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Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education

This e-mail newsletter reports on innovative training methods and mandatory training requirements. You'll also find tips on how to keep training effective, fresh, and interesting.

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Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education

Issue 51, December 29, 2006

• Federal grant slated to help curb nursing shortage in Mississippi

  The Mississippi Corridor Consortium is hoping to turn a $1.9 million federal grant into 3,500 new...

• Cartoon gets attention of nursing advocacy group

  The Baltimore-based Center for Nursing Advocacy isn’t laughing at a recently published "Close...

• Find ways to achieve your goals at work

  Sometimes the most difficult thing to accomplish at work is work. With telephone calls, meetings...

• Improve your staff flu vaccination policy

  January 1 marks the debut of a new JCAHO standard that requires hospitals to offer vaccines to all...

Issue 50, December 22, 2006

• Single-patient rooms set to become standard in VA hospitals

  In hopes of increasing patient care and reducing nosocomial infections, officials from the U.S...

• Group of hospitals selected to improve non-English-speaking care

  The goal is simple: to create better communication between healthcare providers and non-English...

• Beware of TB transmission in healthcare facilities

  Transmission of infectious tuberculosis is a recognized risk to both patients and workers in...

• Tips to comply with JCAHO’s look-alike/sound-alike list

  The JCAHO recently released an updated list of look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) medications that...

Issue 49, December 15, 2006

• Design at Nebraska hospital hopes to promote healing

  With private rooms and new technology, the new Bellevue Medical Center in Bellevue, NE, will...

• South Carolina hospital opts for uniform uniforms

  In hopes of improving professionalism and making it easier to identify staff, Hilton Head Regional...

• Stay away from the six categories of negligence

  A study published in the American Journal of Nursing analyzed 350 lawsuit case summaries, finding...

• JCAHO’s confidentiality standards reflect HIPAA

  When it comes to patient confidentiality and information security, organizations have a lot more...

Issue 48, December 8, 2006

• Pilot program helps drive down nursing turnover

  Six years ago, the nursing turnover rate at Prairie Lakes Healthcare System in South Dakota was an...

• Nurse calendar aims to entice males to profession

  The New Jersey Institute of Nursing is using male nurses to attract, well, other male nurses...

• Continuing education can help your employees grow

  Continuing education is generally defined as learning activities designed to enhance an employee's...

• Whether it's a goal or not, combat disruptive physician behavior

  When the JCAHO opened its field review last year for the proposed 2007 National Patient Safety...

Issue 47, December 1, 2006

• New program links students with mentors in Florida

  Being a new nurse, all alone, can be daunting. Being a new nurse in a specialty unit can be even...

• Restaurant uniforms draw ire from nursing image group

  Fishnet stockings and tight tops are just part of the regular nurse uniform for waitresses at the...

• Pick your favorite hand-drying technique

  Longstanding guidelines for handwashing procedures have significantly reduced the spread of...

• Work hard to develop solid communication skills

  In any organization, how do you develop your communication skills? First, when you are...

Issue 46, November 17, 2006

• Residency program at Florida hospital seeks to help patients, hurt turnover

  Instead of tossing its nurses into the fire, All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL...

• North Carolina nurse charged with poisoning patient

  About 30 years ago, a high school boyfriend was stolen. Now, the unrequited love may be the cause...

• Interventions can help staff deal with disruptive physicians

  Some describe the disruptive physician behavior as a "behavior epidemic" and define it as any...

• Help ensure respirator safety at your facility

  Respiratory protection and isolation methods are key issues in preventing transmission of...

Issue 45, November 10, 2006

• Ringing up a new recruiting idea at a hospital in Arizona

  Signing bonuses, concierge services, and housing are just a few of the creative ways hospitals are...

• Get a Lift: Program seeks to end lifting injuries at Illinois hospital

  First, the cardiology department got a lift. Now, things are getting lighter for every department...

• Delegate tasks to save yourself some time

  You won’t find it in your wallet or your bank account. You can’t borrow it. You...

• Effective work force training can improve your security compliance

  The HIPAA privacy and security rules require your organization to adopt a variety of policies and...

Issue 44, November 7, 2006

• Routine nurse management helps heart failure patients

  Contact with nurses has a decidedly beneficial influence on the condition of patients with heart...

• Missouri schools adjusting programs to meet growing need for nurses

  Accelerated programs and Web-based programs are two of the ways nursing schools in Missouri are...

