Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Nurse Leadership Helps Treatment of Patients With Multiple Conditions | All Sites Nursing News

Team care led by a nurse appears to improve patient outcomes in cases of multiple chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Middle-aged patients with multiple conditions who experienced a team treatment approach using evidence-based guidelines improved in blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol control and depression, according to a study in the Dec. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

“Depressed patients with multiple uncontrolled chronic diseases are at high risk of heart attack, stroke and other complications,” said lead study author Wayne J. Katon, MD, vice chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. “We are excited about finding a new way to help patients control these chronic diseases, including depression.”

To read the complete article click on the above link:
--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

Recovering From Hardship - NYTimes.com

Can adversity make us stronger?

In this week’s Science Times, Benedict Carey explores the issue of resilience: the ability to rebound from hardships like a serious health problem, the death of a family member, debt or other ills. “New research suggests that resilience may have at least as much to do with how often people have faced adversity in the past as it does with who they are — their personality, their genes, for example — or what they’re facing now. That is, the number of life blows a person has taken may affect his or her mental toughness more than any other factor,” he writes.

Interestingly, in one recent study that monitored the mental well-being of nearly 2,000 adults for several years, it wasn’t those who had never suffered a major setback, or those who had suffered the most, who fared best:

It was those in the middle, those reporting two to six stressful events, who scored highest on several measures of well-being, and who showed the most resilience in response to recent hits.

In short, the findings suggest that mental toughness is something like physical strength: It cannot develop without exercise, and it breaks down when overworked. Some people in the study reported having had more than a dozen stressful events, and it showed.

To read the complete article click on the above link:
--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The Long and Winding Road to the Emergency Room - NYTimes.com

He was the first patient of the day, dropped off at the emergency room by the police or a family member — a man in his 50s, unshaved, stumbling, engulfed in the pungent aroma of alcohol.

Joseph Daniel Fiedler

When he blew into the breathalyzer’s strawlike tube, the readout was 0.18, more than twice the legal limit.

“I get seizures,” he said, referring to the dangerous reaction some people experience when they abruptly stop drinking. Then, as if to prove it, he held out trembling hands. Each bore the nicks and scars of a hard-lived life.

I looked at the beads of sweat on his brow, then down at his vital signs. Heart rate 120; blood pressure pushing 170/90. Despite his high alcohol level he was already in withdrawal. A medical detoxification — with drugs to counteract the sudden absence of alcohol in his system — was the right first step.

“Let’s admit him,” I said to his nurse. Because it was still early, there was a good chance a hospital bed would be available.

Her reply was apologetic but resigned: “He’s out of network.” I winced at my own naïveté. “Out of network,” a euphemism for “insurance will not pay,” was a roadblock I should have anticipated. A nuisance for many patients and would-be providers, it is ubiquitous in the second-class world of substance-abuse treatment, where insurance companies contract with selected hospitals and doctors to deliver care at bargain rates.

We called the few in-network hospitals within a broad radius. One had a bed. But before accepting my patient, the receiving doctor wanted a battery of tests, including an electrocardiogram and laboratory work, to rule out other medical concerns. It would be a day or so before the tests came back.

But the patient was already in withdrawal, I told the doctor. He couldn’t wait a day.

“Sorry,” he said flatly. “He

To read the complete article click on the above link:
--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

Monday, January 3, 2011

20 Iconic Nurses Every Nursing Student Should Study | Nursing Schools.net

During your time in nursing school, you're bound to hear the names of countless famous and influential nurses thrown around. But if you're looking for inspiration in your own career or just want to further your education, there are some amazing women and men in the profession you should study. Here are twenty nurses who worked hard, often against the grain of the larger medical community, to change the face of health care in the United States and around the world.

