Australian Nursing Journal articles from April 2002

Australian Nursing Journal archives from April 2002

Violence against nurses is unacceptable. (Editorial).
April 1, 2002... Does it surprise you that nursing is seen as a 'violent' occupation? It does me, although I don't think there is one nurse who hasn't been exposed to violence of some sort at some point in their career -- be it an irate relative; a frustrated...

Ashamed and sickened. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... Thank you Jill life for your truly wonderful editorial in the March ANJ ('Asylum seekers: Let's do the right thing', ANJ, March 2002, p.1). I agreed with every single word and hope all of us can begin to show some compassion and...

Time to examine asylum seeking more closely. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... I must admit to being caught up in the media frenzy surrounding the events of September 11, and of believing the Australian Government's responses that 'We can't let terrorists into our country' to be a reasonable and cautious approach,...

Something has to be done to protect whistleblowers. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... My partner, an EN, was working with a fellow nurse who had done a casual bank shift at a psychiatric hospital. Aware that a colleague at her regular job had been in this hospital following a breakdown, this nurse accessed the computer records....

I value agency workers, but. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... I am an RN Div 1 working in a major public hospital in an operating suite. Our staffing levels are very low and I welcome the Victorian Government's plans to discourage agency staff form working because their costs are exorbitant. I value...

Advice to whistleblowers. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... I write in relation to the article on whistleblowing ('Blowing the whistle: The costs of speaking out', ANJ, February 2002, pp. 18-20). I have also lost my job for standing up for care. The result of being an advocate for those in my care...

Don't give up hope, graduate nurses. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... In response to the letters that have appeared most recently in the ANJ ('Graduate year: far from a bed of roses', November 2001, p.4 and 'Hang in there graduate nurse', February 2002, p.3) I feel compelled to write and offer my support to all...

Study addresses epidurals and consent. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... In response to Niamh Hammer's letter (Epidurals and informed consent', ANJ, February 2002, p.4) and her belief that there is a lack of informed consent 'in so many cases'. I am currently researching this issue within the Anaesthetic...

Relating to whistleblowing. (Letters to the Editor).
April 1, 2002... I read with interest the article on whistleblowers ('Blowing the whistle: The costs of speaking out', ANJ, February 2002, pp. 18-20). I can relate to some of the problems that were mentioned in the article and it sent shivers through me...

Network.
April 1, 2002... Enjoy you retirement Leila The staff, residents and families at Glenburn Nursing Home, Vic, extend their sincere gratitude to Leila Fromholtz (pictured), who retired on 17 February. Leila's nursing career spanned 45 years, with the last 27...

One million Australian organ donors. (News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) recorded its one-millionth registration after data received from Tasmania in February was uploaded, Minister for Health and Ageing Senator Kay Patterson announced in February. "This is a wonderful...

Nurses concerned over fund rises. (News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The ANF has joined other key community and professional groups to call for an urgent review of the Federal Government's 30% private health insurance rebate in the light of recently announced insurance premium rises. According to ANF...

Oration focuses on nurse education. (News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The inaugural Vivian Buliwinkel Oration, held at Melbourne's La Trobe University on 27 February, honoured the life and work of the famous Australian nurse who died last year. The oration, a joint initiative of La Trobe University and Royal...

Bulk billing rates continue to decline. (News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Bulk billing rates in Australia continue to fall, figures released by the Health Insurance Commission in March confirm. In the December quarter 2001, the GP bulk billing rate dropped 0.9% over the previous quarter -- which recorded an equal...

Many privately insured choose not to use it. (News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... More than half of the patients with private health insurance admitted to Victoria's public hospitals chose not to use their insurance, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Victorian Government. The survey of 1779 patients...

Dial 106 for emergency relay service. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The 106 Emergency Relay Service is a new feature offered by the National Relay Service and provides a toll free number for people who have hearing or speech problems. By dialling 106, indviduals can contact a relay officer who will contact the...

Review examines indigenous tobacco use. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Tobacco use is a major cause of premature mortality and morbidity among indigenous people in Australia, according to a new literature study on the subject. Indigenous Australians and tobacco: A literature review provides an audit and assesses...

Glutaraldehyde volunteers wanted. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Do you work with glutaraldehyde? A Victorian researcher is looking for volunteers who work or have worked with glutaraldehyde in the health care setting to take part in a study looking at how the chemical affects human information processing....

Online licence renewal a first for Queensland nurses. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... The Queensland Nursing Council will soon offer an annual licence renewal service via its web site. The move will allow nurses who are licensed in Queensland to access the register to renew their licence at any time, day or night. Visit:...

Nurses lose faith after EBA delays. (News).(enterprise bargaining agreements)
April 1, 2002... Delays in implementing aspects of successive WA enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) have caused nurses to lose faith in the State's hospital management, according the WA Health Department. Department executive Christine O'Farrell said...

Nurses: Worth Looking After. (News).
April 1, 2002... Queensland Nurse Union (QNU, ANF Qld) members began a major campaign in March to fix the crisis in the State's health and aged care systems. The year-long Nurses: Worth looking after campaign aims to rebuild Queensland's nursing workforce...

Postgraduate allowance decision outrages Tasmanian nurses. (News).
April 1, 2002... The Tasmanian Government's decision to deny public sector nurses postgraduate allowances agreed under the Tasmanian nurses enterprise bargaining agreement will only serve to exacerbate the State's health care crisis, according to the ANF Tas...

NENA conference time. (Briefs).(National Enrolled Nurse Association Conference)
April 1, 2002... The Victorian Enrolled Nurse Special Interest Group is hosting the fifth National Enrolled Nurse Association (NENA) Conference on 28-30 April in Melbourne. For details contact Noelene Birnie, ph: (03) 5772 1468.

Prisons and mental illness. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Can Western nations' prison systems cope with an estimated one in seven inmates with serious mental illness? Researchers in the UK reviewed more than 30 years of studies from Western countries and found high rates of psychosis, major depression...

Celebrating women's suffrage. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... The National Labor Women's Conference in Canberra on 26-28 April will celebrate a century of women's suffrage and 40 years of Aboriginal women's suffrage. Speakers will include Fru Maj Britt Theorin, Chair of the European Union Committee on...

Initiative targets needle stick injury. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Melbourne's Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre (ARMC) aims to eliminate all needle-stick injuries to staff by introducing new intravenous equipment. The ARMC will use about 500,000 fewer needles a year because needleless syringes will be...

New push to recruit nurses and limit agency nurse use. (News).
April 1, 2002... The Victorian Government went ahead with its decision to curb the use of agency nurses in the State's public hospitals at the beginning of March. The move is part of an attempt to cut the State's estimated $1 million-a-week agency bill and...

Top up your super savings with salary sacrifice. (News).
April 1, 2002... The majority of Australians will need to top up their super savings in order to ensure a financially comfortable retirement. Recent research findings by CPA Australia, has found most Australians need to increase their retirement savings if...

No lift no injury goes from strength to strength. (News).
April 1, 2002... The ANF SA Branch has recently won the contract to become the preferred provider of manual handling education in the State's public health system. The move follows the first evaluation of the Branch's No lift, no injury program which...

Nurses welcome new mental health facility. (News).(Kempsey Hospital)
April 1, 2002... The NSW Nurses Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW) has welcomed a decision by the NSW Government to build a 10-bed in-patient mental health facility and a new community mental health centre at Kempsey Hospital. With the addition of increased...

Nurses bear the brunt of emergency delays. (News).
April 1, 2002... Emergency services at The Canberra Hospital (TCH) are stretched to the limit and nurses are bearing the brunt of the problem, ANF ACT Branch Secretary Colleen Duff said in March. Ms Duff said about 15 patients a day had to wait in TCH's...

Safety in action. (News).
April 1, 2002... An analysis of the preliminary data from 65 aged care residencies who took part in the Victorian Nurses Back Injury Prevention Project will be one of the highlights of a major workplace safety event to be held in Melbourne on 1618 April. ...

Tackling indigenous respiratory disease. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Community health and general practice nurses have a large role to play in reducing the high incidence of influenza in indigenous communities, according to the Commonwealth Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Health. The...

Chronic illness: Do you have a story to tell? (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Emma Corcoran is writing a book based on a collection of personal reflections from people who are living with a long-term illness, or those who have personal or professional involvement with someone who has an illness. Emma is looking for...

Every minute counts. (Briefs).(National Heart Foundation Heart Week)
April 1, 2002... The National Heart Foundation's (NHF's) Heart Week will be celebrated from 28 April to 4 May. This year's theme is 'When it's a Heart Attack, Every Minute Counts'. The public message is: recognise chest pain; tell someone; dial '000'; get to...

Council endorses NHMRC violence manual process. (Briefs).(National Health and Medical Research Council)
April 1, 2002... The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council has endorsed the consultation process for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Manual When it's right in front of you: Assisting health care workers in rural...

Why replicate nurses' roles? (Federal Professional News).
April 1, 2002... The ANF has received considerable feedback from members on the development of a training package in the vocational education and training sector for anaesthetic technicians. As part of the same project, training packages are also being...

Replacing the leech. (World Briefs).
April 1, 2002... University of Wisconsin researchers are working on a mechanical alternative to medicinal leeches used by nurses to relieve venous congestion after reconstructive surgical procedures. The device has a small bell-shaped glass vacuum chamber with...

Nurses demand 450% increase. (World Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Kenyan nurses demanded a 450% salary and allowance increase at the end of February after the Government left them out of a deal to double the salaries of doctors and dentists working in Kenya's public hospitals. The Government should be...

Emergency nurses vote for industrial action. (World Briefs).
April 1, 2002... An Irish Nurses Organisation's ballot of its emergency department members in February showed 93% were in favour of a campaign of industrial action to protest at the overcrowding and excessive workloads experienced by emergency nurses. At the...

