04 October 2009
More FYI on Texas Staffing Bill
10/08/09 10:55
On September 1, 2009, the governor of Texas signed into law a nurse staffing bill that is similar
to other states’ laws. It requires hospitals to create and implement a written nurse staffing
policy, by a committee involving nurses. The Texas bill does not specify mandatory ratios (e.g.
how many patients to each nurse in different types of care); instead, it allows the hospital to
set these numbers based on patient needs by unit and shift, and skill mix of available nurses.
The law includes whistleblower protections and prohibits mandatory overtime.
With the Texas legislation, the number of states that have enacted legislation or adopted
regulations regarding nurse staffing has grown to 12 (CA, CT, IL, ME, NV, OH, OR, RI, TX, VT,
WA, District of Columbia). States take different approaches to achieve safe nurse staffing. Some
spell out the mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in the legislation, some like Texas mandate
hospital committees and staffing plans; others require public disclosure of nurse staffing at the
hospital.
There are still at least 3 federal bills in the House and Senate that address nurse staffing, but
no action has taken place yet this Congress on any of these bills. Research shows that the
patient death rate declines by almost 2% for every additional nurse hour per patient. An
informal poll by the ANA recently found that 73% of respondents said staffing on their units
was unsafe. It is unlikely that every state will address nurse staffing in a meaningful way, so
federal legislation will be needed to close the gap.
to other states’ laws. It requires hospitals to create and implement a written nurse staffing
policy, by a committee involving nurses. The Texas bill does not specify mandatory ratios (e.g.
how many patients to each nurse in different types of care); instead, it allows the hospital to
set these numbers based on patient needs by unit and shift, and skill mix of available nurses.
The law includes whistleblower protections and prohibits mandatory overtime.
With the Texas legislation, the number of states that have enacted legislation or adopted
regulations regarding nurse staffing has grown to 12 (CA, CT, IL, ME, NV, OH, OR, RI, TX, VT,
WA, District of Columbia). States take different approaches to achieve safe nurse staffing. Some
spell out the mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios in the legislation, some like Texas mandate
hospital committees and staffing plans; others require public disclosure of nurse staffing at the
hospital.
There are still at least 3 federal bills in the House and Senate that address nurse staffing, but
no action has taken place yet this Congress on any of these bills. Research shows that the
patient death rate declines by almost 2% for every additional nurse hour per patient. An
informal poll by the ANA recently found that 73% of respondents said staffing on their units
was unsafe. It is unlikely that every state will address nurse staffing in a meaningful way, so
federal legislation will be needed to close the gap.
Texas Adopts Safe Nurse Staffing Law – June 2009
10/08/09 10:51
The Texas Governor signed into law nurse staffing protections similar to other state staffing plan approaches, requiring that a governing body of a hospital adopt, implement and enforce a written nurse staffing policy. The policy, created by a staffing committee, would ensure a sufficient number and skill mix of nurses available to meet patients’ needs by unit and shift. The law also provides whistleblower protections and prohibits mandatory overtime. This legislation replaced 2002 regulations.
Cute Nursing Article I found on the Net
10/08/09 10:31
Did nurses look better in their old white uniforms or in the present hospital scrubs?
Nursing is “1 the practice in which a nurse assists "the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible" (Virginia Henderson). 2 "the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems" (American Nurses Association).”
As a kid in my home country, I admired nurses because of their sparkling white uniforms (Nurses in my country wear white uniforms and white caps) with the blue and red pens inserted smartly into their front breast pockets. It was always easy to identify a nurse because of their uniforms. I also noticed that different nurses wore the uniform in different ways: some wore blue belts, some wore red belts and some wore purple belts. Some wore white gowns while some wore white skirts and blouses. When I inquired about the difference, I was told that red belts were for midwives, blue for registered nurses who did not go to the one year midwifery school, and that purple was for those who were both nurses and midwives. It was purple because red plus blue was purple. I remember that in my fine arts class. What about the gowns and skirts? The gowns were worn by nurses who had not reached a certain rank in nursing. This rank was only attainable through years of experience. Once a nurse reached a rank, she was allowed to wear a white skirt and blouse and attach a white lace to her cap. All these made and still make the nursing profession interesting in my country. This variety and fun also helped to build my interest in nursing.
Original article can be found at http://nursinguniformsoutsidetheus.blogspot.com/2009/08/nurses-look-better-on-white-uniforms.html
Nursing is “1 the practice in which a nurse assists "the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible" (Virginia Henderson). 2 "the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems" (American Nurses Association).”
