This issue of the Journal of Infusion Nursing (JIN) marks the end of its 30th anniversary celebration. It has been gratifying to be able to offer you special anniversary features this year in the Journal: reprints of articles from NITA, the Journal of Intravenous Nursing, and early versions of JIN. Our guest editors, all previous INS presidents, have reflected on the growth of the Journal since the early days, as well as the advancement of the specialty practice of infusion nursing. Journal contributors were honored by our publisher, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, at the INS Annual Meeting in Orlando. We also introduced 2 new, permanent columns this year: "Speaking of Standards [horizontal ellipsis]," by INS President Lisa Gorski, MS, APRN, BC, CRNI(R), FAAN, which addresses questions about the Infusion Nursing Standards of Practice; and IV P.U.M.P., written by Stacy Ober, BSN, JD, and Gloria Craven, BSN, MSN, of Craven and Ober, Policy Strategists, LLC, which elucidates current public policy issues of importance to nurses and our patients. All of these special features were packaged by Lippincott with a special 30th-anniversary logo and additional color on our pages.
Throughout this anniversary year, the guest editors and I have been encouraging JIN readers to share expertise and consider submitting a manuscript to the Journal. To facilitate that process, we introduced a new, Web-based manuscript submission and review system, Editorial Manager(R). We have been pleased with the positive feedback we have received about how user-friendly Editorial Manager is; our experience shows it saves time for authors, reviewers, and editorial staff. It is also available 24/7, so users can access manuscripts whenever it's convenient.
Infusion nurses have a wealth of knowledge about the specialty, as well as varied clinical experiences. To continue the advance of infusion nursing, it is essential that we share the research and disseminate the results and latest information. Now, in particular, is the time when evidence-based research is integral to applicability to practice. When you write Journal articles, you help and promote the translation of research into practice. If you volunteer to become a peer reviewer for JIN, you help move that process forward.
Recently, our publisher surveyed a sample of JIN readers and provided data on our readers' work lives. Infusion nurses take on many roles, in many healthcare practice settings: as clinicians, educators, managers, and administrators working in hospital and acute care facilities, homecare, infusion centers, long-term care facilities, hospices, physician's offices, and industry.
We learned that JIN readers are thoroughly engaged in their work. They embrace new technology; evaluate and select products for themselves and their institutions; and adhere to the basic principles of infusion care, including aseptic technique. JIN readers continually work to educate themselves, their colleagues, and their patients, often using JIN as an educational resource.
JIN readers also continue to develop professionally by keeping up with the latest science of the infusion specialty-extremely important for nurses-by attending INS local and national meetings, reading and discussing JIN articles with colleagues, and using INS products. Many JIN readers serve as peer reviewers on the Journal of Infusion Nursing Editorial Review Board; others contribute to the specialty by writing articles.
The survey demonstrated that JIN readers are proactive, often sharing copies of the Journal with colleagues. Many issues are also kept on hand for future reference. In the last year, 90% of you have taken at least one action as a result of reading articles or columns; more than half used information for patient education.
As we look to the future of the Journal of Infusion Nursing and how we can contribute, consider thinking about the trends we see and project in our specialty, then take an active role: promote best practice and patient safety; pass along knowledge from the Journal to others; and share expertise by submitting a manuscript or reviewing a submission.
I want to extend my thanks to our readers, authors, reviewers, and publisher for being integral parts of our 30 years of publication excellence. I look forward to a bright future of INS' flagship publication as we share in print our collective thoughts, always keeping quality patient care in mind.
Mary Alexander