Most Clicked ANA SmartBrief Stories
1. Study: More RNs would improve outcomes for hospital patients
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Adding 133,000 registered nurses at U.S. acute care hospitals could save 5,900 lives each year, according to a study funded by the American Nurses Association. Researchers reviewed 28 staffing level studies and found higher RN ratios reduced mortality rates, cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia, lengths of stay, failure to rescue and nosocomial bloodstream infections. United Press International (12/29)
2. Opinion: Nurses need more autonomy, authority
ANA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
Barbara DiCicco-Bloom used her experiences in home care and hospice nursing to build a career in education and research and now is the director of the Health Services Research Fellowship at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She says her research and writings, at their core, stress that nurses need the authority and autonomy, along with the capacity, to meet their professional potential. Home News Tribune (East Brunswick, N.J.) (01/02)
3. Nursing home study focuses on RNs as key to good care
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
The Nursing Home Collaborative, which began in 2007 to study how to improve nursing home care, focused on the role of registered nurses and found nurse staff shortages are a common problem for nursing homes. The collaborative says better care can come through training nurses in geriatric care and management, appropriate delegating of non-nursing duties to aides, and working to adopt best practices. NurseZone.com (12/2008)
4. Harvard guide has tips for breaking free of addictions
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 31, 2008
Harvard University is offering a special pamphlet to help people break bad habits or addictions, whether they are associated with drugs, gambling, shopping, smoking or alcohol. The guide recommends seeking help and a support network, setting a quit date, and learning new skills and activities. Yahoo! (12/30)
5. Early use of antibiotics in ICU reduces patient deaths
ANA SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
Dutch researchers say the benefits of giving ICU patients a precautionary dose of antibiotics, even before an infection sets in, trumps the risk people will develop resistance to the drugs. Their study found the immediate use of oral antibiotics reduced the risk of death in volunteer ICU patients by 11%. Reuters (01/01)
6. Experts warn of dangers from third-hand smoke
ANA SmartBrief | Jan 05, 2009
Massachusetts General Hospital physicians coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe the invisible mixture of gases and particles that cling to clothing, hair, furniture and carpeting. Their study found that third-hand smoke poses a health risk for infants and young children but that many adults are unaware of the danger. New York Times, The (01/02)
7. ED staff are often MRSA carriers, studies show
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Two new reports show emergency department staff often are MRSA carriers, which could put patients at risk of infection. In one study, nasal swabs from 105 ED staff showed 15% were positive for MRSA, including 12 nurses. A second study that included 255 workers found about 32% were positive for Staphylococcus aureus and 4.3% were positive for MRSA. Reuters (12/29)
8. PTSD can raise risk of heart disease among women
ANA SmartBrief | Jan 02, 2009
A 14-year study found women who had five or more PTSD symptoms were three times as likely to have heart disease, when compared with women who did not have PTSD. "From a public health standpoint, it may be prudent to view individuals with PTSD as an at-risk population, and implement preventive and intervention strategies accordingly," the Harvard and Johns Hopkins researchers said. Boston Globe, The (01/01)
9. D.C. nurses say robots free up time for patient care
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
Nurses at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., are happy with the way robots have helped to free up their time for more direct patient care. Also, more nurses report that medications are now available when they are needed. American City Business Journals (12/29)
10. Experts: U.S. must rethink elder care model
ANA SmartBrief | Dec 30, 2008
The U.S. needs to rethink the way it cares for seniors, experts say, because the number of geriatricians is decreasing as the ranks of the elderly are increasing. Physicians say new approaches are needed to keep the elderly as healthy and independent as possible, including better care coordination and getting family members involved in the care plan. New York Times, The (12/29)
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Companies in the news
- Amgen Inc.
- Caraco Pharmaceutical
- Catholic Healthcare West
- Fresenius Medical Care
- Genentech Inc
- Gilead Sciences Inc
- Logistics
- Management Group Inc.
- Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.
- Rite Aid Corp
- Sandoz Inc
- Shelby County
- St. Jude Children Research Hospital
- Sutter Health
- Teleflex Inc