IN BRIEF
MEDICATION REVIEW SAVES NURSES’ TIME A project involving care home nurses that led to a significant reduction in unnecessary prescribing has saved around an hour a day of nursing time. In a trial led by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, nurses and other professionals spoke to 422 residents to review their medication. The trial resulted in 1,346 changes to medicines and in the majority of cases medication was stopped. The project team estimate an hour of nursing time was saved as a result of reducing the time spent administering drugs. Trust chief pharmacist and clinical director for medicines management David Campbell said: ‘It is common for older people living in care homes to be prescribed a large number of medications without regular review, meaning that residents could be taking medicines they no longer require. This leads to wastage and safety risks.’ The review process will now be carried out in care homes across North Tyneside.
Yacker trackers could help keep noise down on wards A hospital in Australia may introduce ‘yacker trackers’ – devices that alert staff when there is excessive noise. The technology features traffic lights that glow in sequence to show how noisy a ward is. Canberra Hospital is considering the move after an internal review of noise levels found patients’ sleep was disrupted by activity on wards, including nurses chatting. Researchers collected views from 144 patients and 81 nurses and found that about 40 per cent of patients slept poorly. Patients typically slept 5.3 hours a night on the wards, 1.8 hours less than at home. Talking by nurses and other staff was the main source of noise. Noise levels at night were sometimes almost double the 30 decibels set as an acceptable level by the World Health Organization. A Canberra Hospital report says: ‘The major factors affecting patients’ quality of sleep are modifiable. Improving clinical knowledge of sleep physiology, reducing ambient noise by staff and reviewing the timing of clinical care could all enhance the quality of patients’ sleep.’ Nurses passed a resolution at RCN congress in June calling for staff to be educated on noise disturbance.
NURSING STANDARD
Nurses are being urged to contribute their ideas on how to improve dementia care by 2040. The IdeasLab will run an event at the University of Stirling in October, attended by leading figures in the field, including dementia expert June Andrews. To share ideas, go to http://dementia.stir.ac.uk/ideas/innovation-dementia Those nurses who are happier in their workplace physical environment are more likely to report better team working, relations with doctors, workload and other factors linked to job satisfaction. A team from universities in the United States surveyed 1,141 nurses. Maja Djukic, assistant professor at New York University’s college of nursing, said: ‘The right environment facilitates nurses’ work, which increases job satisfaction.’ The study is published in Research in Nursing and Health, see http://tinyurl.com/npw9enc A bank nurse who invented an aid for putting on an anti-embolism stocking is celebrating an increase in her customer base after she appeared on television programme Dragons’ Den. Neomi Bennett, a former Nursing Standard nurse awards finalist, was unsuccessful in her pitch last week (August 10) for funding for her invention the Neo-Slip. But she says the media exposure has sparked sales and an invitation from NHS England to tender. Visit www.zequs.com/campaign/neo-slip Two guides for health visitors on protecting babies and young children from female genital mutilation (FGM) have been published by the Institute of Health Visiting. The institute asked Greenwich University senior midwifery lecturer Priscilla Dike to write the resources. They advise practitioners to ensure families know FGM is illegal and to share concerns with other health professionals. Visit http://tinyurl.com/poa77t4 Royal Lancaster Infirmary has launched an alcohol liaison service to monitor patients with alcohol dependency who are admitted for any reason, and refer those who need long-term help to a community based alcohol service. Alcohol liaison nurse Jan Fisher said: ‘Alcohol plays a major part in many admissions and attendances at hospital. Our service is here to offer individuals the best advice.’ A trust that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recommended should be placed in special measures is tendering for an agency to help improve its culture. The CQC published a report that warned East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust found a ‘worrying disconnect between those running the trust and front line staff’. It has issued a questionnaire on the issue and is looking for external help. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing the ten most common cancers, according to one of the largest studies into links between the disease and body mass index (BMI). Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Farr Institute of Health informatics estimate that more than 120,000 cases are attributable to having a high BMI. tinyurl.com/l7fwyn7
august 20 :: vol 28 no 51 :: 2014 11 Nursing Standard 2014.28:11-11. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by National University of Singapore on 11/30/15. For personal use only.
