watch the video here.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Nursing Shortage
Here is a news article and video about how the nursing shortage is affecting nurses at the bedside. Suzanne Gordon, a nurse and author of several books, tries to bring awareness to the public about the role of nursing. How long before hospital administrators see the light?
Miracle baby survives ovarian pregnancy
Durga Thangarajah is the only child in Australia - and possibly the world - to survive a full-term ovarian pregnancy.
Read the whole article
Read the whole article
Q:Is it possible to have asthma without wheezing?
A: Yes, it's possible to have asthma without wheezing.
Although wheezing is the most reliable sign of asthma, it's not the only sign or symptom. Other common signs and symptoms of asthma are coughing and shortness of breath.
Source: health.yahoo.com
Although wheezing is the most reliable sign of asthma, it's not the only sign or symptom. Other common signs and symptoms of asthma are coughing and shortness of breath.
Source: health.yahoo.com
Opinion: Spotlight on Nursing
by Judith G. Berg, RN, MS, FACHE
Nursing care has always been critical to hospital patients’ experiences and outcomes — and that’s about to become even more true. In October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will eliminate additional payment to hospitals for eight complications that are viewed as being preventable. These conditions will be “ignored” as secondary diagnoses in calculating payments and will not factor into higher payment levels, which would typically be associated with higher levels of care. That translates into the possibility of hospitals’ reimbursement levels dropping if these complications are not prevented.
The eight conditions are pressure ulcers; certain preventable inpatient injuries such as fractures, dislocations, intracranial injuries, and burns; catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs); vascular catheter-associated infections (BSIs); certain surgical site infections; objects left in surgery; air embolism; and blood incompatibility. CMS says this list will expand in coming years; data are already being collected on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Most of these complications are linked to nursing care; this should result in more recognition of the value of nursing in lessening and preventing them. I hope that is the message, and that the message is heard.
Evidence shows these inpatient adverse events can be reduced. Dramatic reductions in falls, pressure ulcers, UTIs, BSIs, and surgical site infections occur when systematic improvement strategies are employed and nurses are central to the change processes. We also know these improvements happen in environments where nurses and their colleagues receive encouragement and support as they search for better ways to serve their patients. This takes committed leadership; investment in nurse time for patient care, research, and education; appropriate environments of care, including supplies and equipment; information gathering and disseminating systems both at the individual patient level and for groups of patients; and a relentless commitment to improving the patient experience.
Of course, nurses may also be held accountable for failing to prevent these complications. This could add to their levels of job stress and dissatisfaction, which could result in them leaving their jobs. Efforts to prevent errors and improve safety will be most successful if we don’t hold the individual nurse solely responsible and instead focus on changing systems and accounting for human error.
With that thought, the upcoming changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement could make nursing’s contribution to patient care and safety more visible than ever. We need to take advantage of this visibility by advocating for research and policies that reflect nursing’s core contributions to quality, and support nurses’ ability to make timely care decisions in the best interests of their patients.
Source: include.nurse.com
Nursing care has always been critical to hospital patients’ experiences and outcomes — and that’s about to become even more true. In October, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will eliminate additional payment to hospitals for eight complications that are viewed as being preventable. These conditions will be “ignored” as secondary diagnoses in calculating payments and will not factor into higher payment levels, which would typically be associated with higher levels of care. That translates into the possibility of hospitals’ reimbursement levels dropping if these complications are not prevented.
The eight conditions are pressure ulcers; certain preventable inpatient injuries such as fractures, dislocations, intracranial injuries, and burns; catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs); vascular catheter-associated infections (BSIs); certain surgical site infections; objects left in surgery; air embolism; and blood incompatibility. CMS says this list will expand in coming years; data are already being collected on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Most of these complications are linked to nursing care; this should result in more recognition of the value of nursing in lessening and preventing them. I hope that is the message, and that the message is heard.
Evidence shows these inpatient adverse events can be reduced. Dramatic reductions in falls, pressure ulcers, UTIs, BSIs, and surgical site infections occur when systematic improvement strategies are employed and nurses are central to the change processes. We also know these improvements happen in environments where nurses and their colleagues receive encouragement and support as they search for better ways to serve their patients. This takes committed leadership; investment in nurse time for patient care, research, and education; appropriate environments of care, including supplies and equipment; information gathering and disseminating systems both at the individual patient level and for groups of patients; and a relentless commitment to improving the patient experience.
