Efforts to Improve Ethics Education for Nurses

Nurses probably have heard of the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. However, these principles might not be discussed in terms of how they apply to nursing practice and patient care.

Consider Risk Implications if Department Is Staffed with Travel Nurses

Nursing shortages are acute, fueled in part by surging wages for travel ED nurses. Unfortunately, travel nurses will not know the nuances of the EDs in which they are working. This hinders teamwork and communication. Thus, staffing EDs with travel nurses carries some potential risk management implications.

Worklist Project Improves Communication and Handoffs

A team of nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital developed a way to improve communication between nurses and patient care associates that helped reduce falls and infections. The effort decreased falls by 25%, catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 50%, and hospital-acquired pressure injuries by 33%.

Emergency Nurses Aim to Improve Care of OUD Patients

When armed with appropriate screening questions, nurses can better identify and assist patients with opioid use disorder. Because nurses often are the first care team member a patient sees, an interdisciplinary approach makes sense to ensure all components of a patient’s health are addressed.

Nurses Risk Consequences for Spreading Misinformation

Risk managers may need to counsel nursing staff on how they could expose themselves to professional consequences if they spread health misinformation online, particularly with much attention on what people post regarding COVID-19. Nurses who post misinformation could be subject to disciplinary action from their nursing boards, in addition to other results.

Ethical Considerations When Nurses Perform ‘Slow Codes’ at End of Life

On some occasions, limited resuscitation efforts occurred without the family’s knowledge. Not all resuscitation measures are medically beneficial, and clinicians often must decide in the moment if they are clinically appropriate to perform.

Attitudes Toward Hyperoxemia and Oxygen Therapy Among Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, and Physicians

Critical care clinicians, such as nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians, have varying opinions regarding oxygen therapy and hyperoxia. Interdisciplinary education addressing current evidence of oxygen therapy and the potentially harmful effects of oxygen is warranted.

Nurses Appreciate Training on End-of-Life Care

It is difficult for nurses to remain hopeful and honest when caring for someone at the end of life. Still, families need physical, psychological, and spiritual care that nurses must be adept in providing.

Many Nurses Hesitate to Ask for Ethics Consult

Some nurses mistakenly believe only the attending physician can request ethics consults. Others do not even know their institution offers an active ethics consultation service. Still others worry about retaliation.

Before the COVID-19 Vaccine, Most HCWs Infected in Community

Researchers found during the pre-vaccine pandemic in 2020 that 11.5% of healthcare workers who acquired COVID-19 in their hospital were occupationally infected. Thus, as has often been observed by employee health professionals, the lion’s share of exposures and SARS-CoV-2 infections in hospital staff have occurred in the community.

Articles Tagged With: nurses