Australian Nursing Journal articles from March 2008

Australian Nursing Journal archives from March 2008

Editorial.(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... Wednesday 13 February 2008 will be a day I will remember for two important reasons. The first is because it is the day the Australian Government said 'sorry' to Indigenous Australians who were members of the 'stolen generations'. It was an...

More emphasis needed on pharmacology.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... I am an undergraduate nurse educator at a public hospital in Melbourne and I read with interest the article on medications and nursing students in the February ANJ. I experience first hand many of the dilemmas discussed in this article. In...

Student dilemma in aged care.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... As an RN working in aged care for over 10 years I would like to address the comment on page 13 in the February ANJ (2008) that "Not only do some students have poor experience on clinical placement in aged care, but often we cannot send them to...

More research needed in nursing ethics.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... As a novice nurse researcher in ethics, I would just like to comment on the article by professor Megan-Jane Johnstone in last month's ANJ. Professor Johnstone is much admired and well respected in this field and I applaud her bringing to the...

Network.
March 1, 2008... Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Trainees: PTS 141 reunion 22 & 23 March 2008. For further information please contact A Russell Ph: (03) 9432 2924. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Group 906 reunion 4 April 2008. Please come and join...

Apology must lead to concrete gains in Indigenous health.(NATIONAL)
March 1, 2008... The Australian Nursing Federation welcomed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to Indigenous Australia's 'stolen generations' at last month's first sitting of Federal Parliament. The ANF said the apology paved the way for a new spirit of...

"I can now walk with hope in my own country".(news)(Kevin Rudd apologizes for mistreatment of aborginal Australians)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From the moment the Prime Minister started talking, tears began to flow, silently tracing facial lines etched by a thousand stories. On 13 February, Kevin Rudd's 'sorry'--so simple and so powerful, acknowledged...

Practice nurse barriers to prevention.(NATIONAL)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... Fear of litigation, inadequate infrastructure and GP attitudes are barriers to the extension of the practice nurse role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) management, a study published in last month's Australian Health Review has found. A...

Nurse-led medication titration reduces death.(NATIONAL)
March 1, 2008... Heart failure programs that use nurse-led medication titration achieve a 25% reduction in hospital admissions and mortality rates than programs where nurses do not lead. The results from stage one of the BENCH (Benchmarking Heart Failure...

Nurse practitioners disadvantaged.(NATIONAL)
March 1, 2008... The first national study into nurse practitioners shows two thirds are extremely limited in their role due to disharmony between state and federal laws. One third of emergency department nurse practitioners, the largest group of NPs, are...

ANF announces new leadership team.(NEWS)(appointment of Gerardine Kearney at Australian Nursing Journal )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ANF Federal Executive has appointed the current Assistant Federal Secretary, Gerardine (Ged) Kearney to take over as Federal Secretary of the ANF from 1 April 2008. Ged is well known to ANF, NSWNA and QNU...

Jill Iliffe to leave the ANF.(NEWS)(Australian Nursing Journal)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jill Iliffe recently announced her resignation as Federal Secretary of the ANF effective from I April 2008, after nine years in the job. "I am sad to be leaving the ANF", Jill said. "I have loved the job and...

ANF online education goes live.(NEWS)(Australian Nursing Journal)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... National continuing professional education tutorials have gone live on the ANF website. The self-directed learning courses aim to provide nurses and midwives with best practice guidance on specific health topics which can then be applied...

Funding squeeze.(NATIONAL)(Report)
March 1, 2008... The failure of the former Howard Government to contribute to its share of health funding leaving the states and territories to pick up the tab has been confirmed by two recent reports. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's...

Poor pap smear uptake.(NATIONAL)
March 1, 2008... The latest report into general practice activity shows very little uptake of cervical smear and preventative checks by practice nurses. The BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health) annual report includes data recorded by GPs on...

Nurses recognised in 2008 Australia Day Honours.(NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia: MARGARET RUTH CARNEGIE-SMITH (nee ELDRIDGE), Katherine, NT. Service to nursing, particularly through the delivery of health care services in rural and remote areas of the...

Surgery waits continue despite cash boost.(STATE AND TERRITORY: QLD)(Statistical data)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A report on the performance of Queensland's hospitals shows long waits for elective surgery continue, record public hospital admissions and longer inpatient stays. Despite an $8.5 billion cash injection for...

