Australian Nursing Journal articles from May 2003

Australian Nursing Journal archives from May 2003

Tell the Government - 'Hands off Medicare'.(Editorial)
May 1, 2003... In the lead up to the 2003/2004 Budget, the Federal Government has foreshadowed their intentions to introduce fundamental changes to our universal access health insurance scheme - Medicare. The Government is proposing that Medicare should...

Alert but not alarmed.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... The article 'Alert but not alarmed: Australia's health system prepares', (ANJ, March 2003, pp.22-24) gave an insight into how our health system is able to respond in national disasters and emergencies. It was an example of how important...

Babies and feeding.(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... I was horrified to read the article (Frequent feeding clue to disrupted infant sleep', ANJ, March 2003, p.29). In whose opinion is failing to sleep through the night at 12 weeks of age a disease? Feeding at least 12 times in 24 hours is very...

What is the message on violence?(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... I am an EN working in the emergency department of a major public hospital. Recently, a patient withdrawing from alcohol became aggressive and spat in my face on several occasions; struck me a glancing blow to the head and would have struck me...

What about retention?(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2003... Surely the ANF is focusing on the issue of lesser importance in calling for more undergraduate nursing student places? Recruitment to the nursing workforce is a lesser concern than retention in that workplace. The workplace must be...

Pact mends nurse dispute. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A new staffing model designed to ensure nurses have reasonable workloads and support will help attract nurses back to nursing in Tasmania if applied correctly, ANF Tasmanian Branch Secretary Neroli Ellis says. Ms Ellis' comments came as...

CCV launches Nurse Campaign 2003. (News).(Cancer Council of Victoria)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Nurses Board of Victoria CEO Louise Milne-Roch launched the Cancer Council of Victoria's (CCV'S) Nurse Campaign 2003 in Melbourne on 9 April. The campaign, now in its second year, aims to recruit up to 25 dynamic Victorian nurses to...

Medicare: facing extinction? (News).
May 1, 2003... Recent media reports have indicated the Federal Government is considering allowing GPs to charge a co-payment on top of bulk billing, a move which represents another nail in the coffin for Australia's universal health care system.' ANF...

Worksite competition. (Briefs).
May 1, 2003... School, TAFE and RTO students can win $250 through the ACTU's Worksite for Schools website, To enter, students must write, in 300 words or less, about their first day at work. Entries can be real-life or fictional; about part-time and casual...

Bill passes senate. (Briefs).(Workplace Relations Amendment (Prohibition of Compulsory Union Fees) Bill )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Federal Government's Workplace Relations Amendment (Prohibition of Compulsory Union Fees) Bill passed through Federal Parliament on 26 March. The new laws prohibit 'conduct designed to compel people to pay compulsory bargaining services...

Union benefits. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Union members are better off when it comes to wages and entitlements than non-members, new Australian Bureau of Statistics figures confirm. ACTU secretary Greg Combet said the data shows union members on average now earn $111 per week more than...

QEH jobs 'rock solid'. (Briefs).(Queen Elizabeth Hospital)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Rumours of an uncertain future for Adelaide's Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) were dispelled on 12 March when SA Health Minister Lee Stevens addressed hospital staff. ANF SA QEH members were among the 200 staff who heard Ms Stevens describe...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2003... In the April ANJ ('It's my life', p.4) clinical assistant Tony Reddrop was mistakenly described as an RN. The mistake was made by the editor. Sincere apologies for any misunderstanding this may have caused.

Aged care workers see red. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ANF SA members took to the streets of Adelaide on 20 March to alert the local community to the plight of aged care. ANF SA Branch Secretary Lee Thomas said the I see red day was the first time the State's nurses and personal care assistants...

QNU confident of wages win. (News).(Queensland Nurses Union)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Queensland's public sector nurses were confident of winning their protracted wages and conditions negotiations as submissions closed at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on 21 March. The AIRC hearings began on 24 July...

Cycle fundraiser. (News).(nurse hopes to raise money for adrenoleukodystrophy research)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Melbourne nurse Graham Cadd, CEO of Burwood's Delmont Private Hospital, begins a cycle ride to Perth on 3 May to raise money for research into the rare genetic disorder adrenoleukodystrophy. Also known as Lorenzo's Oil disease, this...

