Australian Nursing Journal articles from November 2007

Australian Nursing Journal archives from November 2007

Why I am voting Labor.(nurses in dispute with Victorian Labor government)(Editorial)
November 1, 2007... In another first, the Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, the quarterly peer reviewed nursing research journal published by the ANF, is now free online from its own website: http://www.ajan.com.au. This is a great achievement and a very...

Consider minor parties.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thank you for the article about the forthcoming federal election (ANJ Oct 2007). While the article covered the viewpoints of the two major parties I was disappointed that it did not cover the policies of the rising...

Working together for the future.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I congratulate the NSW Nurses' Association (NSWNA, ANF NSW Branch) on the recent aged care forum. It was a wonderful chance for nurses in aged care to listen to wonderful speakers. It was also a great chance to network. We all share the same...

ENS a vital part of health.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I was disappointed to read a letter in the ANJ last month (Frustrated) which despite claiming not to criticise enrolled nurses (ENs), did just that. The author seems to want to create a wedge between RNs (Division 1) and ENs (Division 2). I...

IR laws force nurses out.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I have worked in the private hospital system for 20 years. Over this time conditions have eroded compared to the public system. The main condition nurses lost in the private sector is hours. Shift length was reduced resulting in the loss of...

AJAN online.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing (A JAN) is now available free online. The AJAN, which also celebrates 25 years of publication this year, is a prestigious quarterly internationally peer reviewed journal of nursing research and...

Howard out of touch.(mail)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Prime Minister John Howard's $170 million plan to re-introduce hospital based nursing training is a retrograde step that casts nursing back decades. The plan to train enrolled nurses (Division 2 Victoria) in hospitals puts nurses at risk and...

Correction.(mail)(Correction notice)
November 1, 2007... The following author details were missing from the October Clinical Update 108 Low-flow oxygen therapy: selecting the right device. About the authors Mr Glenn M. Eastwood RN is a Doctoral Candidate in the School of Nursing at Deakin...

network.(Calendar)
November 1, 2007... Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne, Group 15, Jan 1968, 40-year reunion January 2008. Please contact Dianne on Email: DWilde@groupwise.swin.edu.au or Ph: (03) 9824 2621 or Marilyn on Email: Mazzashcroft@optusnet.com.au or Ph: (03) 9300...

ANF launches reconciliation action plan.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chairperson of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Nurses (CATSIN), Dr Sally Goold (OAM), welcomed delegates to the launch of the ANF Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) last month at the ANF 8th...

Indigenous nurses oppose NT emergency intervention.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses meeting at the 9th annual CATSIN (Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses) conference in Alice Springs issued a public statement opposing the Howard Government emergency intervention...

Triage kit for emergency nurses.(NATIONAL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A triage education kit will soon be available to emergency nurses across Australia. The kit was launched at the 6th International Emergency Nurses conference in Melbourne last month and will be distributed to all emergency departments in...

Mandatory flu jabs in aged care.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... The National Institute of Clinical Studies (NICS), a leading Australian research body, supports a move for compulsory influenza vaccination in aged care. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NICS executive officer Dr Jan Davies wants mandatory...

Extra nurses a big first step.(NATIONAL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ANF has welcomed Federal Labor's plan to have an extra 9,250 nurses working in the public health care system if elected at the upcoming election. The $81 million initiative is aimed to educate new nurses and...

Expand nursing role in general practice.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... Practice nurses have welcomed federal government recommendations for expansion of their role within general practice. Better use of practice nurses could improve chronic disease management, increase service provision, and better coordinate...

Midwives rally for better maternity services.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... More than 200 midwives rallied outside Parliament House in Canberra last month for improved maternity services in Australia. The Australian College of Midwives (ACM), Maternity Coalition and other campaigners called for a national maternity...

Professional development tool for midwives.(NATIONAL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A national tool to help midwives with their continuing professional development was launched at the Australian College of Midwives conference recently. The MidPLUS resource includes an online and hardback portfolio for midwives to...

Engage older people in evidence based care.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Until older people are fully engaged in health care provision nurses will not be providing true evidence based practice, a visiting international nurse academic said last month. University of Sheffield professor...

