The American Academy of Nursing and its Raise the Voice campaign brought together distinguished health care providers and other prominent stakeholders for a dynamic and informative discussion—Solutions to Scale: Proven Health Care Models for Primetime—at the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Barbara Jordan Conference Center. The event, moderated by National Public Radio’s Scott Hensley, examined how various innovations could be applied during the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was enacted in March of this year.
According to a Marketplace, American Public Media radio story aired as nurse practitioners (NPs) began their annual conference in Phoenix, health care reform has breathed new life into the care that NPs provide to Americans. With a focus on reducing costs, policy makers, health care leaders, and consumers are viewing access to NPs and the health care they provide in a new light. In many states NPs can diagnose disease, prescribe medications and interpret lab tests. In some rural areas, the NP is the only health care provider available.
According to recently released study in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, simulation-based learning significantly reduces the number of medication errors. This first-of-its-kind study, was conducted in adult coronary critical care (CCU) and medical intensive care (MICU) units in the Pittsburgh area. Because patients in these types of units receive multiple medications, they are at greater risks for error than those in non-intensive units..
Legislation requiring hospitals to have a circulating nurse during procedures using general anesthesia or deep sedation has become law in Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell, who is the current chair of the AAN Raise the Voice Campaign (link to campaign), is a staunch supporter of patient safety and access to quality care in all health care settings. Thirty-eight other states require a circulating nurse in the operating room when sedation is necessary. Read more.
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) provide primary care. NPs and CNMs take health histories, provide complete physical exams, diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems, interpret lab results and other diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, and teach and counsel patients and their families about health and illness.
Read more here about the role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in providing quality health care to Americans.
Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) has launched the Center for Nursing Excellence in Long-Term CareTM in an effort to help meet the demand for health care providers, especially nurses, that has been created by the world's aging population.
According to an Indianapolis Star article, 15 Indianapolis-area schools have a nurse practitioner (NP) on staff in their on-site health clinics. In many cases, these NPs serve as primary-care providers, not only for students, but for an entire family. In some states, nurse practitioners can diagnose conditions and write prescriptions. Although this article puts the spotlight on a local practice, the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care reports that about 24 percent of school-based health centers offer such care, and 42 percent see relatives of students.
