NurseZone Newsletter | 10-10-2008

By Debra Wood, RN, contributor

In an effort to improve patient safety, the American Hospital Association (AHA) is recommending that all member hospitals standardize colors of their alert wristbands: red for allergy, yellow for fall risk and purple for do not resuscitate.
 
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By Debra Wood, RN, contributor

Several factors--including changes to reimbursement rules and the trend toward more outpatient care--have been increasing the demand for infusion nurses. These professionals are particularly skilled in inserting and caring for short-term IV lines and implanted devices, assessing for signs of infection or other problems and educating patients about their infusion device's proper care.

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By Megan M. Krischke, contributor

When Cheryl Briggs, RNC, began taking photographs in the NICU, she wasn't an aspiring photographer. She simply wanted to help new moms form a bond with the babies they couldn't yet hold.

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By Jennifer Larson, contributor

No more illegible scrawls on the ER white board.  No more crossing out and erasing.  No more paper shuffling.  These rudimentary practices are no longer needed to track patients at A. O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, New York.

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By Debra Wood, RN, contributor

Living with weekly chemotherapy to keep breast cancer at bay, Robin Troiani, RN, set out on a quest to help women find the disease early and worked within her health system to bring a nationally recognized breast self-exam training program to the Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, which named the center after the dedicated health professional.

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