Private hospitals follows public wage lead. (News).
May 1, 2003... Nurses at two of NSW's major private hospital groups won 15% pay rises in April after intense negotiations by the NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW). At the end of March Mayne Health, NSW's largest private hospital operator, revised...

Nurses' university fees may be cut. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A report in the Sydney Morning herald has indicated university fees for nursing students may be cut as part of a radical shake up of the higher education system. According to the report, the Expenditure Review Committee has also been asked...

Evidence to excellence. (Briefs).(National Institute of Clinical Studies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The National Institute of Clinical Studies is hosting the inaugural Evidence to excellence in emergency care conference in Sydney on 28-29 August. The conference will highlight Australian and UK improvement projects in emergency care and...

Minimum wages claim. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The ACTU launched its bid for a weekly pay rise of $24.60 for Australia's 1.7 million low-paid workers at the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in Melbourne on 31 March. ACTU Senior Industrial Officer Andrew Watson told the...

Holistic hospital faces closure. (Briefs).(Swinburne University Hospital)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Swinburne University Hospital, Australia's first hospital to offer therapies such as yoga and meditation alongside conventional treatments, went into voluntary administration in April. Swinburne business manager Trevor Poole said high start up...

Wireless answers. (Briefs).(wireless networking technology to be used in Blacktown Hospital)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Western Sydney Area Health Service is about to pilot wireless networking technology in Blacktown Hospital's emergency, radiology and pathology departments. The trial will test a new 'communicator' badge, which enables users to locate one...

On the road in the Territory. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... ANF NT Branch Organiser Angela Wallace and ANF Vic Branch Recruitment Officer Maggie Ormerod hit the road for two weeks in March as the ANF NT Roadshow toured the Territory. The aim of the Roadshow was to raise the profile of the ANF, both...

International Day of the Midwife 2003. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Midwives around the world will celebrate the 12th 'International Day of the Midwife' (IDM) on 5 May. The International Confederation of Midwives established the idea of an 'International Day' in the late 1980s and launched the initiative...

Dealing with bullying. (Briefs).(www.docep.wa.gov.au)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The WA Government has launched new guidelines on workplace bullying, published by the WorkSafe Western Australia Commission. Copies of Dealing with workplace bullying are available at: www.docep.wa.gov.au. Discrimination Alert

Veterans health study. (Briefs).(Gulf War veterans have more psychological problems)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Health experts say troops should be better equipped for the mental strain of war, after a study found 1991 Gulf War veterans had more psychological problems than their non-combat colleagues. The 2000 study compared the health of veterans with...

Scholarships announced. (Briefs).(nursing scholarships)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Over 200 university students across regional and rural Australia will study aged care in 2003 after receiving Federal Government scholarships worth up to $10,000 per year. The recipients include 100 undergraduate students and 114 RNs already...

A dangerous profession. (Briefs).(workplace accidents involving medical personnel)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Hobart Mercury Nearly one in five workplace accidents in Tasmania occur in hospitals, aged care facilities or other health institutions, making nursing the most dangerous profession in the State. The 2001-2002 WorkCover Tasmania report...

Not sexy, but bra works. (Briefs).(Arthritis Bra)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A new bra for woman with arthritis is not the sexiest available but it does work, a research group says. The Arthritis Bra, launched in Brisbane in March aims to help more than 1.86 million women in Australia with arthritis. The bra's design...

Real nurses star in street campaign. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Melbourne's Royal Women's and Royal Children's Hospitals are taking to the streets to promote the positive aspects of nursing and attract staff to the industry. Decorated courier fleet vehicles and press ads feature neonatal nurse Lisa Kelly...

Smokers told: don't wait for a warning sign. (News).(of lung cancer)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Lung cancer is poised to overtake breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in Victorian women, according to Cancer Council Victoria (CCV). Launching a new campaign at the end of March to target women smokers, CCV Director Professor...

Birth rate falls again. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... About a quarter of women in Australia will remain childless by the end of their reproductive lives, according to the first national report on the reproductive health of Australia. Reproductive HealthIndicators Australia 2002, released by...

