Critical Care Newsline — November 8, 2012

Connect with AACN

NEWS - Joint Commission releases 2013 National Patient Safety Goals

ACTION - Whom should we feature in CCN's "I Am a Critical Care Nurse"?

AACN NEWS - You could be the NTI 2013 Guest Emcee

ACTION - Apply for HAI reduction award

AACN NEWS - Additional hospitals chosen for AACN CSI Academy

— Dave Hanson,

in "A Daybook for Critical Care Nurses," by Eileen Gallen Bademan.

Welcome to AACN CriticalCare eNewsline!

We invite you to share your suggestions and comments on the revised AACN CriticalCare eNewsline by participating in a short survey. Once you complete the survey, you will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate for the AACN Online Bookstore. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Submit poster abstract for National Nursing Ethics Conference

Submit a poster abstract for Ethics of Caring's second National Nursing Ethics Conference, March 21-22, 2013, in Los Angeles. The conference theme is "Cultivating Ethical Awareness: Moments of Truth," and the objective is to motivate and empower participants with skills, courage and knowledge to speak confidently and to be creative and steadfast when tackling ethical challenges. Deadline: Nov. 26. Learn more and submit an abstract.

Apply for HAI reduction award

For a third year, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Critical Care Societies Collaborative, of which AACN is a member, are sponsoring a program to recognize teams of critical care professionals and healthcare institutions for outstanding leadership to eliminate or reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Apply for an award by Dec. 19 or email your questions.

Whom should we feature in CCN's 'I Am a Critical Care Nurse'?

On the last page of every issue of Critical Care Nurse (CCN), we present the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of a critical care nurse. If you are interested in being featured in this department, or if you know a colleague who would like to share his or her experiences as a critical care nurse, please send us an email with the nurse's name, position and contact information.

Participate in study on political awareness, actions of critical care nurses

Joe Degitz and Maureen Cluskey, nurse researchers at Bradley University, Peoria, Ill., are conducting a study to measure the political awareness and actions of critical care nurses. Participate by completing the survey, which takes about 10 minutes. Email Degitz or call Degitz at (309) 677-2571 or Cluskey at (309) 677-2540 if you have questions.

Participate in Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Participate in November's Lung Cancer Awareness Month with suggestions from the Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, D.C., that include contacting members of Congress, securing a proclamation from your state's governor or holding a Shine a Light on Lung Cancer Vigil or other event.

'Slim' stroke scales decrease value of structured neuro assessment, says CNE article in AJCC

The use of "slim" scales, and in particular the slim Glasgow Coma Scale, substantially decreases the value of a structured neurological assessment, particularly in patients with low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores, according to "Slim Stroke Scales for Assessing Patients With Acute Stroke: Ease of Use or Loss of Valuable Assessment Data?" a continuing nursing education (CNE) article in November's American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC).

Adverse effect of ICU readmission is long lasting, according to study in AJCC

"Patients' Characteristics Associated With Readmission to a Surgical Intensive Care Unit," in November's American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC), finds that the adverse effect on survival of readmission to the ICU appears to be long lasting, and predictors of readmission are scarce.

Joint Commission releases 2013 National Patient Safety Goals

The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., has released the "2013 Hospital National Patient Safety Goals": identify patients correctly, improve staff communication, use medicines safely, prevent infection, identify patient safety risks and prevent mistakes in surgery.

Happy Veterans Day

In honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, AACN salutes the contributions of military nurses past and present and the nurses who care for our veterans. AACN and AACN Certification Corporation proudly support the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) "Let's Get Certified" campaign with discounts on AACN membership, exams, select review courses, products, books and recognition items. In its fifth year, the campaign seeks to increase the number of VA and U.S. Department of Defense specialty certified nurses, improve nursing recruitment and retention, and distinguish the VA as a learning organization. Learn more.

Discover AACN PEARL

Have you experienced AACN PEARL and discovered what it can do for you? AACN PEARL: Implementing the ABCDE Bundle at the Bedside is an online collection of evidence-based tools and resources to share critical learning and implement change in patient care units. Developed by clinical experts at AACN and in the field, AACN PEARL focuses on the ABCDE Bundle — a timely clinical topic — offering one-stop convenience and extended NTI education. The results of a recent survey of attendees at the 2012 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) indicate that more than 90 percent of nurses who accessed AACN PEARL were "satisfied" or "extremely satisfied" with the materials. Learn why clinicians feel AACN PEARL is "a great tool for a complex and comprehensive treatment plan" and use PEARL to "educate staff and MDs."

Access new practice guidelines

Download "Recommendations for the Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support: Device Strategies and Patient Selection: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association," which Circulation published online Oct. 29.

Review the following guideline summaries in the National Guideline Clearinghouse, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Md.:

You could be the NTI 2013 Guest Emcee

Are you a natural performer who loves to ham it up in front of a crowd? Are you the one that friends and colleagues rely upon to liven up the party and keep the festivities going? Then you might just be a candidate for the guest emcee role at the 2013 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) next May 18-23 in Boston. Applying is easy: Mail us a two- to three-minute video telling us in your own unique way why you would make a great NTI guest emcee. To be chosen, you must be able to attend the full NTI 2013, including SuperSessions and rehearsals during the event. The selected guest emcee will receive complimentary NTI registration, airfare to Boston and lodging during NTI. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 31. Learn more.

Additional hospitals chosen for AACN CSI Academy

AACN selects seven hospitals in North Carolina to participate in its new hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program: AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy. For the next 16 months, teams of four nurses from each hospital will work with CSI faculty, an internal mentor and their chief nursing officer to identify issues related to patient care, then implement corresponding unit-based initiatives to generate quantifiable improvements. AACN CSI Academy launched earlier this year at six hospitals in Indianapolis, where nurse participants are undertaking projects that range from preventing hospital-acquired conditions to enhancing patient safety to improving communications.

'AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice' now on Kindle

"AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice" is now available for all Kindle e-reader devices and mobile devices using a free downloadable Kindle app. As noted in last week's CriticalCare eNewsline, this new edition, priced at only $3.99, describes the expected level of practice and professional performance for acute care nurse practitioners, incorporating advances in scientific knowledge, clinical practice, technology and other changes in the healthcare environment. Access all three formats (print, downloadable PDF and Kindle).

Dare To

From November's AACN Bold Voices
"Dare to Explore Possibilities"— Kathryn Roberts, AACN President 2012-2013