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Examining Nurses’ Work Environments to Improve Safety SUMMER HUNT

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A new brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) analyzes progress toward goals established by a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a decade ago, called Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses. The IOM report recommended that hospitals and other health care organizations strengthen efforts to create a culture of safety and minimize accidents. The RWJF brief, entitled Ten Years After Keeping Patients Safe: Have Nurses’ Work Environments Been Transformed?, examines several initiatives designed by and for nurses to create a safer work environment and provides policy-makers, health care organizations, educators and consumers with a helping listing of available tools. Download the brief at www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/

http://nwh.awhonn.org

find-rwjf-research/2009/01/charting-nursingsfuture-archives/ten-years-after-keeping-patients-safe--have-nurse-work-environme.html.

Investing in Girls and Women Global advocacy organization Women Deliver has released a new toolkit called “Invest in Girls and Women: EveryBody Wins.” It includes a variety of health statistics on family planning and reproductive health, women’s health, girls’ education, equality and more, as well as several colorful, shareable infographics. Download the toolkit at www.womendeliver.org/assets/Everybody_Wins.pdf.

End of Life Care The National Institutes of Health have launched a comprehensive online resource aimed at

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Joint Commission Extranet Anyone with an email address from a Joint Commission–accredited health care organization can now selfregister for guest access on The Joint Commission Connect™ extranet; previously, access had to be approved by the security administrator. The extranet provides access to the following resources: • Leading Practice Library, which includes real-life solutions, successfully implemented by health care organizations and reviewed by Joint Commission standards experts. • Core Measure Solutions Exchange, which promotes the sharing of success stories between accredited hospitals focusing on the Surgical Care core measures. • Standards BoosterPaks™, which are searchable documents intended to provide detailed information about a single standard or topic area that has been associated with a high volume of inquiries or noncompliance scores in the hospital field. For more information, visit www.jointcommission.org/joint_commission_connect_ request_guest_access.aspx.

helping people address the sensitive topic of end-of-life care. While it’s a subject many are careful to approach, being unprepared can create more problems for family members and loved ones who need to plan ahead. This module aims to assist individuals, families and health care professionals regarding symptom management and decision-making, shedding more light on what to expect in a person’s final

stage of life. It describes the physical, mental and emotional needs of people nearing the end of life and suggests ways to maintain their quality of life, such as hospice and home care. It also addresses the often complex practical concerns that can attend death, including financial issues, advance directives, caregiver support and more. Access the module at http://nihseniorhealth. gov/endoflife/toc.html.

Summer Hunt is an administrative assistant at AWHONN in Washington, DC.

DATE

LOCATION

EVENT

July 8 to 10, 2014

Chicago, IL

International Conference on Women’s Health, Gynecology & Obstetrics. Call 1-888-843-8169 or visit www.omicsgroup.com/ womens-health-gynecology-obstetrics-conference-2014

August 5 to 8, 2014

San Antonio, TX

Summer Institutes on Quality Improvement. Visit www.isrn.net/2014SummerInstitute

Get your next meeting or educational session listed in Nursing for Women’s Health by e-mailing your information to [email protected] and putting “Save These Dates” in the subject line. Announcements are included on a space-available basis. Please send announcements at least 6 months before you wish to have them published.

DOI: 10.1111/1751-486X.12127

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Issue 3

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Save These Dates!

National Alert Network The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) came out with a National Alert Network (NAN) release regarding the potential inaccuracy of electronically transmitted medication history information used for medication reconciliation. This is often related to the strength of the drug and potential missing characters in the medication history drug description field, such as decimal points. Even a slight mistake could jeopardize patient safety, so it’s recommended that health care professionals question and confirm any medication dosages reported in the electronic medication history that don’t seem appropriate for a given patient. Access the full report at www.ismp. org/nan/files/nan-20140218.pdf.

Reducing Primary Cesarean Birth In March, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for MaternalFetal Medicine (SMFM) published a joint online “Obstetric Care Consensus” article that focuses on reducing primary cesarean birth. The full report is available online at http://m.acog. org/Resources_And_Publications/ Obstetric_Care_Consensus_Series/ Safe_Prevention_of_the_Primary_ Cesarean_Delivery.

Genetic Health Information Database The database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP), an online genetics database of the National Institutes of Health, now allows qualified researchers access to genetic data made available from the Genetic Epidemiology Research on Aging (GERA), one of the nation’s largest and most diverse genomics projects. The data, linked to medical information on a diverse group of more than 78,000 people (average age of 63), offer the opportunity to identify potential genetic risks for a variety of health conditions, particularly those related to aging, but also diseases that affect people in adulthood, including depression, diabetes and more. Investigators who are interested in applying for access to this database should follow the procedures on the dbGaPWebsite at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap?db=gap. Specific information on the data can be found at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study. cgi?study_id=phs000674.v1.p1.

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H e l p i n g Wo m e n S t a y We l l Today we know more than ever about preventing disease and promoting health. For the very latest, read “Well Woman,” a clinical practice column appearing three times a year in Nursing for Women’s Health. READ IT TO KEEP YOUR PATIENTS—AND YOURSELF—FEELING HEALTHY, ACTIVE AND VIBRANT.

June | July 2014

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Examining nurses' work environments to improve safety.

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