Pneumonia outbreak concern. (World News).(severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Health officials in Asia predicted in April that many hospitals in the region would soon be unable to cope as the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) continued to increase. The warning came amid reports that the atypical...

ICN calls for better access to safe water. (World News).(International Council of Nurses)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) launched a 12-month campaign in March to improve access to safe water. During the campaign, which coincides with the United Nations International Year of Freshwater, the ICN will publish fact sheets and...

Death sparks smallpox vaccine investigation. (World News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... US health officials are investigating whether smallpox vaccination contributed to the death of a Maryland nurse in March from heart complications and serious side effects in six other people recently inoculated against the smallpox virus. ...

Life for murders. (Briefs).(nurse sentenced to life imprisonment)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A Dutch court sentenced a nurse to life imprisonment on 24 March for four murders and three attempted murders. Lucy de Berk, 41, was originally charged with 13 Counts of murder and five attempted murders in three hospitals in The Hague between...

AIDS panic. (Briefs).(nurse suspended for improper infection control)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Botswanan authorities suspended a senior nurse in March after he was caught using a single needle to vaccinate 83 schoolchildren against hepatitis and tetanus in north-western Botswana. The news sparked panic among parents, in a country where...

Magazine first for Fiji. (Briefs).(Fiji Nursing Association launches Isal Nasi magazine)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Fiji Nursing Association has launched its first nursing magazine, Isal Nasi. The quarterly magazine features local, regional, and international nursing issues. Editor Miriama Leweniqila said 'Isal Nasi' was a phrase often uttered by Fijian...

Aid for Iraq. (Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The ACTU and its overseas aid agency Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA launched an emergency appeal In March for assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish victims of war. Funds collected will be delivered via Norwegian People's Aid and Swiss Workers Aid,...

Exploring the issue of unprofessional conduct. (This Working Life).
May 1, 2003... Appearing before a disciplinary panel is often described as one of the most stressful events a nurse will have to endure in his or her career. Whatever the result - whether a nurse continues to practise or is removed from the nursing register -...

The Cole Report: implications for the ANF and nurses. (Federal Industrial News).(Australian Nursing Federation)
May 1, 2003... Employees' rights to bargain together for better wages and conditions are threatened by the recommendations of the Cole Royal Commission into the building industry released in March. Workers in the construction industry are not the only ones at...

Cosmetic breast implant suicide risk. (Research Update).(women who have breast augmentation are at risk for suicide)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Women who undergo cosmetic surgery for breast augmentation are more likely to commit suicide than women from the general population, according to Swedish research. Researchers assessed the total and specific mortality among 3512 Swedish...

Passive smoking and paediatric tooth decay. (Research Update).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Children exposed to passive smoking are at risk of developing dental caries, new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says. A US study looked at the records of more than 3500 children aged 4 to 11 years,...

Children and CPR injuries. (Research Update).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) does not cause significant injury to children or adversely affect the outcome in the child with cardiorespiratory arrest, new Australian research suggests. Researchers reviewed ambulance, hospital, and...

Fruit juice may reduce risk of UTI. (Research Update).(urinary tract infection)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The frequent consumption of fresh fruit juices and fermented milk products could protect women from the risk of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). This is the conclusion of Finnish researchers who surveyed the eating habits of 139...

Clinical drug trials and the role of the nurse. (Clinical Update).
May 1, 2003... Introduction For many nurses working in the general wards of a hospital, research and clinical drug trials are words heard in passing or on the charts at the end of the patients' beds. This article aims to give an overview of how clinical...

Fighting the stigma of HIV/AIDS. (Nursing Focus).(International Nurses Day)
May 1, 2003... The International Council of Nurses theme for International Nurses Day on 12 May is Nurses fighting AIDS stigma: Caring for all. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has created a terrible burden for millions of individuals, families and communities worldwide...

Examining breastfeeding. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The right of mothers and babies to breastfeed has been a hot topic in Victoria in recent months. Despite years of equal opportunity legislation, women still face discrimination and harassment. These issues were explored at the 3rd Annual...

Introducing baby massage brings early benefits. (Nursing Focus).(Infant Massage Australia Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Infant Massage Australia Inc is a group of midwives, maternal and child health nurses, massage therapists and other professionals who are involved in offering the communication tool of infant massage to families in Australia through their work...

