Photo-essay Depicts Home Nursing in Gaza Strip; All AJN May Articles Free for Next Two Weeks

The above photo is from a photo-essay on home nursing in the Gaza Strip that appears in the May issue of AJN. The text and images depict Palestinian nurses trained by a medical aid organization called Merlin to attend to local communities in need, especially those cut off from urban health care services. Have a look (since it’s a photo-essay, we suggest you click through to the PDF version once you reach the article). 

In honor of Nurses’ Week, which occurs in early May, this and all other articles in AJN will be free from now until May 15. At all other times, the departments and article types listed below are always free (along with other selected articles):

  • Reflections, a monthly personal essay from a reader
  • Viewpoint, a position piece from an expert or concerned citizen
  • news articles like this on turf wars between physicians and nurse anesthetists, this on the continuing trickiness of treating sepsis, and this on a new plan for radiation safety
  • Art of Nursing (it’s a poem this month; click through to the PDF to read it)
  • the editorial
  • letters like this one on end-of-life opioid use
  • CE features such as this comprehensive look at asthma in adolescents and adults

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2016-11-21T13:17:56-05:00April 29th, 2010|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN 2010 Book of the Year Awards

The AJN Books of the Year Awards is regarded by nurses and authors as the most important designation of excellence in book publishing for and about nursing. For the 2010 contest, judges will consider only books and electronic products published between August 1, 2009, and August 1, 2010. Books published outside of that time frame will be disqualified.

(Click here or on the logo below to see the 2009 awards as published in AJN.) 

Deadline for submitting materials for consideration is August 2, 2010.

The list of winners will be published in the January 2011 issue of AJN.

For details, contact Amanda Geer at 646-674-6609, or amanda.geer@wolterskluwer.com.

Categories:

Advanced Practice Nursing 
Advanced clinical practice literature, including clinical research, physical assessment skills, critical thinking, case studies, and pathophysiology. The target audience for books in this category must include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, and/or nurse anesthetists.

Critical Care/Emergency Nursing 
Books that address the complex acute and emergent care needs of patients in a critical care environment. 

Gerontological Nursing 
Fundamental to understanding the complex physical, social, and emotional needs of the older adult in all settings.

Medical-Surgical Nursing 
Fundamental to understanding the complex clinical needs and comprehensive diagnoses of patients in acute care settings such as an adult hospital unit, home care, or long-term care.

Nursing Management/Leadership
Insights into the […]

2016-11-21T13:17:57-05:00April 28th, 2010|nursing perspective, nursing research|0 Comments
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CDC’s Frieden: Some States Lag Far Behind Others In Reducing Smoking

By Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, editorial director

At the opening briefing at the conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unveiled a new report on state-specific tobacco control measures. As health commissioner in New York City until he took his current post last June, Frieden gained a reputation for tackling chronic health issues. (We reported in 2007 on his controversial diabetes initiative.)

Frieden says that while there is a clear change in societal attitudes towards tobacco use (for example, he says, we’ve moved from “Would you like a cigarette?” to “Do you mind if I smoke?”), progress in reducing tobacco use has been stalled since 2004. He noted the significant success of graphic “counter-marketing” efforts (ads depicting individuals who have physical disabilities, amputations, and laryngectomies as a result of tobacco use) in reducing smoking rates (though at least one study reported by the BBC has suggested that such in-your-face ads may be more likely to keep people smoking than to make them quit). However, said Frieden, “Tobacco taxation is the single most effective tool, accounting for half or more of the reduction in tobacco use.” Among the findings Frieden highlighted: […]

2016-11-21T13:18:04-05:00April 23rd, 2010|Nursing|0 Comments
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Medication Adherence in the Mentally Ill, the Mixed State of Cancer Survivorship Care, When Good People Faint, More

We’ve already noted one or two of them here in recent weeks, but here are some excerpts and links to several other articles of note in the April issue of AJN, in case you missed them:

The percentage of prescribed medications that are actually taken by patients is estimated to be as low as 60%—and among patients with chronic conditions, it may be even less. Patients with mental disorders may have even lower rates of adherence than those with physical conditions. Suzanne Hardeman, an NP and licensed professional counselor, and Meera Narasimhan, a physician, have culled from the available literature a list of strategies that have been shown to improve adherence in patients with mood and psychotic disorders.

That’s from a sensible and useful article on improving medication adherence in patients with mental disorders.

For a report on the good and bad news about where we are with providing cancer survivorship programs and support, read “Building Cancer Survivorship Care,” which points out some excellent resources, but also notes that “few cancer patients have access to survivorship care.” Still!

Laura Dean faints after witnessing an elderly man collapse with an apparent heart attack. James Parsons passes out as an RN begins venipuncture for collection of a lab specimen. Nursing student Melanie Simms faints while observing her first surgical procedure.

“Recognizing and Treating Vasovagal Syncope” gives a nice overview of this common problem, who is most likely to be afflicted by it, how to prevent injuries when it happens, and how nurses can […]

2016-11-21T13:18:06-05:00April 22nd, 2010|nursing perspective, nursing research|0 Comments
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Turf Wars Aside, How Do NPs and MDs Really Differ?

By Christine Moffa, MS, RN, AJN clinical editor

There’s been a lot of talk lately about turf wars between NP’s and physicians, especially when it comes to the much discussed U.S. shortage of primary care providers. Before going back to school and getting a master’s in nursing education, I batted around the idea of becoming a nurse practitioner. It seemed like the ideal next step for someone who was happy being a clinician but wanted to take on an advanced role.

However, there was something that didn’t sit right with me about becoming an NP—namely, my fear of public perception. I’m not sure most people know exactly what the role of an NP is and how it differs from that of a physician, particularly in primary care. I’ve seen patients call their primary care NP “doctor [insert first name here],” which to me illustrates the confusion.

When people ask me the difference, I myself have a hard time articulating it. How do I respond when someone says something like this: “if entry to medical school and residency is typically more competitive than for advanced degree nursing programs, and if physicians spend a longer time attending tougher programs, how do you justify their doing the same work as NPs?” (For instance, when I was in school we, along with the NP candidates, were only required to take two semesters of pathophysiology!)

Now, I’ve been to an NP as a patient, and I was happy with the care I received. She certainly […]

2016-11-21T13:18:07-05:00April 20th, 2010|career, nursing perspective, students|6 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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