• Know the steps to follow if a patient leaves the ED

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added some final changes to its 1986 statute...

• Pick the OSHA training that’s right for your facility

  Having been through a dozen OSHA inspections during her career, infection control (IC) professional...

Issue 43, October 27, 2006

• Hanging on: New program hopes to keep older nurses on the job in Michigan

  A simple change of scenery may help curb the growing nursing shortage in Michigan. A new...

• Rhode Island Hospital hops on board with program to help care for elderly

  Rhode Island Hospital is adding a new NICHE to the care it provides. Recently, the hospital...

• Take a role in corporate compliance

  It can be said that your organization’s compliance program-adherence to rules, regulations...

• The right information can help with medication reconciliation

  The JCAHO has made a conscious effort to simplify how hospitals meet the medication reconciliation...

Issue 42, October 20, 2006

• Washington hospital helps community college open training center

  A $2 million donation from Kadlec Medical Center in Tri-Cities, WA, has helped Columbia Basin...

• Bright idea: Light helps reduce medical errors, lift patient moods

  Letting in a little light can help a great deal in healthcare, according to a recent report...

• Emotional intelligence can help you succeed as a leader

  Successful leaders share characteristics of emotional maturity (sometimes defined as an emotional...

• Be careful when you cut, copy, and paste at your facility

  As your facility migrates to an electronic environment, you are constantly faced with situations...

Issue 41, October 13, 2006

• Ex-auto workers may fill gaps in Detroit nursing schools

  Job cuts in the automotive world may mean good things for the healthcare industry in the Detroit...

• California hospital debuts patient channel

  Sutter Amador Hospital in Jackson, CA, recently launched The Patient Channel, a 24/7 patient...

• Design effective reaction forms to get helpful feedback

  A typical reaction form, whether for classroom or distance education, needs to capture the date...

• Use these tips to reward your valuable employees

  Recognizing and rewarding employees are integral components of any retention program. Work in...

Issue 40, October 6, 2006

• Video game helps nurses train at Virginia hospital

  In this case, it’s okay if the patient dies. A quick hit of the reset button brings...

• Grant seeks to help Hawaii curb nursing shortage

  A two year, $250,000 grant given to the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) Foundation will...

• Keep hospital staff safe from bloodborne pathogens

  If you are an experienced healthcare professional, you have probably practiced infection control...

• Telling a tale: Sharing stories helps hospital with National Patient Safety Goal

  Storytelling can help to convince skeptical staff about the usefulness of many patient safety...

Issue 39, September 29, 2006

• Tennessee governor aims to help nursing teachers

  Tennessee, like the bulk of America, is facing a nursing shortage and Governor Phil Bredesen is...

• New program at Kansas hospital seeks to empower nurses

  Seeking to create leaders and empower its nurses, Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Shawnee...

• Help your staff improve documentation skills

  In addition to physicians, nurses’ (and therapists’) documentation affects patient...

• A variety of preparation activities can help with an unannounced JCAHO survey

  During Florida Hospital DeLand’s JCAHO survey, patient and system tracers played out exactly...

Issue 38, September 22, 2006

• Texas hospital looks to mentoring program to increase retention

  Nurses who joined Midland (TX) Memorial Hospital used to have just three months of orientation...

• JCAHO, infection control organizations seek to keep hands clean

  Several major infection control organizations and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of...

• Create and enforce policies to deal with disruptive physicians

  The ideal is that a physician will behave professionally at all times despite pressures they...

• Managers prove essential to the foundations of shared governance

  Under the shared governance paradigm, staff nurses exercise control over their practice and...

Issue 37, September 15, 2006

• Vacancy rates plummet at Philadelphia area hospital system

  Five years ago, saddled with a 12% nursing vacancy rate, Main Line Health System in Philadelphia...

• West L.A. hospital to test smart sponge in hopes of decreasing surgical accident

  Put a sponge in, and take one out. It sounds simple enough, but a new barcode system will be tested...

• Arrange your classroom to encourage optimal learning

  How are your classrooms and learning areas arranged? Do you have the flexibility to physically...

• Go beyond the norm with drills when preparing for JCAHO

  The JCAHO wants emergency planning to push the boundaries of comfort, especially during drills...

Issue 36, September 8, 2006

• New training program helps Illinois hospital retain nurses

  The 50% turnover rate for first-year nurses was alarming. The cost to train a new graduate-about...

• Healthcare architects favor private hospital rooms

  In an effort to curb medical errors and improve patient care, the American Institute of Architects...

• Requiring staff to learn this, but not that

  There is often confusion between competencies and mandatory training required by regulatory...

• Speak up: Ask JCAHO surveyors questions to get results

  By Patricia Dolan’s count, her facility avoided at least three requirements for improvement...

Issue 35, September 1, 2006

• New program seeks to turn military nurses into teachers

  Seeking a different way to combat the nursing shortage, Illinois Senator Richard Durbin is turning...

• Scandal in Philippines could affect healthcare in United States

  For years, hospitals and doctor’s offices in the United States have sought the services of...

• Take back your valuable time

  For a time management process to work effectively, it is important to know which aspects of our...

• Use an open house to help recruiting at your facility

  At the Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (HMC), July’s nursing open...

Issue 34, August 25, 2006

• Pregnant robot set to improve training in Kansas City

  The use of simulation training continues to grow at universities and hospitals across the country...

• Philippines government hopes to curb nursing migration

  With the hope of better working conditions and higher pay, almost 50,000 nurses from the...

• Positive body language can send the right message during your survey

  Many times, unspoken language speaks as loudly as spoken language. Be aware of your body language...

• Good ergonomics can help make workplaces healthy

  Healthcare workers who lift or move patients are not the only ones susceptible to musculoskeletal...

Issue 33, August 18, 2006

• South Carolina hospital hopes new center will help train, retain

  Roper St. Francis Healthcare, a healthcare delivery system based in Charleston, SC, is launching a...

• JCAHO takes a look at importance of translators

  In 2004, the number of U.S. residents with a primary language other than English jumped to 50...

• Accurate documentation can help your facility avoid litigation

  Now more than ever before, the medical record is used for many purposes and by many people who...

• Mock system tracers can help your facility prepare for an unannounced survey

  If you’re bracing for your first unannounced survey, Patricia Garvey, MSN, RN, can’t...

Issue 32, August 11, 2006

• Senator proposes bill that would help educate nurses

  New York Senator Chuck Schumer wants to attack the nursing shortage from a different angle. Before...

• Patient safety bill dies in Massachusetts Senate

  A bill that would have established patient-to-nurse ratios in Massachusetts was left untouched, as...

• Use feedback to improve morale on your team

  Without feedback, a nurse manager is unable to perform his or her role and staff lose their desire...

• ’How’s Your Care’ focuses on improving the patient experience

  In an effort to improve patient care, Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, and Cheshire...

Issue 31, August 4, 2006

• Arizona medical center seeks end to nurse burn out

  Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix won’t let its nurses go at it alone. With the...

• Placement company aims to ease shortage for hospitals

  Hospitals are increasingly searching for new ways to alleviate nursing shortages. Reliable Medical...

• Keep these tips in mind when interacting with JCAHO surveyors

  It’s understandable if you are nervous when surveyors ask you a question-especially if it is...

• Learn to become an effective leader at your facility

  People like to use their brains, so effective leaders encourage collaboration. This involves not...

Issue 30, July 28, 2006

• Hospital hopes housing helps recruiting

  South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, NY, is hoping to help nurses from abroad find a...

• Free service offers medical advice in NM

  A group of nurses is just a call away-at any time of day or night-for patients in New Mexico...

• Consider this when developing a competency plan

  As a staff educator, your competency plan must be designed with consideration given to the...

• Consider this when developing a competency plan

  As a staff educator, your competency plan must be designed with consideration given to the...

• Technologically speaking: Plan well from the beginning

  Big hospitals with big IT budgets are at an advantage when it comes to changing to electronic...

Issue 29, July 21, 2006

• Illinois governor signs law to alleviate nursing shortage in state

  Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich’s pen gave the nursing industry a big boost last week...

• New Jersey nurses treated to musical comedy

  Instead of ABBA’s "Dancing Queen," several nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital...

• Make sure that results meet objectives in learning

  Your objectives, when training a nursing staff, provide the basis for how you evaluate learning...

• Is your hospital ready to embark on a Magnet journey?

  As more and more American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet-designated hospitals sprout up...

Issue 28, July 14, 2006

• Shift to paper-free hospital causes summer trouble

  In the long run, the U.S. Naval Hospital in Japan hopes, the change will improve patient safety at...

• Recruiters searching all over to combat shortage

  The ever-present nursing shortage, along with a lack of affordable housing in the area, has forced...

