Nursing Archives - Page 145 of 406

The Health Impacts of Hurricane Harvey—What Nurses Need to Know

Geocolor imagery of Hurricane Harvey on verge of making landfall. Image created by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

As Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, continues to affect a large area of southern Texas and other parts of the South, the full impact on human health has yet to be determined. But it’s clear the flooding has caused a historical crisis in Houston and surrounding areas—and that nurses and other health professionals will be in great demand in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Short- and Long-Term Health Concerns

The short- and long-term health consequences people are facing as they escape rising water levels are detailed in the Washington Post. Although drowning is the most immediate and dangerous threat during a flood, those seeking safety are also endangered by sharp objects and even wild animals caught up in floodwaters. Mold and its impact on human health will be a concern in the coming weeks and months, as water-damaged buildings are reoccupied.

In the meantime, health authorities are worried about the spread of infectious diseases. As sewage contaminates the floodwaters and people […]

Corinne McSpedon, senior editor2017-08-30T10:32:03-04:00August 30th, 2017|climate change, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

When a Patient Turns Scary, a Nurse’s Options Aren’t Always Clear

I was leaning over my patient, listening to his lung sounds, when his hand tightened around my wrist. “Why don’t you get in the bed with me?” he said.

Illustration by McClain Moore

That’s the arresting opening of “The Squeeze,” the Reflections essay by nurse Danielle Allen in the September issue of AJN. Such scary experiences happen, as many nurses can attest. What behaviors cross the line? Who decides? After all, nurses put up with lots of challenging behavior. What’s unacceptable, and what constitutes a real safety issue?

Complicating these questions may be the responsibility a nurse feels to not let down their equally burdened nursing colleagues. No one, as Allen writes, wants “to be that nurse. You know, the complainer, overly sensitive, not-a-team-player nurse.”

Allen vividly evokes her encounter with the patient, the varied responses of nursing colleagues later, the emotional aftereffects of the event, and the larger question she finds herself asking about what can be done to keep nurses and other health care workers safe. […]

Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor2017-08-28T08:37:02-04:00August 28th, 2017|Nursing, nursing stories|1 Comment

AJN September Issue: Family Caregivers and Alzheimer’s, Older Adults and Driving, C. Diff. Prevention, More

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

CE: Original Research: The Experience of Transitioning to a Caregiving Role for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Dementia

This qualitative study explores the experiences of people who transitioned to the role of caregiver for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Vivid interview excerpts illuminate the inner struggles caregivers may experience as they navigate a radically changed existence as well as the strategies that have helped them find their way.

CE: Can Your Older Patients Drive Safely?

Many older Americans depend on their cars for independence and connection to the outside world. What are the driving risks associated with advanced age? What behaviors and situations put older drivers at greatest risk, and what are the key indicators of an older patient’s ability to drive safely? Nurses are in a position to raise patients’ awareness of these risks and inform them about transportation alternatives.

Six Things You Can Do Today to Prevent Hospital-Onset C. Difficile Tomorrow

What changes can you make in your practice to prevent transmission of this common bacterial infection?

Lessons Learned from Litigation: Legal and […]
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Diane Szulecki, editor2017-08-25T09:03:28-04:00August 25th, 2017|Nursing|0 Comments

How I Spent My Summer: Funding the Cost of a Nurse’s Education

Photo by Julianna Paradisi/2017

At a neighborhood grocery store, I picked up a few items for dinner, one of which was a preroasted chicken still warm and juicy from the heat lamp display.

After ringing up the total, the checker began bagging my purchases. Before placing the chicken in a bag, she put a rubber band around the container to prevent it from accidentally opening, and then wrapped it in a separate paper bag as a further precaution against leakage.

I thanked her for the extra care. No one waited behind me, so we exchanged a bit of small talk. It was a weekend, and she asked if I had plans. “No, my husband and I work in health care, and it’s his weekend on,” I said.

“What area of health care?” she asked. I told her I’m a nurse and work with cancer patients. Expecting the cringe I usually get from laypeople when I say this, I quickly added, “It sounds sad, but I really love my work.”

Her face lit up. “I’m a nursing student! I’m taking exams to become a CNA so I can work with patients while I finish my BSN.”

Her news delighted me. I have strong intuition, and I felt sure she would make a terrific nurse. I congratulated […]

Julianna Paradisi, RN, OCN2017-08-22T15:07:48-04:00August 22nd, 2017|Nursing, nursing students|2 Comments

Tuberculosis: Nurses Play Critical Role in Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment

Mantoux skin test/CDC PHIL

In the U.S., the chances are that tuberculosis isn’t on your mind a lot. Most of us focus on TB only when we have a patient on airborne precautions—or when we’ve been exposed to TB at work.

Globally, TB was one of the top 10 causes of death in 2015. In the U.S., after a spike in cases early in the HIV epidemic, the incidence of TB has fallen to about three cases per 100,000 people. In TB-endemic countries, incidence rates run into hundreds per 100,000. But with TB elimination defined as a rate of less than one case per million people, we are far from eradicating this disease in the U.S. In fact, the number of TB cases in the U.S. rose slightly from 2014 to 2015.

Also, of course, nurses often work with people who are at high risk of acquiring TB—transplant recipients, others who are immunocompromised, people with HIV or certain cancers, those who are refugees or homeless—increasing our own risk for the disease as well. Therefore, the low overall U.S. incidence rate doesn’t reflect the experience (or risk) of most nurses. (And if you are “PPD positive,” click here for some reminders about what that should mean to you as a nurse: “Nurses and Latent TB Infection.”) […]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2017-08-18T08:58:20-04:00August 18th, 2017|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|2 Comments