Informed choice in maternity care is a fiction. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The notion that women are being given informed choices within the maternity care system is a fiction, according to research presented in March at a midwifery research seminar at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). Professor Mavis...

Review debunks breastfeeding fatigue link. (Nursing Focus).(Australian Breastfeeding Association Conference )
May 1, 2003... The widespread belief that breastfeeding causes exhaustion in women is not supported by research on the experiences of new mothers, delegates at the Australian Breastfeeding Association Conference in Melbourne heard in February. General...

The Art of Birthing. (Focus Briefs).(Maternity Coalition exhibition)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Maternity Coalition - a non-profit organisation committed to improving maternity care for women during pregnancy, birth and beyond - is hosting the Art of Birthing, an exhibition to 'celebrate creation in its purest form. The exhibition...

ICN student website. (Focus Briefs).(International Council of Nurses)(www.icn.ch/ns/ns_home.htm)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has broadened its outreach by launching a new 'nursing students' section on the ICN web site. The site highlights core elements of the ICN's work and offers a hub for links to national nurses'...

Older women avoid invasive tests. (Focus Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Older pregnant women prefer non-invasive screening and risk assessment for birth defects to invasive diagnostic testing. In Victoria, for example, the rates of pregnant women aged 37 to 39, having amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling to...

Conference time. (Focus Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Legal and ethical issues facing midwives will be the focus of the South Australian Domiciliary/Community Midwifery Liaison Group conference in Urrbrae on 27 June. For details contact Sharon or Brenda, ph: (08) 8298 8279 or 0415 256 130, email:...

Alcohol and pregnancy. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... More than half of women in Australia drink alcohol while they are pregnant or breastfeeding, the first national survey on drug use in pregnancy reveals. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's report, Statistics on drug use in...

Accessing local experience. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Rural nurses undertaking the University of Ballarat's Graduate Diploma of Midwifery can now get their clinical experience at the regional maternity unit that is closest to their home. According to course coordinator Rosey King, the...

Midwifery Expo 2004. (Nursing Focus).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Submissions are invited for the Australasian Midwifery Expo, to be held in Adelaide on 26-28 August 2004. The Expo is being organised by two midwives with years of experience between them. The Expo wili feature issues covering...

Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Testing, Australian ed.(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... Robert Dunstan (ed) McGraw Hill $41.96 ISBN 0 07 471824566 Visit: www.mcgraw-hill.com.au The third edition features over 350 common diagnostic tests covering the fields of internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery, neurology...

Qualitative Research in Nursing, 2d ed.(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... Immy Holloway and Stephanie Wheeler Blackwell Publishing $63.75 ISBN 0 632 05284 8 Visit: www.blackwellasia.com The authors say their aim is to provide nurses and midwives with both theoretical understanding and practical...

Developing the self as a therapeutic tool. (Nursing Focus).
May 1, 2003... In a recent issue of a popular weekly magazine, readers were invited to write in about their experiences with nurses. Apart from one comment about a snappy 'matron', the responses from the people whose letters were published were positive and...

Study targets triage efficiency. (Nursing Focus).(Toowoomba Adult Trauma Triage Tool)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Toowoomba Health Service's emergency department received a $50,000 research grant from the Queensland Nursing Council on 15 April to study a new tool which aims to improve triage efficiency. The new Toowoomba Adult Trauma Triage Tool...

It's all a matter of good record keeping. (Nursing Issues).
May 1, 2003... Here Beth Wilson, Health Services Commissioner, Victoria, outlines her role, discusses how nurses occasionally cross her path and stresses the importance of good record keeping. The Office of the Health Services Commissioner exists to...

Calendar.(upcoming nursing events)(Calendar)
May 1, 2003... The College of Nursing (incorporating the NSW College of Nursing): Distance education courses for RNs The College of Nursing Locked Bag 3030, Burwood, NSW 1805 Ph: (02) 9745 7500 Tailored education programs for health professionals...

We need to fight for Medicare. (Ged's Column).
May 1, 2003... When my little girl was four years old she fell off the back of our couch, onto a slate floor and broke her arm. I didn't know it was broken at first. I rushed into my GP with her wrapped in a blanket, screaming her lungs out. Mary, the...