Search

A patient's willingness and desire to adhere to their medication plan are affected by their beliefs about taking medications, their self-efficacy, health literacy level, ability to afford prescription drug costs, and relationship with their clinicians. This article details strategies for creating a collaborative relationship with the patient, developing trust, and nurturing medication adherence.

The advent of cellular network technology has increased the use of photography in the clinical setting. This article reviews several areas regarding protected health information (PHI) and the use of video: the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); The Joint Commission requirements for the use of images; areas of concern for exchanging PHI with law enforcement at the bedside, and the need for the development of formal guidelines regarding the use of video in the clinical setting.

This article describes a quality improvement project that assessed nurses' knowledge and practices for patients admitted with a blunt chest wall injury and utilized interactive learning to revive the use of the protocol.

Hereditary angioedema is a rare and commonly misdiagnosed disease characterized by recurrent, painful, nonurticarial, and nonpruritic deep tissue swelling attacks, including potentially life-threatening asphyxiation. Nurses can assist in identifying disease hallmarks and provide emergency care, patient support, and education about injectable or infused medications.

With nursing burnout on the rise, effective self-care interventions such as gratitude journals are needed to help nurses cope with symptoms of burnout. Gratitude journals can support nurses' emotional health by improving stress management and offering an opportunity for overall self-reflection.

This article describes current evidence-based approaches to the care and education of adults living with diabetes. It also highlights revisions in the 2022 Standards of Care and evidence-based strategies nurses can use to be more effective.

This article guides nurses through the journal publication process, specifically how to choose a topic, send a query email, establish authorship, avoid predatory journals, and successfully advance on the publication path.

Nurses who work in high-stress positions may be at risk for health problems that may result in early retirement. This article identifies health risks to aging nurses who continue to work in clinical settings and suggests methods for reducing negative health impacts to prevent them from retiring prematurely.

To determine the incidence of and predictors for serious opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) in postoperative inpatients.A retrospective cohort study design of serious ORADEs in surgical inpatients between 2015 and 2017, who were abstracted from the electronic health record, in an 800-bed academic medical health center.A total of 27,942 surgery patients met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 25,208 patients (90%) were exposed to opioids after surgery. A total of 25,133 (99.7%) patients exposed to opioids did not experience a serious ORADE while 75 (0.3%) patients did experience a serious ORADE and required naloxone. The predictors for ORADEs include age (OR = 1.040, P-value.0001); gender (OR = 0.394, P-value = .0006); psychiatric disorder (OR = 4.440, CI: 2.435, 8.095); morphine level with respect to hydrocodone-acetaminophen (OR = 5.841, P-value = .0384); and were almost six times more likely to experience a serious ORADE when morphine is prescribed and 4.44 times more likely in patients with a psychiatric disorder (P-value.0001).Once a baseline incidence is known, predictors for serious ORADEs in surgical inpatients are useful in guiding medical-surgical nurses' opioid safety practices, with more frequent focused respiratory assessments before opioid dosing and closer monitoring when opioids are prescribed postoperatively, especially in higher-risk surgical inpatients.

This article discusses the pathophysiology, assessment techniques, and management of hip pain in adults and the role of nurses in caring for patients with hip pain.

Evidence-based nursing practice supports the provision of high-quality patient care. This article shares how a contest at a community hospital promoted a culture of clinical inquiry and engaged nurses in evidence-based practice.

This article discusses a pilot study on the use of a behavior support plan to safely address patients who exhibit disruptive behaviors in the ED and nonpsychiatric medical settings while respecting their autonomy.

New challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic have forced healthcare professionals to find alternative ways to manage the health of individuals living with diabetes. This article discusses the evolution of telehealth in diabetes management and cites a case study to examine the gaps and identify nursing strategies for implementation.

To determine the nursing staff's knowledge of the proper procedure for measuring orthostatic vital signs.The Knowledge of Orthostatic Vital Signs Survey was sent via email to direct staff on 31 patient-care units in a large hospital system.Eighty percent of the participants were RNs and 12% were unlicensed assistants. Survey results showed that many respondents did not know how to properly size the cuff and were uncertain about the timing of measurements with position changes. Fifty-seven percent of respondents did not correctly identify abnormal findings with regard to the systolic BP, but 80% were aware of the diastolic BP drop in orthostatic hypotension.This survey identified gaps in the staff's knowledge about the proper procedure for measuring orthostatic vital signs.

Wildfire smoke can travel hundreds of miles from its source, resulting in poor air quality. Exposure to poor air quality has been associated with health risks. Nurses should be knowledgeable about such risks to provide appropriate care and education in affected communities.

The US is the only developed country in the world with rising maternal mortality. This article discusses factors that contribute to this rise, disparities in maternal mortality, and steps nurses can take to help reverse this worsening trend.

The use of alcohol to cope with work-related stress is an increasing problem among nurses. However, barriers to diagnosis and treatment keep nurses with alcohol use disorder (AUD) from getting the help they need. This article discusses the issues and treatment obstacles affecting AUD among nurses, and outlines compassionate, stigma-free paths forward.