Of course, nurses may also be held accountable for failing to prevent these complications. This could add to their levels of job stress and dissatisfaction, which could result in them leaving their jobs. Efforts to prevent errors and improve safety will be most successful if we don’t hold the individual nurse solely responsible and instead focus on changing systems and accounting for human error.
With that thought, the upcoming changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement could make nursing’s contribution to patient care and safety more visible than ever. We need to take advantage of this visibility by advocating for research and policies that reflect nursing’s core contributions to quality, and support nurses’ ability to make timely care decisions in the best interests of their patients.
Source: include.nurse.com
Filipino nurses a big win for Sask
Randy Burton, The StarPhoenix
It's hard to overestimate the effect of adding almost 300 nurses to the health system in a matter of months.
In one stroke, the provincial government and the health regions have made it more than one-third of the way to the goal of hiring 800 nurses over four years.
One recruiting trip to the Philippines has netted the province 297 nurses, who will begin moving to Canada over the next six months.
They will be spread across a number of different health regions centred in Saskatoon, Regina, North Battleford and Prince Albert. All of a sudden, the nursing crisis begins to look a lot more manageable.
The Saskatoon Health Region will be the biggest beneficiary of this influx with the addition of 105 nurses.
Naturally, there will be significant challenges in settling this many people in Saskatchewan's tight housing market, but given the present nursing shortage, that's a good problem to have.
Read more
It's hard to overestimate the effect of adding almost 300 nurses to the health system in a matter of months.
In one stroke, the provincial government and the health regions have made it more than one-third of the way to the goal of hiring 800 nurses over four years.
One recruiting trip to the Philippines has netted the province 297 nurses, who will begin moving to Canada over the next six months.
They will be spread across a number of different health regions centred in Saskatoon, Regina, North Battleford and Prince Albert. All of a sudden, the nursing crisis begins to look a lot more manageable.
The Saskatoon Health Region will be the biggest beneficiary of this influx with the addition of 105 nurses.
Naturally, there will be significant challenges in settling this many people in Saskatchewan's tight housing market, but given the present nursing shortage, that's a good problem to have.
Read more
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft
This is a type of heart surgery. It's sometimes called CABG ("cabbage"). The surgery reroutes, or "bypasses," blood around clogged arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart.
The arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle (coronary arteries) can become clogged by plaque (a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances). This can slow or stop blood flow through the heart's blood vessels, leading to chest pain or a heart attack. Increasing blood flow to the heart muscle can relieve chest pain and reduce the risk of heart attack.
How is coronary bypass done?
Surgeons take a segment of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and make a detour around the blocked part of the coronary artery.
An artery may be detached from the chest wall and the open end attached to the coronary artery below the blocked area.
A piece of a long vein in your leg may be taken. One end is sewn onto the large artery leaving your heart—the aorta. The other end of the vein is attached or "grafted" to the coronary artery below the blocked area.
Either way, blood can use this new path to flow freely to the heart muscle.
A patient may undergo one, two, three or more bypass grafts, depending on how many coronary arteries are blocked.
Cardiopulmonary bypass with a pump oxygenator (heart-lung machine) is used for most coronary bypass graft operations. This means that besides the surgeon, cardiac anesthesiologist and surgical nurse, a competent perfusionist (blood flow specialist) is required.
During the past several years, more surgeons have started performing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). In it, the heart continues beating while the bypass graft is sewn in place. In some patients, OPCAB may reduce intraoperative bleeding (and the need for blood transfusion), renal complications and postoperative neurological deficits (problems after surgery).
What happens after bypass surgery?
