“This is the third Nurses Day celebrated since the start of the pandemic and nurses’ work has gotten more recognition than ever. But is that recognition enough?”—AJN senior clinical editor Christine Moffa in her editorial, “Honoring Nurses Where They Need It”

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

Original Research: Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Nurse Use of Multimodal Analgesia: An Integrative Literature Review

This review presents strong evidence on the benefits of multimodal analgesia in reducing opioid use for pain management in the acute care setting.

CE: Chemicals in the Home That Can Exacerbate Asthma

The authors describe how the use of cleaning and disinfectant products may affect asthma and asthma-related symptoms and report the findings of a recent study they conducted that identified how these products could reduce asthma control in older adults.

Effective Holistic Approaches to Reducing Nurse Stress and Burnout During COVID-19

This quality improvement project evaluated the use of serenity lounges—dedicated rooms where nurses can take workday breaks to relax and rejuvenate—and massage chairs on nurses’ anxiety, stress, and burnout.

Assessing Chest Pain

An overview of revised guidelines by a joint committee of the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association to improve early identification and management of chest pain.

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Emergency Responders

How school nurses from one Texas school district taught students cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to recognize and use automatic external defibrillators and provide basic first aid.

There’s much more in our May issue, including:

  • A Viewpoint on the need for a new direction in nursing burnout research.
  • An In the News article on the travel nurse industry.
  • An AJN Reports on overcoming mental health stigma.

Click here to browse the table of contents and explore the issue on our website.

A note on the cover.

This month’s cover photo—chosen in honor of Nurses Day—shows ICU nurse Elizabeth Carr caring for a patient with COVID-19 at Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, in January. Carr is one of several Jefferson Hospital nurses featured in a photo-essay, “Finding Hope Amid Darkness,” published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.