Medication Errors and Syringe Safety
The American Nurses Association (ANA) announced the findings of the 2007 Study of Injectable Medication Errors, an independent nationwide survey of 1,039 nurses. According to the research, the overwhelming majority of nurses (97%) say they "worry" about medication errors, and more than two-thirds (68 %) believe medication errors can be reduced with more consistent syringe labeling. For more information, visit http://www.nursingworld.org/pressrel/2007/pr_InviroSurvey061807.pdf-ANA SmartBrief, 7/16/07.
Instant Updates
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has electronic monitors in its surgery waiting rooms. Electronic updates like, "Patient is out of OR" keep family updated regarding their loved ones. -Reader's Digest, April 2007, Cynthia Dermody, p. 182.
Seven Keys to Reduce Cholesterol
The government's National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has estimated that at least 65 million Americans have high cholesterol levels that merit treatment. NCEP states that as many as 36 million people should be taking cholesterol-lowering medications. Yet only 12 to 15 million Americans are currently taking these medications, and many are taking too small a dose to reduce cholesterol to safer levels effectively.
Whatever your heart health risk factors are, information is your best weapon in the fight against heart disease. In this free report, Seven Keys to Reduce Cholesterol, you will learn 7 effective, proven, practical keys for lowering cholesterol-with the latest, best information and advice direct from Johns Hopkins. These keys include knowing your optimal cholesterol levels, diet, how to boost your HDL, whether statins can benefit you personally, and the latest news on "Combo Therapy" in treating cholesterol.
Anyone wishing to receive Seven Keys to Reduce Cholesterol can visit the Web site http://www.hopkinsreports.com/cholesterol to download this invaluable Special Report. -John Hopkins Health Alerts e-mail release, 1/24/2007.
His Wheels International
His Wheels International (HWI) is a bicycle service organization that assists Christian mission organizations in providing bicycles and bicycle expertise to nationals both in the United States and throughout the world. Nationally, HWI has partnered with World Relief to provide bicycles to immigrants and refugees on an ongoing basis. HWI, in partnership with local churches, collected and refurbished bicycles to take to Katrina victims in New Orleans. HWI has created a dignified means of mobility for the disabled through a three-wheeled, hand-pedaled tricycle. HWI seeks to facilitate the production of such a tricycle by providing plans, part sources, and information concerning the creation of an efficient assembly process and the tooling required. Visit http://www.hiswheelsintl.org for more information.
First Things First
Kamalini Kumar, president of Nurses Christian Fellowship International, addressed participants at the NCF Summit with a thoughtful challenge. She stated, "As a nurse inservice educator, I tell nursing staff that whenever they enter a patient's room, the first question they should ask after the necessary introductions is, 'What is the first thing you would like for me to do for you today?' That immediately puts the patient's agenda first on the nurse's list and conveys a very patient-centered focus."-NCF Summit, St. Paul, MN, June 30, 2007.
Ethical Occupation
M. Hirsh Goldberg, the founder of National Honesty Day, celebrated each year on April 30th as a way to "encourage honesty in the workplace and the marketplace and to honor the honorable," has called for "a nationwide emphasis this coming year on honesty to prevent the increasing examples of lying and fraud that are harming society and damaging our nation's quality of life."
This year, Goldberg cited the nursing profession for being ranked by Americans in a nationwide poll as the nation's most ethical occupation for the 6th year in a row. The annual USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, which measures the public's perception of honesty and ethics among 23 occupations, found that more than five out of six Americans (84%) believed those in nursing performed their duties according to "high" or "very high" standards. This is the second highest rating ever achieved by those in any occupation since Gallup started polling for such behavior in 1976.
Goldberg invites the public to nominate recipients for next year's Honest Abe Awards. Nominations for Honest Abe Awards can be emailed to [email protected] or sent to 3103 Szold Drive, Baltimore, MD 21208.-INANE e-mail release, 7/25/2007.
Infertility-Getting Guys to Talk
"One of the biggest causes of male infertility isn't sport-related injuries or too frequent bicycle riding. It is however, varicoceles-enlarged veins within the scrotum," reports Dr. Dan Williams, University of Wisconsin urologist. Varicoceles can happen at any point in life and is generally more common in the left testicle, due to blood flow. Outpatient surgery is a common treatment.-UW Health Link, Winter 2007, p. 3.
Hospice Care for Unborn Babies
The Haven Network is one of the first perinatal death and bereavement organizations in the United States. Dr. Byron Calhoun established Haven to meet the needs of grieving families who face loosing a child late in pregnancy or shortly after birth. Haven works with clergy, nurses, and others to assist broken-hearted families through love and support.
If you'd like more information on starting a perinatal hospice in your community, contact http://www.thehavennetwork.org or 815-877-4931.-Life Institute, Inc., newsletter.
The ABCD's of Care
Even with the time constraints and tight budgets, preserving patients' dignity is possible, and essential to keeping patients from despair, writes Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, a psychiatrist at the University of Manitoba. Chochinov states that attitude, behavior, compassion, and dialogue-"the A, B, C, and D" of dignity-create a framework for maintaining the core values of kindness, humanity, and respect. "It's only through dialogue that a clinician can realize and understand the non-clinical aspects of a patient's life that affect the physician's approach to his or her illness."-Medscape/Reuters, 7/27/2007.