End-of-Life Conversations at the 11th Hour

Illustration by Gingermoth

A problem all too familiar to nurses.

How often have we nurses talked to friends, family members, or each other about the importance of making end-of-life decisions well before that decision becomes critical? We see so many deaths that come only after extended and often avoidable suffering, it’s all many of us can do to keep from grabbing a family member’s hand and whispering, “Let her go!” At home, our families are used to hearing us say again and again, “Do not let me die like that!”

If we work in a hospital, chances are that we are confronted over and over again with trying to help families make “11th hour” decisions that will affect how their loved ones die. How do we broach the subject, when time is so short?

Trust prepares the ground.

This month’s Reflections article, “Difficult Conversations,” isn’t a primer to walk us through these conversations, but it offers an example of how we can take our cue from events or changes in the patient’s condition to raise the topic of the inevitable. Author Vanessa Arroyo illustrates how, after we’ve developed a relationship with patient and family and earned their trust, it may become possible to ask the […]

2019-08-19T09:59:07-04:00August 19th, 2019|Nursing, nursing stories|1 Comment
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Not Your Grandma’s Simulation Anymore

Photo © Melanie Stetson Freeman / Christian Science Monitor / The Image Works.

In 1958, after pulling his drowning son from water and clearing his airways, Norwegian doll manufacturer Asmund S. Laerdal was asked to develop a manikin to teach others how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The doll became known as “Resusci Anne” […]

2019-08-19T11:45:30-04:00August 14th, 2019|Nursing, nursing students|0 Comments
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A Roundup of Women’s Health Issues

Is it Women’s Health Month? Not according to the calendar. But as you browse through this month’s issue of AJN, you may indeed get the impression that we decided to focus on women’s health for the month of August.

This month’s Viewpoint, by Julie Michelle Haracz, “Making OTC Oral Contraceptives Available for All Women,” reminds us that “No woman should have to wait months for an appointment to see a physician, travel long distances, or pay more than she can afford to prevent an unintended pregnancy.” Haracz notes that oral contraceptives already are available over the counter in more than 100 other countries.

In the news: quick takes and closer looks.

Our August news section is filled with stories of particular importance to women. Our reporters cover the flurry of recent state laws that would significantly limit a women’s ability to obtain an abortion (all facing court challenges), an interesting UK study showing that a single dose of antibiotic after forceps-assisted or vacuum-assisted births reduced the incidence of infection, and sobering new CDC statistics suggesting that 60% of U.S. pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

Did you know that suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people in the U.S.? Sadly, the rate of suicide among girls ages 10 to 14 is rising, narrowing the gap between rates rates for boys and girls.

Some positives.

2019-08-12T10:32:32-04:00August 12th, 2019|Nursing, Public health, women's health|0 Comments
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Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: What Nurses Need to Know

Have we in our overweight society been trying to ignore the mounting evidence connecting overweight and obesity with increased cancer risk?

If you’ve heard stories in the general media about the relationship between breast, colon, or other cancers with obesity but “were afraid to ask,” you’ll want to read “Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: A Clinical Review” in this month’s AJN.

Sobering evidence.

Author Anne Katz shares the evidence for an increased risk of certain cancers and cancer recurrence in women who are overweight or obese, focusing on the association between extra weight and cancers of the breast, endometrium, cervix, colon, and rectum.

 “Over the past decade, the role that overweight and obesity play in cancer development, recurrence, and related mortality, particularly among women, has become increasingly clear… [and] gynecologic cancers are among those with the strongest evidence for the association with obesity.”

The specificity of the research regarding cancer recurrence, cancer-specific mortality, and fewer years of disease-free survival is sobering. Obesity also increases the risk of infection and other complications arising from cancer surgery, and can increase the toxicity of radiation therapy. […]

2019-08-05T08:42:49-04:00August 5th, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments
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Thinking About Writing? Here Are the Next Steps

Been procrastinating?

We’re entering August, when many people take at least a few days for vacation before the busy school year begins. For those of you who’ve been procrastinating on writing that article you swore you would write over the summer, and for those who will face writing a capstone paper in your next semester, now’s the time. Here are some suggestions and resources that may help.

At www.ajnonline.com, under the Collections tab at the top, you can access our “Writing Resources” collection, where you’ll find our award-winning step-by-step series, Writing for Publication. It’s a free four-part series that guides you through the writing process. Also listed under the Collections tab is another step-by-step series, Writing Systematic Reviews.

The process of writing: set aside small regular time increments.

Forget trying to churn out a paper in one weekend—it’s a stressful and unfulfilling way to write, and the end product will fall short. If you want to really become a good writer, you need to write. It takes practice, like any other skill.

Commit to set aside a bit of time for writing. It doesn’t have to be a lot; start with 30 minutes, maybe three times a week, and get started writing. Commit to that time faithfully—make an appointment with […]

2019-07-31T09:34:10-04:00July 31st, 2019|Nursing, nursing career, writing|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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