Reducing distractions during medication administration cut errors in half at one California hospital, and now nurses are spreading the concept, sharing with other facilities safer medication-pass processes.
Suzy Scott, a nurse at the Memphis Veterans Medical Center, has received attention for her research into preventing bedsores, in advance of Medicare’s decision not to reimburse hospitals for treating preventable problems.
The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel updated the staging system of a pressure ulcer – intended for those occurring over bony prominences – and added two categories to create a total of six. The goal of the revision was to clarify each stage and reduce the number of incorrectly staged ulcers or other types of wounds and skin lesions.
Physical barriers, such as regular handwashing and wearing masks, gloves and gowns, may be more effective than drugs to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS, a study has found.
Seventy-three-year-old Ed had smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for 54 years. Although he had often thought about stopping, he was not able to quit in spite of many attempts. When his wife was diagnosed with “a little emphysema,” he decided it was time to try to quit smoking. He enrolled in a free community smoking class run by nurses, where he received counseling and pharmacotherapy to assist him in his attempt to stop smoking. Using nicotine patches, the nicotine inhaler, and nicotine lozenges, he was successful, and has been smoke-free for more than four years.
A new analysis of a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rule transforming reimbursement of certain in-hospital health care services will have a significant impact on nurses, according to a new paper released today. As part of a two-year study, researchers at the George Washington University (GW) reviewed CMS’ final inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) rule and released their findings in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), a study collaborator.