The case of Amanda Trujillo
Off the Charts, American Journal of Nursing, Shawn Kennedy, 2 February 2012
Amanda Trujillo, MSN, RN, is a nurse who until recently worked at Banner Del Webb Hospital in Sun City, Arizona, until she was fired for, as she claims, just doing what she’s obligated to do as a nurse—specifically, providing informed consent to a patient about a surgical procedure.
Top five regrets of the dying
The Guardian, Susie Steiner, 1 February 2012
A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is, “I wish I hadn't worked so hard.” What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?
Nurse informaticists making a difference in health care IT
NurseZone, Debra Wood, 27 January 2012
As the health care industry joins the information technology revolution, nurses are playing an important role in helping their colleagues navigate electronic health systems and finding it a rewarding specialty with great demand for their expertise.
Safe prescribing of opioids for persistent non-cancer pain
Australian Prescriber, Michael McDonough, February 2012
Opioids are not universal painkillers but may have a role in managing persistent non-malignant pain for appropriately selected patients. Once commenced, ongoing evaluation of safety (adverse opioid events) and efficacy (with documentation) should guide clinical management.
Vaccines: They’re not just for kids (but too few U.S. adults are getting immunized)
TIME Healthland, Alexandra Sifferlin, 3 February 2012
Shots are never fun no matter what your age, but according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults may dread them (almost) as much as children. Each year, 45,000 Americans die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Despite that, U.S. adults are not getting the immunizations they need.
Norovirus, a pathogen that often causes food poisoning and gastroenteritis, was responsible for 18.2% of all infection outbreaks and 65% of unit closures in U.S. hospitals during a two-year period, according to a new study.
Communities learn the good life can be a killer
The New York Times, Jane E. Brody (blog), 30 January 2012
Developers in the last half-century called it progress when they built homes and shopping malls far from city centers throughout the country, sounding the death knell for many downtowns. But now public health experts say these expanded metropolitan areas have had a far more serious impact on the people who live there by creating vehicle-dependent environments that foster obesity, poor health, social isolation, excessive stress and depression. RNL
—Compiled by Jane Palmer, assistant editor,
Reflections on Nursing Leadership
