MedSurg Nursing back issues from February 2007:
Improving patient outcomes: the 5 million lives campaign.(From AMSN: Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Alarmingly, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) estimates that 15 million incidents of medical harm occur in U.S. hospitals annually (or 40,000 harmful incidents per day). To reduce the rate of harmful incidents, IHI has initiated the 5 Million Lives Campaign. The campaign ...
The Magnet[R] philosophy: a prescription for nursing excellence.(Editorial)
Feb 01, 2007; ... The Magnet[R] philosophy has become pervasive in the nursing culture. A growing number of health care facilities have achieved Magnet designation, and many more are actively pursuing organizational development that will culminate in this achievement. Even nursing leaders who may believe ...
The effect of music therapy on patients' perception and manifestation of pain, anxiety, and patient satisfaction.(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Music therapy has been an established medical practice since the 1950s, with degree programs offered by several universities (American Music Therapy Association, 2004). In addition, within the last 10 years three schools have been established to train and certify musicians to play ...
The evolution of nurse-to-nurse bedside report on a medical-surgical cardiology unit.(Best Practice)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Shift report among nurses has been defined as "a system of nurse-to-nurse communication between shift changes intended to transfer essential information for safe, holistic care of patients" (Riegel, 1985, p. 12). Report, or handoff, is unique to the nursing profession. Although shift work ...
Engaging staff in the Magnet[R] journey: the key is communication.(Professional Issues)(Author abstract)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Nursing leadership at Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, recognized from the outset that a successful bid to achieve designation as a Magnet[R] hospital would hinge upon the ability to engage staff and other stakeholders in the process. Leaders believed that ...
Paving and resurfacing the road to magnet[R]: the perspective and wisdom of magnet-designated coordinators--Part I.(Professional Issues)(Reprint)
Feb 01, 2007; ... A series of interviews were conducted with representatives from ANCC Magnet[R]-recognized organizations to elicit their perspective and wisdom regarding the achievement and maintenance of their Magnet status. Across the initial seven organizations surveyed, the number of profound ...
Paving and resurfacing the road to Magnet[R]: devil in the details--Part II.(Professional Issues)(Reprint)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Part I of this series explored aspects of organizational purpose and culture, executive support, and relationship dynamics with physicians and other clinical disciplines (Smith, 2006). In Part II, strategies to prepare survey documentation, approaches to gap analysis and challenging ...
Paving and resurfacing the road to magnet[R]: Part III--unique organizational characteristics.(Professional Issues)(Reprint)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Based upon the insights of Magnet Coordinators who have achieved ANCC Magnet[R] Recognition, Part III of this series will explore creative approaches to engaging staff, sustaining Magnet status, and achieving Magnet status in unionized, community, or rural hospitals. In Parts I and II, the ...
Vagus nerve stimulation: treatment modality for epilepsy.(Research for Practice)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Different types of seizures can be classified, both by their patterns of activity in the brain and their physical effects (Ropper & Brown, 2005; Schachter, 2004). In terms of their pattern of ...
Critique of 'vagus nerve stimulation: treatment modality for epilepsy'.(Research Roundtable)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... The article by Krapohl, Deutinger, and Komurcu (2007) presented a longitudinal descriptive research study in which they examined patient outcomes of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Prior to sharing their research findings, the authors provided a detailed review of epilepsy and its ...
Colorectal cancer: an overview of the epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, and screening guidelines.(Cancer: Caring and Conquering)(Disease/Disorder overview)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Some common misconceptions exist concerning which individuals develop colorectal cancer (see Table 1). The purpose of this column is to provide an overview of the epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, screening guidelines, and health care implications for this type of cancer. ...
Caring for a patient with HIV/AIDS.(Preparing for Certification)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Maria, a 45-year-old female, is admitted to the medical/surgical unit. She has been HIV-positive and asymptomatic for 6 years but recently was diagnosed with AIDS. She recently had pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). PCP was originally thought to be caused by a protozoan, but recent ...
Anticoagulation therapy: reinforcing patient education.(Nursing Pharmacology)(Clinical report)
Feb 01, 2007; ... In October 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced a box warning regarding tablets and injections of its drug warfarin sodium (Coumadin[R]). This warning highlighted possible bleeding risks for users of the drug (Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2006). This precautionary notice on a popular and highly ...
Supporting graduate nurse attainment of licensure.(Professional Issues)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Preparing a new graduate nurse (GN) for a successful transition from student to staff nurse can be a timely and expensive process. The average cost of an 8-week orientation is nearly $15,000 (Baggot, Hensinger, Parry, Valdes, & Zaim, 2005). Many states allow health care institutions to ...
Beyond busyness: creating slack in the organization.(On Leadership)
Feb 01, 2007; ... Executive Summary * Do health care leaders worship at the alter of efficiency to the point that the effectiveness of what we do is impaired? * Busyness and stress physiologically increase health risks and bad outcomes. * Unless we have slack time in our ...