First Masters of Nursing Science.(STATE AND TERRITORY: VIC)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A course which allows graduate students to enter the nursing profession and jointly complete their Masters' degree is being offered for the first time in Victoria. The University of Melbourne's Master of Nursing Science is a two-year...

Midwifery one to one study.(STATE AND TERRITORY: VIC)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first Australian randomised controlled trial of whether one to one midwifery care reduces interventions during childbirth is being carried out at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne. The 'COmparing...

ANF seeks involvement in new hospital plan.(STATE AND TERRITORY: SA)(Australian Nursing Federation )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The ANF South Australian Branch is seeking involvement in the development of the new Adelaide based Marjory-Jackson Hospital. Following a meeting with senior officials from the Department of Health (Doll), SA ANF education, services and...

Bed cuts to hurt patients.(STATE AND TERRITORY: NSW)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A plan to cut 86 beds in 14 hospitals across the north coast of the state is a cost-cutting exercise says the NSWNA (NSW Nurses' Association, ANF NSW Branch). A memo by North Coast Area Health Services chief executive officer Chris...

Extra nurses welcome but plan falls short.(STATE AND TERRITORY: ACT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The ACT will receive an extra 100 nurses over five years from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's bonus incentive scheme to recruit nurses back into the system with a $6,000 payment. As part of the government's national plan to reduce workforce...

WorkChoices impact expected to worsen.(INDUSTRIAL)
March 1, 2008... The fallout from the WorkChoices legislation is likely to be worse than expected and leave a long term impact on workers, Australian and New Zealand industrial relations academics warned at their 22nd industry conference in Melbourne last...

Aged care nurses take industrial action.(TAS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Nurses working in aged care in Tasmania have escalated industrial action to pursue improvements on a sub standard pay and conditions offer that would leave them even further behind their public sector colleagues. Work bans on non nursing...

Workforce to improve Indigenous health.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Increasing the workforce is the key to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a study published in the latest Australian Health Review shows. Culturally-determined health policy implemented over a sustained...

Prohibit doctors with financial interests.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Federal Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot has called for state and territory legislative changes to prohibit doctors with financial interests in nursing homes signing residents' death and cremation certificates. Two doctors in an aged care...

Warfarin reaction with glucosamine.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee (ADRAC) has warned health professionals to check if patients on warfarin take complementary and herbal medicines. Twelve reports to the ADRAC indicate possible interaction between...

Public health system inquiry.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The NSW Government has set up a Special Commission of Inquiry into the state's public health system. The state coroner called for a "full and open inquiry" after finding systemic issues led to the death of Vanessa Anderson at Royal North Shore...

Campaign starts for improved EBA.(NSW)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Public sector nurses and midwives in NSW have embarked on a campaign for better pay and recognition with their enterprise bargaining agreement up for renewal at the end of June. ANF NSW Branch members voted last month on the proposed NSW...

Obesity on the rise.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... More than half of Australian adults are overweight or obese. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004-2005 National Survey snows 54% of adults are overweigh[ or obese, compared to 38% in 1989-1990. In 2004-2005, 62% of men were overweight or...

Improve patient travel.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The National Rural Health Alliance and The Cancer Council Australia have urged the new federal government to improve and extend patient assisted travel schemes in the new round of Australian Health Care Agreements this year. A Senate inquiry...

Shocking maternity mortality rates.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Global maternal mortality rates have declined less than 1% from 15 years ago, Medicins Sans Frontieres will highlight on International Women's Day celebrated on 8 March. Skilled health workers, appropriate drugs and me right equipment could...

CATSIN acknowledges apology.
March 1, 2008... The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN) has acknowledged the Commonwealth Government and the Opposition party for the apology made on 13 February 2008. "This saying of sorry with the recognition of the Stolen...

Drug causes psychiatric symptoms.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Health care professionals in me USA have warned that a smoking cessation drug looks "increasingly likely" to cause serious neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation, depression and suicidal behaviour. Champix (Chantix in the USA) has Been...

UN launches safe hospital campaign.(NEWS: World)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The United Nations (UN) has launched a global campaign to protect health facilities from disasters. The UN says hundreds of hospitals and health facilities are destroyed or damaged each year by disasters, leaving...

ICN condemns violence against health workers in Kenya.(NEWS: World)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has condemned all forms of violence against health workers in Kenya. The ICN is supporting the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) appeal to protect health workers and patients caught up in...

