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Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced the launch of its second annual Mosby’s Nursing Suite “Superheroes of Nursing” contest, aimed at recognizing the work and dedication of individual nursing professionals. The contest officially opened for 2012 applicants during Nurses Week (May 6-12), and calls for applicants who fit into four categories – The Validators, The Achievers, The Educators, and The Protectors, to battle the villainous Obstructo.

Clearly, Judy McHugh’s continuing quest for quality improvement, spawned by a patient incident early in her nursing career, is what drives her. Judy is the recipient of one of four Mosby's Superheroes of Nursing Awards announced at the 2011 ANCC National Magnet Conference®. She was named “The Validator” for her ability to lead the way to quality, excellence, and accreditation.

Ron Oman’s life has not always been easy. He credits his mentors for guidance in staying on the right path. There was Sister Rose, a Catholic nun, who took Ron under her wing when he was a teenager. Another mentor always encouraged him to keep going, regardless of any difficulties. 

Clearly, he took her advice to heart. Today he is a highly skilled and well-respected clinical educator at Grays Harbor Community Hospital, an acute-care facility in rural Aberdeen, Washington. 

Telemedicine isn’t a new concept. It’s been around for more than 25 years. Basically, it’s the ability to use electronic communications to exchange medical information from one site to another. What’s new is that more than 200 hospitals are now using telemedicine―primarily in intensive care units, but also in emergency departments, postanesthesia care units, critical access facilities, and long-term acute care hospitals―to provide a second set of eyes that can ultimately improve patient care.

Pain is a complex process that involves an unpleasant sensation that may be caused either by actual or potential tissue damage. Essentially, it is whatever the person who is experiencing it says it is. Pain can be chronic or acute, mild to severe, and of sudden or slow onset. Acute pain is usually experienced for a limited time and confined to one area. In most cases, it is a warning of injury.

For some time, it was bacteria on the cell phones of health care workers that were thought to present a risk of nosocomial infection to patients. A new study reveals that it’s actually the bacteria on patients’ cell phones that is more troubling.

For many years, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been a source of infection for hospitals patients. Lately, MRSA infections have been on the rise among people who were not hospitalized. This community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is microbiologically different from hospital-associated MRSA and requires different treatment. 

Across the hospital, acute pain is a major health concern, and you and your colleagues face the challenge of managing your patients’ highly individualized experiences of pain. You know that patients have a right to appropriate pain assessment and management. You also recognize that poorly controlled pain can slow patient recovery, reduce the sense of well-being, and distress family members and friends.

Just as applying generational learning principles can help guide the development of lesson plans that blend online learning with other types of education, knowing the learning styles of your learners can help you create even more individualized and effective educational experiences. To do this, the staff educator must carefully consider who the learners are. As an aid in lesson plan development, consider these questions.

The purpose of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals is to promote specific improvements in patient safety. According to The Joint Commission, certain National Patient Safety Goals commonly account for compliance deficiencies in hospitals. These goals include improper medication reconciliation, poor communication of critical test results, and preoperative verification and time-out deficiencies. To help overcome these deficiencies, The Joint Commission recommends specific solutions for each problem area.