Nurse to patient ratios keep nurses.(NATIONAL)
November 1, 2007... Nurse to patient ratios are critical to the retention of nurses, a visiting world nursing workforce authority said in Melbourne last month. University of Pennsylvania professor Sean Clarke told delegates at the 6th International conference...

More nurses for general practice.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The Royal Australian College of General Practice (RACGP) has launched an election platform which calls on an incoming federal government to increase practice nurse numbers around Australia. RACGP president Dr Vasantha Preetham said "practice...

Calling nurse mentors.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Nurses are invited to register with the Nurse Mentor Program (NMP), to support nursing scholarship recipients. NMP mentors must be registered nurses who are willing to provide a key link to rural, remote and metropolitan nursing environments....

National cardiac register need.(National Heart Foundation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The National Heart Foundation has called on the major political parties to support and fund a national cardiac procedures register. With more than 550,000 cardiac procedures performed in public and private hospitals each year, Heart Foundation...

AIDA farewells president.(Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, has paid tribute to Dr Mark Wenitong, retiring president of the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA). As president of AIDA Dr Wenitong worked with the...

Switching brands not always safe.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A campaign launched recently by the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) aimed to promote safe and appropriate prescribing, dispensing and use of generic medicines, but it is not always safe to switch brands according to the NPS. NPS CEO,...

Hayfever relief.(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Hayfever sufferers may find relief through acupuncture according to researchers from RMIT University in Victoria. The study, recently published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found acupuncture was effective in relieving the symptoms of...

Patients face delays to treatment.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: ACT)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Delays to treatment are causing adverse health outcomes for patients because nurse practitioners are unable to prescribe medication under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Research conducted recently by...

Undergrads as ENs.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: WA)(emergency nurses)(Enrolled Nurse Registration Pathway Program)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Undergraduate students studying their bachelor of nursing degree can become enrolled nurses and work part time halfway through their course as part of a new program. The Enrolled Nurse Registration Pathway Program is the first for Western...

Nurses need improved patient ratios.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: VIC)
November 1, 2007... Nurse to patient ratios are no longer keeping pace with workloads and many facilities are rounding staff numbers down despite increased workloads and greater patient acuity, a report released last month shows. The research by the Workplace...

Communication risk.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: QLD)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A Queensland study will investigate whether a lack of communication between full time and casual staff could be putting patients' health at risk. A three year project will examine communication between nursing staff in four different units...

Miscarriage in toilet sparks new model of care.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: NSW)(Jana Horska)
November 1, 2007... Pregnant women in NSW who present to emergency departments will be immediately transferred to maternity units under new policy. The announcement by NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher followed the case of Jana Horska, 32, who was 14 weeks...

Nursing group to lead reform.(STATE AND TERRITORY NEWS: SA)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... A nursing workforce reform and development group is being formed to address the imminent changes to South Australia's nursing and health care systems. The formation of the group is the result of recommendations made by the state...

Industrial action by public sector nurses.(INDUSTRIAL: VIC)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Victorian nurses took industrial action last month over the refusal of the state government to negotiate an improved pay and conditions offer. Four thousand public sector nurses from around the state packed...

Tasmanian action set to escalate.(TAS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Nurses in Tasmania have rejected the state Government's offer of a paltry 2.5% wage increase in the latest round of enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and may increase industrial action in coming weeks. ANF Tasmanian Branch...

WorkChoices is the worst choice.(industrial)(Australia@Work)
November 1, 2007... The evidence continues to build against the Federal Government's WorkChoices legislation with the release of a comprehensive new study reporting on the impact of the legislation one year after implementation. The report, Australia@Work, covers...

Global warming: the heat is on.(professional)
November 1, 2007... The session on climate change at the ANF national biennial conference last month was a timely discussion about what is possibly the biggest challenge for public policy planning we will confront this century. Global warming has more than...

Federal election campaign declared--over to you: statement from the ANF Federal Executive.(ELECTION)
November 1, 2007... The 2007 federal election is finally upon us. There was an audible sigh across Australia as the date was announced. After nearly a year of constant electioneering and commentary from all sides of politics, people have become weary. While...

