Study Suggests Link Between Lengthy Nurse Shifts and Patient Deaths

Last week, Madhu Rajaraman of Southern Maryland Online reported that a recent study conducted at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has found that long work hours was one of the strongest contributors to patient deaths. This study was conducted in 71 federal hospitals and recently published in January/February edition of Nursing Research.

This research is similar to a study previously led by INQRI alumni, Dr. Susan Letvak & Dr. Christopher Ruhm, which looked into the effects of nurse presenteeism [working despite illness] on quality of care and patient safety.

Read more about Dr. Letvak & Dr. Ruhm's study here.

Click here to read the news article.

Tucson Lawmaker Spearheads Legislation Requiring Continuing Education For Nurses

Yesterday, Jorge Salazar of the Tuscon Sentinel reported that Rep. Matt Heinz has introduced legislation, HB 2091, that would mandate 20 hours of instruction each year for nurses to keep their licenses. Rep. Heinz's legislation follows the sixth recommendation made by the IOM's Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" which suggested that nurses engage in lifelong learning.

Click here to read the news article.

Click here to read HB 2091.

Click here to read all other posts related to The Future of Nursing report.

Nurse Practitioners In Rural Mississippi Seek Autonomy

Today, Robert Lee Long of the Desoto Times Tribune detailed how nurse practitioners in Desoto County are behind a bill that would end mandatory collaboration with physicians. The nurses argue that with the local towns and counties being classified as rural undercoverage areas, the highly-skilled nurses should be able to treat these patients without having to sign an agreement with a physician. The support of this bill coincides with recommendations released in the IOM's Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."

Click here to read the news article

Click here to read all previous blogposts discussing the Future of Nursing Report.

INQRI Grantee Appointed to Methodology Committee of PCORI

We are pleased to share with all of you the appointment of Robin Newhouse PhD, RN, of the University of Maryland, to the Methodology Committee of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), stated the committees responsibilities include, "... helping PCORI develop and update methodological standards and guidance for comparative clinical effectiveness research."

Dr. Newhouse has continued to have a strong relationship with the INQRI program over the past five years as she is an alumnus of our second cohort and has recently began a new research study in our most current cohort.

Click here to read the full press release from the GAO.

Read more about Dr. Newhouse's prior INQRI project here.

Read more about Dr. Newhouse's current INQRI project here.

Empowering Nurses to Implement Technology

Yesterday, Sandra Ng of advanceweb.com discussed how nurses are critical players in the success and meaningful use of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). Ms. Ng asserts that nurses should be involved with both the planning and implementation stages of EMR utilization as it will make the system tailored to the needs of frontline workers; many of whom we will be responsible for inputting data.

Click here to read Ms. Ng's fascinating blogpost

RWJF Funding Opportunity Available for Research, Career Development for Junior Nurse Faculty Members

We are pleased to share with all of you an exciting funding opportunity from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. On Thursday, RWJF's Nurse Faculty Scholars issued a call for proposals that seeks talented junior nurse faculty who are committed to teaching excellence and are interested in taking their research to the next level. This will be the NSF's fourth cohort as they continue to cultivate the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing.

Click here to read the NFS's press release.

Click here to find out more information about RWJF's Nurse Faculty Scholars program.

NCSBN Board of Directors Endorses Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing Report

Last week, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Board of Directors announced they had endorsed the Institute of Medicine’s Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" at their December 2010 meeting. The Board of Directors agreed with the report's reccomendations for the removal of limits that may hinder a nurses' scope of practice as well as emphasizing the importance of training Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to combat the current and looming shortfall in primary care providers.

The NCSBN is a not-for-profit organization whose members include the boards of nursing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories.

Click here to read the full press release.

Nurse practitioners' role expanding in Pennsylvania

As 2011 begins to kick into full gear, we have seen local, state and national organizations embracing some of the recommendations made by the Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.

On Wednesday, Bill Toland of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Highmark Inc, a health insurer, will recognize nurse practitioners as primary care providers; a designation that previously applied only to physicians. Highmark Inc. wants to better utilize nurse practitioners, a move the Pittsburgh insurer hopes will offset the shortage of doctors and lead to more health access for patients.

Click here to read the news article.

Infusion Nurses Keep Patients Safer, Help Reduce Healthcare Costs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made reducing hospital-acquired infections a priority by refusing to reimburse hospitals for the treatment of such infections. Nurses who specialize in infusion therapy are the individuals who provide the proper dose of medication and keep patients safe from catheter-related bloodstream infections. As they have been recognized for the past three decades, on Tuesday, January 25th, infusion nurses will be honored for their accomplishments on 'National IV Nurse Day'.

Click here to read the article.

Click here to read a similar study conducted by an INQRI grantee alumnus.

Nurses' Long Work Hours, Scheduling Can Increase Patient Mortality

A new study led by Alison Trinkoff, ScD, MPH, RN, FAAN at the University of Maryland has found that patient deaths from pneumonia and acute myocardial infarction were significantly more likely in hospitals where nurses reported schedules with long work hours. This study has shifted the focus from how long hour’s effect nurses to how it affects patient outcomes.

Click here to read more about this study.

This study is similar to an INQRI study led by Susan Letvak, R.N., Ph.D., which investigated the effect of nurse presenteeism on the quality of patient care.

