The AJN Podcast

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover photo comes from a photo essay of gender non-conforming children at a camp for transgender children, tying in with our AJN reports on the same topic. Nurses from Hartford Hospital wrote our first CE this month, describing their successful nurse-led quality improvement project for cognitively-impaired patients. The second CE discusses the prevention of VAP pneumonia through mouth care. Another article explains how nurses can advise patients who have an infestation of bed bugs. The iNurse column introduces podcasts to those unfamiliar with their relevance to nursing today, and the Evidence for Excellence column explores opioid-induced neurotoxicity. In addition, our issue includes News, Reflections, Viewpoint, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

AJN's editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Dr. Hartley, who along with nurse epidemiologist Marilyn Ridenour, led a team to develop a program to educate nurses about workplace violence. The program, a series of online modules, is free and available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/training_nurses.html

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing. Photography by an upstate New York physician appears on this month’s cover – from his project capturing the stories of patients in the Adirondacks. The image ties in with our first September CE examining loneliness in older adults. The second CE describes care of pregnant women in the criminal justice system. Policy and Politics this month assesses gun violence as a public health issue, and another article recognizes Nurse Academy, a program that introduces high school students to the nursing profession. The authors of our Cultivating Quality describe failure to rescue, the Wound Wise column explains pressure ulcer guidelines, and of course, our issue includes Reflections, Viewpoint, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Current practices in the treatment and transfer of pregnant inmates in this country may negatively affect maternal and fetal health or well-being. Some, like shackling during labor, may violate federal or state laws; others conflict with standards of obstetric care and are widely considered unethical or inhumane. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses these practices and implications for nurses with the author.

Jennifer Mallow (Left) & Laurie Theeke (Right)

Loneliness is a contributing factor to various health problems in older adults. This pilot study of community-dwelling older adults in Appalachia showed the presence of significant loneliness and loneliness was significantly related to the number of comorbidities and use of several medications. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the authors about the implications for nurses in assessing and intervening in loneliness.

Clinical managing editor Karen Roush speaks with Dr. Jodie Gary, assistant professor at Texas ANM Health Science Center College, and author of the article “Exploring the Concept and Use of Positive Deviance in Nursing.” She describes the difficulty nurses encounter providing patient-centered care while remaining within strict policies in a complex environment. Nurses who extend care beyond these policies know that they’re deviating, but are doing so in a responsible way with honorable intentions that benefit the patient. She suggests increased flexibility through guidelines rather than rules under circumstances that require the adaptation of care to suit the patient and their immediate needs.

Clinical managing editor Karen Roush presents the highlights of the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On the cover this month, a nurse enjoys fishing with a boy at a summer camp for children with life-threatening disorders. Our first August CE describes positive deviance - an intentional act of breaking the rules in order to save the greater good – as it applies to improving patient care. The second CE describes an automated vital sign system to alert nurses of early warning signs of cardiac pulmonary arrest. Another article explains how patient focus groups can lead to innovative solutions to healthcare problems and improved care. And a piece from the Netherlands describes how a grassroots team of nurses developed a successful new model of homecare that has spread throughout their country. The authors of our Correspondence from Abroad column this month describe their experiences teaching bachelor’s level nursing in Bangladesh since 2004. And of course, our issue includes Reflections, Viewpoint, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

It’s estimated that only 25% of veterans access care through the VA Health Care System, so it’s highly likely that nurses in all settings will find themselves at some point providing care to veterans. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with this author about the unique health issues of recent veterans and what nurses should know and think about when they are assessing them.

Nurses often encounter patients who, despite best efforts by both the nurse and the patient, are unable to follow the treatment plan and may even pursue hurtful behaviors, like a patient with COPD who continues to smoke. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the author, who is also AJN’s contributing editor for ethics, about this issue, how it can interfere with the nurse-patient relationship, and approaches nurses can take when patients do self-defeating behavior.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical managing editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing. In recognition of the recent lifting of the ban on women in combat, a female soldier appears on our cover this month, on a patrol in Southern Afghanistan. Our first CE describes important factors for nurses to consider when treating veterans in non-VA settings. The second CE is on irritable bowel syndrome and reviews current approaches to treatment and implications for nurses. Our Ethical Issues column describes caring for patients while respecting their choices, no matter how unhealthy. Cultivating Quality features a QI project that decreased hospital readmissions, and AJN Reports explains how women’s longevity and health needs lead to higher insurance costs. And of course there’s Viewpoint, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, Reflections, and more.