7 Ways to Love Your Nurse Self

Because nurses are focused on the welfare of others, we often forget to take care of ourselves. Here are 7 ways to practice better self-care.

from NurseCode.com

When I talk to nurses about the work that we do, the biggest problem I hear about is stress. There is good reason for that, since pressures weigh on nurses from multiple sources. We find ourselves in literal life-or-death situations. We are often short-staffed and over-worked.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Alcohol and Atrial Fibrillation

Even low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption have been shown to increase the incidence of atrial fibrillation.

by Kristine Scordo, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FAANP

Not surprisingly, alcohol is the most commonly consumed drug in the United States. Although some studies suggest that moderate levels of alcohol consumption may help prevent incident myocardial infarction and heart failure, conversely, even low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption have been shown to increase the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). In fact, holiday heart syndrome (HHS) remains a common emergency department presentation with AF precipitated by alcohol in 35% to 62% of cases. Moderate habitual consumption increases the incidence of AF in a dose-dependent manner in both males and females. Patients who continue to consume alcohol have higher rates of progression from paroxysmal to persistent AF. (Alcohol consumption is defined as: light (<7 standard (12g alcohol) drinks/week; moderate 7 to 21 drinks/week and heavy >21 drinks/week.)

Sustained short-term alcohol consumption may induce electrical atrial remodeling that produces an arrhythmogenic substrate. Alcohol can shorten the atrial action potential and provide the electrophysiological milieu for re-entry and AF. In addition, alcohol has sympathetic activation with increases in adrenaline secretion from the adrenal medulla along with vagal activation that shortens atrial refractoriness. Furthermore, alcohol and its metabolite, acetaldehyde have direct cardiotoxic effects that may cause cardiomyopathy.

In addition to an independent association with AF, alcohol may be responsible for hypertensive disease with the incidence of hypertension increased by 40% in person consuming >14 standard drinks/week. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), encompassing obstructive sleep apnea, is an established AF risk factor linked with alcohol. Hypercapnic hypoxia, increased oxidative stress and inflammation causing left atrial remodeling are associated with SDB. Obesity is a powerful determinant of left atrial size and a well-recognized modifiable AF risk factor. Thus, although a small amount of alcohol is considered cardioprotective, these benefits do not extend to atrial fibrillation.

See Kristine Scordo, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FAANP speak this May in Nashville at the Skin, Bones, Hearts & Private Parts CME Conference.

When Medicine Is Hard

A PA on the front lines of clinical medicine discusses the emotional impact of her profession.

from NEJM Journal Watch

My posts are usually lighthearted and (hopefully) informative observations on the differences between my experiences in medicine here in the U.K. versus the U.S. But today I am writing about something that’s both personal and cross-cultural — something that has at times been a struggle for me and likely has been a struggle for health care providers in every corner of medicine, whether we talk about it or not. I’d like to write about when medicine is hard.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Generational Divides Influence Doctor-Patient Relationships, Patient Engagement

Millennials are more open, accepting of doctors authority; GenXers mistrustful and somewhat disengaged; Baby boomers the least healthy, study says.

from Healthcare Finance

From millennials to baby boomers, attitudes about healthcare seem to hinge on what generation you claim as your own, according to a new Vitals Index study. The age-specific perspectives range from the doctor-patient relationship to the overall healthcare system.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

10 Things to Consider About Going Part Time

A healthcare couple who made the break from full-time work shares 10 lessons they learned along the way.

from AMA

Physicians have no trouble citing compelling reasons to reduce their work hours—stress, bureaucracy and the feeling of missing out on one’s personal life, to name a few. But they can also face high hurdles to making the switch to a lighter workload, including medical school debt, career aspirations and pressure from employers. A healthcare couple who made the break from full-time work shares 10 lessons they learned along the way.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Keeping the Elderly Safe

Study shows tailored physical therapy program reduces bad falls in the elderly.

from ScienceDaily

A research team has studied the effectiveness of tailored physical therapy programs for the elderly to prevent falls, also known as the Steps to Avoid Falls in Elderly (SAFE) study.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Cognitive Treatment: Is It Covered?

Reimbursement policies for SLP-provided cognitive assessment and treatment depend on payer, facility, patient’s diagnosis and type of treatment.

from ASHA

Speech-language pathologists evaluate and treat communication difficulties related to many causes, including cognitive deficits resulting from conditions such as dementia, stroke and traumatic brain injury. Although assessment and treatment of cognitive deficits are clearly in SLPs’ scope of practice, some public and private payers are putting up roadblocks to reimbursement for these services.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Finding Humor in Pharmacy Work

Coworkers and patients can offer a source of camaraderie and humor, if we only focus on finding it.

from Pharmacy Times

Sometimes the workload and expectations of pharmacists can be enormous. Add to that unexpected obstacles and frustrations. It’s easy to become irritable and grumpy at work. However, I would like to offer an antidote to that path. I’d like to suggest instead focus on the positives. Count your blessings. See the workload as job security and comfortable wages.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Case Study: When Chronic Pain Leads to a Dangerous Addiction

How did an educated, elderly engineer wind up with a heroin habit?

from Scientific American

It was 4 P.M., and Andrew* had just bought 10 bags of heroin. In his kitchen, he tugged one credit-card-sized bag from the rubber-banded bundle and laid it on the counter with sacramental reverence. Pain shot through his body as he pulled a cutting board from the cabinet. Slowly, deliberately, he tapped the bag’s white contents onto the board and crushed it with the flat edge of a butter knife, forming a line of fine white powder. He snorted it in one pass and shuffled back to his armchair. It was bitter, but snorting heroin was safer than injecting, and he was desperate: his prescription pain medication was gone.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Rapidly Evolving Role of Nurse Executives

Embracing innovation and becoming pivotal players on the leadership team are just two ways nurse executives are helping to guide hospitals into the future.

from Hospitals & Health Networks

Health care’s rapid changes and growing complexity necessitate that all care providers collaborate and maximize their efficiency as never before, and few health care professionals understand that better than nurses. As their leaders on the front lines of patient care, system chief nurse executives and hospital chief nursing officers bring a unique—and increasingly valuable—perspective from which to champion these efforts, from the bedside to the top of the leadership ladder.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.