Click here to read more about Dr. Letvak's study.

Five Ways Social Media Can Help Nurses

In a recent article posted on the Nursing Link website, Crystal Akins discusses how social media can have a positive impact on nurses’ lives, both professionally and personally. The INQRI program has embraced social media over the past year, utilizing twitter and updating our blog daily in an effort to reach a broader audience. The use of social media has allowed the INQRI program, other nursing organizations and individuals to share information, forge relationships and stay up to date on all things nursing.

Click here to read article.

Click here to access some of INQRI's recent blogposts.

The blog will not be updated on Monday as we will be observing the Martin Luther King Jr., day of service. Check back on Tuesday for more updates on nursing around the country.

Better BP Control With Nurse-Led Interventions

Today, the Irish Medical Times details a study that finds nurse-led interventions achieve better blood pressure control in patients with diabetes than usual care. The study, which is published in the British Medical Journal, finds that nurse-led intervention are less expensive and could possibly reduce costs in the long-run.

Click here to read the news article.

Click here to access the journal article, free of charge.

Click here to read more about nurse-led interventions led by INQRI grantees.

Bringing PAs and NPs On Board

Yesterday, Victoria Stagg Elliott of American Medical News gave some helpful tips for employers considering hiring Physician Assistants or Nurse Practioners. Ms. Elliott detailed how employers must be aware of state laws regarding the utilization of NPs as well as how to utilizing NPs and PAs to their full extent of training will benefit all parties involved, including the patient. This article continues the theme of our blog from yesterday which discussed the legislative priorities for the Florida Nurses Association.

Click here to read the news article.

Click here to read yesterday's blogpost discussing how nurses in Florida are attempting to expand their influence in 2011.

2011 Brings to Forefront Florida Nursing’s Legislative Issues

Continuing on the theme from yesterday's post, yet another nursing organization has released their legislative priorities for the coming year. Karin Lillis, of nurse.com, described how the Florida Nurses Association has set three legislative priorities: establishing safe staffing levels, helping fund the Florida Center for Nursing and allowing ARNPs to prescribe controlled substances.

Two of these priorities can also be found in the recommendations made by the Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.

Click here to read more about the Florida Nurses Association's legislative priorities for 2011.

Click here to read a blogpost from early December describing how expanding ARNPs scope of practice can save Florida $1 billion.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Announces Legislative Priorities for 2011

Last week the AORN announced their legislative priorities for 2011. Included in these priorities was further expanding the scope of practice on RNs by necessitating a circulating role throughout every surgical procedure conducted in an operating room.

The AORN's legislative priorities expanded upon the reccomendations made by the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" and even cite the report itself in their press release.

Click here to read the press release.

Click here to find out more information about the Institute on the Future of Nursing.

Click here to find out more information about the AORN.

Closing The Gender Gap: Male Nurses On the Rise

On Wednesday, Kristi Runyon of local ABC affiliate, WBTV, discussed how the number of males entering nursing programs is on the rise. In line with recommendations made by the Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health", Ms. Runyon discusses how attracting men to obtain their Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) will not only benefit the nursing field, but encouraging them to pursue advanced degrees will help fill the pending gap in nursing faculty, instructors and leadership roles.

Click here to read the article

Click here to find out more about the Initiative on the Future of Nursing.

Video: Standardizing and Collecting Nursing Data

Yesterday, blip.tv posted a fascinating interview with Peggy White, Program Manager of Canadian Health Outcomes for Better Information and Care, discussing the importance of collecting standardized nursing data for patient care. INQRI benefits from the utilization of improved nursing data which allows for greater scrutiny of nurse practices, and in turn, improved patient outcomes.

Click here to watch the video

INQRI Grantees' Work Preventing Pressure Ulcers Recognized Nationwide

The INQRI program is proud to present news coverage detailing the superb work of one of our grantee teams. An interdisciplinary team led by Tracey Yap, Ph.D., a nurse researcher and Jay Kim, Ph.D., an engineer, at the University of Cincinnati has developed a sustainable, system-wide program for pressure ulcer prevention that enhances mobility of long-term care residents. This program entails playing music over a loudspeaker every two hours with the music prompting caregivers to stop when the music starts and make sure residents are repositioned.

Click here to access the Cincinnati Enquirer article

Click here to access the Courier-Journal article.

Click here to access the local CBS affiliate, WKRC, report.

Click here to view the Miami Herald's piece.

Click here to access more information about this and other INQRI teams' research.

Nurse Leadership Helps Treatment of Patients With Multiple Conditions

Last week, nurse.com featured an article discussing how team care led by nurses appears to improve patient outcomes in cases of multiple chronic conditions. The news report echoes reccomendations made by the Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."

Click here to access the news article.

Click here to read a similar blogpost describing how nurse led teams improved outcomes for high-risk patients with diabetes.

Nurse-Patient Communication Can Help Hospitals Raise Crucial Scores

Nurse.com, featured an interesting article detailing how excellent communication between a patient and nurse can support a hospital's ability to achieve optimal scores in quality care mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

Click here to read the article.

Click here to read the Initiative on the Future of Nursing committee's report: "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health," which details other ways nursing can improve quality and efficiency in clinical settings.