A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore suggests hyperglycemia injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes.Researchers found elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), a marker for chronic hyperglycemia and diabetes, were associated with minute levels of the protein troponin T (cTnT), a blood marker for heart damage. The high-sensitivity test they used detected levels of cTnT tenfold lower than those found ...

On May 22, 2011, St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, MO, was devastated by an EF5 tornado when it tore through the town in west-central Missouri. Despite the odds, the hospital continued to provide care and save patients' lives because its staff had successfully tested and implemented effective emergency preparedness and disaster management plans. This spring, Dennis Manley, director of quality and risk management at St. John's, will be a featured presenter at the Joint Commission and Joint ...

Critically ill patients, especially those who are tube-fed, may experience small-volume, clinically silent aspirations, or micro-aspirations, which greatly increase the risk of pneumonia and other complications. A new American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Practice Alert offers a checklist for aspiration prevention, including head-of-bed elevation, assessment of sedation levels and feeding-tube placement.While micro-aspirations are far more common than noticeable large-volume incidents, ...

The majority of nurses are spending 4 hours of every 12-hour shift on indirect patient care, which supports care delivery but does not require direct interaction with the patient.  That's according to a recent study by Atlanta-based staffing and technology company Jackson Healthcare.  The study also found the number of nurses reporting to spend at least 2 hours per shift on indirect patient care increased slightly from 73 percent in 2009 to 78 in 2011.Nurses indicated that, despite the ...

BAYADA Home Health Care, a provider of home health care services to people of all ages, announced the acquisition of Nursefinders Home Care, an AMN Healthcare Company.  As part of the acquisition, 16 Nursefinders Home Care offices will transition to BAYADA Home Health Care in AZ, CA, CO, HI, NJ, NM, OK, PA and TX. The acquisition will not affect Nursefinders Home Care's 19 franchise locations in other states."As we welcome Nursefinders Home Care to the BAYADA family, we are excited to ...

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital decreased its rates of patient falls by 33 percent and pressure ulcers acquired by patients during a hospital stay by 60 percent over 3 years.The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital increased its percentage of registered nurses with national certification in rehabilitation from 8 percent to 56 percent between 2004 and 2011.What do they have in common? Both participate in the American Nurses Association's National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI), the ...

A new U.S. Air Force (USAF) policy governing anesthesia delivery in its facilities worldwide recognizes the full scope of the certified registered nurse anesthetist practice. According to USAF, the policy promotes patient safety by approving anesthesia delivery models common to other American military service branches with which the Air Force often operates jointly and also widely used in civilian healthcare."Our military personnel and their dependents deserve the best anesthesia care, and CRNAs are ...

More than $70 million in grant money is available for nursing education, training and workplace development for current and prospective nurses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.To aid nurses in the highly competitive field of grant writing, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) has released The Nurse's Grantwriting Advantage: How Grantwriting Can Advance Your Nursing Career by Rebecca Bowers-Lanier, EdD, MPH, MSN, RN.Grant writing can be an ...

In collaboration with Health Ministries Association, the national professional membership organization for faith community nurses, ANA on Jan. 24 published Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition. Developed by 21 practicing RNs whose expertise represents the specialty's roles across the U.S., and refined by a public review period and a formal review process by other RNs, this publication offers broad national perspective applicable to many faith traditions. Grounded in the ...

The Endocrine Society, in joint sponsorship with the Institute for Medicine and Nursing Education, Inc., has launched the Diabetes Masters Series for healthcare professionals, including nurses, diabetes educators, endocrinologists and primary care providers. Through presentations, commentary and discussions, the comprehensive educational program provides information on novel and emerging treatments for type 2 diabetes that can be applied immediately after the meeting and will result in direct improvements ...

NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) http://www.nicheprogram.org/ announced the release of "Critical Care Nursing of Older Adults." The web-based course provides evidence-based guidelines for nurse clinicians working with older adults in critical care units, step-down-units, and trauma and emergency departments. Six modules address clinical and management aspects related to the specialized needs of critically ill older adults. They include: The Context for Critical Care Nursing of ...

The American Nurses Association, in response to President Obama's State f the Union speech Jan. 24, released the following statement by ANA president, Karen A. Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN: "ANA is pleased that President Obama addressed the need to develop and educate a vibrant American workforce in his State of the Union address. Even during the depths of the recession, the health care sector has experienced steady job growth. "However, sustained federal funding for nursing education programs is essential ...

Rubbermaid Medical Solutions (RMS), a provider of medication carts and mobile computing solutions for healthcare facilities, has named Cheryl D. Parker, PhD, RN-BC, FHIMSS, its chief nursing informatics officer (CNIO). Parker brings more than 30 years of clinical and academic experience ranging from clinical nursing and management to nursing informatics to her new role. As CNIO, she will be "the voice of nurses" in product development and new business initiatives for RMS. She will provide insight into ...

More than 1,100 nursing and hospital leaders from across the country and overseas will gather at the American Nurses Association Nursing Quality Conference Jan. 25-27 in Las Vegas to share strategies on achieving and sustaining improvements in the quality of the nation's healthcare.According to ANA, attendees will learn about a recent study by National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) researchers that shows a strong correlation between nurse staffing patterns and hospital-acquired ...

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced the complete redesign and re-launch of its main website, www.apic.org.  According to APIC, the website has been rebuilt to offer numerous enhancements to help infection preventionists, healthcare professionals and consumers obtain up-to-date information on infection prevention and control. The new site features: a modernized look and feel with updated content and resources; a new job board; user-friendly ...