AJN The American Journal of Nursing - This Month in AJN

Interim editor-in-chief/senior clinical editor Christine Moffa and managing editor Amy M. Collins present the highlights of AJN's August 2022 issue, including articles such as “Original Research: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Symptom Management in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia,” “A Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults During COVID-19,” “The Role of RNs in Transforming Primary Care,” “An Introduction to Qualitative Methods for the Nurse Researcher,” and more!

Interim editor-in-chief/senior clinical editor Christine Moffa and managing editor Amy M. Collins present the highlights of AJN's July 2022 issue, including articles such as “An Evidence-Based Yoga Practice for Hospitalized Adults on Medical–Psychiatric Units,” “Modifying Outdated Blood Donation Restrictions on Men Who Have Sex with Men,” “Long COVID: What We Know Now,” “Evaluating the Impact of Smartphones on Nursing Workflow: Lessons Learned,” and more!

Interim editor-in-chief/senior clinical editor Christine Moffa and managing editor Amy M. Collins present the highlights of AJN's June 2022 issue, including articles such as “Guideline-Directed Cardiac Devices for Patients with Heart Failure,” “Assessing EHR Data for Use in Clinical Improvement and Research,” “Diagnostic Studies: Measures of Accuracy in Nursing Research,” “Distrust of Public Health's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” and more!

Senior clinical editor Christine Moffa presents the highlights of the May 2022 issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Nurse Use of Multimodal Analgesia: An Integrative Literature Review,” “Chemicals in the Home That Can Exacerbate Asthma,” “Effective Holistic Approaches to Reducing Nurse Stress and Burnout During COVID-19,” “Assessing Chest Pain,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the April 2022 issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Losing the Art and Failing the Science of Nursing: The Experiences of Nurses Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” “Trauma-Informed Care in Nursing Practice,” “Improving Accuracy in Documenting Cardiopulmonary Arrest Events,” “Planetary Health Nursing,” and more!How is AJN is meeting your information needs? This survey takes less than 10 minutes and is your opportunity to help us improve the journal and ensure that it continues to assist you in your daily practice. Participants will be entered in a drawing to win one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards.​

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the March 2022 issue of AJN, including articles such as “Assessing Movement-Evoked Pain,” “Medical Aid in Dying: What Every Nurse Needs to Know,” “‘How Can Acute Care Recover from the Pandemic?'” “Exploring the Ethics of a Nurses' Strike During a Pandemic,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the February 2022 issue of AJN, including articles such as “An Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing,” “Update from the CDC: Understanding Filtering Facepiece Respirators,” “Using Smart IV Infusion Pumps Outside of Patient Rooms,” “Employer Vaccine Mandates,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the January 2022 issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Patients and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Communication Challenges,” “The Year in Review: 2021,” “Diagnosing and Managing Migraine,” “Understanding the Language of Health Reform,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the December issue of AJN, including articles such as “Nurses Are More Exhausted Than Ever: What Should We Do About It?” “Care Coordination: A Concept Analysis,” “A New Framework for Practice–Academic Partnerships During the Pandemic—and into the Future,” “Nurses Spreading Misinformation,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the November issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Suicidal Ideation and Attitudes Toward Help Seeking in U.S. Nurses Relative to the General Working Population,” “Pediatric Antibiotic Stewardship,” “The 4Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System,” “Novel Deployment of Pediatric Biocontainment Unit Nurses in Response to COVID-19,” “The Flu Pandemic of 1918: A Nurse's Story,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the October issue of AJN, including articles such as “Hypertensive Emergencies: A Review,” “A Prone Positioning Protocol for Awake, Nonintubated Patients with COVID-19,” “Preventing Medjacking,” “Transgender and Gender Diverse Nursing Care,” “A Case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the September issue of AJN, including articles such as “Acute Ischemic Stroke,” “Reimagining Injurious Falls and Safe Mobility,” “The Troubling State of Public Health,” “Supporting Frontline Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” “Improving Mental Health Awareness,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the August issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Well-Being and Resilience Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study,” “Monitoring Adult Patients for Intolerance to Gastric Tube Feedings,” “School Nursing During a Pandemic,” “Secondary Medication Administration and IV Smart Pump Setup,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the July issue of AJN, including articles such as “Assessing Back Pain in Patients Presenting to the ED,” “Postpartum Depression: A Nurse's Guide,” “Crisis Standards of Care,” “Eliminating Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries Caused by Graduated Compression Stockings,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the June issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Oral Care as Prevention for Nonventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia: A Four-Unit Cluster Randomized Study,” “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy,” “Preventing Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration,” “Implementing a Multidisciplinary Prone Positioning Team,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the May issue of AJN, including articles such as “Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: A Review,” “Providing Care for Caregivers During COVID-19,” “A Look Back at the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife,” “Immunity from Civil Liability,” “Addressing Hospital-Acquired Hypoglycemia,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the April issue of AJN, including articles such as “Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy,” “Nursing Orientation to Data Science and Machine Learning,” “Continuous Physiological Monitoring Improves Patient Outcomes,” “Standardizing the Accommodations Process for Health Care Workers During COVID-19,” “What Lies Ahead for Nursing?” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the March issue of AJN, including articles such as “A Nurse’s Guide to COVID-19,” “A Call to the CMS: Mandate Adequate Professional Nurse Staffing in Nursing Homes,” “QSEN in an Amazon World,” “Missing the Care in Health Care,” “Monitoring Equianalgesic Opioid Dosing,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the February issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Concussions at School: The Experiences and Knowledge of School Nurses,” “Policy and Politics: The Politics of Health Care,” “Communication Challenges in High-Containment Clinical Environments,’” “Cultivating Quality: Pressure Injury Prevention in Patients with Prolonged ED Stays Prior to Admission,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: Using a Mechanical Lift at Home,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and senior clinical editor Christine Moffa present the highlights of the January issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Nurses’ Perspectives on Caring for Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders,” “2020: The Year of COVID-19,” “Back to Basics: The Complete Blood Count,’” “Cultivating Quality: Implementation of a Warm Zone Model During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” “Book of the Year Awards 2020,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the December issue of AJN, including articles such as “Assessing Organizational Focus on Health Literacy in North Texas Hospitals,” “Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Review of Current Diagnostic Criteria and Management,” “Special Report: Frontline Nurses Say ‘Never Again,’” “Cultivating Quality: Dispensing a Naloxone Kit at Hospital Discharge: A Retrospective QI Project,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Managing Home Infusion Therapy,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the November issue of AJN, including articles such as “Family Presence During Resuscitation: Medical–Surgical Nurses’ Perceptions, Self-Confidence, and Use of Invitations,” “Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Nurse’s Role,” “AJN Reports: The Politicization of COVID-19,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Home Oxygen Therapy,” “Cultivating Quality: Improving Equitable Access to Cervical Cancer Screening and Management,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the October issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Suicide Among RNs: An Analysis of 2015 Data from the National Violent Death Reporting System,” “From the CDC: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder,” “Nursing Research, Step by Step: How Does Research Start?,” “Special Feature: Behind the Scenes of an Educational Escape Room,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the September issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Nurses’ Knowledge and Comfort with Assessing Inpatients’ Firearm Access and Providing Education on Safe Gun Storage,” “Trauma-Related Hemorrhagic Shock: A Clinical Review,” “Special Feature: An Intimate Glimpse of Emergency Nurses at Work,” “Cultivating Quality: Nurses’ Perceptions of Technology Used in Language Interpretation for Patients with Limited English Proficiency,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the August issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Understanding Nursing Home Staff Attitudes Toward Death and Dying: A