This is the time of year that we are all busier than usual. The good things include family time, meal planning, and fellowship. The negatives can be all the necessary steps it takes to get those things accomplished-and it takes a lot of coordination and other activities. We all know that the best parties or holiday celebrations are those that look seemingly effortless, but are not. All the preparation took countless hours and effort and is "unseen," but valued immensely just the same.
The measles outbreak in England after the soccer games in Germany, the mumps that began in Iowa and have spread across the heartland and beyond, and increasing reports about pertussis should concern us all. Effective infection control should be second nature, and when it works, is seemingly behind the scenes and is not newsworthy, which is a good thing. In this issue of Home Healthcare Nurse there are infection control-related articles to assist in practice and operations and to reinforce the fundamentals that are so important. Jennifer Bobolia contributed "Infection Control for the Family of the Home Hospice Patient" and Gladys Polzien addresses "Home Infusion Therapy: First Things First--The Patient and the Prevention of Central Catheter Infections" in the Patient Education department. Lisa A. Gorski provides HHN readers with an update on the infusion standards in the article entitled "Integrating Standards into Practice: Revised Standards for Home Care Infusion-What Has Changed?" Other articles round out this issue with topics of moral reasoning, professional boundaries, changing culture in home healthcare, responding to patient-initiated humor, and more.
This is the time of year to try to take some time and enjoy the holidays. I know it can be hard: finding coverage for patients, children out of school, meeting family and other expectations, and honoring commitments. It takes more time (and sometimes energy) than projected and planned for!!
The team at HHN and Lippincott wish you a merry and safe holiday season. When you are sitting down to that turkey or carving up that goose, take some time for yourself and enjoy the moment.
Mission Statement
Home Healthcare Nurse is a peer-reviewed journal oriented toward evidence-based research, clinical practice, and management. Articles and departments stimulate creative, cost-effective, and best practice approaches to clinical and operational management for home care and hospice professionals.
The statements and opinions contained in the articles of Home Healthcare Nurse are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the VNAA or LWW. The VNAA does not exercise editorial control over the content of the publication. The appearance of advertisements in the Journal is not a warranty, endorsement or approval of the products or safety. The VNAA disclaims responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas or products referred to in the article or advertisements.
Tina M. Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN