New York Times Op-Ed: The Power of Nursing

Yesterday, the New York Times featured an Op-Ed by David Bornstein discussing a groundbreaking imitative, the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). Mr. Bornstein, known for his coverage of social innovations, outlined how the NFP arranges for registered nurses to make regular home visits to first-time low-income or vulnerable mothers. This program has resulted in improved health for mothers and their children, while also contributing to greater society by preventing child abuse and costly hospital admissions from infants.

Click here to read more about Mr. Bornstein's coverage of the NFP program.

New York Times: More Men Trading Overalls for Nursing Scrubs

Last week, Tess Vigeland, reporting for the New York Times, detailed the transition many men [and women] are making into the nursing workforce from other sectors of the economy. Interestingly enough, Ms. Vigeland discussed issues plaguing the nursing workforce, such as the lack of doctorally prepared nurse faculty to meet the rising demand of nursing education.

Click here to read Ms. Vigeland's article.

Click here to read other blogposts regarding the nursing education.

Meet Ezekiel Emanuel, Keynote Speaker at INQRI's Upcoming National Meeting

For those of you interested in learning more about the keynote speaker for INQRI's upcoming national conference, we have provided you with a short bio, in addition to some links to Dr. Emanuel's recent articles.

If you have not registered for our national conference, there is still time! Click here to find our further information and register for our upcoming national conference on April 26-27, 2012.

Ezekiel J. Emanuel is Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. From January 2009 to January 2011, he served as special advisor for health policy to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Since 1997 he was chair of the Department of Bioethics at The Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health and a breast oncologist. Dr. Emanuel received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in political philosophy from Harvard University. After completing his internship and residency in internal medicine at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and his oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he joined the faculty at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He has since been a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UCLA, the Brin Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the Kovitz Professor at Stanford Medical School and visiting professor at New York University Law School.

Dr. Emanuel has written and edited 9 books and over 200 scientific articles. He is currently a columnist for the New York Times.

Dr. Emanuel’s Recent Articles:

• “An Unsung Victory in Healthcare” – Reuters, March 6, 2012
• “Healthy Labels, Not Stealthy Labels” – New York Times, March 5, 2012
• Q&A With Dr. Emanuel – Penn Current, February 16, 2012

A Shift From Nursing Homes to Managed Care at Home

Last week, Joseph Berger, reporting for the New York Times, discussed how providers are moving from the traditional nursing home model of care to managed care at home. This new model of care has not only been proven cost effective, but also allows for able-bodied elderly individuals to live independently. Mr. Berger's article highlights the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly(PACE), which provides almost all the services a nursing home would but in an 'day care' setting. This program, in addition to similar home health services, receives bundled payments for each patient they treat rather than relying on the traditional fee-for-service reimbursement model. PACE and similar home-care programs are being heralded as the future model of health care for the aging baby boomer generation.

Click here to read the full article.

Non-Profit Nursing Home Staff Happier Than Their For-Profit Counterparts

Last week, Paula Span, of the New York Times, detailed the findings of a recently published study that found nursing home ownership status was significantly related to job satisfaction. The study, published in the September 2011 issue of The Gerontologist, was conducted by a research team that included INQRI grantee, Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN, as well as INQRI NAC member, Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN. While this study may not have been published in 2012, Ms. Span's discussion of the study's findings in last week's New York Times demonstrates that this issue will be of great importance as the baby boomer generation continues to age and more adult children are faced with the task of finding the best care facilities for their loved ones.

Click here to read Ms. Span's article.

Click here to read the study as published in The Gerontologist (subscription required).

Hospital Delirium, Another Hospital Hazard for the Elderly

Yesterday, Susan Seliger wrote about her personal and family's experience with hospital delirium. Hospital delirium, a brain dysfunction characterized by sudden confusion and inattention, is not very well known yet very common in elderly patients who are admitted to a hospital. Each year 20% of all elderly patients in hospitals develop delirium and this serious illness is still not being identified or treated as effectively as it can be. The article, which appeared in the New York Times' New Old Age blog section, is not only related to the work of INQRI grantee, Dr. Michele Balas, but also included a quote from her regarding this serious topic.

Click here to read the full article.

Remembering Joyce Clifford

A little over a week ago, Joyce C. Clifford, PhD, RN, FAAN, a respected nurse researcher and colleague of many INQRI grantees, passed away at age 76. Dr. Clifford advocated a partnership of equals between doctors and nurses in the treatment of patients, and introduced the "primary nursing" model in 1975 at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston.

Yesterday, Paul Vitello, of the New York Times, wrote a fascinating piece detailing the accomplishments Dr. Clifford achieved throughout her respected career.

Click here to read the story.