Survey,” “PANDAS: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection,” “Historical Feature: ‘You Don’t Have Any Business Being This Good’: An Oral History Interview with Bernardine Lacey,” “Cultivating Quality: An Evidence-Based Approach to Increasing Nurses’ Publication Rates,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: How Magnet Hospital Status Affects Nurses, Patients, and Organizations: A Systematic Review,” “The Effects of Smoking on Bone Health and Healing,” “Special Feature: Perceived Barriers to Rapid Response Team Activation Among Nurses,” “Cultivating Quality: Preventing Falls Among Behavioral Health Patients,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: The Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence in Older Adults: A Systematic Review,” “Opioid Use Disorder: Pathophysiology, Assessment, and Effective Interventions,” “Special Feature: Reducing Waste in the Clinical Setting,” “Back to Basics: Abnormal Basic Metabolic Panel Findings: Implications for Nursing,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the May issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Exploring the Effects of a Nurse-Initiated Diary Intervention on Post–Critical Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,” “Managing Pain in Critically Ill Adults: A Holistic Approach,” “Strip Savvy: A Case of Bradycardia and Extreme Fatigue,” “Cultivating Quality: Caring for Visually Impaired Patients in the Hospital: A Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Project,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the April issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: An Investigation of Career Choice Regret Among American Nurses,” “Acute Care for Patients with Dementia,” “Reducing Waste and Increasing Sustainability in Health Care Settings,” “A Diabetes Screening and Educational Event in Rural Alabama,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the March issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Arthritis-Related Functional Limitations and Inadequate Physical Activity Among Female Adult Cancer Survivors,” “Brain Death: History, Updates, and Implications for Nurses,” “Case in Point: Mirror Therapy in the Management of Phantom Limb Pain,” “Cultivating Quality: Standardizing the Frequency of Neurologic Assessment After Acute Stroke,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the February issue of AJN, including articles such as “An Evidence-Based Update on Contraception,” “Mitigating the Dangers of Polypharmacy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Managing Urinary Incontinence,” “Disaster Care: Transporting Children to Safety After Volcanic Eruption,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the January issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: The Recruitment Experience of Foreign-Educated Health Professionals to the United States,” “Assessing and Managing Spiritual Distress in Cancer Survivorship,” “Back to Basics: Concentration and Volume: Understanding Sodium and Water in the Body,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the December issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Experiences of Diabetes Burnout: A Qualitative Study Among People with Type 1 Diabetes,” “Hematologic Childhood Cancers: An Evidence-Based Review,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Dietary and Feeding Modifications for Older Adults,” “EBP 2.0: Implementing and Sustaining Change: The Malnutrition Readmission Prevention Protocol,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the November issue of AJN, including articles such as “Implementing Guidelines for Treating Chronic Pain with Prescription Opioids,” “Gestational Hypertension, Preeclampsia, and Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: A Clinical Review,” “Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Eating for Healthy Aging,” “Preventing Self-Harm in the Nonpsychiatric Health Care Setting,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the October issue of AJN, including articles such as “Infection in Acute Care: Evidence for Practice,” “Knowledge of Precision Medicine and Health Care: An Essential Nursing Competency,” “Countering Vaccine Misinformation,” “Implementing a Fast-Track Team Triage Approach in Response to Hurricane Maria,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the September issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: Are Milk and Molasses Enemas Safe for Hospitalized Adults? A Retrospective Electronic Health Record Review,” “HIV Update: An Epidemic Transformed,” “Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy Performed by RNs: A Review of Clinical Practice,” “Using Debriefing Methods in the Postclinical Conference,” and more!

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the August issue of AJN, including articles such as “Original Research: The Clinical Research Nurse: Exploring Self-Perceptions About the Value of the Role,” “Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: A Clinical Review,” “The Changing Landscape of Simulation-Based Education,” “Improving Screening and Education for Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Primary Care Settings,” and more!