• Strive to get the most out of your employees

  An instrumental part of being a good manager is getting the most out of your employees on a daily...

• Learn from medication errors to prevent history from repeating

  Developing effective policies and procedures to internally handle medication errors is important...

Issue 27, July 7, 2006

• Students get a feel for new technology

  In preparation for a nursing career where the human touch is just as important as the use of new...

• Hospitals add coffee bars, valet parking to care

  Hospitals across the country-with an eye toward competition-are making lavish changes to their...

• Making the most of your time as staff manager

  Managers need to maintain control of determining where to focus their attention next. Don’t...

• Hospitals can fly high with pre-surgery checklists

  The Air Force has developed a surgical checklist that’s used before every surgery, according...

Issue 26, June 30, 2006

• Nurses at Louisiana hospital make bids for shifts

  Trying to schedule nurses is a difficult task for a hospital like Lafayette (LA) General Medical...

• National studies show under funded, overcrowded emergency rooms

  Patients had an average wait of 47 minutes in hospital emergency rooms before seeing a doctor in...

• Reaching out to auditory learners

  Auditory learners learn predominantly by hearing. These learners prefer activities such as...

• Preparing your hospital for an unexpected disaster

  What will your hospital do if there’s a community disaster? Although the JCAHO’s new...

Issue 25, June 23, 2006

• South Carolina looks to Ukraine to help train nurses

  To deal with the ongoing nursing shortage and the fact that nursing schools are turning away...

• New Web site may help ease patient pain

  Experts agree that pain in America is a healthcare crisis, and surveys have revealed that half of...

• Working with words: Nonverbal ways to handle angry patients

  Anger can present itself in many different ways within your organization, and patients&rsquo...

• Illinois hospital huddles up to stop patient falls

  At Elmhurst (IL) Memorial Hospital, Education Coordinator Anne Stezowski, RN, and her staff have...

Issue 24, June 16, 2006

• New York hospital combats nursing shortage by recruiting in India

  The U.S. is experiencing a critical shortage of nurses, and particularly hard hit are rural and...

• Detroit patients collect $450 for less-than-stellar treatment

  Nine unhappy patients took the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) up on its offer to give refunds for a...

• Helping your hospital conquer the new JCAHO survey

  Want to help your hospital ace the new JCAHO survey process? Remember these tips: 1. Get...

• Make quality of care a top priority at your organization

  Compliance officers are more involved than ever in the quality-of-care crisis in America’s...

Issue 23, June 9, 2006

• New program challenges nurses to STEP up

  Kinston, NC-based Lenoir Memorial Hospital’s (LMH) Striving Toward Excellence in Practice...

• Oregon hospital gets on board with free Wi-Fi

  A new wireless network at Salem Hospital in Oregon has made the Internet available to patients...

• Validating competency through case studies

  Case studies are an effective means of validating competency. In this approach, individuals can...

• JCAHO surveys target clean hands

  With staff handwashing being such an easy item to watch for, expect this National Patient Safety...

Issue 22, June 2, 2006

• Up close and personal: Med students get better connected to patients

  Harvard Medical School is revamping its curriculum in an effort to better train doctors to...

• OH hospital first to be surveyed in cultural competence

  Middletown Regional Hospital in Ohio will be the first healthcare facility in the nation to undergo...

• Case scenario: Give learners a reason for training

  Suppose you have been told to implement organization-wide customer-service training. Some staff...

• What’s in a name?

  There are only so many names out there, and sometimes two or more patients with the same or similar...

Issue 21, May 26, 2006

• ICU and ED nurses no longer MIA in MA

  Four new courses have been launched at the North Essex Community College in Lawrence, MA, to train...

• Canine compassion: Facility employs dogs to improve patient care

  Two new workers have joined Kaiser Permanente Roseville (CA) Medical Center-Maxie and Sophie, two...

• Key issues in compliance

  John Cone is the vice president of HR for a medium-sized hospital. During a post-employment...

• Tips to combat the nursing shortage

  Gayle Evans, RN, MBA, CNOR, CASC, president of Continuum Healthcare Consultants, Inc., in Kennesaw...

Issue 20, May 19, 2006

• Underprivileged in CA help fill direct-care jobs

  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified nursing assistants account for 10% of the...

• Medical reserve groups sprouting throughout the U.S.

  A new medical reserve group has taken root in Southwest Colorado, in hopes of helping the region...

• HIPAA case scenario

  One day, you notice a list with patient names and addresses in a garbage pail. How should you...

