About Diane Szulecki, editor

Editor, American Journal of Nursing

AJN News: Whole Grains, Antidepressant Use, Global Stroke Burden, 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 (news articles in AJN are free access):

The more whole grains, the better, but even moderate increases help. Photo © Thinkstock.

Eating Whole Grains Can Reduce Disease, Mortality Risks

In a new study, researchers who sought to quantify the relationship between whole grain intake and the risks of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature mortality found that increasing the daily intake of whole grains by 90 grams (equal to three servings) was associated with reduced risk for all of those conditions.

Are Nurses Being Nudged Out of Policymaking?

Setbacks in the representation of nurses in policy roles are raising concerns—particularly in the United Kingdom, where the Department of Health’s nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions policy unit is being eliminated, and within the World Health Organization, which has seen a drop in the percentage of nurses on staff in professional or higher categories.

Evidence Weak for Antidepressant Use in […]

2016-11-21T13:00:58-05:00September 2nd, 2016|Nursing|0 Comments
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Injurious Falls in the Hospital Setting

by Maureen Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

PatOriginal.00000446-201609000-00022.FF1ient falls are, unfortunately, a frequent occurrence in hospitals and the consequences can vary from none to serious life-threatening injuries. There has been a lot of attention focused on identifying those at high risk for falls and effective prevention measures, but according to our September CE feature, there’s been little attention focused on falls that cause injuries. In this original research study, Predicting Injurious Falls in the Hospital Setting: Implications for Practice, Amy Hester and colleagues at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences conducted a retrospective review of medical records to see if they could pinpoint which patient factors were associated with falls with injuries. Their results may surprise you.

Here’s the abstract:

Background: Despite years of research and increasingly evidence-based practice, falls continue to be the most commonly reported adverse events experienced by hospitalized adults. Yet a majority of the relevant research has focused on predicting and preventing falls in general; there has been little focus on injurious falls.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine which patient factors are associated with injurious falls in hospitalized adults.

Methods: The study site’s adverse event reporting database was used to identify 1,369 patients who fell between January 1, 2006, and October 31, 2013. Of these, 381 (27.8%) subjects suffered injurious falls. Variables of interest included age, sex, fall history, use of diuretics, use of central nervous system medications, cognitive impairment, primary discharge diagnoses, abnormal laboratory values, impaired mobility, and […]

2016-11-21T13:00:58-05:00August 31st, 2016|Nursing, nursing research|0 Comments
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AJN in September: Predicting Injurious Falls, Military Sexual Trauma, Recognizing MI, More

AJN0916.Cover.OnlineThe September issue of AJN is now live. Here are some articles we’d like to bring to your attention.

CE Feature: “Original Research: Predicting Injurious Falls in the Hospital Setting: Implications for Practice”

Despite years of research and increasingly evidence-based practice, falls continue to be the most commonly reported adverse events experienced by hospitalized adults. Yet most of the relevant research has focused on predicting and preventing falls in general; there has been little focus on injurious falls. In an attempt to identify which patient factors are associated with injurious falls in hospitalized adults, the authors of this retrospective study analyzed 10 variables. Their findings may help hospital clinicians to identify at-risk patients and create better fall-related injury prevention interventions.

CE Feature: “Military Sexual Trauma in Male Service Members”

The experience of military sexual trauma (MST), which can result from assault, battery, or harassment of a sexual nature, may jeopardize the mental health of service members. This article discusses the unique ways in which men may experience MST and examines how social stereotypes of masculinity, myths surrounding sexual assault, and military culture and structure often influence a man’s interpretation of an attack and his likelihood of reporting the incident or seeking treatment. It also describes current treatments for MST-related mental health conditions and addresses implications for nurses and other health care professionals.

2016-11-21T13:00:58-05:00August 26th, 2016|Nursing, nursing perspective|0 Comments
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AJN News: E-Cigarettes and Children, Transgender Health, Nursing Workforce Survey, 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 (news articles in AJN are free access):

E-cigarette packaging uses colorful images to depict various flavors. Photo by David Becker / Reuters.

Toxic Exposures of Young Children to E-Cigarettes on the Rise

A new analysis of calls to U.S. poison control centers found that e-cigarette exposures in children younger than six increased dramatically from 2012 to 2015. Though child-resistant packaging for e-cigarette products was federally mandated in January, advocates are also calling for regulations on eye-catching packaging, […]

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 11th, 2016|Nursing, nursing perspective|0 Comments
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AJN in August: Burn Survivors and Social Media, HPV–Related Oropharyngeal Cancer, More

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

CE Feature: “Original Research: The Lived Experience of Social Media by Young Adult Burn Survivors”

Young adult burn survivors whose burns occurred before they reached young adulthood face particular socialization challenges. Social media is widely used by adolescents and young adults, allowing socialization without face-to-face communication. This qualitative, phenomenological study explores and describes young adult burn survivors’ experience of using social media. The findings, which indicate that social media use may support healing processes in this population, could help nurses develop effective interventions to better prepare young adult burn survivors for reentry into society.

CE Feature: “Human Papillomavirus–Related Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Review of Nursing Considerations”

The overall incidence of head and neck cancer has declined in the United States over the past 30 years due to reduction in tobacco use. Over that same period, however, the worldwide incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has escalated significantly, most notably among men and women under age 60 who live in developed countries. This epidemic rise in oropharyngeal cancer is largely attributed to certain genotypes of the human papillomavirus (HPV). This article provides an overview of head and neck cancer—its incidence, risk factors, treatment, and posttreatment sequelae—with a focus on HPV-related […]

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 1st, 2016|Nursing, nursing perspective|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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