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Readers Comment on Vicodin, Percocet Ban

pillsinspace

In his July 6 post on the proposed Vicodin, Percocet ban, AJN editor Jacob Molyneux wrote, “A number of clinicians and patients have expressed alarm at the potential loss of Vicodin and Percocet, both of which are mainstays of pain management in the U.S.” He cited pain expert Carol Curtiss’s concern that such a ban could have “even more drastic implications than most people yet understand,” then asked readers, “Should we worry?”

Some commenters think so:  nester writes

If suddenly the combos become unavailable and pain relief is that much harder to come by, every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a sprain is going to flock to the ER for the good stuff… not once, but daily until the pain is gone or they are refused treatment.  If you can’t go to just any doc to get narcotic pain relievers, the pain relief specialists will have lines out the door also.

And Abigail Nobel says, “Educate before banning these affordable, essential components of pain control. Why should everyone suffer for the carelessness of a few?”

But Judy Newberger says that although she initially agreed with the ban, an interview with an elderly patient who was given Percocet and was already taking acetaminophen changed her mind.

Labels were not read, discharge papers were not thoroughly reviewed. Did no one review what meds he was on before they sent him home? I now am FOR removing Rx and OTC combination pain and other combination meds with acetaminophen.

Thanks to all for […]

2016-11-21T13:25:09-05:00July 17th, 2009|nursing perspective, pain management|0 Comments
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Bloggers Write about Living with Post–Breast Cancer Lymphedema

This month AJN features the first of a two-part article on post–breast cancer lymphedema, a debilitating sequelae to treatment for breast cancer that’s characterized by the abnormal accumulation of lymph in the arm, shoulder, breast, or chest. In editing this article, I was struck by the sense of isolation reported by many of those who develop this condition, which can be visibly disfiguring and functionally disabling, and for which there is no cure. I wondered whether any survivors were using the blogosphere to forge connections. Here's what I found . . .

2016-11-21T13:26:09-05:00June 30th, 2009|healthcare social media, nursing perspective, nursing research|1 Comment
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When Poor Oral Care Causes Death

asphyxiaAJN2 AJN’s June feature article

“Take care of your teeth”—it’s something we’re told as soon as we’re old enough to hold a toothbrush. But it’s not so straightforward for the nursing personnel who provide oral care in nursing homes. According to a 2000 Surgeon General report on oral health,  “Mouth care is often considered an unpleasant task and is often delegated to nursing auxiliaries, who have even less oral health training than registered nursing staff.”

This month AJN features a case study of a patient that proves this point.  A severely disabled man received such poor oral care from nursing home personnel that his oral and nasopharyngeal secretions built up (“inspissated”), and he died from asphyxia. The lead author, Joseph A. Prahlow, was the pathologist in charge of the autopsy; the article features graphic photos of the thickened secretions that blocked his airway. A companion article by two dentists, Pamela S. Stein and Robert G. Henry, gives nurses suggestions […]

2017-07-06T12:36:07-04:00June 15th, 2009|nursing perspective|1 Comment
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Infant Bed Deaths Rising: Is ‘Cosleeping’ an Issue?

Pinrels, by Daquella manera / Daniel Lobo, via Flickr

In the May issue of AJN Bunny Wong writes about the recently reported rise in infant bed deaths over a 20-year period. From 1984 to 2004, the rate of deaths resulting from accidental strangulation and suffocation of infants quadrupled.

The most important question, of course, is: why? Wong writes: […]

2016-11-21T13:27:31-05:00May 29th, 2009|Nursing|2 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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