Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Nursing for May 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Window for Stroke Treatment Opened to 4.5 Hours
FRIDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- The clot-busting drug recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) can be given to eligible stroke victims as long as 4.5 hours after onset of symptoms, according to a new scientific advisory published online May 28 in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, but the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) still urge further analyses.
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Cancer Physicians Often Do Not Take Part in Bereavement
FRIDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Many cancer physicians do not routinely participate in the bereavement process after patients die, and terminally ill lung cancer patients often have not discussed hospice with their health care providers, according to a pair of studies in the May 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Abstract - Huskamp
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Careful Processing Urged for Loaner Instruments
THURSDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- At hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, instruments loaned from other institutions may arrive in poor or contaminated condition, creating problems for both the loaning and receiving facilities and compromising patient safety, according to a report published in the May issue of the AORN Journal.
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Decision Makers Can't Delay Until H1N1's Scale Is Clear
THURSDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- Officials must decide what actions to take before the severity and scale of the H1N1 virus are certain, and geography plays an important role in the incidence of the virus, according to perspectives published online May 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Postoperative Voiding Rules May Need Review
THURSDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- The requirement of postoperative voiding before discharge may unnecessarily delay patients from leaving the hospital, particularly with the growing number of surgical procedures that are now performed on an outpatient basis, according to an article published in the May issue of the AORN Journal.
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Patients Have Strong Ideas About Electronic Records
TUESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Patients expect increased use of electronic personal health records to transform the way they interact with the health care system, and their opinions could help strengthen the design of new patient record technologies, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Music Reduces Confusion After Hip or Knee Surgery
MONDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- In older adults who undergo hip or knee surgery, postoperative music therapy may reduce acute confusion, according to a study published in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Democrats Set Ambitious Goal for Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Congressional Democrats face formidable challenges in their efforts to pass health care reform legislation by July 31, but physicians can take the lead to ensure changes are enacted, according to two perspectives published online May 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Recession Taking a Bite Out of Americans' Health Care
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Family physicians are seeing evidence of the recession's impact on access to health care for Americans, and are offering more charity care, lower fees and free screenings to a growing number of needy patients, according to a survey published on May 19 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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Pain Management May Be Best Option for Critically Ill
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Pain management and end-of-life care may be the most beneficial treatment for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and should focus on communicating with the patient and family and clearing up misconceptions about the use of palliative treatments, according to a review in the May issue of Chest.
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Antihypertensive Drugs Also Benefit Non-Hypertensives
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- In everyone at risk for heart attack or stroke -- including those with normal blood pressure -- antihypertensive treatment significantly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease events and stroke, according to a study published online May 19 in BMJ.
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Door-to-Balloon Delays Increase Risk of Death
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- In patients admitted with ST elevation myocardial infarction, any delay in primary percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with an increased risk of death, according to a study published online May 19 in BMJ.
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Transformational Learning Helps Nurses Improve
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Transformational learning, whereby individuals reflect on their actions, question faulty assumptions and revise their actions, can help improve the performance of perioperative nurses, according to an article published in the May issue of the AORN Journal.
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Coronary Artery Bypass Care Quality Not Tied to Quantity
TUESDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Adherence to quality measures in coronary artery bypass follow-up care results in similar mortality rates whether the procedure is performed at a high-volume or low-volume cardiac care center, according to a study reported in the May 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Swine Flu Has Higher Fatality Rate Than Seasonal Flu
MONDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- The fatality rate from H1N1 swine flu is slightly higher than the fatality rate from seasonal flu, according to United States' health officials, but they say most cases of swine flu are no worse than seasonal flu.
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Nurses in Kuwait Want More Professional Opportunities
MONDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Among the multicultural population of nurses working in Kuwait, professional opportunities and extrinsic rewards are the greatest sources of dissatisfaction with work, according to a study published in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Elderly Patients Use Multiple Strategies to Combat Dyspnea
MONDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease use a variety of techniques and strategies to cope with the dyspnea associated with their condition, according to a study published in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Training in Supportive Care Improves Nurses' Performance
MONDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Nurses who are trained in developmentally supportive care are better able to take care of premature babies than those who do not receive such training, according to a study published in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Medicare Denies Coverage for 'Virtual Colonoscopy'
THURSDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced May 12 that it would not cover the cost of so-called "virtual colonoscopies," colon screenings using computed tomography scanning devices. The decision was immediately blasted by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Radiology (ACR).
CMS Coverage Decision
American Cancer Society Statement
American College of Radiology Statement
Combined Treatment May Offer Bronchiolitis Benefit
WEDNESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The use of nebulized epinephrine and oral dexamethasone in infants presenting to emergency departments with bronchiolitis might reduce later hospital admission, according to research published in the May 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Folate Fortification Law Linked to Decreased Heart Defects
WEDNESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- After a Canadian law mandating the fortification of flour and pasta products with folate went into effect in 1998, the birth prevalence of severe congenital defects has decreased in Quebec, according to a study published online May 12 in BMJ.
