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| January 15, 2010 |
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Greetings from Shawn Kennedy, AJN's editorial director
Dear Colleague,
The holidays are over and we have a new year in front of us. I hope it will be a good year, although the nursing profession, and two nurses in particular, still face some serious challenges. The Texas RNs under prosecution for reporting a physician whose practices concerned them to the Texas Medical Board are heading to trial in February; see the story below. All nurses should be rallying around these colleagues and following this important case.
There are two exciting items I want to bring to your attention:
- In January we debut a new monthly series, Uniting States, Sharing Strategies, which reports on an initiative of the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP. This initiative will assist states in expanding education capacity so that nursing programs can accommodate demand and sufficiently prepare nurses for the 21st century; here's a related podcast). Future installments will highlight the work of several states.
- In conjunction with our ongoing series, Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step, we'll be holding the first of several Ask the Expert calls with author and EBP expert Ellen Fineout-Overholt. Please join us on January 22 at 3:30 pm EST and get answers to your questions about implementing EBP. If you're in the United States or Canada, dial 1-800-947-5134 (international callers, dial 001-574-941-6964) and enter code 121028#. (Space is limited.)
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Gavel by Thomas Roche, via Flickr |
Mediation Fails, State Criminal Case Against Texas Whistleblowers to Proceed
Two RNs indicted for misuse of official information after they reported a physician's questionable care practices to the Texas Medical Board face a state criminal trial, after last December's court-ordered mediation resulted in no agreement by the parties involved. The criminal trial is scheduled to begin February 8, 2010. A court date for the federal civil countersuit filed by the nurses, alleging illegal retaliation, has not been set. Details about the case can be found in the October issue of AJN and on the Texas Nurses Association Web site, which provides regular updates.
Thyroid Cancer on the Rise in Women, But Causes Unclear
In the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, which is based on data from 1975–2006, researchers report declining incidences of many cancers, particularly of colorectal cancer. Although the breast remains the most common cancer site in women, the report states that during 1997–2006 there were “large increases in thyroid cancer” in women in all ethnic and racial groups, prompting about a call for “further etiologic research.” A summary of this trend can be found in this National Cancer Institute fact sheet.
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Adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon by euthman / Ed Uthman, via Flickr |
Regular Statin Use Not Found to Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk
Findings from a large cohort study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology may finally answer the question of whether the long-term, regular-dose use of statins helps prevent colorectal cancer (CRC): in a word, no. Singh and colleagues found that the CRC risk was similar among individuals who were never given statins and those who had taken statins for five years or longer. Read the abstract here.
Seattle Program a Template for Preventing Clinic-Acquired H1N1 Influenza
Clinicians at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) have “nailed” a prevention approach to clinic-acquired H1N1 influenza, one based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the spring 2009 flu season, while Seattle had a 100-fold rise in H1N1 cases, there was no corresponding increase among SCCA patients. The program includes an 11-point symptom survey conducted by LPNs and volunteers. Color-coded stickers document survey completion, and no one without one is admitted to clinical areas. Details were published online in December 2009 in Blood; read the abstract here. A summary of the program's key elements is available
here.
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Where do you stand on mandatory flu vaccination for health care workers? This month's Point–Counterpoint explores the controversy with essays by Daniel J. O'Neal III and Ann R. Converso and commentary by ethicist Douglas P. Olsen. Explore our blog for provocative related posts, including this one.
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Illustration by Denny Bond |
Life-support interventions can have unforeseen consequences when the body's systems and organs are failing, something patients and family members often don't realize. In this month's CE feature, Shirley A. Scott explains such consequences and how to communicate them gently to patients and families to ease decision making at this difficult time.
Our new series Uniting States, Sharing Strategies reports on a new initiative that addresses the growing crisis in nursing education. In the first of seven articles, Brenda L. Cleary and colleagues report on two national summits that identified important partnerships and strategies for expanding educational capacity. Read the article and listen to a podcast interview with Dr. Cleary.
And remember to take a look at the Book of the Year Awards 2009, selected by AJN's panel of judges.
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| -- Advertisement -- |
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 AJN's blog, Off the Charts, has daily updates on news that matters—or should matter—to nurses, as well as commentary on a broad array of topics. Bookmark us, check in often, and leave a comment: what's on your mind? Here are some recent posts:
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Tips and thoughts from AJN news writer Gail M. Pfeifer, RN, MA
If you tend to feel a loss of energy and a lack of interest in activities you usually enjoy during the same winter interval for two consecutive years, you might have seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Although the cause is unknown, the condition is associated with winter's shorter hours of daylight, which may disrupt the body's internal clock and affect hormone levels. Add to this nursing's typically long indoor day and night shifts and it's easy to see why nurses may be particularly vulnerable to SAD. Being female and having a family history of SAD are also risk factors. Don't discount your feelings as “just the winter blues,” especially if they are persistent or worsening. To learn more about causes, symptoms, and the range of available therapies, read this Mayo Clinic overview.
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If you're not a subscriber, visit us here and enter promo code WAJ504CC to subscribe at a discounted rate.
Coming up in the February issue of AJN...
- Emergency: Variceal Hemorrhage from Esophageal Varices Associated with Alcoholic Liver Disease by Melissa M. Smith. A composite case illustrates this life-threatening complication and discusses emergent and further treatment options.
- Uniting States, Sharing Strategies: The Technical Assistance Program of the CCNA by Noelle Ronald, Winifred V. Quinn, Susan C. Reinhard, Brenda L. Cleary, Meredith Rucker Hunter, and Barbara S. Akinwole. The second article in this series discusses an initiative of the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP to support states in expanding nursing education capacity.
- Wound Wise: Peristomal Skin Complications by Paula Erwin-Toth, Linda J. Stricker, and Lia van Rijswijk. An overview of peristomal skin complications, with photographs to aid nurses in recognizing and treating them.
- Diabetes Under Control: Understanding Oral Antidiabetic Agents by Rebecca Longo. A better understanding of the six major classes of oral antidiabetic agents available in the United States will make drug selection and disease management less bewildering.
- Health and Safety: Shift Workers Give Sleep Short Shrift by Thomas P. Fuller and Evelyn I. Bain. Inadequate sleep may be only an annoyance to some shift workers, but it has health and safety implications for health care workers and the patients they care for.
- Art of Nursing: Jenny's Daydream by Karen Douglass. A poem.
- Reflections: A Stone of Contention by Tim Bascom. Competence and bedside manner don't always go hand in hand.
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