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Critical Care Newsline — August 5, 2010

 

Critical Care Newsline, the electronic newsletter from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, contains information selected just for you by our clinical practice experts. In each issue, you’ll find links to resources, research abstracts (individual sites may require registration and a fee to access complete articles) and websites that will keep you informed on issues affecting nurses and the nursing profession.
 
August 5, 2010
 
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1. NEWS AACN offers Beacon Award for Excellence Web presentations
2. EVIDENCE Decreased nurse staffing associated with poorer patient outcomes
3. NEWS Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library features NTI 2010 abstracts
4. NEWSTRENDScertification exam deadline, Aug. 13
5. CALL TO ACTION Participate in medication error research
6. CALL TO ACTION Share certification best practices by Sept. 30, qualify as NTI panelist
7. CALL TO ACTION Submit poetry to Pulse by Sept. 15
8. CALL TO ACTION Apply for Patient Experience Grant Program by Aug. 31
9. CALL TO ACTION Comment on CMS proposed visitation ruling by Aug. 27
10. CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCES
11. AACN RESOURCES High-quality Web-based courses available
 
1. NEWS AACN offers Beacon Award for Excellence Web presentations
Visit www.aacn.org/beacon to earn continuing education credits and access PART 1: “What’s New with Beacon?” This prerecorded online presentation provides an overview of changes to Beacon Award for Excellence criteria to help units align with other national excellence programs. PART 2: “Unit Profile and Process Criteria” and PART 3: “Outcome Criteria,” both interactive online presentations that require registration, will follow. Each offers continuing education credits.
 
2. EVIDENCE Decreased nurse staffing associated with poorer patient outcomes
A review of 26 studies in July’s Critical Care Medicine associates adverse outcomes in ICU patients with decreased nurse staffing — a finding consistent with studies of general acute care patients. Outcomes most often studied include infections, mortality, postoperative complications and unplanned extubation. “Additional research is necessary to demonstrate the optimal nurse staffing ratios of intensive care units,” states “Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in Critical Care: A Concise Review.”
 
3. NEWS Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library features NTI 2010 abstracts
This month, the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library features research and creative solution abstracts from the 2010 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI). Select AACN from the conference organization pull-down menu to access the abstracts. Sigma Theta Tau International, Indianapolis, founded the library to offer nurses around the globe online access to reliable nursing information.  
 
4. NEWS TRENDScertification exam deadline, Aug. 13
AACN will offer all certification exams at the TRENDS conference in King of Prussia, Pa. — about 20 miles from Philadelphia — the morning of Friday, Oct. 1. Preregister to take an exam by Friday, Aug. 13.
 
5. CALL TO ACTION Participate in medication error research
Participate in a research project from a dissertation student at West Virginia University, Morgantown, to assess the influence of perceived safety culture and acute care nurses’ work environment on medication error occurrence and reporting. You may then choose to participate in a drawing for one of 20 Amazon.com gift cards.
 
6. CALL TO ACTION Share certification best practices by Sept. 30, qualify as NTI panelist
If your facility or chapter has successfully implemented certification best practices — strategies to encourage, recognize and reward certification — in your hospital or unit, submit your story online by Sept. 30. AACN will select the two most innovative practices for panel presentation during the “Creating a Culture of Certification: Best Practices Roundtable” at the 2011 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), April 30-May 5, Chicago. AACN Certification Corporation accepts best-practice submissions, which it posts online, year-round.
 
7. CALL TO ACTION Submit poetry to Pulse by Sept. 15
Submit poems by Sept. 15 to Pulse to be considered for publication. Pulse — an online magazine that publishes personal accounts from patients and healthcare professionals to encourage honest discussion about giving and receiving healthcare — will publish accepted submissions between November 2010 and October 2011. Submit poems as Microsoft Word documents and limit submissions to three per year.
 
8. CALL TO ACTION Apply for Patient Experience Grant Program by Aug. 31
Apply by Aug. 31 to receive one of four $1,000 Patient Experience Grants from The Beryl Institute, Bedford, Texas. The new grant program supports research to improve the patient care experience.
 
9. CALL TO ACTION Comment on CMS proposed visitation ruling by Aug. 27
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Baltimore, request comments by Aug. 27 on a proposed ruling that requires hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs to have written policies and procedures on patients’ visitation rights. The president’s directive instructed the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., to propose that a “participating hospital not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.” It suggests that rule-makers consider allowing participating hospitals to “restrict visitation in medically appropriate circumstances.” Read more in the April 29 Critical Care Newsline.
 
10. CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCES
Resource
Access educational tools about contrast-induced nephropathy, including a video and an algorithm for identifying at-risk patients, from the Patient Safety Authority, Harrisburg, Pa.
 
11. AACN RESOURCES
E-Learning
Did you know you can purchase three of our high-quality Web-based courses for your personal development? “The Preceptor Challenge” and the award-winning “Promoting Excellence in Palliative & End-of-Life Care” feature simulations of real-life experiences. If you’re a new manager or just want to expand your management competencies, the “Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation” course is also available for individual purchase. Access more information and pricing.
 
‘Stand Tall’ Resources
AACN’s annual theme is a rallying cry that gathers the organization’s mission, vision, core values and strategic direction in a meaningful way. Kristine Peterson, who became AACN president July 1, at the start of AACN’s fiscal year 2011, calls on nurses to “Stand Tall.” This year, AACN introduces Stan Tall, its first theme mascot. Download Stan and learn more. Become Stan’s friend on Facebook.
 
Beacon Award for Excellence
Starting Nov. 1, any hospital unit that cares for high acuity or critically ill patients can apply for an AACN Beacon Award for Excellence. The revised program aligns closely with award programs such as the Malcolm Baldrige Award for Quality and Magnet Recognition Program, making it easier for hospitals applying for multiple recognition programs to meet requirements for nursing-sensitive patient benchmark data. The new Beacon program includes a streamlined review process that offers timely feedback and recommendations for every application, and bronze-, silver- and gold-level designations to help units track their progress over time.
 
Healthy Work Environment
 
JOIN AACN ONLINE
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Friend Stan Tall on Facebook
 
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