UK nurses warned.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A guidance has been issued to nurses in the UK warning them against sexual relations with former patients. The guidance stops short of an outright ban on relationships with former patients but states they "will often be inappropriate, however...

ICN project delivers.(International Council of Nurses)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The International Council of Nurses Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF) has expanded thanks to a grant from the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The GCEF supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls whose nurse parents have died. The fund began...

New target for flu vaccines.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A new universal flu vaccine that targets a protein called M2e could save many lives, according to a recent report in New Scientist magazine. Flu vaccines currently have to change every year as a virus evolves, but can miss essential strains and...

Coalition attempt to block abolition of AWAs.(industrial)(Australian Workplace Agreements)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Legislation to repeal the former Howard government's unfair WorkChoices laws has been introduced into the national Parliament as promised by the Australian Labor Party during last year's election campaign. The new legislation, among other...

A new national, agenda.(professional)
March 1, 2008... This year is already bringing many exciting opportunities for nurses and midwives to influence health planning and policy to achieve better health outcomes for all Australians. Many of these projects seek to achieve national consistency in the...

Practical legal issues in end of life care.(ethics & legal)
March 1, 2008... The first legal column for 2008 will touch on one of the most difficult legal aspects of end-of-life care: namely concerns about being able to decide what course of treatment a person might wish to have or to refuse, particularly where the...

Secure alcohol hand rub dispensers.(research)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] UK and Australian researchers have called for increased security of alcohol hand rub dispensers following reports of more than double the cases of ingestion and eye contact since their widespread introduction in...

Global study to prevent blood clots in hospitals.(research)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Hospital wide strategies to reduce potentially fatal blood clots are urgently needed, according to Australian health experts. A new global study shows most hospitalised patients are at risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and half of...

Ageing workforce hits rural NZ.(IN SHORT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A large number of practice nurses, doctors and pharmacists in New Zealand will leave rural practice by 2010 according to a groundbreaking survey. The study revealed New Zealand's rural workforce suffers similar problems to Australia, including...

Mental health study suggests radical change.(IN SHORT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A 30% increase in the national mental health budget could treat 60% more people and produce a 90% increase in health gains, according to a new study. The four year Tolkien II study found a lack of supervised accommodation for the 40,000...

Funds needed for ovarian cancer trials.(IN SHORT)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Researchers at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) are conducting clinical trials into a method of nasa[ feeding for ovarian cancer patients when they come out of surgery. Over 75% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are severely...

Is nursing education up to the job? After years of struggling to attract and retain nurses, the remote Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek has come up with a novel solution to its perennial workforce problems.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The town has begun training its own nurses. Thanks to an unusual joint venture between NT health services, Frontier Services and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, ten locals have successfully...

Therapeutic skills in nursing: have they been lost?(viewpoint)
March 1, 2008... The primary focus for many nurses should be on effective interaction and communication with patients. There are exceptions that can be identified, but unless you are able to communicate and engage with patients, treatment may not be appropriate...

The role of the cancer nurse coordinator in neurology.(CLINICAL UPDATE: 112)
March 1, 2008... INTRODUCTION Access to specialist neurological cancer services for patients in the metropolitan area of Western Australia has improved with the addition of the speciality cancer unit at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. However patients and...

Recent Advances in Immunization (2nd ed).(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... RRP: Information unavailable (see website for cost) Publisher: Pan Health Organization. Washington DC, USA, 2007. ISBN: 92 75 11619 9 http://www.publications.paho.org or email paho@pmds.org This book attempts to address some of...

Nursing & Midwifery Research: Methods and Appraisal for Evidence Based Practice (3rd ed).(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... RRP: $68.00 (including GST) Publisher: Mosby Elsevier, NSW, Australia, 2007 ISBN: 978-0-7295-3791-9 www.elsevier.com.au Nursing and midwifery research: methods and appraisal for evidence based practice upholds the premise that...

Heart Failure Guidelines for Patients.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... An information booklet for patients with heart failure and their families was launched by the Heart Foundation at the 4th Asian Pacific Congress of Heart Failure held in Melbourne last month. The Living well with chronic heart failure guide...

First Simulated Refugee Camp.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Australia's first simulated refugee camp opened in Melbourne last month. The Refugee Realities is an interactive experience which takes visitors through the experience of war and conflict; trying to survive without the comforts of home; and...

