CVME Insider: Nursing Knowledge That Matters

Written by Guest Blogger: Andrea Needham Populations are  aging  all around the world, requiring innovative approaches to keep up with their care. The great news is that advances in technology make keeping up with the demand for senior-friendly tools easier than ever. You can improve your daily quality of life by simply investing in some easy-to-use and practical devices. Get inspired by the below overview of products. Invest in streaming TV and movies Older individuals tend to spend a fair amount of time at home due to decreased mobility. Skip the traditional cable television and opt for a streaming device instead so you can view your favorite movies and shows at any time. Streaming sticks offer access to  more than 500,000 options . It's also easy to set up and there's no need to deal with the cable company—meaning lower costs as well. Another way to simplify entertainment is to get a tablet. This allows you to view programs from the comfort of you...

Sharps injuries? Sharps injuries  are a significant injury and health hazard for health care workers and also result in a  number of direct and indirect organizational costs . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 385,000 sharps-related injuries occur annually among health care workers in hospitals. More recent data from the Exposure Prevention Information Network (EPINet™) suggest these injuries can be reduced, as sharps-related injuries in nonsurgical hospital settings decreased 31.6% during 2001–2006 (following the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000) . However, injuries in surgical settings increased 6.5% in the same period, where adoption of safety devices was limited compared to nonsurgical settings. It has been estimated about half or more of sharps injuries go unreported. Most reported sharps injuries involve nursing staff, but laboratory staff, physicians, housekeepers, and other health care workers are also injured. ...

We have been teaching CPR , ACLS , and PALS for over 5 years now and I always get the same complaint from many students.  "Why do we have to watch those stupid videos?"  We know that some of the videos you watch can be boring or repetitive; however, there is a madness behind the methods from the American Heart Association. A recent student from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania finds "using a video to train members of patients at risk for cardiac arrest in CPR may be just as effective as using the traditional hands-on method with a manikin." "The findings suggest simplified and more cost-effective approaches may be useful for disseminating CPR education to families of at-risk patients and the general public. The results are being presented during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015." (Abella, MD, MPhil) The cardiac arrests in the United States are typically responded and treat...

  This June, in honor of National CPR Week , the American Heart Association is calling on all Americans to learn how to give Hands-Only® CPR by watching a simple one-minute video. Once you have learned CPR, give 5 people you care and love about the same  power you just learned to help  save a life by passing on that knowledge to them to act quickly in a crisis. Don’t be afraid; your inability to  act cannot help . If you see an unresponsive adult who is not breathing or not breathing normally, call 911 and push hard and fast on the center of the chest. WHY LEARN CPR ? Cardiac arrests are more common than you think, and they can happen to anyone at any time.  More than 383,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 88 percent of those cardiac arrests occur at home. Most victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors. Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arr...