Asking the right questions, finding the right answers.(viewpoint)
November 1, 2007... Nurses are under pressure to perform to high standards while working within an environment dominated by economic and resource constraints, increased workloads and higher consumer expectations. This has led to an increased need for workforce,...

Health care: for private profit or public good?(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... At the height of the Latest media frenzy about public hospital woes, Prime Minister John Howard made a telling comment. Public hospitals, he declared, should be run by boards because "that is how you run a company, that's how you run a club,...

Access to cancer screening for women with long-term mental health problems.(research)
November 1, 2007... Nurse researchers in NSW have conducted a study to assess the change in participation levels in mammography and pap smear screening among women with long-term mental health problems. The change in participation levels were facilitated by the...

Working life: Marrisa Monigal left the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne 27 years ago after completing her training which included six months working in the hospital's oncology ward, after nursing in a range of settings over the years Marrisa is now supporting young people affected by cancer at CanTeen Victoria.
November 1, 2007... Ready to leave nursing in the early 1990s due to burn-out, fate stepped in and a short term job working with adolescents in community health set Marrisa on another path. "For the past 10 years I have worked and studied in adolescent health and...

Effectiveness of interventions for under nourished older inpatients in the hospital setting.(109 CLINICAL UPDATE)(Report)
November 1, 2007... Implications for practice * Oral supplement interventions have been found to promote weight gain and increase lean body mass (as measured by arm muscle circumference) in elderly patients experiencing under nutrition or malnutrition (Grade...

Study asks why alcohol and drug nurses smoke.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)(Report)
November 1, 2007... AS A NURSE WHO HAS WORKED IN THE FIELD OF ALCOHOL AND DRUG TREATMENT FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS RAY STEPHENS HAS SEEN A HIGH RATE OF SMOKING AMONG NURSING COLLEAGUES AND HAS OFTEN BEEN TOLD THAT "ALL ALCOHOL AND DRUG WORKERS SMOKE". RAY...

Not "just" a drug and alcohol nurse.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)
November 1, 2007... "Why would you want to work in drug and alcohol?" is a question Louise Hawkins is constantly asked. "My standard response is 'because I enjoy my work and get satisfaction helping people who I work with'." As an authorised nurse...

Resources for nurses.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)(National Resource Centre of the Alcohol and other Drug Council of Australia)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Nurses seeking information or resources to assist in the area of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) need look no further than the National Resource Centre (NRC) of the Alcohol and other Drug Council of Australia. The NRC not only offers...

Reducing harm in the community.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)(Health Works)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A program aiming to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the western suburbs of Melbourne who inject drugs is underway at the Western Region Health Centre. The Health Works program is a primary health...

Patient smoking rates puts mental health workers at risk.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)
November 1, 2007... Mental health workers are at high risk of taking up smoking again or increasing their consumption according to the Tobacco and Mental Illness Project in South Australia. Workers also find it more difficult to quit or to cut back and are at a...

Supporting people in recovery: as a registered nurse Antonia Van Loon works in paid employment three days a week, and volunteers one to two days a week as a faith community nurse (FCN) in her local Baptist church.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)
November 1, 2007... "I coordinate a health ministry team of almost 80 volunteers who supplement my role by visiting, writing to, and phoning the people we care for to provide encouragement. These volunteers provide massage, occasional meals, transport and basic...

Building the alcohol and other drug workforce in New Zealand.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)
November 1, 2007... Enormous changes have occurred in the Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) workforce in New Zealand in recent years. The latest Mental Health and Addictions Plan identified workforce development as one of 10 key challenges for the next decade. Nurses...

Pain: the new co-morbidity.(focus: Drug & Alcohol nursing)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It is generally accepted that mental health disorders and substance use disorders have a substantial impact on each other. There is a major challenge in ensuring that mental health services and drug and alcohol...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2007... DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES FOR RNS Conducted by the College of Nursing (incorporating the NSW College of Nursing) The College of Nursing, Locked Bag 3030, Burwood, NSW, 1805 Ph: (02) 9745 7500 CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION TRAINING AT THE...

Ged.(effect of change of government of nursing and public health )(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2007... As I sat down to write this column, I heard that John Howard had finally called the federal election. My sigh of relief was quickly replaced by a feeling of anguish. Never before have I felt so desperate about a change of government. Never...