Antibiotic stewardship for staff nurses: Five Key Ways you Influence Antibiotic Use

Over the past decade, antibiotic resistance has increased and spread dramatically throughout the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic use is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance. The CDC estimates that every year, 2 million Americans develop serious infections involving bacteria that resist one or more antibiotics, and these infections kill at least 23,000 each year. Antibiotic prescribing in U.S. acute-care hospitals is common— and often unwarranted. A 2014 study found that up to half of hospitalized patients received at least one antibiotic and in 30% to 50% of these cases, antibiotics were unnecessary or inappropriate. Such antibiotic misuse contributes to the emergence and spread of antibioticresistant organisms, such as methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. (See Unheeded warnings.) If you’re a staff nurse, you’ve probably witnessed firsthand the consequences of inappropriate antibiotic use, ranging from development of Clostridium difficile (a well-recognized cause of healthcare- associated infectious diarrhea) to fatal infections with multidrugresistant pathogens against which no effective antibiotic therapy exists. What’s more, antibiotic-resistant infections add considerably to medical costs, with estimates as high as $35 billion a year

Column: Developing Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Linchpins through Interprofessional Education

Every organization needs linchpins…artists, with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done. - Seth Godin, Linchpin, Are You Indispensable? Seth Godin pens provocative books with witty titles such as Unleashing the Ideavirus1 and Tribes.2 His most recent book, Linchpin, Are You Indispensable?3 is about the art of connection, the art of being human and the art of making a huge difference. Health care clinicians, faculty and students are well advised to read his work as they strive to master the art of meaningful interprofessional connections, so that together, they can make huge strides to improve health care quality and patient safety

Risky business: Moral arguments againts the Nuclear Waste Policy Act Amendments of 1987 Can consent be engineered?

Risky Business: Moral Arguments Against the Nuclear Waste Policy Act Amendments of 1987, Can Consent Be Engineered? asks the moral and ethical questions of assigning risk. In a democracy a fundamental principle for imposing risk is obtaining the consent of the governed. In the case of a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Congress has ignored this basic principle. An unwilling population in a politically weak state has been forced to bear the burden from highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power reactors operating in the majority of states. The State of Nevada does not reap the benefits from nuclear power generation and does not operate a nuclear reactor. Should a single state bear the current and future impacts and costs from such an unwanted risk? Is there a democratic solution to nuclear waste management

Doctor of nursing practice students advocating for health care access, quality, and reform: from the virtual classroom to capitol hill.

The potential for doctor of nursing practice students to inform and influence the national health care reform movement inspired faculty teaching an online Health and Social Policy course to create an assignment combining comparative effectiveness research with a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional representatives. Preparing for and participating in such an assignment can present challenges for online doctoral students already busy with family and professional responsibilities. However, from both faculty and student perspectives, the lasting value and professional growth are immeasurable. Course details and the theoretical concepts of experiential education are presented, as well as trip logistics and evaluation

Interprofessional Education and Practice Implications of the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing Report

The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on October 5, 2010, is the latest in a series of reports that have had a significant impact on creating positive change to improve health care in the United States. The report provides a vision of a future health care system that would make high-quality care accessible to all, promote wellness and disease prevention, reliably improve health outcomes, and provide compassionate care throughout a person’s lifespan. This report, in concert with the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, must act as a catalyst for all health professions to find significant opportunities for collaboration and the impetus to play to each of our strengths to advance quality health care for all citizens

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Global to Local Implications

Infectious disease remains among the leading causes of death worldwide. With easy mobility and air travel, pathogens can move quickly and silently to any place around the globe in a matter of days. The recent Ebola crises in West Africa clearly demonstrated the increased risk of emerging infections in our highly connected world. Legal nurse consultants are well-positioned to provide guidance on deciphering public health laws relevant to responding to infectious disease threats

Letter from Mary Weeks Manning, Brooklyn, New York, to Anne Whitney, 1863 August 8

https://repository.wellesley.edu/whitney_correspondence/2748/thumbnail.jp