Working life: increasing capacity in general practice.
March 1, 2008... Denise took up a position in health promotion with an area health service before moving into her current role with the HUDGP. "I started working in general practice in an after hours service and developed an appreciation for the preventative...

Volunteer program in palliative care: volunteers can be a valuable asset to hearth care services and can be engaged in a variety of tasks. A study is currently underway at St John of God Hospital. in Subiaco, Western Australia, to explore the feasibility and effect of establishing a volunteer program for the newly opened Bendat Family Comprehensive Cancer Centre.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)
March 1, 2008... Focus groups with newly appointed volunteers and nursing staff from the Cancer Centre took place in October and November 2007. Nine volunteers and six nurses voluntarily participated in these groups. One of the findings from the focus...

Palliative care and young people.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Findings from a nurse led study in Western Australia have been used by the Palliative Care Network Advisory Committee to develop guidelines for a state-wide paediatric palliative care service. Paediatric palliative...

Leading and learning--palliative care conference.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)(Conference news)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The 2nd national palliative care nurses Australia conference will be held on 12-13 September 2008 in Adelaide in South Australia. All nurses with an interest in caring for people and their families/caregivers with a life limiting illness are...

Improving quality of life.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)
March 1, 2008... Palliative care is, according to the familiar statement, 'an approach that improves the quality of life of individuals and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of...

Cancer and falls risk assessment.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Patient assessment and screening tools are widely used to assist in the identification of patients who are at greatest risk of falling. These generic tools calculate the risk of a patient falling based on patient...

Blood cancers research.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A NHMRC funded study is leading the way to ensure that patients diagnosed with a haematological disorder (blood-related cancer) receive access to palliative care services. The national study, conducted by the International Program of...

Innovative NP role in rural health palliative care.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)(nurse practitioner )
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mt Alexander Hospital has developed a palliative care nurse practitioner (NP) role suitable for the rural setting. This is one of two NP roles being implemented within the hospital. Merrill Cole, a candidate in the...

Super tax-free for terminally ill.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The federal government will legislate to make superannuation lump sum payments tax free where paid to people suffering from terminal medical conditions. The legislation was introduced into Parliament last month. The government will also...

Dying at home.(Survey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Services to support the terminally ill and their carers need to be more readily available and widespread, University of Western Sydney social justice professor Rosemary Leonard said at a home hospice forum in NSW last month. Studies show eight...

Cancer tool to allay panic.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A risk assessment tool has been developed to allay panic over suspected cancer-causing agents. The Cancer Control Program and the University of New South Wales have developed a tool which rates high risk carcinogens like tobacco smoke and very...

Quality use of medicines.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Nurses who have contributed to the safe and effective use of medicines are encouraged to enter the biennial National Quality Use of Medicines awards. A best practice activity, program or other initiative that achieved better use of medicines at...

Surgery reduces cancer risk.(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... USA researchers have found ovary removal surgery in women who have the BRCA 2 mutation gives greater protection against breast cancer. The study is the first to look at the BRCA z and BRCA 2 mutations separately. Surgery reduced breast cancer...

To treat or not to treat.(Survey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Doctors and the public think differently on whether or not to treat severely ill patients, Swedish researchers have found. A survey of 1,000 people and 400 intensive care doctors and neurosurgeons showed the majority of doctors (82%) would...

Patient nutrition and hydration at the end of life.(focus: Palliative/Oncology)
March 1, 2008... The provision of medically administered nutrition and hydration (MNH) for the terminally ill patient is a controversial issue. A recent qualitative study in New South Wales explored palliative care nurses' and doctors' perceptions and attitudes...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2008... CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION TRAINING AT THE WOMEN'S Or programs run at your hospital tailored to your needs can also be arranged. Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne Ph: (03) 9344 2244 Email: childbirth.ed@rwh.org.au MAR LUNG HEALTH...

Ged: Wednesday 13 February 2008 is now one of those days that will prompt the question, "where were you?" Just like asking where you were when John F Kennedy was shot, or when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
March 1, 2008... Wednesday 13 February 2008 is now one of those days that will prompt the question, "Where were you?" Just like asking where you were when John F Kennedy was shot, or when Nell Armstrong walked on the moon. I was lucky enough to be standing on...

The future.(Cartoon)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I ALWAYS REMEMBER WHERE I WAS ON DAYS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE... WHERE WERE YOU?