About Diane Szulecki, editor

Editor, American Journal of Nursing

Ann Burgess: Forensic Nursing Pioneer

Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc, RN, APRN-BC, FAAN. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Cunningham Photography.

Last fall, Ann Wolbert Burgess was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing. It’s a fitting honor for a nurse who has spent decades studying victims of trauma and abuse and the perpetrators of those crimes, in addition to working alongside the FBI and testifying as an expert in the courtroom. She has also written numerous articles and books and currently teaches forensics at Boston College.

Burgess earned her doctorate in psychiatric nursing from Boston University, and thought she’d ultimately be a nurse psychotherapist—but her career path took a different turn than she expected. In the early 1970s, motivated by the feminist movement, Burgess and her colleague Lynda Lytle Holmstrom started one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs for rape victims, at Boston City Hospital.

The program enabled nurses to provide counseling to rape victims, and allowed Burgess and Holmstrom to conduct research on rape victimology. Their […]

2017-02-14T13:06:24-05:00February 13th, 2017|career, Nursing|2 Comments
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AJN in February: Improving CKD Outcomes, Nurses and Patient Safety, Moral Distress, More

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

CE Feature: “Improving Outcomes for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: Part 1”

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising both in this country and worldwide. An estimated 10% to 15% of U.S. adults are currently living with CKD. The greatest opportunities to reduce the impact of CKD arise early, when most patients are being followed in primary care; yet many clinicians are inadequately educated on this disease. This two-part article aims to provide nurses with the basic information necessary to assess and manage patients with CKD. This month, part 1 offers an overview of the disease, describes identification and etiology, and discusses ways to slow disease progression. Part 2, which will appear next month, addresses disease complications and treatment of kidney failure.

CE Feature: “Nursing’s Evolving Role in Patient Safety”

In its 1999 report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, the Institute of Medicine suggested that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die annually as a result of medical errors. The report urged health care institutions to break the silence surrounding such errors and to implement changes […]

2017-01-30T10:39:50-05:00January 30th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments
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Top Nursing, Policy, Clinical Stories of 2016

Crowd members hold candles during a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Photo © Associated Press

Late last year, we asked our editorial board members and contributing editors to tell us what they thought were the most important health news stories of 2016. In our January article “The Year in Review 2016,” we take a closer look at three of their most-mentioned topics: the Affordable Care Act (ACA), opioid misuse, and Zika virus.

What other issues stood out last year in specific areas of health care? We compiled top news story roundups for several categories—here’s an overview (click the links below to read the full articles):

Health Care Policy

  • Gun violence
  • Access to care: LGBT health, migrants, mental health care, medication costs, rural health care

Nursing

  • Workplace stress: 12-hour shifts, EHRs, evidence-based practice, staffing
  • Nursing education: increased access, faculty shortage, expanded simulation, improved employment prospects
  • Care delivery barriers: care for veterans, nurses’ practice authority

Clinical News

  • Sepsis awareness
  • Maternal mortality
  • Patient engagement
  • Population health trends

Finally, see “Stories to Watch in 2017” for a discussion of a few health topics, aside from the fate of the ACA, that we expect to hear more about this year.

2017-01-23T13:27:37-05:00January 23rd, 2017|Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
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AJN in January: Triglycerides, HPV–Related Oral Cancers, Year in Review, More

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

CE Feature: “Triglycerides: Do They Matter?”

In light of the increasing incidences of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, lowering triglyceride levels has been getting renewed interest. In addition to the focus on lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, clinicians need to be aware of the role of triglycerides—their contribution to CVD, and the causes and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of lowering triglyceride levels and review the lifestyle changes and pharmacologic treatments that can help achieve this goal.

CE Feature: “Human Papillomavirus-Related Oral Cancers: The Nurse’s Role in Mitigating Stigma and Dispelling Myths”

The prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV)–related oral cancers has been rising, with the cancers occurring in adults at a younger age than HPV-negative oral cancers typically do and in men more often than women. Because HPV is sexually transmitted, diagnosis with an HPV-related oral cancer may prompt feelings of shame and guilt. It’s essential for nurses to educate patients on HPV transmission and HPV-related oral cancer, thus helping to mitigate the stigma and dispel myths, and to promote vaccination in at-risk populations, including children and young adults.

In the […]

2016-12-30T10:46:54-05:00December 30th, 2016|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN December Issue News: Prescription Drug Costs, Infant Simulators and Teen Pregnancy, More

AJN’s monthly news section covers timely and important research and policy stories that are relevant to the nursing world. Here are some of the stories you’ll find in our current issue:

Frank Scavo refused to pay exorbitant prices for an EpiPen, and was hospitalized in August following a severe allergic reaction. Photo © Associated Press.

The High Cost of Prescription Drugs in America

In the past year, the prices of some prescription drugs have skyrocketed–the cost of an EpiPen two-pack, for example, jumped from $100 to more than $600. The reasons for the price hikes are complex, but major culprits include market exclusivity and the ability of drug companies to set prices.

New Patient Safety Requirements Toughen Nurse Licensure Compact

The […]

2016-12-09T09:11:41-05:00December 9th, 2016|Nursing|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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