Fall is almost here – time to go back to school, a change in the weather, and, unfortunately, influenza!  As nurses gear up for influenza season, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has created a tool-kit of information on influenza prevention, especially vaccination, that nurses can use in their practice. Influenza vaccine is a safe, effective [...]
From the people who brought you The New York Times bestseller, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, the American Nurses Association (ANA) presents another exciting webinar from Vital Smarts on Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, Thursday, September 15, 1-2:15pm ET, 10:00 – 11:00a.m. PDT.
» Learn More & Register
The Washington State Department of Health reviewed comments about the PMP received during the public comment period, made necessary changes, and filed the rules for adoption on July 27, 2011. The rules become effective on August 27, 2011.
Dispenser Requirements: In order to meet the requirements of the new rules, dispensers need to take the following [...]
The National Quality Forum board has announced that it has approved for endorsement a list of 29 serious reportable events in healthcare. The list includes four new events, along with 25 updated events from an earlier endorsement in 2006.
The four new serious reportable events are:
• Radiologic events that cause the death or serious injury of a [...]
 The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Nursing Scholarship Program (NSP) application cycle is now open. Â
What is the NSP? The NSP awards scholarships to students enrolled or accepted for enrollment in accredited RN training programs. Scholarship recipients receive tuition, fees, other educational costs and a living stipend in exchange for at least 2 years of [...]
On December 2, 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled the Nation’s new 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention. The launch marked the beginning of Healthy People 2020.Â
For more details about the initiative and how you can get involved, visit the newly redesigned Healthy People Web site [...]
Wash Your HandsingTon – where everyone washes their hands, covers their cough, and gets a flu vaccine! Wash Your HandsingTon  is a flu education campaign by the Washington State Department of Health that started the first week of December. This campaign includes radio ads, a YouTube video, online banner ads, bus cards, billboards, and print [...]
The National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed a framework it says will standardize public reporting of adverse events such as patient accidents and healthcare-associated infections.
The framework is made up of seven guidelines for use in collecting data and reporting patient-safety events, the NQF said in a news release. For instance, the framework provides guidance on [...]
With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce. Working on the front lines of patient care, nurses can play a vital role in helping realize the objectives set forth in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, legislation that represents the broadest health care overhaul since [...]
Five core competencies that all clinicians should possess, regardless of their discipline, to meet the needs of the 21 st – century health system:
Provide patient-centered care
Identify, respect, and care about patients’ differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs; listen to, clearly inform, communicate with, and educate patients; share decision making and management; and continuously advocate disease [...]