About Diane Szulecki, editor

Editor, American Journal of Nursing

Emotional and Physical Health Consequences for Children of Jailed Parents

Michael Coghlan/Flickr

In the United States, more than half (54%) of all prison inmates are parents with minor children. As we discuss in the December AJN Reports, those children—an estimated 2.7 million, or one in 28—face physical and emotional health challenges that often go overlooked, including:

  • obesity, asthma, migraines, and hypertension
  • depression, anxiety, PTSD, and problems at school, including a higher likelihood of being expelled or suspended

Additionally, children with incarcerated parents are at an economic disadvantage due to lowered family income caused by the parent’s absence, and are more likely to experience racial discrimination, parental divorce or separation, a parent’s death, domestic abuse, neighborhood violence, and coresidence with a mentally ill or suicidal person or with a person who has a substance abuse problem. […]

2017-12-15T08:29:46-05:00December 15th, 2017|Patients|2 Comments
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AJN in December: Vascular Access Certification, Pressure Injuries from Medical Devices, More

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

CE: Original Research: Does Certification in Vascular Access Matter? An Analysis of the PICC1 Survey

Although certification by an accredited agency is often a practice prerequisite in health care, it is not required of vascular access specialists who insert peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). The authors of this study explored whether and how certified and noncertified PICC inserters differ regarding their practices and views about PICC use.

CE: Pressure Injuries Caused by Medical Devices and Other Objects: A Clinical Update

A review of the etiology, identification, and prevention of pressure injuries caused by medical and other devices, plus highlights from the current National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel clinical guidelines.

Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Teaching Family Caregivers to Assist Safely with Mobility

Information nurses can use to educate family caregivers on mobility issues, including a tear sheet of key points and links to instructional videos. This is the first article in a new series published in collaboration with the AARP Public Policy Institute. […]

2017-11-27T09:12:37-05:00November 27th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments
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A Closer Look at the Joint Commission’s New Guidelines for Pain Assessment and Management

Photo © Burger / Phanie / Science Photo Library.

Starting on January 1, 2018, the Joint Commission’s new and revised pain assessment and management standards for accredited hospitals will go into effect. Notably, the guidelines—as we report in a November news article—address safe opioid prescribing practices.

Among new requirements, the Joint Commission says hospitals should:

  • Designate a leader or team responsible for pain management and safe opioid prescribing.
  • Include patients in developing a pain management treatment plan—including realistic expectations and measurable goals—and educate them on discharge plans related to opioid adverse effects and safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids.
  • Use prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) databases to identify patients at risk for opioid addiction.
  • Identify opioid addiction treatment programs for patient referrals.
  • Inform staff about consultation and referral services available for patients with complex pain management needs.
  • Collect and analyze data on pain assessment and management to identify areas in which safety and quality could be improved.

The full list of new and revised guidelines is available here. How might these changes affect life for nurses and patients? Comments are welcome below.

2017-12-13T15:23:52-05:00November 17th, 2017|Nursing, pain management, patient experience|8 Comments
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AJN in November: Preeclampsia Management, Health Conditions Associated with Military Service, More

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

CE: Preeclampsia: Current Approaches to Nursing Management

A clinical review of current practice related to preeclampsia risk assessment, prediction, and management, plus updated diagnostic criteria from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Task Force on Hypertension in Pregnancy.

CE: Original Research: Primary Care Providers and Screening for Military Service and PTSD

Evidence shows that veterans who receive their health care from private sector employers are less likely to be screened for military service—and therefore may not be treated for service-related health conditions. Here, the authors explore whether rural Pennsylvania providers offer this screening to their patients.

Creating a Fair and Just Culture in Schools of Nursing

What strategies can nursing schools use to create a fair and just culture? The second part in a two-part series.

Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Liberty and Justice for All 

When an unauthorized immigrant suffers a brain injury, who decides when treatment is withdrawn? An ethical dilemma touches on issues of clinician autonomy and justice versus patient and family autonomy.

There’s much more in our November issue, including:

2017-10-30T09:25:26-04:00October 30th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments
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High Opioid Overdose Numbers Spur State, City Initiatives

State 2015 overdose death rates compared with national rate. (CDC image)

As we report in an October news article, recent studies have shed light on the growing scale of the opioid crisis in the United States. Among the latest statistics:

  • 33,000 Americans died in 2015 from an opioid overdose, a high percentage from the use of synthetic opioids such as illegally manufactured fentanyl.
  • The diagnosis of “opioid use disorder” climbed 493% from 2010 to 2016 in Blue Cross Blue Shield claims.
  • Around 4.31% of Americans ages 12 or older use prescription pain relievers for nonmedical uses.

Increasing Naloxone availability.

The findings underscore the urgent need to take steps to combat the crisis—a need that has prompted states and cities to attack the issue using various methods. Baltimore’s health commissioner, for example, issued a standing order for naloxone to be available at all of the city’s pharmacies. Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design collaborated to create NaloxBoxes—emergency naloxone boxes installed at city social service centers that enable any bystander to administer a rescue dose.

Speeding access to addiction treatment.

And, to minimize delays in patients’ receipt of medication-assisted opioid addiction treatments like methadone, New York State has reached agreements with two insurance companies to end their […]

2017-10-23T08:50:26-04:00October 23rd, 2017|Nursing, Public health|1 Comment
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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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