Public health Archives - Page 4 of 71

Resources for Staying Safe as Wildfires and Poor Air Quality Events Increase

Photo by Tegan Miele/Unsplash

Find out what you need to know about the health risks of wildfire smoke and the best ways to keep you and your family or patients informed and safe—whether through use of a smartphone app, limiting outdoor activities, buying an air filtration device, or other means.

As we enter summer, wildfire season is upon us and will extend into the early fall. Wildfires in the United States have increased in frequency and severity over the past several decades. The states with the most wildfires are California, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, and Oklahoma. This year, as the season ramps up, Canada has experienced record-setting wildfires, with smoke causing air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada, the northeastern United States, and Europe.

The health risks of wildfire smoke.

With these fires comes poor air quality, with the main culprit being a pollutant known as particulate matter (PM) 2.5. These tiny particles or droplets in the air are 2.5 microns or less in width and are able to travel deep into the respiratory tract. Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2023-06-16T08:03:16-04:00June 16th, 2023|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

The Hidden Crisis: Unveiling the Mental Health Struggles of Teen Boys

In today’s world, teenage boys are facing a crisis that often goes unnoticed: their mental health. Anxiety, depression, despair, and even suicidal thoughts plague young boys and young men alike. Shockingly, teenage boys and young men in the United States are more than twice as likely, and sometimes up to four times as likely, to die by suicide compared to their female counterparts. They are also at a higher risk of gun violence and drug overdoses. It’s time to shed light on this crucial issue that often remains overlooked by both the public and health care professionals.

The increase in youth mental health issues has garnered considerable attention in recent times, with the U.S. surgeon general calling it “the defining public health crisis of our time.” But a lot of this has focused on the struggles of adolescent girls and LGBTQ+ teens.

Undoubtedly, these issues deserve our utmost attention and support. However, it is a mistake to assume that teenage boys and young men are faring well. As someone who writes and speaks about boys and has personal experience raising four sons, I understand that male depression and anxiety often manifest as irritability, rage, or anger. Many young males turn to alcohol or drugs as a […]

Guest Author2023-06-01T07:53:32-04:00June 1st, 2023|mental illness, Nursing|0 Comments

Nurse Staffing Standards Act Is First Step in Solving Nursing Shortage

Nurses planning to leave the profession.

The nursing shortage continues, with no end in sight. In my current position as faculty in a university DNP program, I hear from students about caring for overwhelming numbers of patients and fearing for their patients’ safety and health. Nurses are suffering burnout because they are caring for so many patients they know nursing care is being missed. A recent survey found that job satisfaction has been dropping for nurses, while the percentage who say they may leave the profession is as high as 30% overall, with younger nurses most likely to say they may leave.

Nurse educators do our best, but we know that we are sending new graduates into the fire. Retired nurses worry about our family members (and ourselves) when we need nursing care.

Congress recently reintroduced the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act. This bill would mandate direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratio requirements in hospitals. It has been introduced in several prior congressional sessions with little progress. We cannot let this window of opportunity pass.

Nurse staffing and patient outcomes.

Linda Aiken’s two decades of research demonstrate the effects of nurse staffing on patient outcomes. Despite legislative efforts in Massachusetts and […]

Guest Author2023-06-13T06:57:19-04:00May 11th, 2023|health care policy, Nursing, Public health|5 Comments

The Nursing Shortage: Foreign-Educated Workers Aren’t a Long-Term Solution

CGFNS VisaScreen Applications by Country of Education, 2022. Reprinted from CGFNS International. CGFNS Nurse Migration Report 2022: Trends in Healthcare Migration to the United States.

“Rather than relying on importing foreign-educated nurses, high-income countries should aim to ensure an adequate domestic supply of new nurses as well as retention of those already in the workforce.”

Increased nurse migration as a stopgap in the United States.

Demand for nurses in the United States is expected to grow to 3.3 million within this decade. But without quick action to replenish the nursing workforce, analysts project a potential shortfall by 2025 of 10% to 20% or as many as 450,000 RNs. To close this gap, the United States would need to more than double the number of new graduates entering and staying in the nursing workforce every year for the next three years.

An immediate solution would be for the United States to authorize increased migration of qualified nurses from other countries. But faced with growing shortages of their own, countries that historically have exported nurses could impose restrictions, as the […]

Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor2023-03-30T10:39:01-04:00March 30th, 2023|Nursing, Nursing shortage, Public health|1 Comment

April Issue Highlights: Nurses’ Views on Substance Users, Decarbonizing Health Care, More

“I was always the strong one, the one with the answers, the one people came to for advice….” – from the April Reflections essay, “Take Off the Mask: Getting Real About Depression, Trauma, and Loss“

The April issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new. Some articles may be free only to subscribers.

Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor2023-03-27T08:10:27-04:00March 27th, 2023|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, family caregiving, Nursing, pain management|0 Comments

The health risks of wildfire smoke.

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Nurses planning to leave the profession.

Nurse staffing and patient outcomes.

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Increased nurse migration as a stopgap in the United States.

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