Zika Transmission Update: New Findings Shed More Light

zika-400The unfolding Zika epidemic demonstrates how we learn about any “emerging infection.” Ongoing surveillance, close clinical observation, and follow-up of recovering individuals steadily refine our understanding of its epidemiology, the public health measures needed, and management of the disease and its sequelae.

Local transmission in the U.S.

The U.S. has seen more than 1800 travel-related cases of Zika infection. Regular travel between countries and the presence of genus Aedes mosquitoes in much of the U.S. made the establishment of local transmission here inevitable, especially in the warmest and most mosquito-abundant parts of the country. Since early July, the Florida Department of Health has identified 15 cases of local Zika transmission in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Testing of close contacts of cases as well as of asymptomatic people in the community continues in an effort to confirm the extent of the outbreak.

An epidemic of locally acquired cases in the U.S. remains unlikely; window and door screens and the widespread use of air conditioning decrease (though don’t eliminate) human exposure to mosquitoes.

But even with limited local spread, the possibility of microcephaly or other neurological injury in utero is serious, and the CDC has issued its first ever infectious disease–related travel advisory inside U.S. borders. Pregnant women are cautioned to avoid travel to parts of Florida where there is […]

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 5th, 2016|Nursing|0 Comments
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Guarding the Flame of Quality: When Nursing Journal Editors Talk Shop

LegoNurse Lego nurse

After first spending a few days on holiday in Scotland (lots of ruined castles, cathedrals, and some expensive scotch—saw one aged 40 years and costing 13,000 pounds!), I recently attended the annual meeting of the International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE, www.nursingeditors.org) in London. I know a few folks reading this may be thinking (and this is in my best British Monty Python voice), “Wot? A meeting of editors of nursing journals talking about writing and editing? I’d rather stick a pencil in my eye.”

But truly, this meeting tends to be one of the highlights of my year, with rich discussions, networking, and always something new to learn. Those who submit articles to journals headed by these editors should know that their work is reviewed carefully by people who strive to present accurate and clearly written, evidence-based content that will move our profession forward.

In keeping with the tradition of a location outside of North America every third year, this year’s location was picked to coincide with the 100 anniversary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which publishes several nursing specialty journals in addition to Nursing Standard. The RCN headquarters occupies a stately old building off Cavendish Square. It’s the former home of Lady Cowdray, who donated it to […]

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 5th, 2016|Nursing|0 Comments
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A Measure of Contentment: One Patient’s Daily Ritual

By Annelisa Ochoa for AJN By Annelisa Ochoa for AJN

“A Measure of Contentment,” the August Reflections essay in AJN, describes the daily ritual of a resident in a long-term care facility. As author Nancy Ngaruiya shows us, nurses and other health care providers can sometimes notice, and support, the small pleasures and routines that make life worthwhile for patients.

Of this patient, she writes:

We make our own happiness. We define what makes us content, what actions help us find that happiness. Sometimes the recipe takes just a few ingredients. Even in an environment where freedom is limited, where rules dictate when to wake up and go to bed, what days of the week we will get assistance with a full bath and who will do it, what meals and activities are or are not available, he has defined what makes him content, perhaps even happy.

The patient in question happens to be one of those who often get frustrated, who aren’t always grateful or helpful—those who tend to be labeled as “challenging” or “difficult” by overworked providers. It’s easy to notice only the frustration of people who’ve watched their worlds shrink bit by bit as their freedoms and abilities diminish along with their health.

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 3rd, 2016|Nursing, nursing stories, patient experience|2 Comments
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AJN in August: Burn Survivors and Social Media, HPV–Related Oropharyngeal Cancer, More

The August issue of AJN is now live. Here are some articles we’d like to bring to your attention.

CE Feature: “Original Research: The Lived Experience of Social Media by Young Adult Burn Survivors”

Young adult burn survivors whose burns occurred before they reached young adulthood face particular socialization challenges. Social media is widely used by adolescents and young adults, allowing socialization without face-to-face communication. This qualitative, phenomenological study explores and describes young adult burn survivors’ experience of using social media. The findings, which indicate that social media use may support healing processes in this population, could help nurses develop effective interventions to better prepare young adult burn survivors for reentry into society.

CE Feature: “Human Papillomavirus–Related Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Review of Nursing Considerations”

The overall incidence of head and neck cancer has declined in the United States over the past 30 years due to reduction in tobacco use. Over that same period, however, the worldwide incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has escalated significantly, most notably among men and women under age 60 who live in developed countries. This epidemic rise in oropharyngeal cancer is largely attributed to certain genotypes of the human papillomavirus (HPV). This article provides an overview of head and neck cancer—its incidence, risk factors, treatment, and posttreatment sequelae—with a focus on HPV-related […]

2016-11-21T13:01:02-05:00August 1st, 2016|Nursing, nursing perspective|0 Comments
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Dark Water, Wild Winds: Notes of a Flight Nurse

I must see new things
And investigate them.
I want to taste dark water
And see crackling trees and wild winds.
—Egon Schiele

IMG_2650Repatriation

I’m standing on the tarmac in Manaus, Brazil, where there is indeed a wild wind; it blows debris across the runway yet does nothing to stave off the nearly intolerable heat. Sweat soaks my back and drips down the center of my chest. My limbs are heavy with lethargy. The heat index is 110 but it feels much hotter—even the Learjet fails to provide a haven from the equatorial sun.

We’d come to Brazil to repatriate an Englishman who’d been visiting family and was struck down by sudden and severe seizures. He’d spent weeks in the hospital, sustaining scans and diagnostics to pinpoint the cause, and endured the addition of one antiepileptic medication after another.

While the seizures finally ceased, he was left disquieted and uncomfortable, unsure which symptoms were due to the 7 cm brain mass that had been discovered and which were side effects of the myriad of antidotes. By the time we were dispatched for this mission, he was medically stable and ready to go home to deal with the ominous findings. Biopsies awaited and treatments would be […]

2016-11-21T13:01:03-05:00July 27th, 2016|career, Nursing, nursing stories, patient experience|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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