Briefs

Connecticut Nursing News, Jun-Aug 2006

RWJ Foundation Announces New Monthly Electronic Newsletter

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced the publication of a new monthly electronic newsletter to update nurses, health care leaders, design professionals and others about the Foundation's efforts to revitalize the nursing profession and transform hospital care for the 21st century. The newsletter will highlight the work of the Foundation, its grantees and partners to transform the hospital work environment by improving work processes, physical design and organizational culture. As part of its mission to improve health and health care for all Americans, the Foundation is committed to making hospitals better and safer places for nurses and patients. Tb subscribe to this electronic newsletter, visit http://rwjf.org/globaVsignin.jsp and sign up for Nursing Content Alerts. AiVA Nursing Insider

New Pennsylvania Hospital Patient Care Tower Designed to Improve Nurses' Work Environment and Patient Care

It was reported in Health Facilities Management that officials at York Hospital in Pennsylvania say the facility's new patient care tower creates an efficient work environment designed to improve patient care. To determine the best layout and care method for the new space, nurses and architects studied how nursing units have evolved through time, consulted health experts and visited other facilities. As a result of the research, the new $111.1 million, seven-story tower groups large, private patient rooms into pods of six, with a decentralized nursing station for each pod to decrease the distance nurses must walk to and from patient rooms. Each patient room has a caregiver zone with a sink and supply area for nurses and a family zone with a sleeper sofa and a reclining lounge chair for overnight guests. Patient bathrooms are positioned close to hospital beds to reduce falls and have "European-style showers" to help nurses safely bathe patients. The pod layout means that a number of new patient rooms have corner windows, offering patients more natural light and views. AOne E-News

New Magazine Strives to Attract Men to Nursing

A new national magazine hopes to attract men to nursing. Men in Nursing is a peer-reviewed, bimonthly publication that addresses health-related topics that affect male nurses, including clinical care and personal issues such as overcoming the stereotypes associated with being a male nurse. Modern Healthcare reported that of the estimated 2.9 million nurses nationwide, only 5.7 percent are men. AOne E-News

Gaps In Recommended Care Vary Little By Population

Virtually every person in the United States is at risk of failing to receive needed care regardless of race, gender, income or insurance status, according to a recent RAND Corporation study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. '!Tie study, the third installment of the largest and most comprehensive examination ever conducted of health care quality in the United States, finds that while some disparities in care exist they are small relative to the gap between what everyone needs and what they are receiving. This shows that people in all socio-demographic groups experience deficits in receiving needed care, but the relative performance varies by the aspect of care examined. AHRQ News

Nurses Rate First, Surgeons Last in Operating Room Safety

A study based on a survey measuring attitudes toward the work environment in the operating room (OR) reveals that surgeons exhibit the lowest level of teamwork and nurses the highest.

The survey, called the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), was adapted from an airline industry questionnaire and applied to the health care environment. The SAQ, developed by a Johns Hopkins-led team, contains 65 questions in six areas relating to safety, including teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of management, stress recognition and working conditions. Results were in the May issues of the Annals of Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Only 65 percent of OR personnel thought surgeons exhibited a high or very high level of teamwork. In contrast, 83.5 percent of those surveyed believed general surgical nurses exhibit a high or very high level of teamwork and 85 percent rated certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) as showing a high or very high level of teamwork. Anesthesiologist rated third at 79 percent. Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

The Connecticut Nurses' Association now offers two levels of membership - full membership which includes membership in the American Nurses Association (ANA), CNA and also representation at the International Council of Nurses (through ANA) and the new membership level, state-only. Please find the application on page 26. Contact the Association at 203-238-1207 or info@ctnurses.org for additional information

ADVANTAGES OF BELONGING

* Time savings, protection of your interests, and professional peace of mind including analysis of hundreds of legislative proposals and expert policy input in government forums to guard your rights, compensation, and full scope of practice; organized influence and affiliations focused on creating the future nurses want and the public needs