Gender insensitivity sparks protests. (World Briefs).
April 1, 2002... South African police dispersed nearly 300 demonstrating Mpumalanga nursing students in early February after protests against the admission of female only first year students at the Mpumalanga Nursing College became heated. Angry students at...

Modern matrons mean fewer patients complain. (World News).
April 1, 2002... Introducing modern matrons at a UK hospital group has helped almost halve the number of written complaints, a conference on the future development of nursing heard in February. Lesley Doherty, director of nursing at Burnley Healthcare...

Nurses sue over disinfectant exposure. (World News).
April 1, 2002... Two UK nurses are suing a Cambridge hospital for [pounds sterling]100,000 (approximately $260,000) after allegedly being exposed to toxic chemicals in an operating theatre. Jean Passfield and Valerie Whitehouse claim they suffered...

ICN hails UN ban on child soldiers. (World News).(International Council of Nurses)
April 1, 2002... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has welcomed a UN treaty banning the use of child soldiers. The treaty, known as The optimal protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the involvement of children in armed conflict,...

Time to look after the nurses. (This Working Life).
April 1, 2002... After 35-years in nursing, the last 20 of which were spent in South Australia's aged care sector, RN Judy Duggan has had a sea change. Last year, she began a brand new career as an organiser at the ANF SA Branch. In this article Judy tells...

Take HAART: Medication adherence in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. (Clinical Update).
April 1, 2002... Introduction At the end of June 2001, the cumulative number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in Australia was estimated at 21,333, with approximately 15,315 people currently living with HIV infection. (1) Assuming that...

Violence: It's not part of the job. (Feature).
April 1, 2002... Violence has long been considered part of the job for nurses. For many, being physically and verbally abused by patients, their relatives or frustrated members of the community has been accepted as just another occupational health hazard - a...

A different kind of postgraduate education. (Postgraduate Education).
April 1, 2002... Negotiating wet and muddy dirt tracks is an occupational hazard for anyone travelling regularly in remote areas of Australia. So, when a palliative care outreach service in NSW expanded recently to include a number of inaccessible remote...

Course will prepare specialist cancer nurses. (Postgraduate Education).
April 1, 2002... Felicity Osmond The University of Melbourne's School of Postgraduate Nursing is adding a cancer nursing stream to its already well-established Postgraduate Diploma of Advanced Clinical Nursing (PDACN) program. The World Health...

E-health of nurses. (Postgraduate Education).
April 1, 2002... Nurses and other health professionals are using information technology and telecommunications to transform practice and improve health care. By upskilling they are benefiting from the emerging e-health environment and developments which...

Grant benefits mental health nursing. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... The University of Western Sydney (UWS) has won a $1 million grant from NSW Health to boost mental health nursing in Sydney's west. According to UWS School of Nursing's Dr Louise O'Brien, the grant will not only allow for increased support to...

ENs start upgrade course. (Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Eleven ENs attended an introductory day at the University of Wollongong's Bega Access Centre at the end of 2001 as part of their Conversion/Refresher Course (EN certificate IV). At the study day, the ENs, part of a group 25 who will undertake...

New head at newcastle. (Briefs).(Kathleen Fahy appointed Professor of Midwifery and Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Newcastle University)
April 1, 2002... University of Southern Queensland (USQ Master of midwifery course coordinator Dr Kathleen Fahy has taken up a new senior position at Newcastle University as Professor of Midwifery and Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr Fahy was the...

Nurse practitioners: Coming soon to SA. (Postgraduate Education).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... After nearly eight years of discussion and planning, nurse practitioners will soon be a reality in South Australia. Nurses Board of South Australia (NBSA) Project Officer Allison Willis said the Board had already protected the title, nurse...

Scholarship recognises rural and remote nurses' role in breast cancer care. (Postgraduate Education).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... A new national initiative aimed at rural and remote nurses who provide care to women with breast cancer, was unveiled at the fourth National Breast Care Nurses Conference in Adelaide in February. The scholarships are offered by the National...

Supervision comes of age. (Postgraduate Education).
April 1, 2002... Professional counsellors and psychologists have long been expected to participate in supervision, yet those who do have become increasingly aware of the struggle supervision presents to the helping professions at both a conceptual and practical...

Lessons learned from overseas experience. (Postgraduate Education).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The University of South Australia Whyalla Campus School of Nursing recently sent two graduate students to the Philippines for a 12-week academic experience. Although the visit was prematurely shortened because one of the students was not...

The dignity of risk. (Nursing Issues).
April 1, 2002... Rhonda Nay, professor of gerontic nursing at La Trobe University and Bundoora extended care centre, argues that removing the right to take risks removes autonomy and control from older people and does them a serious injustice. Hans Selye...

Our younger nurses deserve better than that. (Federal President's Report).
April 1, 2002... People occasionally have experiences in the health system that are less than optimal. I personally have had such an experience as I am sure a lot of us have. But countless numbers of people leave hospital every day feeling well cared for,...