This Month in AJN –  July 2019 monthly highlights July 2019 Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, “Original Research: Helping Health Care Providers and Staff Process Grief Through a Hospital-Based Program,” investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of offering an intensive bereavement support program to hospital employees in a large health system. Our second CE, “Addressing Implicit Bias in Nursing: A Review,” describes the ways that implicit, or unconscious, bias among health care providers can contribute to health care disparities, and offers strategies nurses can use to discover and overcome their own implicit biases. The author of “Rising to the Challenge: Re-Embracing the Wald Model of Nursing,” discusses how Lillian Wald’s model of health care may be useful today as nurses seek to address diseases of despair and improve health equity. “Transition to Practice: Surviving Your First Code,” prepares new nurses for their first code, describes what happens during a code, and reviews the responsibilities of the resuscitation team. “Legal Clinic: The Elements of a Nursing Malpractice Case, Part 1: Duty” is the first article in a four-part series that will discuss the elements of a nursing malpractice case. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – June 2019 monthly highlightsJune 2019Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of AJN. In our first CE, “Understanding the Complications of Sickle Cell Disease,” the authors discuss the genetic, hematologic, and clinical features of sickle cell disease, the major associated health complications, and the nursing implications of each complication. Our second CE, “Stoma and Peristomal Skin Care: A Clinical Review,” provides information about stomas and their complications for nurses who are not ostomy specialists. The authors of “Original Research: Exploring Working Relationships Between National and Expatriate RNs on Humanitarian Aid Missions: The Perspectives of Liberian Nurses,” describe a qualitative study that explored the perceptions and concerns of Liberian RNs who work for international nongovernmental organizations in Liberia. “Promoting Nurse Retention Through Career Development Planning,” the second article in a series on implementing evidence-based practice changes, discusses the implementation of a program to reduce first-year nurse turnover rates at an urban Chicago hospital. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – May 2019 monthly highlightsMay 2019Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the May issue of AJN. In our first CE, “Work-Related Stress and Positive Thinking Among Acute Care Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Survey,” the authors share their study to evaluate acute care nurses’ use of positive thinking in managing work-related stress. Our second CE, “Assessing a Child’s Pain,” discusses the factors that can influence a child’s report of pain, describes components of a comprehensive pediatric pain assessment, and reviews appropriate pain assessment scales for children of different ages and levels of cognitive development. The authors of our next article, “Nursing and the Sustainable Development Goals: From Nightingale to Now,” explore how nurses can contextualize the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals within their daily practice and create holistic plans of care for patients, families, communities, and nations. “Leading the Effort to Promote Bleeding Control in Our Communities” provides an overview of Stop the Bleed, an initiative to educate the public on simple steps to stop or slow life-threatening bleeding and explains how nurses can promote it. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – April 2019 monthly highlights April 2019 Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the April issue of AJN. In our first CE, “Errors in Postoperative Administration of Intravenous Patient-Controlled Analgesia: A Retrospective Study,” the authors describe and analyze the errors associated with the use of IV patient-controlled analgesia at a large medical center in South Korea. Our second CE, “A Historical Review of Nurse–Physician Bedside Rounding,” discusses how the nurse’s role in bedside rounding has evolved since the 19th century. The authors of our next article, “Sustaining Nursing Grand Rounds Through Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Interorganizational Partnership,” present the implementation of a grand rounds program at their naval hospital, and demonstrate how nursing grand rounds can support professional growth and strengthen partnerships. “EBP 2.0: Implementing and Sustaining Change: From Strategy to Implementation” introduces a new series focused on the most challenging of the seven EBP steps—implementation. “Nurses and Climate Action” discusses the health sector’s responsibility to address climate change and nurses’ role in these efforts. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – March 2019 monthly highlightsMarch 2019Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the March issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, “Original Research: New Acute Symptoms in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: What Should Family Caregivers Do?” assessed the frequency with which family caregivers of older veterans with cognitive impairment sought guidance for new physical or behavioral symptoms and described the characteristics of such events, including the diagnoses and advice given. Our second CE, “Type 2 Diabetes: A Pharmacologic Update,” reviews established and newer type 2 diabetes medications, plus nursing implications. Our next article, “Using a Fall Prevention Checklist to Reduce Hospital Falls: Results of a Quality Improvement Project,” describes how nurses implemented a fall prevention checklist to improve adherence to an existing protocol and evaluated its impact on fall incidence. “Clarifying the Confusion of Arterial Blood Gas Analysis: Is it Compensation or Combination?” reviews basic arterial blood gas interpretation and discusses the combinations of imbalances and compensatory mechanisms that may occur. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN –  February 2019 monthly highlights February 2019 Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the February issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, “Original Research: Midlife Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia in Relation to Cognitive Function Later in Life in Black Women,” sought to explore the relationship between two vascular risk factors in midlife—hypertension and hypercholesterolemia—and cognitive function later in life among black women. Our second CE, “Caring for Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma,” provides an overview of HL, the most common late effects of treatment, and current recommendations for survivor surveillance and screening. In our next article, “A Nurse-Driven Oral Care Protocol to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia,” the authors describe a QI initiative to implement an oral care protocol in the adult in-patient care areas of a level 1 trauma hospital and evaluate its impact on the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia. “Integrating Peer Review into Nursing Practice” describes how clinical nurses developed and successfully incorporated a peer review program within a busy nursing unit, strengthening professional relationships and practice. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – January 2019 monthly highlightsJanuary 2019Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the January issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, “Original Research: Antineoplastic Drug Administration by Pregnant and Nonpregnant Nurses: An Exploration of the Use of Protective Gloves and Gowns,” examine this practice among nurses in the Nurses’ Health Study 3. Our second CE, “Addressing Food Insecurity in Vulnerable Populations,” discusses the factors that contribute to food insecurity and the populations at greatest risk, as well as screening tools and resources for vulnerable patients. In our next article, “Helping Students to Be Gritty,” the author shares strategies for fostering grit—a trait marked by perseverance and resilience and associated with success—in nursing students. “Early, Nurse-Directed Sepsis Care” describes a single-center, multiyear quality improvement initiative designed to promote early recognition and treatment of sepsis and examines its effect on sepsis-related mortality rates, bundle adherence, and the need for rapid response team calls. In addition, there’s News, the Book of the Year Awards, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – December 2018 monthly highlightsDecember 2018Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the December issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, “Original Research: Advance Care Planning: An Exploration of the Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, Education, and Practices of RNs and LPNs,” surveyed RNs and LPNs working in skilled nursing facilities to learn about the similarities and differences in their advance care planning–related beliefs, sense of self-efficacy, education, and practices. Our second CE, “Managing Movement Disorders: A Clinical Review,” discusses the pathophysiology and assessment of three different, common neuromuscular disorders—muscle tightness, spasticity, and clonus—as well as the treatment options for each. In our next article, “Creating a Culture of Mobility: Using Real-Time Assessment to Drive Outcomes,” the authors describe how they implemented an intervention based on the use of three new assessment tools to promote awareness of the importance of early mobility among nurses and physical and occupational therapists on an inpatient orthopedic unit. “Transition to Practice: Delegating as a New Nurse” provides strategies new nurses can use and specific steps they can take to help them succeed in delegating tasks to LPNs/LVNs and unlicensed assistive personnel. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more

This Month in AJN – November 2018 monthly highlights November 2018 Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the November issue of AJN. Our first CE, “Original Research: Patient Handling and Mobility Course Content: A National Survey of Nursing Programs,” examines what nursing programs teach students about lifting, turning, transferring, repositioning, and mobilizing patients. Our second CE, “How to Predict Pediatric Pressure Injury Risk with the Braden QD Scale,” offers guidance on use of the Braden QD Scale—a pediatric risk assessment instrument that reliably predicts both immobility-related and medical device–related pressure injuries. The author of our next article, “Looking Back: Nurses Fight for the Right to Vote,” shares the stories of four nurses suffragists—Lavinia Lloyd Dock, Mary Bartlett Dixon, Sarah Tarleton Colvin, and Hattie Frances Kruger—who were arrested for their involvement in the women’s suffrage movement. “Cultivating Quality: The Integrative Therapy Nurse: A Valuable Player in Symptom Management,” written by an RN with board certification in therapeutic massage and bodywork, describes how she implemented an integrative therapy initiative on the spinal cord injury and disorders unit at a Veterans Affairs medical center that resulted in decreased pain and increased relaxation among the veterans who participated. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the October issue of AJN. Our first CE, “The Use of Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Treating Hemorrhagic Shock from Severe Trauma,” outlines this new tool, describes its evolution, and discusses various considerations, pitfalls, and nursing implications. Our second CE, “Acute Pain Management for People with Opioid Use Disorder,” discusses how to manage acute pain effectively in patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, which incorporates methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone. The authors of our next article, “Original Research: Journalists’ Experiences with Using Nurses as Sources in Health News Stories,” interviewed health journalists to better understand their perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to using nurses as sources. “Workplace Violence Training Using Simulation” describes how an interdisciplinary team at an Ohio health system developed a training program to address workplace violence, which included classroom learning, simulation training for active shooters, and hands-on self-defense techniques. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN –  September 2018 monthly highlightsSeptember 2018Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the September issue of AJN. Our first CE, “Too Much Sitting: A Newly Recognized Health Risk,” examines compelling evidence that overall daily sitting time—regardless of whether a person engages in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity—may be an independent health risk for cardiometabolic health conditions, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality. Our second CE, “Managing Stable COPD: An Evidence-Based Approach,” describes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factors, clinical manifestations, and diagnostic testing, and discusses how to put the revised Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease recommendations into practice. In our next article, “Responding to Mass Shootings: Are Hospitals—and Nurses—Fully Prepared?,” nurses and physicians who have experienced mass shootings firsthand discuss the importance of disaster planning. “Mental Health Matters: Antidepressant Medications” provides a brief overview of the indications for use, adverse effects, and nursing considerations related to antidepressants. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN – August 2018 monthly highlightsAugust 2018Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy presents the highlights of the August issue of AJN. Our first CE, “Original Research: Pain in Nonverbal Children with Medical Complexity: A Two-Year Retrospective Study,” describes the signs and symptoms parents of such children find worrisome, the sources of pain in these children, and how to best assess pain in this population. Our second CE, “A Review of the Revised Sepsis Care Bundles,” discusses recent revisions to the sepsis care guidelines, including development of the new one-hour bundle, plus screening and assessment tools to identify sepsis in the ICU, in the ED, on the medical–surgical unit, and outside the hospital. The authors of our next article, “Environments and Health: Nursing Practice and Particulate Matter Exposure,” provide an overview of particulate matter exposure and health, and management strategies for practice. “Transitions: Retired Nurse Volunteers” describes the benefits of using retired nurses to complement existing hospital staff. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN –  July 2018 monthly highlights July 2018Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of AJN. Our first CE, “Original Research: The Efficacy and Safety of an RN-Driven Ketamine Protocol for Adjunctive Analgesia During Burn Wound Care,” describes a study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of a practice protocol allowing critical care RNs to independently administer IV ketamine for burn wound care. Our second CE, “Breast Cancer Screening: A Review of Current Guidelines,” reviews the guidelines of the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and provides guidance to nurses as they support and educate patients. The authors of our next article, “Ethics Champion Programs,” discuss how these programs prepare nurses to function as unit-based ethics resources for colleagues as they face common ethical issues and challenges. “Cultivating Quality: Making It Stick: Developing and Testing the Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA) Tool” reports on a QI initiative to create a simple evidence-based tool to help novice nurses predict which patients will present peripheral IV access challenges. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

This Month in AJN –  June 2018 monthly highlights June 2018Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of AJN. The authors of our first CE, "Original Research: Understanding the Hospital Experience of Older Adults with Hearing Impairment," describe a qualitative study they conducted to assess the hospital experience of hearing-impaired patients in order to formulate suggestions for improving nursing care. Our second CE, "Understanding the Nurse’s Role in Managing Gaucher Disease," discusses the epidemiology and pathophysiology of Gaucher disease as well as recent advances in screening, diagnosis, and management. Our next article, "Cultivating Quality: The Benefits of Implementing an Early Mobility Protocol in Postoperative Neurosurgical Spine Patients," presents a quality improvement initiative to establish an NP-led early mobility protocol aimed at reducing uncomplicated postsurgical spine patients’ length of hospital stay and eliminating the variability of postsurgical care. "Transition to Practice: Getting and Giving Report" outlines strategies new nurses can use and specific steps they can take to master successful handoff. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.