Critical Care eNewsline — Jan. 31, 2013

NEWS - Telehealth bill introduced in Congress

ACTION - Register early for NTI and save

AACN NEWS - Register for NTI chapter leadership workshop

EVIDENCE - Predictors of urgent intubation in neonatal ICU

AACN NEWS - ACNPC-AG certification exam launches

"Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning and Clinical Judgment: A Practical Approach," 5th ed., by Rosalinda Alfaro-LeFevre

Nominate a colleague for an AAMI award

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), Arlington, Va., is seeking nominations for the 2013 AAMI and AAMI Foundation awards. These annual awards recognize leaders and innovators working to advance the safe and effective use and development of healthcare technology. The awards will be presented during AAMI's Annual Conference & Expo, June 1-3 in Long Beach, Calif. Deadline to nominate is Feb. 15.

Submit nominations for AACN President's Award for Chapters

Nominate chapters for the 2013 AACN President's Award for Chapters, which recognizes exemplary efforts to incorporate the association's annual theme, Dare To, in chapter programs and activities while furthering AACN's mission, vision and values. Nominations close Friday, Feb. 15. Learn more and nominate.

Register for Ethics of Caring conference by Feb. 15 and save

Register for the national Ethics of Caring conference, March 21-22, at the Hilton Universal City, Universal City, Calif. The conference features expert speakers, small group breakout sessions and participant discussions to enhance nurses' clinical practice through identifying and addressing ethical issues. The early-bird registration rate is $450 through Feb. 15.

Sign up for webinar on heparin labeling changes

The U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention is offering a webinar to prepare for the impact of a new heparin label standard, which requires manufacturers to label the strength of the entire container of medication followed closely by how much medication is in each milliliter. The requirements, effective May 1, will result in a transition period when both old and new labels are in use, creating the potential for confusion and errors. The one-hour webinar will be offered (all times EST) Feb. 18 at 11 a.m ., Feb. 20 at 3 p.m., Feb. 22 at 10 a.m., Feb. 26 at noon and Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Access resource pages from USP and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md., for more information.

Register for 'A Slice of AACN NTI'

Register for the fourth annual "A Slice of AACN NTI," April 1-5, MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Nationally recognized faculty from AACN's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) will share their expertise in high acuity and critical care. Earn up to 14 continuing nursing education (CNE) hours for the preconferences and up to 17.75 CNE hours for the main conference, while attending sessions such as "Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Moral Distress or Violence in the Workplace" and "Critical Care Research Studies You Should Know About." The early-bird registration discount ends Feb. 25.

Florida nurses invited to participate in compassion fatigue study

The American Holistic Nurses Association, Topeka, Kan., is sponsoring a study on compassion fatigue in nurses and its effect on perceptions of nursing care, patient safety and nurse retention. Nurses who provide direct patient care and practice in Florida are invited to complete a survey. Participants are also eligible to enter a contest and win a prize. Email research nurse Aleida Drozdowicz with questions.

Register early for NTI and save

Early-bird registration is open for this year's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), which takes place in Boston, Saturday, May 18 through Thursday, May 23. Register by Thursday, April 4, and save $76. And be sure to sign up for a hotel room through AACN Housing. Early booking is strongly advised to ensure the best selection.

Order your official NTI 2013 T-shirt early and save

Order your official NTI 2013 T-shirt from the online AACN Bookstore, and plan to wear it at the opening session, Monday, May 20, in honor of AACN President Kathryn Roberts. The shirts are black with the "Dare To" artwork on the back and a small NTI logo on the front. The presale price is $15 and $3.50 shipping until April 4. Both black and white T-shirts will be available on-site at NTI for $20 each. Proceeds from all T-shirt sales benefit AACN's host chapters: Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Spanish version of anxiety tool reliable for patients on ventilator, study in AJCC says

January's American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC) includes "Reliability and Validity of Shortened State Trait Anxiety Inventory in Spanish Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation," which finds the six-item Spanish version of the state subscale from the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory shows satisfactory reliability and validity for Spanish patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.

CNE of the month: Article in AJCC finds ventilator bundle team improves compliance with sedation vacation

"Dedicated Multidisciplinary Ventilator Bundle Team and Compliance With Sedation Vacation," a continuing nursing education (CNE) article in January's American Journal of Critical Care, finds the team improved compliance and notes that in a large-volume tertiary center, a dedicated ventilator bundle rounding team might be more effective than the primary rounding team in achieving compliance with some bundle components.