• Former JCAHO exec talks survey, offers advice and tips

  Editor’s note: Kurt A. Patton, MS, RPh, served as executive director of accreditation...

Issue 19, May 12, 2006

• At their fingertips: PDAs help nurses improve efficiency

  Nurses at St. David’s HealthCare Partnership in Austin, TX, don’t just carry medical...

• Patient lifting a sore spot for many healthcare workers

  According to a recent survey conducted by the American Federation of Teachers Healthcare, a...

• Five tips for surviving the JCAHO survey

  Want to help your hospital ace the new survey process? Remember these five tips.

• Keeping up with the signs in and around your facility

  Knowing which signs your hospital needs and making them stand out is important, says Patrick C...

Issue 18, May 5, 2006

• Distrust of healthcare system higher among African Americans

  According to a survey recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, African Americans...

• Staff retrained after phony instructor is outed

  Nearly 500 staff members at the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles have been...

• Three steps for NCQA compliance with standard CR 10

  Take these steps to comply with the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA...

• Making a smooth transition to CPOE

  As the push for a universal electronic health record (EHR) and computerized physician order entry...

Issue 17, April 28, 2006

• The healthcare fast track: Students attend high school and college . . . at the

  In an effort to increase the number of qualified people entering the healthcare industry, a new...

• Multi-million dollar grant awarded to CA nursing schools

  Community colleges across the state of California can now look toward improving and expanding their...

• Developing a disruptive behavior policy

  To successfully eliminate disruptive physician behavior, your organization must commit the time and...

• Ways to keep your hands clean

  Looking for fresh ideas to promote hand hygiene? Here’s a look at two efforts you may be able...

Issue 16, April 21, 2006

• Hospital successfully lifts off with lift-offs

  It’s been a year since the Miami Valley Hospital (MVH) began its patient lift-team program...

• FL residents prepare for natural disasters

  In preparation for hurricane season, city officials in Oakland Park, FL, recently passed a...

• Protecting yourself from tuberculosis

  In the Intensive Care Unit, you are always careful to follow isolation guidelines, but one night...

• Making the case for e-learning

  According to Wendy Berke, director of business development with the American Association of...

Issue 15, April 14, 2006

• Africa in dire need of healthcare workers

  According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual report, at least 1.3 billion...

• Students jump on the fast track to nursing

  According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the ratio of registered nurses to...

• Step away from that gift

  Dan is a hospital pharmacist. One day, Jay, a sales representative for a major pharmaceutical...

• Internal investigations: Tips for interviewing employees

  One of the most dependable ways to determine facts in an internal investigation is through employee...

Issue 14, April 7, 2006

• Nurses leaving ND for greener pastures

  One third of North Dakota’s registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are...

• Violence against U.K. healthcare workers drops down a notch

  According a newly-released survey from the United Kingdom, the levels of violence reported by...

• Infection control practices: universal precautions

  The system of universal precautions requires healthcare workers to routinely use appropriate...

• Bring order to your CPOE system

  Despite its potential to reduce medical errors, hospitals and physicians still grossly underutilize...

Issue 13, March 31, 2006

• Move over, kids! Video games are for healthcare workers, too

  A research team at the University of Illinois at Chicago is working on developing a series of...

• Rise in foreign-born nurse recruitment

  A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor reported that the number of foreign-born nurses...

• Did you wash your hands?

  You enter a patient’s room to deliver his evening meal. He asks you to fix his sheet that is...

• How to ease healthcare worker trauma

  The following checklist offers tips to help hospitals guard their workers’ mental well-being...

Issue 12, March 24, 2006

• Program turns high schoolers into healthcare professionals

  For more than a decade, students from two high schools in McKinney, TX, have been taking part in...

• What a deal! NY nurses get paid to learn

  Nurses at Bassett Healthcare (BH) in Cooperstown, NY, are quickly climbing the educational ladder...

• Preparing staff for the JCAHO survey

  If your hospital cares for many children, your facility must be prepared for JCAHO surveyors to...

• Hold on to seasoned RNs

  At an average age of 47 years old, American nurses are heading toward retirement and causing...

Issue 11, March 17, 2006

• Dummies to the rescue-to be rescued

  With medical errors killing about 200,000 hospital patients a year, it’s clear that a drastic...

• Going mobile, the safe way

  Wireless and mobile devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants, and tablet personal...

