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Nurse workforce, research budgets essentially flat in presidents 2017 proposal
President Obama released a budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2017 this week that includes $229.5 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, which is the same level Congress approved for FY 2016, and $145.9 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), which is slightly less than the approved FY 2016 amount.
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Pending nurse shortage explored in Atlantic article
The demographic forces driving a potential shortfall of nurses are explored in an article in the February issue of The Atlantic, which cites Bureau of Labor Statistics data suggesting there could be more than a million job openings for nurses by 2022.
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Webinar to explore expansion of nurse licensing laws
The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action is offering a webinar Feb. 23 exploring the evidence around laws that allow nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training.
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AONE board names two appointed members
Sylvia Estrada, WHNP-BC, CBCN, MSHFM, DNP, and Giancarlo Lyle-Edrosolo, DNP(c), RN, NE-BC, CNL, CCRN-CMC, were appointed to the 2016 AONE Board of Directors for a one-year term. The appointed positions were created in 2014 to increase the board’s diversity of thought and address the needs of the early careerist nurse leader.
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CDC issues warning on alcohol and pregnancy, prompts backlash
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued a reminder to women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant that they should refrain from drinking alcohol because of the risk to their developing baby of alcohol-related disabilities.
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CDC urges rapid antiviral use for all hospitalized patients with suspected flu
Health care providers should initiate antiviral treatment as soon as possible for all patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, citing reports of severe respiratory illness or death in young- to middle-aged adults infected with the recently predominating strain. Some of the patients reportedly had negative results from a rapid flu diagnostic test.
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CMS releases first-ever home health star ratings
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its first-ever star ratings for home health care, based on patient experience survey results. The Home Health Compare website offers ratings from one star to five stars using data from patients (or the family or friends of patients) who have been treated at the agency.
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FDA updates information on validated duodenoscope reprocessors
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week posted updated information on which makers of automated endoscope reprocessors (AERs) for duodenoscopes have completed validation testing with adequate results.
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Home visits after heart surgery reduce readmissions, study finds
Heart surgery patients who receive home visits from physician assistants (PAs) are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital and have lower overall surgery costs, a new study finds. The analysis of 1,185 patients who had cardiac surgery between 2008 and 2012 at Staten Island University Hospital in New York was presented during the annual meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
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IOM workshop Feb. 16 to discuss Zika research priorities
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will convene a Feb. 16 workshop to identify research priorities to inform public health and medical practice for domestic Zika virus.
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Senate committee holds hearing on Wakefield nomination
The Senate Finance Committee this week held a hearing on the nomination of Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, FAAN, to deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has not scheduled a vote, he praised Wakefield's experience.
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Sexual transmission of Zika virus confirmed by Texas health officials
Health officials in Dallas said this week that a case of the Zika virus had been transmitted sexually from someone who recently returned from Venezuela infected with the mosquito-borne virus, CNN reported. The finding prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to update its Zika virus guidance for pregnant women to advise them to protect themselves if their male sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area where Zika virus is circulating, CNN said. NPR described the extensive effort of the CDC, along with other health agencies, to track the virus and confirm its health effects in humans.
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USP publishes standard for hazardous drug handling in health care settings
The United States Pharmacopeial Convention this week published a standard for hazardous drug handling in health care settings. Effective July 1, 2018, the standard will apply to hospitals and other health care facilities that handle drugs identified as hazardous or potentially hazardous by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
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Workplace violence prevention training video now available
A workplace violence prevention training video developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and the state’s occupational safety agency has been posted on the website of the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA), the association said.
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AHA comments on Senate Finance Committee chronic care policy
January 29 2016|Publication: eNews Update|Related Topics: American Hospital Association, Health policy/regulationThe American Hospital Association (AHA) this week provided feedback on the Senate Finance Committee Chronic Care Working Group's (CCWG) policy options to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health conditions.
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Better nursing environments linked to better surgical outcomes: study
January 29 2016|Publication: eNews Update|Related Topics: Healthful Work Environment, Quality, WorkforceHospitals with good nursing environments are associated with lower mortality in surgical patients for similar costs than hospitals with worse nursing environments, according to study results published online in JAMA Surgery.
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Bolton to receive 2016 TRUST Award for leadership
Linda Burnes Bolton, DrPH, RN, FAAN, immediate past president of AONE, will receive the 2016 TRUST Award from the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association (AHA).
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CDC issues updated travel guidance on Zika virus; WHO officials evaluate spread
January 29 2016|Publication: eNews Update|Related Topics: American Hospital Association, Health policy/regulationThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to its travel alerts related to the Zika virus. Previously, CDC issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing, mostly in central and South America.
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Malpractice claims against nurses on the rise
Malpractice claims against nurses have increased in recent years, says a new report published by the Nurses Service Organization.
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Nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner among top 10 jobs in U.S. News rankings
Nine of the ten "best jobs" according to a new U.S News & World Report ranking are in the medical professions, and two of those are in nursing: nurse anesthetist is No. 4 and nurse practitioner is No. 6. The rankings emphasize occupations that offer hiring opportunities and are based on factors such as good pay, projected growth and, to a lesser extent, stress level and work-life balance.