December Issue: Nurses’ Advance Care Planning–Related Beliefs, Managing Movement Disorders, Delegating, More

“When despair for the world grows in me…. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water…. I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”—Wendell Berry, as quoted in the December editorial

The December issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Advance Care Planning: An Exploration of the Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, Education, and Practices of RNs and LPNs

The authors of this study surveyed RNs and LPNs working in skilled nursing facilities to learn about the similarities and differences in their advance care planning–related beliefs, sense of self-efficacy, education, and practices.

CE: Managing Movement Disorders: A Clinical Review

This article discusses the pathophysiology and assessment of three different, common neuromuscular disorders—muscle tightness, spasticity, and clonus—as well as the treatment options for each.

Cultivating Quality: Creating a Culture of Mobility: Using Real-Time Assessment to Drive Outcomes

The authors describe how they implemented an intervention based on the use of three new assessment tools to promote awareness of the importance of early mobility among nurses and physical […]

2018-11-26T08:38:54-05:00November 26th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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October Issue: Treating Hemorrhagic Shock, Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder, Workplace Violence, More

“Violent behavior seems to be an . . . increasingly frequent occurrence in hospitals and nursing care facilities. More and more, such violence is the result of intentional harm.” —editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy in her October editorial

The October issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: The Use of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Treating Hemorrhagic Shock from Severe Trauma

Efforts to prevent death from hemorrhagic shock have resulted in the emergence of a new tool—resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA), a less invasive option for controlling hemorrhage in noncompressible areas of the body. This article outlines REBOA, describes its evolution, and discusses various considerations, pitfalls, and nursing implications.

CE: Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Acute Pain Management for People with Opioid Use Disorder

The authors of this article—one in a series on palliative care developed with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association—discuss how to manage acute pain effectively in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, which incorporates methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone.

Original Research: Journalists’ Experiences with Using Nurses as Sources in Health News Stories

The authors of a 2018 replication of the 1997 Woodhull […]

2018-09-28T10:05:14-04:00September 28th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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July Issue: Ketamine Analgesia During Burn Care, Breast Cancer Screening Update, Difficult IV Access, More

“How powerful would it be if every nurse took one action today to improve her or his community’s health?” —Barry Ross, MPH, MBA, BSN, RN, author of this month’s Viewpoint

The July issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: The Efficacy and Safety of an RN-Driven Ketamine Protocol for Adjunctive Analgesia During Burn Wound Care

Because of its unique mechanism of action and lack of association with respiratory depression, ketamine may be an ideal agent for adjunctive analgesia in burn patients. The authors of this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a practice protocol allowing critical care RNs to independently administer IV ketamine for burn wound care.

CE: Breast Cancer Screening: A Review of Current Guidelines

In light of recent changes to national breast cancer screening guidelines, this article reviews the guidelines of the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and provides guidance to nurses as they support and educate patients.

Special Feature: Ethics Champion Programs

The authors, all of whom lead ethics champion programs at their respective […]

2018-06-29T08:14:55-04:00June 29th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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February Issue: Updated Sepsis Guidelines, Chinese American Immigrants and Diabetes, Improving OR–ICU Handovers, More

The February issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Physical Activity Among Chinese American Immigrants with Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes

The benefits of exercise for patients with type 2 diabetes have been studied extensively, but not among Chinese American immigrants diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The authors of this mixed-methods study analyzed this population’s levels of exercise intensity, examining the types of activity performed, as well as the barriers to such activity.

CE: Managing Sepsis and Septic Shock: Current Guidelines and Definitions

This article discusses recent updates to the Surviving Sepsis Campaign’s sepsis treatment guidelines, changes in the sepsis bundle interventions, and the new definitions and predictive tools introduced in the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock.

Moving Closer to the 2020 BSN-Prepared Workforce Goal

The authors report findings from the four-year Academic Progression in Nursing initiative to identify and develop the most promising strategies for creating a more highly educated nursing workforce.

Cultivating Quality: A Multidisciplinary QI Initiative to Improve OR–ICU Handovers

This QI study examines […]

2018-01-26T09:32:47-05:00January 26th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN in April: Nurse Perceptions of Risk for Harm, Climate Change and Mental Health, More

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

CE Feature: Original Research: Do Nurses or Electronic Assessment Tools Better Predict Risk for Harm?

In many hospitals, nurse-led “safety huddles” are used to relay patient safety information, although whether this effectively identifies patients at risk for harm has not been determined. New electronic risk assessment tools are designed to identify patients at risk for harm during hospitalization, based on specific markers in the electronic health record. The authors of this study compared the results of both methods, finding statistically significant differences in the way nurses and data mining software identify risk of harm. In many instances, factors that the software captured had been anticipated by the nurses or were already addressed in the plan of care.

CE Feature: Overactive Bladder in Women

This article provides an evidence-based review of the screening, assessment, and management of overactive bladder in women, many of whom do not seek help for the condition and try to self-manage its symptoms, which may inadvertently worsen them. Those with overactive bladder often experience related physical and psychological symptoms and report a poorer quality of life than other […]

2017-03-27T09:34:06-04:00March 27th, 2017|Nursing|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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