  1. Florence Nightingale: Even if you weren't in nursing school, you more than likely would have heard of this woman, perhaps the most famous nurse in history. Believing that God has called her to be a nurse, Nightingale went against expectations for aristocratic women at the time, pursuing a career rather than marrying and settling down. She is best known in stories for her nursing in the Crimean War, but should also be credited with laying the foundation for modern nursing with the establishment of the St. Thomas Hospital in London, the first secular school of its kind to train and educate nursing students.
  2. Dorthea Dix: Born in 1802, Dix was one of the loudest voices in America when it came to lobbying Congress to improve the treatment and care for the mentally ill in the United States. Inspired by reforms she saw going on in England, Dix moved to establish new facilities and legislation that helped improve the social welfare of the insane both here and abroad. When the Civil War broke out, Dix was appointed Superintendent of Union Army Nurses, providing care to the wounded on both sides of the conflict.
  3. Helen Fairchild: If you want to learn more about the realities of combat nursing during World War I, read through Helen Fairchild's collection of wartime letters to her family. You'll get vivid stories about the horrors and challenges that nurses faced when trying to care for patients who were the victims of sometimes horrific war injuries. After surviving heavy shelling and mustard gas on the battlefield in France, Fairchild would die from complications during an ulcer surgery after only five years as a nurse.

To read the complete article click on the above link:
--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

More Patients Making Appointments Online As Doctors Embrace Web - Kaiser Health News

After relocating to Washington, D.C., Clint Morrison needed a doctor to follow up a tonsillectomy he had a few weeks earlier in California. But when he started calling specialists in his health plan’s directory, he struck out: they either weren't taking new patients or had no openings for several weeks.  

So in September Morrison went to a website called www.zocdoc.com. He could see doctors' appointment calendars and identify those that took his insurance and were located near his office. With a couple clicks, Morrison, 24, scheduled an appointment for the next day with Mark Dettelbach, an ear, nose and throat doctor. "It was painless," Morrison says of the experience.

Dettelbach's group practice is one of a growing number that allow patients to schedule appointments online — eliminating multiple calls, waiting on hold and increasing the likelihood of finding someone with an opening.

About 16 percent of family doctors used online scheduling in 2009, up from 6 percent in 2005, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Most are doing it on their own or through health systems where they work.

Several factors drive the trend. On the doctors' side, it's mostly the need to add patients and reduce overhead costs. They're also growing more comfortable with computers. About half of family doctors use electronic health records and 44 percent prescribe electronically, according to the academy.

To read the complete article click on the above link:
--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

New Drug Approvals Slipped in 2010 - WSJ.com

The Food and Drug Administration approved about 21 drugs in 2010, a relatively modest figure that shows the pharmaceutical industry hasn't yet escaped its drought in recent years.

A few potential blockbusters won approval during the year, but some of the most highly anticipated new products got delayed into next year or beyond. That partly reflects a tougher environment at the FDA, with regulators stepping up their scrutiny of safety issues in drugs for obesity, diabetes and other conditions.

According to monthly drug-approval reports on the FDA's website, 21 new drugs were approved in 2010, down from 25 in 2009 and 24 in 2008, but higher from a recent low of 18 in 2007.

The final approval figures, as well as the number of applications received by the agency in 2010, won't be available until next month. The approval figures don't include dozens of approvals granted for new formulations or new uses of existing drugs.

Although the 2010 figures are a bit lower than previous years, FDA spokeswoman Sandy Walsh said there's "no systemic change in how the FDA is approaching drug approvals."

The figures include several major biologic drugs, which are created from living cells and represent a growing portion of the pharmaceutical market. Amgen Inc. won approval for Prolia, a drug that is injected twice yearly to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Roche Holding AG's biotechnology unit, Genentech, won approval for Actemra, a drug that's administered intravenously to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Click on the above link to read the full article:

--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Flu Activity & Surveillance

Flu Activity & Surveillance

Reports & Surveillance Methods in the United States

Current United States Flu Activity Map Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report International Influenza Surveillance

Situation Update: Summary of Weekly FluView

Full FluView Report

Overview of Influenza Surveillance in the United States

Past Weekly Surveillance Reports and Historical Data

--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

5 retired VA nurses sue federal agency - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Five retired, part-time government nurses claim in a class-action federal lawsuit that the Office of Personnel Management refuses to properly calculate benefits for former Veterans Affairs nurses unless they hire lawyers.