• May the (Magnet) force be with you

  Force 4 of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program stresses the...

• Say goodbye to gossip

  One way to discourage gossip at your organization is to write a communication policy. Regardless of...

Issue 10, March 10, 2006

• Lost? Not in Montana

  For rural residents of Montana who live miles away from the nearest medical facility, help is not...

• Magnífico! Initiative recruits and trains bilingual nurses

  Three years ago, a program funded by a $1.1 million federal grant was started in Arizona to boost...

• To lock or not to lock: HIPAA case scenario

  After treating a patient, you place her chart in an unlocked chartholder outside the exam room...

• Frequently asked SBAR questions

  SBAR (Situation- Background- Assessment- Recommendation) is a technique first used by nuclear...

Issue 9, March 3, 2006

• Donation kicks off rural health program

  Students at Florida State University’s College of Medicine will soon have a new center at...

• Answering the call (back) to nursing

  Once a nurse, always a nurse. That’s the idea at Houston Healthcare in Georgia, where a...

• The tracer process: JCAHO’s priority focus areas

  Based on these key areas, the JCAHO surveyor will pull patient charts and "trace" their care...

• Help staff think critically

  Once you get staff to understand the importance of critical thinking, what can you do to get them...

Issue 8, February 24, 2006

• Florida receives grant for disaster preparedness

  The U.S. Public Health Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has...

• Program promotes competence in gerontology

  In some specialties, more than half the patients a nurse cares for are 65 or older, says Mathy...

• Magnet preparation: Consultation and resources

  Force 8 of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program deals with...

• Eight tips for perioperative medication labeling success

  The following are tips for medication labeling.

Issue 7, February 17, 2006

• Bioterrorism grant to benefit the Pacific Northwest

  A $4.4 million federal grant has been awarded that will allow Northwest states-Montana, Wyoming...

• Nursing students get a lift

  The American Nurses Association has embarked on an initiative to improve patient handling...

• Ace the survey process

  The following tips will help your facility prepare for survey by the Joint Commission for...

• Three ways to energize your activity program

  It’s not always easy to think of new ideas that will engage and challenge your staff. Here...

Issue 6, February 10, 2006

• Celebrating the wisdom of older employees

  The AARP has launched an initiative to help members of the workforce 50 years or older move into...

• Patient safety progress too slow

  Six years after the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) first report on patient safety and four...

• Keep yourself in check with HIPAA

  How well do you know the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA...

• Beat the bug: Simple steps to flummox flu

  It may be only a matter of time before you battle an influenza outbreak at your hospital, and...

Issue 5, February 3, 2006

• Former fighter pilots teach patient safety

  Two years ago, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), an academic medical center in...

• Nursing program restored to combat shortage

  For the first time in 10 years, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) will open its...

• Preparing for biological terrorism events

  When compared to chemical or nuclear events, biological terrorism events are unique in their...

Issue 4, January 27, 2006

• Grant to help NJ hospitals improve quality of care

  The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey has awarded a $125,000 one-year grant to the New Jersey...

• Survey reveals consumers’ concern about health information privacy

  Two in three Americans are concerned about the confidentiality of their personal health information...

• What is an RCA?

  A root-cause analysis (RCA) is a process to help health care facilities and providers understand...

Issue 3, January 19, 2006

• Health system wins award for community service

  The University of California (UC) at Davis Health System received the Outstanding Community Service...

• Program brings together generations of nurses

  Nurses at the Genesis Medical Center in Dewitt, IA, are taking seriously the notion that with age...

• When should providers obtain ABNs?

  An advance beneficiary notice (ABN) is a written form that you or a supplier gives to a Medicare...

Issue 2, January 12, 2006

• New healthcare profession to help shortage

  To help alleviate the shortage of doctors and nurses in hospital emergency rooms, British...

• Students get head start in healthcare

  Teenagers in North Carolina’s Cleveland County are getting a jump start on preparing for...

• Does your nurse leader measure up?

  Knowledgeable, strong, risk-taking nurse leaders follow an articulated philosophy in the daily...

Issue 1, January 6, 2006

• Nurses from abroad help shortage, bring challenges

  The number of foreign-born nurses working in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) across the country...

• Military faces shortage of healthcare professionals

  The U.S. Army is struggling to recruit enough doctors, dentists, nurses, and other healthcare...

• Case study: Preventing pressure ulcers

  An 85-year-old patient was admitted last night after surgical repair of a right hip fracture. She...