News and Features from Nursing Spectrum and Nurseweek http://www.nurse.com Nurses spend their careers helping others, rarely reaping widespread recognition for a job well done. But the spotlight is shining on six nurses named 2009 Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek Nursing Excellence Awards National Nurse of the Year winners. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NATIONAL01/111020095 Sabril (vigabatrin) oral solution was recently approved by the FDA in liquid form for the treatment of infantile spasms in children ages 1 month to 2 years. It is the first drug in the U.S. approved to treat this severe, often debilitating disorder characterized by frequent difficult-to-control daily seizures. Spasms tend to occur upon awakening or after feeding, and often occur in clusters of up to 100 spasms. Infants may have dozens of clusters and several hundred spasms per day. The drug is available in packets containing 500mg of powdered medication that may only be reconstituted with 10 ml of cold or room-temperature water. Infant dosing is based on weight but must never exceed 150 mg/kg/day. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091107/ALL01/91105009 Visit us here periodically for summaries of H1N1 flu news. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091105/NATIONAL02/91105007 Older adults living in long-term care face a sad state of affairs. As many as 50% of residents of LTC have depression, and only about 25% of them are identified and receive treatment, according to Neva L. Crogan, RN, PhD, GCNS-BC, GNP-BC, FNGNA, secretary of the National Gerontological Nursing Association and research associate professor, University of Arizona in Tucson. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NATIONAL02/111020097 I pictured the progress of my husband?s illness as a gathering of dark clouds that closed off any avenue of light, clusters of heavy, tentative drops, a downpour held in suspension for months. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NATIONAL02/91030002 The DAISY Foundation continues to celebrate the tremendous skill and compassion of extraordinary nurses through its nationwide recognition program. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NATIONAL02/91030008 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved use of the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of genital warts (condyloma acuminata) due to human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 in boys and men, ages 9 through 26. Each year, about two out of every 1,000 men in the United States are newly diagnosed with genital warts. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091021/NATIONAL02/111020009 A study of twins found the risk of hip fracture was significantly increased following a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, with analysis also suggesting a genetic predisposition to the development of CVD and fractures, according to a study in the Oct. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091020/NATIONAL02/111020010 I always marvel at how hung up on age so many of us are ? even when we?re still relatively young! I often receive Dear Donna questions such as: ?I?m 28 years old. Am I too old to become a nurse?? or ?I?m 48 years old and just got out of nursing school. Will anyone hire me at this age?? or ?I?m 55. Is it too late to go back to school for a higher degree?? If only I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if they were too old to do something ? I?d be rich! http://news.nurse.com/article/20091019/NATIONAL02/310190041 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its H1N1 infection control guidance for healthcare settings, including use of N95 respirators. The agency continues to recommend that healthcare workers who are in close contact with patients having suspected or confirmed H1N1 flu use N95s, but acknowledged supply concerns. Where a shortage of respirators exists despite reasonable efforts to obtain them, hospitals may prioritize use of the N95 respirators, especially for aerosol-generating procedures and healthcare workers who are at higher risk for H1N1. Hospitals with insufficient supplies of N95 respirators that demonstrate ?good faith? efforts to acquire N95s and follow the agency?s hierarchy of control recommendations may use surgical masks. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091019/NATIONAL02/310190040 Critical illness due to 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Canada occurred rapidly after hospital admission, often in young adults, and was associated with severe hypoxemia, multisystem organ failure, a requirement for prolonged mechanical ventilation, and the frequent use of rescue therapies, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Canadian Critical Care Trials Group conducted the study of 168 critically ill patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection in 38 adult and pediatric intensive care units in Canada between April 16 and Aug. 12. The average age of the patients was 32.3 years and 33 of the patients died within 90 days of being admitted to a hospital. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091015/NATIONAL02/310150001 RNs can apply by Nov. 1 for one of 15 scholarships offered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the Nurse in Washington Internship Program. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091010/NATIONAL02/310100001 Downey, Calif., location boasts several design features aimed at enhancing patient healing. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/CA02/111020044 To promote World Diabetes Day, California?s state Capitol building will be lit in blue Nov. 14, with the help of area nurses. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/CA02/91103001 Students from Samuel Merritt University nursing program exercised their healthcare skills and Spanish skills recently during a trip to South America. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/CA02/311020037 LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? Karen B. Haller, RN, PhD, FAAN, vice president, nursing and patient care services at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was honored Oct. 1 as the winner of the American Nurses Credentialing Center?s President?s Award at the organization?s 13th Magnet Conference, ?Inspiring Innovation, Achieving Outcomes.? http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/DC02/111020085 Mary Peroutka, RNC-OB, BSN, has been helping patients deal with the death of a newborn for the past 13 years as perinatal bereavement coordinator at Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Md. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/DC02/111020084 Nurses from Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, Md., administered a record number of vaccinations Oct. 1 and 2 at its annual drive-thru flu clinic. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/DC02/111020086 Nurses at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System are working to bridge the gap between primary care and mental health services through the Depression Care Management Program. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/FL02/111020129 A University of Florida study says a regular tai chi exercise program can help people better control their diabetes and lower glucose levels, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/FL02/111020132 The Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point?s (Hudson) Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Team presented a program for the Annual Vascular Access Conference in September in Las Vegas. More than 1,200 people, including nurses and physicians from all over the world, attended the conference. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/FL02/111020130 Veterans of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have a new resource in northern Illinois to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/IL02/111020088 Behind a lectern in the Chicago Hilton?s grand ballroom was the ?last place on earth? that Beverly J. McElmurry, RN, EdD, FAAN, said she wanted to be Oct. 23. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/IL02/111020091 Two Greater Chicago hospitals were among 30 nationally that were honored by the federal government for improving their organ donation rates. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/IL02/111020094 The College of Nursing at University of North Dakota got a chance to shine the spotlight on 100 years of service during its Centennial Nursing Gala. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/HL02/111020070 St. Luke?s Hospital has been designated a Magnet nursing facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/HL02/111020049 Riverview Hospital in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., recently opened a new patient tower that includes structural and decorative elements designed to improve the patient experience and promote provider efficiency, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/HL02/111020066 After a multiyear application and planning process, excavation for Swedish Medical Center?s new hospital in Issaquah, Wash., started Aug. 18. An official groundbreaking ceremony was in October. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NW02/111020057 A new study by the Oregon Center for Nursing in Portland, Ore., reports a change in the number of qualified students applying for admission to Oregon?s nursing programs. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NW02/111020060 Overlake Hospital Medical Center has opened a new helistop at its main Bellevue, Wash., campus to provide more efficient emergency treatment for patients who need to be airlifted. The helistop opened Sept. 1. Overlake anticipates about five to 10 patient transports per month, according to hospital officials. The hospital previously had access to a helipad in nearby downtown Bellevue; patients were then taken by ambulance to the ED. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NW02/111020053 Eastern New Mexico University and Clovis Community College have received a joint $3.4 million U.S. Department of Education grant to enhance their nurse training programs, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SW02/111020061 The National Center of Contemporary and Alternative Medicine, a center of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a $2.5 million grant for research of asthma disparities among Latino children to the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University in Phoenix. The grant is the largest in the history of the college. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SW02/111020055 The College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University is opening a health center that specializes in the treatment and prevention of child and adolescent mental health disorders. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SW02/111020058 Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., recently was designated a Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/MW02/111020069 Rich in opportunity, strong in affordability, and home to world-class schools, Ohio is first choice among many nurses for establishing lifelong careers. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/MW02/111020063 Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, is rolling out a new hospitalwide dress policy. All staff members working in direct patient care and clinical support positions will have color-coded attire. The decision to update the hospital?s dress policy comes after more than 200 staff members spent a year researching dress-code standards and sifting through studies from other medical centers that have adopted similar policies. Two MVH nursing units piloted the color-coded uniforms. The evidence from the trial proved that having a consistent dress code improved patients? perceptions of care and resulted in higher patient and nurse satisfaction. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/MW02/109070054 New England chief nursing officers shed insight on how staff nurses can advance to a management or administrative position. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NE02/111020025 To help foster children get a fresh start, a staff nurse in the pediatric ED and a child life specialist started a program called the Pieces of Home Project at Boston Medical Center. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NE02/111020014 Patients and nurses were at the heart of a renovation of the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at Brigham and Women?s Hospital. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NE02/111020015 Many questions can get overlooked, avoided, or confused when a patient moves from acute care to palliative care. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NJ02/111020038 To streamline the decisions made by healthcare professionals after a DNR order is in place, nurses at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., came up with a three-tiered system. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NJ02/111020039 Nurses from Saint Francis Hospital and Health Centers in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., have developed a Code Green Response Protocol for patients who have acute behavioral needs or may be experiencing an escalation in their behaviors. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NJ02/111020034 Pediatric hospice is similar to traditional adult programs because it is a multidisciplinary collaboration in the patient's home several times per week. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NY02/111020031 In July 2006, South Nassau Communities Hospital was selected as one of only five hospitals in the state to participate in a statewide pilot program that allowed hospitals without open-heart surgical programs to perform elective angioplasty. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NY02/111020032 NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in New York City topped off a weeklong series of events for its ED nurses in celebration of Emergency Nurses Week with lectures by guest speakers. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NY02/111020026 Donna Dwyer, RN, CCRN, realizes how close she came to dying last year, and she has made it a point to make sure everyone at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia who was involved in saving her life receives the proper thank you. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/PA02/111020078 More than 120 nurses from the Philadelphia Tri-State region took part Sept. 10 and 11 in a symposium to learn more about the cultural diversities of their patients and nursing colleagues. The event, called ?Cultural Competence: Beyond Race and Ethnicity,? was the second biannual symposium planned by The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania?s nursing cultural competence committee. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/PA02/111020080 Fourteen hospitals from the Philadelphia Tri-State region were honored by the federal government for their success in increasing the number of organs available for transplantation. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/PA02/111020081 The UT Health Science Center San Antonio received $300,000 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to expand its incoming nursing classes for the 2010-11 school year, according to a news release. And if benchmarks are met, the School of Nursing is expected to receive an additional $450,000 to support even larger incoming classes the following academic year. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SC02/111020107 Marilyn Harris, an RN and Army veteran, and her company, Harrland Healthcare Consulting LLC, were awarded the Mack H. Hannah Upstart Award at the 15th Annual African American Business Achievement Pinnacle Awards, according to a news release. The award provides the winning African-American business with start-up capital and resources. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SC02/111020098 Sharon Brown, RN, PhD, FAAN, associate dean for research and professor of nursing at the University of Texas at Austin, has received a four-year, $1.3 million National Institutes of Health grant to identify ways to achieve better glycemic control in persons with type 2 diabetes, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SC02/111020108 Hospitals and Health Networks magazine has released the results of its annual survey naming the most wired hospitals and health systems. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SE02/111020119 With nurses allegedly serving as sources to media outlets of private medical information on public figures, including Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, the boundaries of protected health information have come into question. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SE02/311020032 Children?s Healthcare of Atlanta has a new ?spot? for families dealing with the daily monumental tasks of encouraging children to eat fruits and vegetables and make healthy choices. MyFamilyHealthSpot.org is a free, child-friendly resource that offers solutions to parents and children seeking to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/SE02/111020114 Nurses at Blythedale have been at the forefront of improving wound care protocols. They are educating staff in the process of wound care assessment, documentation, treatment, and follow-up care. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/CRT02/310080060 Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia, part of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, is now able to increase the number of neuro patients it sees and provide treatment faster. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/CRT02/310080036 On May 27, the Paoli (Pa.) Hospital ED became the first of three Main Line Health EDs to go live on the Electronic T-System, an online documentation system that spans the entire patient experience, from triage to discharge. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/ED02/310080062 The National Transportation Safety Board issued 19 new recommendations for helicopter emergency medical services. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/ED02/310080038 Lehigh Valley Health Network?s Regional Burn Center, Allentown, Pa., has used a $65,000 grant to help hospitals throughout its region be prepared to care for victims of local disasters. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/ED02/310080061 Med/surg nursing is no longer just the way new graduates begin their careers; it has been established as a lifelong career path. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/MS02/310080050 NEW YORK CITY ? Like any world-renowned hospital, the Hospital for Special Surgery relies on the research its staff conducts. Following in that tradition, the ambulatory care nurses are involved in many projects and endeavors. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/MS02/310080066 With nurses allegedly serving as sources to media outlets of private medical information on public figures, including Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, the boundaries of protected health information have come into question. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/MS02/310080040 Breathing ? it?s typically taken for granted, not even noticed, unless the mere exchange of air becomes difficult. But patients with lung cancer who experience dyspnea are often all too aware of their breath. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/ONC02/310080049 Eighteen South Florida children, teens, and young adults received free http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/PED02/310080058 As part of a newly designated Level 1 trauma network, the Seton Family of Hospitals in Central Texas is using Telemedicine technology, such as computers, cameras, microphones, and videoconferencing to transmit resources and expertise of major medical centers to other facilities and allows medical specialists to extend their reach into distant areas, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/PED02/310080052 The recommendation to lay babies on their backs to sleep has reduced sudden infant death syndrome but has led to an increased number of infants with the skull deformity plagiocephaly. Research published in the September issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery suggests that infants with more severe plagiocephaly may have a higher rate of middle ear abnormalities associated with otitis media. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/PED02/310080055 A tool called paired kidney exchange registries allows transplant centers to track pairs of incompatible donors and recipients and facilitate matches with others in a database. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/OR02/310080046 New Hampshire hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers have voluntarily adopted a safety checklist for surgeries and other invasive procedures, according to the New Hampshire Hospital Association?s Foundation for Healthy Communities. The protocol is based on a checklist developed by the World Health Organization. The checklist identifies three phases of a procedure for which medical team members confirm appropriate tasks have been completed. For example, it may include processes to verify the patient?s identity, procedure and correct surgical site; processes to verify if the patients have any known allergies; a time-out before surgical incision; and verbal confirmation after the procedure that instrument, sponge, and needle counts are correct. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/OR02/310080059 The first surgery at Wellington (Fla.) Regional Medical Center?s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was completed Aug. 10, and the patient, 3-month-old Cameron John Altman, is one step closer to heading home with his mother, according to a news release. http://news.nurse.com/article/20091008/OR02/310080042