Sylvia Wigton, 79, of Butler and Gail G. Hudson, 73, of West Grove, Chester County, filed the lawsuit along with Audrey L. Gorgonzola, 75, of Boise, Idaho, Kathryn Daane, 75, of Sturgis, S.D., and Dolores Vassalluzzo, 69, of Oceanside, Calif.

The VA started offering an incentive in the 1950s that gave part-time nurses credit for full-time work on their pensions, the lawsuit says. The agency needed the incentive to get enough skilled nurses willing to work part-time hours on irregular schedules so that veterans hospitals around the country could maintain full nursing staffs, the lawsuit says.

When the nurses retired, however, the Office of Personnel Management refused to give them full-time credit for the years they worked part-time, the lawsuit says.

A federal administrative law judge in 2008 upheld a claim by 160 retired VA nurses and the agency recalculated those retirees’ benefits as well as another 215 who hired lawyers to press their claims, but it has made no attempt to identify and recalculate the benefits for other retired VA nurses and has ignored claims some retirees filed on their own behalf without a lawyer, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the agency to identify and recalculate the benefits for each retired VA nurse that was promised the incentive.

So to get your promised retirements benefits, you have to sue after decades of faithful service to our veterans?

--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

21 Habits of Happy People | PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one wants to be sad and depressed.

We’ve all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life. The following are 21 things happy people make a habit of doing:

1. Appreciate Life

Be thankful that you woke up alive each morning. Develop a childlike sense of wonder towards life. Focus on the beauty of every living thing. Make the most of each day. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

2. Choose Friends Wisely

Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values and goals. Friends that have the same ethics as you will encourage you to achieve your dreams. They help you to feel good about yourself. They are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

3. Be Considerate

Accept others for who they are as well as where they are in life. Respect them for who they are. Touch them with a kind and generous spirit. Help when you are able, without trying to change the other person. Try to brighten the day of everyone you come into contact with.

4. Learn Continuously

Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. Try new and daring things that has sparked your interest – such as dancing, skiing, surfing or sky-diving.

5. Creative Problem Solving

Don’t wallow in self-pity. As soon as you face a challenge get busy finding a solution. Don’t let the set backs affect your mood, instead see each new obstacle you face as an opportunity to make a positive change. Learn to trust your gut instincts – it’s almost always right.

Click on the link above to read the rest of the article.

--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com

PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association of California | PANAC

Announcements

ASPAN Seminars

ASPAN has 4 seminars that they will be presenting throughout the state in the next few months.  Click on events for further information.  Click on attached brochure for dates and pla

PANAC's District 4 Sacramento Chapter 1st meeting

PANAC's District 4 Sacramento Chapter 1st meeting will be on Jan 10, 2011 from 5-7pm. Guest speaker -Chris Pasero, MS RN-BC, FAAN on Safe Titration Opiod Analgesia for Pain

 

PANAC's Winter Conference

PANAC's Winter Conference will be held Feb 26, 2011 at the Marriott Ventura Beach Hotel.  ASPAN's Past President Lois Schick will be the speaker.  Brochure is HERE. 

--

Any questions, please drop me a line.

******************************************************
Follow us on:

What's New:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/new/

Blogger:
http://4nursing.blogspot.com/

Facebook:
http://www.nursefriendly.com/facebook

Linked In:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nursefriendly

Nursing Entrepreneurs, Nurses In Business
http://nursingentrepreneurs.ning.com/

Twitter!
http://www.nursefriendly.com/twitter

StumbleUpon,
http://www.nursefriendly.com/stumbleupon
******************************************************

Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.nursefriendly.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

150,000 + Nurse-Reviewed & Approved Nursing Links

http://www.4nursing.com
http://www.legalnursingconsultant.com
http://www.nursinghumor.com
http://www.nursefriendly.com
http://www.nursingcasestudy.com
http://www.nursingentrepreneurs.com
http://www.nursingexperts.com