I recently read an editorial in TIME magazine written by Nancy Gibbs, managing editor (A new beginning. TIME. New York, NY; 2013.). This was the first message from the journal's new editor and caught my attention as TIME magazine acknowledged that Nancy Gibbs was the first woman to hold the position of managing editor in the magazines' 90-year history. Progress is indeed slow!

Gibbs' message about the state of the world and reflection of how the magazine exists in parallel to that world also caught my attention. She wrote about how we are living in an accelerated time of vast information systems, so much data that we may have an alternative feeling of being more confused, "unsure of what to believe or whom to trust." But she also wrote of the power of TIME magazine to stimulate dialogue, foster constructive debate, and shed light on issues that matter.

As I read this editorial, I was thinking of the very hectic, information-overloaded, chaotic world of health care surrounding our field of palliative care. There is great uncertainty about health care reform, the demands of an aging population, and how we as a palliative care community can possibly respond to the increasing recognition that we are vital to any solution in the larger health care world.

I would like to think of picking up each issue of our journal to be like holding up a mirror. What do you see? What are we doing? Well in our profession what aspects of our care still need improvement?

This issue of JHPN launches our new ethics series coordinated by Nessa Coyle, PhD, RN. This series offers a great opportunity for the pages of our journal to address the many dilemmas in palliative care and for the nurses central to that care. It is my hope that this series of articles will prompt dialogues, journal club discussions, and personal reflection on the nature of our work. HPNA members can also share thoughts on this series and ethical issues through the newly formed BioEthics SIG: http://www.hpna.org/SIGs_Enrollment.aspx.

Nancy Gibbs ended her TIME editorial saying, "I believe ideas matter. The good ones deserve reverence and the bad ones defiance."

The authors whose articles appear in JHPN are also sharing ideas that matter. The clinical experience and knowledge shared on our pages are an opportunity to revere the good work that continues to evolve in palliative nursing and to stand defiant on the inadequacies in our system that fall short of our vision for quality care.

Betty Ferrell, PhD, MA, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]