The Particular Pain and Challenge of Educating Patients During a Worldwide Pandemic

Working in a rural community access hospital during the pandemic has been a struggle. Here as in many areas of the U.S., many in the surrounding community have not accepted the the existence of a virus like Covid-19. Against the backdrop of this widespread disbelief in the reality of the virus, the “government-mandated” vaccine was a final straw for many.

Many of these patients wholeheartedly believe that the vaccine is the “mark of the beast” mentioned in the Book of Revelation and that this is the beginning of the end of the world, with getting the vaccine understood as an expression of loyalty to Satan.

This belief is shared by various religious groups in other areas of our country. Many patients in our community also believe the vaccine is made with stem cells and fetal tissue and includes microchips. There are widely circulated rumors of tracking devices in the vaccine itself.

How do we as nurses and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) educate patients on the science of vaccinations in the face of the anger and passion we experience daily from a suspicious community?

The many other strains on nurses.

It hasn’t helped that nurses and APRNs alike have had to deal with more than they bargained for on many levels […]

2022-02-24T14:38:16-05:00February 24th, 2022|Nursing, patient engagement, Public health|0 Comments
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What Have We Learned About Preventing School Shootings?

On November 30, a 15-year-old sophomore at Oxford High School in Michigan killed four students and injured seven others. Both the student and his parents are presently incarcerated and charged with numerous crimes.

In the days following this tragic event, questions arose regarding what the parents and school might have done to prevent this from happening. The parents are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and a federal lawsuit, perhaps the first of others to follow, has been filed against the school district alleging that more could have and should have been done.

Warning signs and preventive actions.

With each school shooting we again find ourselves asking ourselves what can be learned in terms of warning signs and actions that could be taken. The September Mental Health Matters column in AJN, which I co-authored with Arlene Holmes—whose son James was responsible for the mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012—highlighted warning signs that might indicate potential violence by someone experiencing mental health problems.

What can be learned from the events that unfolded in Oxford that could be applied to a similar scenario, perhaps heading off another tragedy? The following checklist compiled by Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate youth to prevent […]

2021-12-15T11:43:26-05:00December 15th, 2021|mental illness, Nursing|0 Comments
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Helping Older Adults Get the Care That Matters to Them

Family caregivers should be partners in caring when family members are hospitalized.

“An estimated 41.8 million Americans were caregivers of an older adult relative or friend in 2020.” (From “The Four Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System” in AJN‘s November issue.)

That’s an impressive number, especially when one considers that any of the caregivers themselves may be older adults with chronic illness.

Are we preparing caregivers?

We ask a lot of these individuals, especially given the many complex tasks they are asked to perform, often with little or no training. And that’s nursing’s role—ensuring our patients are discharged to family members prepared to provide the care needed.

As a nurse, I felt prepared to be a caregiver for a family member who was discharged after complex cancer surgery. I was astonished at the brief discharge instructions for managing the Foley catheter, drains, and eight different medications; then I was handed a manila folder of papers about each medication. It took me a few hours to sort out schedules for medications and flushing drains.

But what about caregivers with no health care training, or who may not have manual dexterity or see clearly, or perhaps lack literacy at the level needed? Unfortunately, many hospitals are under resourced—in […]

2021-11-15T10:49:14-05:00November 15th, 2021|Nursing, Patients|0 Comments
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In All Nature’s Glory: One Patient’s Presurgical Ritual

‘Join me.’

I walked into the preoperative waiting area one morning, ready to begin my day. Standing outside my first patient’s bed bay, I asked through the drawn curtain if I could enter. Silence. I waited and then called out the patient’s name again. Again, nothing. I peeked behind the curtain. There was the patient standing in all of nature’s glory, arms extended in front of the window—eyes closed.

I stepped back and then heard her say, “Come in, join me.” I felt caught off guard, unsure of what to do. But I was also curious, so I went in.

The patient turned her head towards me and said, “Just stand next to me—the collective mind brings more energy.”

So I did. The view from this patient’s room showed a river running alongside the facility. Like her, I looked out onto the river. The sun was beginning to rise and the sky was a beautiful blend of pink and blue. I closed my eyes and a sense of serenity gently settled over me.

We stood together in silence for just a minute or two. Then the patient turned to me, grabbed her gown, and said, “Now, how can I help you?”

I found that I was smiling as I heard myself […]

2021-10-27T09:46:54-04:00October 27th, 2021|Nursing, nursing stories, patient engagement|1 Comment
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Are Fall Prevention Precautions Missing the Mark?

Happy first day of autumn! Let’s have some fall talk.

If you spend any time in the acute care setting, you’ll be inundated with signs of fall precautions: yellow alert armbands, yellow nonslip socks, yellow signs on patient room doors, and of course the constant ringing of bed alarms.

It appears that hospitals put a lot of effort into fall prevention, and understandably so—falls cost hospitals money. These costs include tests and procedures that aren’t covered by insurance, increased length of stay while the patient recovers, and lawsuits from injured patients or from their families.

Checking boxes vs. individual patient needs.

However, the current approach of applying all precautions to all patients at risk for falling isn’t supported by research, and may decrease patient satisfaction. Sometimes it seems more focus is put on checking boxes about having prevention strategies in place than on the actual patient’s preferences or needs. For example, a former patient told me about a time she was in the bathroom of her hospital room and felt lightheaded. Rather than risk falling, she eased herself to the floor and hit the call bell for assistance to get back to bed. Upon finding her on the floor, the staff were so focused on filling out an incident report and assessing her for injury that they ignored her attempts to explain what actually happened.

The ‘next era’ in fall reduction.

2021-09-22T09:47:00-04:00September 22nd, 2021|Nursing, patient safety, Patients|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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