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Exercise and Diet Support Slows Cancer Survivor Decline
TUESDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise, diet and weight loss support can slow the functional decline of long-term cancer survivors, according to a study in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Child Post-Mortem Organ Donation Procedures Vary
TUESDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- While most children's hospitals have policies for post-mortem organ donation, they vary on key points, such as the processes for pronouncing death and withdrawing life support, according to a study reported in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Patient Perception Key Factor for Depression in Heart Failure
MONDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Depression in heart failure patients appears to be more related to patients' perceptions of disease severity than objective measurements of severity, according to research published in the May 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Number of Swine Flu Cases in U.S. Exceeds 2,500
MONDAY, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- The United States has surpassed Mexico to become the nation with the most confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu, according to figures released May 11 by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Simple Plastic Glasses Can Protect Orthopedic Surgeons
FRIDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Orthopedic surgeons can best protect themselves from conjunctival contamination during surgery with simple, disposable plastic glasses, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
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Triple-Reassortant Swine Virus Seen Since 2005 in US
THURSDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Eleven cases of infection similar to the swine flu outbreak currently under way -- triple-reassortant swine influenza A (H1) viruses -- have been documented since 2005 in the United States, according to a study led by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and released May 7 by the New England Journal of Medicine. This study was accompanied by another study, two editorials, and three perspectives focused on the swine flu outbreak.
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Increased Vaccination Refusal Heightens Public Health Risks
WEDNESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- The number of parents refusing vaccination for their children is on the increase, challenging pediatricians to be effective vaccination advocates while respecting the decisions of those who opt to forego them, according to an article in the May 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Stay Home With H1N1, but Don't Race to Shut Schools
WEDNESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- School students, faculty and staff infected by the H1N1 virus should stay home, but communities need not close schools entirely, according to revised school closure guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
What to Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms
Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home
Little Evidence to Support Some H1N1 Flu Measures
WEDNESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Some of the interventions that have been introduced in the wake of the outbreak of H1N1 flu have little or no evidence to support them, according to an editorial published online May 5 in The Lancet, while a report in the same journal asks whether or not the international response to the outbreak was fast enough.
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CDC Confirms Over 400 H1N1 Flu Cases
WEDNESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- As of May 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 403 cases of H1N1 flu nationally in 38 states, with over 700 additional probable cases which, if confirmed, will mean the disease has spread across 44 states. The CDC continues to urge the public to rigorously observe preventive measures.
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Minimum Interval Vaccination Schedule Effective in Arizona
WEDNESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Positive results were seen with minimum interval vaccine scheduling during an outbreak of pertussis in Arizona, while recall systems appear to benefit influenza vaccination rates among high-risk children despite vaccine shortage in Colorado. These two studies are published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Abstract - Bronson-Lowe
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Abstract - Allison
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High Urine Albumin Linked to Venous Thromboembolism
TUESDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Already a recognized risk factor for arterial thromboembolism, microalbuminuria also is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published in the May 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Medical Center Press Releases Often Lacking Key Details
TUESDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Press releases from academic medical centers may often overstate the importance of research findings while failing to acknowledge relevant limitations of the studies, according to research published in the May 5 Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Modified Protocol Improves Cardiac Arrest Survival
TUESDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Modified guidelines on the out-of-hospital management of cardiac arrest patients that optimizes compressions and reduces disruption improves survival rates, according to a study published online on May 4 in Circulation.
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Number of US Swine Flu Cases Climbs to 286 in 36 states
MONDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- The confirmed number of swine flu cases in the United States swelled to 245 in 35 states by May 3, but federal health officials are expressing cautious optimism that the disease may be leveling off and may not be as dangerous as initially feared. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the number of confirmed national cases to 286 in 36 states as of late this morning.
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Working While Ill Linked to Later Sickness Absences
MONDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- Employees who come to work sick may run a higher risk of later long-term sickness absences, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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H1N1 Flu Poses Major Surveillance Challenge
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Containment of the influenza A strain H1N1, or swine flu, outbreak is probably impossible because cases are already geographically widespread and countries with fragile health systems lack the ability to properly conduct surveillance and containment activities, according to an editorial published online April 30 in BMJ.
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More Americans Reporting Disability
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- The number of Americans reporting disabilities rose by 7.7 percent from 44.1 million in 1999 to 47.5 million in 2005, according to a report in the May 1 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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CDC: More Than 100 H1N1 Flu Infections in US
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- As of Thursday, April 30, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 109 cases of influenza A strain H1N1, or swine flu, in the United States, with 50 cases in New York, 26 in Texas, 14 in California, 10 in South Carolina, and the rest in seven other states. So far, only one death has been recorded.
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