High mortality rate in surgical patients who require CPR

One in 203 surgical patients requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and more than 70 percent of those patients die in 30 postoperative days or less, according to "Cardiac Arrest Among Surgical Patients: An Analysis of Incidence, Patient Characteristics, and Outcomes in ACS-NSQIP." Prevention or aggressive treatment of complications that precede cardiac arrest may help "prevent CPR and improve outcomes," concludes the study in January's JAMA Surgery.

Positive work environment for nurses reduces readmissions for some patients

"Hospital Nursing and 30-day Readmissions Among Medicare Patients With Heart Failure, Acute Myocardial Infarction, and Pneumonia" finds that care in a hospital with a "good" versus "poor" work environment lowered the odds of readmission for patients with these conditions, while adding patients to a nurse's average workload raised the odds of readmission. "Improving nurses' work environments and staffing may be effective interventions for preventing readmissions," concludes the study in January's Medical Care.

Predictors of urgent intubation in neonatal ICU

"Predictive Monitoring for Respiratory Decompensation Leading to Urgent Unplanned Intubation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit," in January's Pediatric Research, identifies "reduced oxygen saturation, especially as heart rate was falling; increased heart rate correlation with respiratory rate; and the amount of apnea" as predictors of urgent unplanned intubation.

Piperacillin and tazobactam associated with less NEC than ampicillin and gentamicin in very low birth weight infants with suspected sepsis

"Results of a Two-Center, Before and After Study of Piperacillin-Tazobactam Versus Ampicillin and Gentamicin as Empiric Therapy for Suspected Sepsis at Birth in Neonates [less than or equal to] 1500 g," published online Jan. 17 by Journal of Perinatology, finds less necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and diaper rash with piperacillin-tazobactam and that the combination wasn't associated with "adverse microbiological outcomes." However, the study design "does not allow us to conclude that others will see a reduction in NEC or diaper rash if they implement this alternative."

Telehealth bill introduced in Congress

On Dec. 31, 2012, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA, introduced a bill in Congress to help promote and expand telehealth services. The Telehealth Promotion Act of 2012 (H.R. 6719) proposes a new federal policy requiring telehealth providers to receive reimbursement for visits at the same rate as in-person visits. On Jan. 2, the bill was referred to the house subcommittee on health. Read the bill.

Access new update on norovirus

Listen to a recording of "Stopping Norovirus in Its Track – What Every Clinician Should Know," a continuing education conference the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, held Jan. 17. You can also watch a webcast, view slides and read the transcript. Noroviruses cause more than half of all reported outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the U.S., and contribute to about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths each year.

AACN Practice Alert on delirium assessment and management

Studies show that delirium in the ICU often goes undetected and therefore untreated, leading to delirium-associated costs of between $4 billion and $16 billion annually in the U.S. While no FDA-approved drugs are available to treat delirium, this AACN Practice Alert explains that implementing early assessment, prevention and detection protocols such as the described ABCDE bundle reduces risk factors. Access all AACN Practice Alerts.

Faster, easier access to AJCC and CCN websites

AACN members now can log directly onto the American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC) and Critical Care Nurse (CCN) websites using their AACN member/customer ID and password. A blue AACN LOG-IN button was added to the journal home pages to expedite the log-in process. If you've forgotten your ID or password, call (800) 899-2226.

Register for NTI's Chapter Leadership Development Workshop

Healthy work environments (HWEs) are vital to the work of AACN's chapters. Register in advance for NTI's Chapter Leadership Development Workshop (LDW), Sunday, May 19, to learn HWE leadership, strategic planning and succession planning skills. Chapters that attend receive a $435 stipend to help defray attendance costs. LDW is the only preconference with this perk. Register for LDW — class code PC130 — when you register for NTI . If you have already registered for NTI, contact Customer Care at (800) 899-2226 to add LDW to your NTI registration.

ACNPC-AG certification exam launches

Applications for the new ACNPC-AG certification exam are now being accepted. Potential candidates for the exam — which is in alignment with the requirements of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation — can apply online on the AACN Certification Corporation website. Information about ACNPC-AG certification, exam eligibility requirements, the Consensus Model and other APRN resources also can be accessed on the website.

Dare To

From January's AACN Bold Voices
"Dare to Let Go"— Kathryn Roberts, AACN President 2012-2013