

“Violent behavior seems to be an . . . increasingly frequent occurrence in hospitals and nursing care facilities. More and more, such violence is the result of intentional harm.” —editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her October editorial

The October issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: The Use of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Treating Hemorrhagic Shock from Severe Trauma

Efforts to prevent death from hemorrhagic shock have resulted in the emergence of a new tool—resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA), a less invasive option for controlling hemorrhage in noncompressible areas of the body. This article outlines REBOA, describes its evolution, and discusses various considerations, pitfalls, and nursing implications.

CE: Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Acute Pain Management for People with Opioid Use Disorder

The authors of this article—one in a series on palliative care developed with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association—discuss how to manage acute pain effectively in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, which incorporates methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone.

Original Research: Journalists’ Experiences with Using Nurses as Sources in Health News Stories

The authors of a 2018 replication of the […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-09-28T10:05:14-04:00September 28th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

September Issue: The Risks of Too Much Sitting, Stable COPD, Antidepressant Medications, More

“As a pediatric nurse working with medically fragile children, I have noticed a fault in others that I have only recently been able to work on in myself—the one thing worse than staring at a child with an obvious disability is to conspicuously pretend we don’t notice the child at all.” —Lindsey van Gennep, author of this month’s Viewpoint article, “Afraid to Notice: On Responding to Children with Visible Disabilities”

The September issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Too Much Sitting: A Newly Recognized Health Risk

This integrative literature review examines compelling evidence that overall daily sitting time—regardless of whether a person engages in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity—may be an independent health risk for cardiometabolic health conditions, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. It also reveals new insights into high-volume sitting (seven or more hours a day) and prolonged uninterrupted sitting (30 minutes or more) and their relationship to adverse health outcomes.

CE: Managing Stable COPD: An Evidence-Based Approach

The authors describe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factors, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic testing, and discuss how to put the revised Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease recommendations into […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-08-29T09:41:40-04:00August 29th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

August Issue: Pain in Nonverbal Children, Sepsis Update, Particulate Matter Exposure, More

“I didn’t really know what to do . . . . This happened to other people’s families, not mine. I was supposed to be reading the monitors and titrating the drips. I was supposed to be taking care of the patient. I was supposed to be comforting the family. I was the nurse.” —Tonja Padgett, author of this month’s Reflections essay, “The Crazy Aunt or the Nurse“

The August issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Pain in Nonverbal Children with Medical Complexity: A Two-Year Retrospective Study

Children with medically complex conditions often experience pain, but in the absence of self-report, assessing pain can be challenging. The authors of this article sought to describe the signs and symptoms parents of such children find worrisome, the sources of pain in these children, and how to best assess their pain.

CE: A Review of the Revised Sepsis Care Bundles

An update on recent revisions to the sepsis care guidelines, including development of the new one-hour bundle, plus screening and assessment tools to identify sepsis in the ICU, in the ED, on the medical–surgical unit, and outside the hospital.

Environments and Health: Nursing Practice and Particulate Matter Exposure

Both indoor and outdoor particulate matter […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-07-27T09:18:49-04:00July 27th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

July Issue: Ketamine Analgesia During Burn Care, Breast Cancer Screening Update, Difficult IV Access, More

“How powerful would it be if every nurse took one action today to improve her or his community’s health?” —Barry Ross, MPH, MBA, BSN, RN, author of this month’s Viewpoint

The July issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: The Efficacy and Safety of an RN-Driven Ketamine Protocol for Adjunctive Analgesia During Burn Wound Care

Because of its unique mechanism of action and lack of association with respiratory depression, ketamine may be an ideal agent for adjunctive analgesia in burn patients. The authors of this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a practice protocol allowing critical care RNs to independently administer IV ketamine for burn wound care.

CE: Breast Cancer Screening: A Review of Current Guidelines

In light of recent changes to national breast cancer screening guidelines, this article reviews the guidelines of the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and provides guidance to nurses as they support and educate patients.

Special Feature: Ethics Champion Programs

The authors, all of whom lead ethics champion programs at their […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-06-29T08:14:55-04:00June 29th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

In Colorado EDs, ‘Alternative to Opioids’ Pilot Project Exceeds Goals

Ashley Copeland talks to her mother in the Swedish Medical Center ED. Copeland was treated for a severe headache with a nerve-blocking anesthetic, but no opioids. (John Daley/CPR News)

Last year, in an effort to address the state’s acute opioid abuse problem, several Colorado health care organizations—including the Colorado Emergency Nurses Association—worked together on an intervention to target patients admitted to the ED with pain. The plan? Implement a pain management program to promote alternative strategies, with a goal of decreasing opioid usage by 15% in the participating EDs.

As discussed in a June news article, the program, which was piloted in 10 hospitals and involved heavy involvement from nurses, surpassed its goal: opioid usage during the intervention period (as measured in morphine equivalent units) was 36% less than in the previous year.

The pilot […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-06-14T09:29:35-04:00June 14th, 2018|Nursing, patient experience|1 Comment

About Diane Szulecki, editor

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