MEDICATION REVIEW SAVES NURSES’ TIME A project involving care home nurses that led to a significant reduction in unnecessary prescribing has saved around an hour a day of nursing time. In a trial led by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, nurses and other professionals spoke to 422 residents to review their medication. The trial resulted in 1,346 changes to medicines and in the majority of cases medication was stopped. The project team estimate an hour of nursing time was saved as a result of reducing the time spent administering drugs. Trust chief pharmacist and clinical director for medicines management David Campbell said: ‘It is common for older people living in care homes to be prescribed a large number of medications without regular review, meaning that residents could be taking medicines they no longer require. This leads to wastage and safety risks.’ The review process will now be carried out in care homes across North Tyneside.
Yacker trackers could help keep noise down on wards A hospital in Australia may introduce ‘yacker trackers’ – devices that alert staff when there is excessive noise. The technology features traffic lights that glow in sequence to show how noisy a ward is. Canberra Hospital is considering the move after an internal review of noise levels found patients’ sleep was disrupted by activity on wards, including nurses chatting. Researchers collected views from 144 patients and 81 nurses and found that about 40 per cent of patients slept poorly. Patients typically slept 5.3 hours a night on the wards, 1.8 hours less than at home. Talking by nurses and other staff was the main source of noise. Noise levels at night were sometimes almost double the 30 decibels set as an acceptable level by the World Health Organization. A Canberra Hospital report says: ‘The major factors affecting patients’ quality of sleep are modifiable. Improving clinical knowledge of sleep physiology, reducing ambient noise by staff and reviewing the timing of clinical care could all enhance the quality of patients’ sleep.’ Nurses passed a resolution at RCN congress in June calling for staff to be educated on noise disturbance.
NURSING STANDARD
Nurses are being urged to contribute their ideas on how to improve dementia care by 2040. The IdeasLab will run an event at the University of Stirling in October, attended by leading figures in the field, including dementia expert June Andrews. To share ideas, go to http://dementia.stir.ac.uk/ideas/innovation-dementia Those nurses who are happier in their workplace physical environment are more likely to report better team working, relations with doctors, workload and other factors linked to job satisfaction. A team from universities in the United States surveyed 1,141 nurses. Maja Djukic, assistant professor at New York University’s college of nursing, said: ‘The right environment facilitates nurses’ work, which increases job satisfaction.’ The study is published in Research in Nursing and Health, see http://tinyurl.com/npw9enc A bank nurse who invented an aid for putting on an anti-embolism stocking is celebrating an increase in her customer base after she appeared on television programme Dragons’ Den. Neomi Bennett, a former Nursing Standard nurse awards finalist, was unsuccessful in her pitch last week (August 10) for funding for her invention the Neo-Slip. But she says the media exposure has sparked sales and an invitation from NHS England to tender. Visit www.zequs.com/campaign/neo-slip Two guides for health visitors on protecting babies and young children from female genital mutilation (FGM) have been published by the Institute of Health Visiting. The institute asked Greenwich University senior midwifery lecturer Priscilla Dike to write the resources. They advise practitioners to ensure families know FGM is illegal and to share concerns with other health professionals. Visit http://tinyurl.com/poa77t4 Royal Lancaster Infirmary has launched an alcohol liaison service to monitor patients with alcohol dependency who are admitted for any reason, and refer those who need long-term help to a community based alcohol service. Alcohol liaison nurse Jan Fisher said: ‘Alcohol plays a major part in many admissions and attendances at hospital. Our service is here to offer individuals the best advice.’ A trust that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has recommended should be placed in special measures is tendering for an agency to help improve its culture. The CQC published a report that warned East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust found a ‘worrying disconnect between those running the trust and front line staff’. It has issued a questionnaire on the issue and is looking for external help. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing the ten most common cancers, according to one of the largest studies into links between the disease and body mass index (BMI). Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Farr Institute of Health informatics estimate that more than 120,000 cases are attributable to having a high BMI. tinyurl.com/l7fwyn7
august 20 :: vol 28 no 51 :: 2014 11 Nursing Standard 2014.28:11-11. Downloaded from journals.rcni.com by National University of Singapore on 11/30/15. For personal use only.
