This Month in AJN – December 2018 monthly highlights

December 2018

Editor-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