As a kid in my home country, I admired nurses because of their sparkling white uniforms (Nurses in my country wear white uniforms and white caps) with the blue and red pens inserted smartly into their front breast pockets. It was always easy to identify a nurse because of their uniforms. I also noticed that different nurses wore the uniform in different ways: some wore blue belts, some wore red belts and some wore purple belts. Some wore white gowns while some wore white skirts and blouses. When I inquired about the difference, I was told that red belts were for midwives, blue for registered nurses who did not go to the one year midwifery school, and that purple was for those who were both nurses and midwives. It was purple because red plus blue was purple. I remember that in my fine arts class. What about the gowns and skirts? The gowns were worn by nurses who had not reached a certain rank in nursing. This rank was only attainable through years of experience. Once a nurse reached a rank, she was allowed to wear a white skirt and blouse and attach a white lace to her cap. All these made and still make the nursing profession interesting in my country. This variety and fun also helped to build my interest in nursing.
Original article can be found at http://nursinguniformsoutsidetheus.blogspot.com/2009/08/nurses-look-better-on-white-uniforms.html
Congestive Heart Failure in Seniors
10/08/09 10:27
Congestive heart failure or CHF is an extremely common disease in aged people, particularly those above seventy years of age. Generally, a healthy heart circulates blood throughout the body within a couple of seconds. However in CHF, the blood backs up into the lungs as well as the rest parts of the body because the heart fails to function properly.
The pumping of inadequate blood because of a heart failure may lead to mild or at times acute physical disorders. If Congestive Cardiac Failure is diagnosed at an early stage then the chances of recovery are more likely. In fact, early detection of congestive cardiac failure can prevent seniors from long term stay in hospital bed. Hospital stay for seniors may turn out to be quite taxing.
People with heart attack, coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy), longstanding or untreated high blood pressure (hypertension), heart valve disease, and those with acute kidney disease are at a greater risk of developing CHF.
The heart enlarges in people with congestive cardiac failure. It is because the heart needs immense strength to pump blood throughout the body. The condition of the heart can be improved if congestive cardiac failure is detected in the initial stage. Routine medications, adequate rest, low intake of salt and stress reduction may help in healing congestive cardiac failure in seniors.
The complete article can be found at http://chfinseniors.blogspot.com/
The pumping of inadequate blood because of a heart failure may lead to mild or at times acute physical disorders. If Congestive Cardiac Failure is diagnosed at an early stage then the chances of recovery are more likely. In fact, early detection of congestive cardiac failure can prevent seniors from long term stay in hospital bed. Hospital stay for seniors may turn out to be quite taxing.
People with heart attack, coronary artery disease, an enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy), longstanding or untreated high blood pressure (hypertension), heart valve disease, and those with acute kidney disease are at a greater risk of developing CHF.
The heart enlarges in people with congestive cardiac failure. It is because the heart needs immense strength to pump blood throughout the body. The condition of the heart can be improved if congestive cardiac failure is detected in the initial stage. Routine medications, adequate rest, low intake of salt and stress reduction may help in healing congestive cardiac failure in seniors.
The complete article can be found at http://chfinseniors.blogspot.com/
A Little Something about Dementia
10/08/09 10:22
Dementia is a problem that occurs in the brain, thereby making it difficult for an individual to learn, remember, as well as communicate. In the case of acute dementia, the person fails to take care of himself. A person’s personality or mood may also change due to dementia. In the initial stages, trouble thinking and memory loss may bother an individual afflicted with dementia. However, during the later stages, problems such as disruptive behavior may come to the forefront. Unfortunately, the person suffering from dementia is not aware of these problems.
The destruction of the brain cells leads to dementia. Stroke, head injury, brain tumor or problem such as Alzheimer's disease may destroy brain cells. In some cases, dementia is reported to be hereditary.
The common symptoms associated with dementia are as follows: recent memory loss, facing trouble in carrying out familiar tasks, place and time disorientation, problems with language, poor judgment, place and time disorientation, misplacing things, problems with abstract thinking, personality changes, mood swings, and loss of initiative.
Read the whole article at http://alittleaboutdementia.blogspot.com/
The destruction of the brain cells leads to dementia. Stroke, head injury, brain tumor or problem such as Alzheimer's disease may destroy brain cells. In some cases, dementia is reported to be hereditary.
The common symptoms associated with dementia are as follows: recent memory loss, facing trouble in carrying out familiar tasks, place and time disorientation, problems with language, poor judgment, place and time disorientation, misplacing things, problems with abstract thinking, personality changes, mood swings, and loss of initiative.
Read the whole article at http://alittleaboutdementia.blogspot.com/