After surgery, the patient is moved to a hospital bed in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit. Heart rate and blood pressure monitoring devices continuously monitor the patient for 12 to 24 hours. Family members can visit periodically. Medications that regulate circulation and blood pressure may be given through the I.V. (intravenously). A breathing tube (endotracheal tube) will stay in place until the physicians are confident that the patient is awake and ready to breathe comfortably on his or her own.The patient may feel groggy and disoriented, and sites of incisions — both the chest and the leg, if a segment of blood vessel was taken from the leg — may be sore. Painkillers are given as needed.Patients usually stay in the hospital at least three to five days and sometimes longer. During this time, some tests will be done to assess and monitor the patient's condition. After release from the hospital, the patient may experience side effects such as:
Loss of appetite, constipation
Swelling in the area from which the segment of blood vessel was removed
Fatigue, mood swings, feelings of depression, difficulty sleeping
Muscle pain or tightness in the shoulders and upper back
Many of these side effects usually disappear in four to six weeks, but a full recovery may take a few months or more. The patient is usually enrolled in a physician-supervised program of cardiac rehabilitation. This program teaches stress management techniques and other important lessons (e.g., about diet and exercise) and helps people rebuild their strength and confidence.
Patients are often advised to eat less fat and cholesterol walk or do other physical activity to help regain strength. Doctors also often recommend following a home routine of increasing activity — doing light housework, going out, visiting friends, climbing stairs. The goal is to return to a normal, active lifestyle.
Most people with sedentary office jobs can return to work in four to six weeks. Those with physically demanding jobs will have to wait longer. In some cases they may have to find other employment.
The arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle (coronary arteries) can become clogged by plaque (a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances). This can slow or stop blood flow through the heart's blood vessels, leading to chest pain or a heart attack. Increasing blood flow to the heart muscle can relieve chest pain and reduce the risk of heart attack.
How is coronary bypass done?
Surgeons take a segment of a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body and make a detour around the blocked part of the coronary artery.
An artery may be detached from the chest wall and the open end attached to the coronary artery below the blocked area.
A piece of a long vein in your leg may be taken. One end is sewn onto the large artery leaving your heart—the aorta. The other end of the vein is attached or "grafted" to the coronary artery below the blocked area.
Either way, blood can use this new path to flow freely to the heart muscle.
A patient may undergo one, two, three or more bypass grafts, depending on how many coronary arteries are blocked.
Cardiopulmonary bypass with a pump oxygenator (heart-lung machine) is used for most coronary bypass graft operations. This means that besides the surgeon, cardiac anesthesiologist and surgical nurse, a competent perfusionist (blood flow specialist) is required.
During the past several years, more surgeons have started performing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). In it, the heart continues beating while the bypass graft is sewn in place. In some patients, OPCAB may reduce intraoperative bleeding (and the need for blood transfusion), renal complications and postoperative neurological deficits (problems after surgery).
What happens after bypass surgery?
After surgery, the patient is moved to a hospital bed in the cardiac surgical intensive care unit. Heart rate and blood pressure monitoring devices continuously monitor the patient for 12 to 24 hours. Family members can visit periodically. Medications that regulate circulation and blood pressure may be given through the I.V. (intravenously). A breathing tube (endotracheal tube) will stay in place until the physicians are confident that the patient is awake and ready to breathe comfortably on his or her own.The patient may feel groggy and disoriented, and sites of incisions — both the chest and the leg, if a segment of blood vessel was taken from the leg — may be sore. Painkillers are given as needed.Patients usually stay in the hospital at least three to five days and sometimes longer. During this time, some tests will be done to assess and monitor the patient's condition. After release from the hospital, the patient may experience side effects such as:
Loss of appetite, constipation
Swelling in the area from which the segment of blood vessel was removed
Fatigue, mood swings, feelings of depression, difficulty sleeping
Muscle pain or tightness in the shoulders and upper back
Many of these side effects usually disappear in four to six weeks, but a full recovery may take a few months or more. The patient is usually enrolled in a physician-supervised program of cardiac rehabilitation. This program teaches stress management techniques and other important lessons (e.g., about diet and exercise) and helps people rebuild their strength and confidence.
Patients are often advised to eat less fat and cholesterol walk or do other physical activity to help regain strength. Doctors also often recommend following a home routine of increasing activity — doing light housework, going out, visiting friends, climbing stairs. The goal is to return to a normal, active lifestyle.
Most people with sedentary office jobs can return to work in four to six weeks. Those with physically demanding jobs will have to wait longer. In some cases they may have to find other employment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Click to subscribe to PhilNurse
An Online group for & by Filipino
Nurses
