Focus: Nursing Channel Featured Story 2

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The rapidly changing healthcare industry has created a need for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to develop skills, transform mindsets, or adapt motives and traits to increase their impact—now and into the future. As part of its mission to support the professional advancement of its nearly 60,000 CRNA members, American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) released a white paper outlining leadership standards for the CRNA profession.

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The COVID‐19 pandemic created novel patient care circumstances that may have increased nurses' moral distress, including COVID‐19 transmission risk and end‐of‐life care without family present. Moral distress is a growing concern in healthcare with implications for both provider and patient outcomes. However, until now, established moral distress instruments do not capture these novel aspects of pandemic nursing care.

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Results from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' national survey of 9,000-plus nurses underscore the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses and the benefits of creating healthy work environments to support nurse staffing, retention and optimal patient care.

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Leaders of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) congratulated Shereef Elnahal, MD, on his confirmation as Undersecretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and pledged the AANA’s continued support of the VA to ensure that the nation’s veterans receive timely, expert, quality care.

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Magnet4Europe, a 4 million Euro project funded by the European Commission, is the largest international implementation science project ever attempted to fundamentally change hospital work environments to improve clinician and patient wellbeing. Today the BMJ Open scientific journal published the scientific protocol for Magnet4Europe establishing its scientific and clinical significance.

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A pilot program at The Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York -- designed to help patients manage heart failure after hospital discharge -- quickly improved patient adherence to their medication and treatment plan, and resulted in fewer readmissions among the initial 47 patients.

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Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center found that about 30% of ICU survivors could not complete a simple screening assessment for cognitive impairment at hospital discharge. About 47% of those who were able to complete the assessment scored at a level consistent with severe cognitive impairment.

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Sleep health is increasingly recognized as important to overall health, and sleep disturbances and disorders are clinical problems that require diagnosis and management. But when patients present with symptoms and concerns about their sleep disturbances, they often do so to healthcare providers who are not sleep specialists.

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Parental smoking is a significant risk factor for developing smoking behavior and nicotine dependence in offspring. These findings suggest that parental nicotine exposure may promote addiction-like behaviors in subsequent generations. Given the significance of cigarette smoking for public health, preventing nicotine use among adolescents is critical to ending tobacco use disorder and decreasing e-cigarette use.

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Maryland patients now have increased access to safe, affordable care with the enacting of HB55. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) applauds the new law, as it expands the scope of practice for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), granting them the authority to order and prescribe medications, including controlled substances.

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Duke University Medical Center improved communication and collaboration between nurses and advanced practice providers in an ICU, with a standardized template to guide conversations. The effort also contributed to an improved sense of teamwork and other unexpected positive outcomes.

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Variations in practice and outdated protocols related to nasogastric feeding tubes can impact patient safety and lead to complications. U.S. healthcare organizations are currently transitioning to a new type of connectors, which provides an opportune time to review feeding tube insertion and care processes.

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For the holistic patient care they deliver, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) recognizes and honors the contributions and perseverance of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other nursing professionals during National Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2022.

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Michigan is now the 20th state to opt out from federal regulations that require physician supervision of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) reports that the governors of 19 additional states and Guam have exercised such exemptions.

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A pilot study at Maine Medical Center found that scores on the RAS and SASS sedation scales that were best associated with a patient's ability to follow at least three commands are higher than the commonly recommended thresholds for each assessment tool.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) recently announced that it has selected 51 distinguished leaders in the profession of nurse anesthesiology as candidates to be inducted into the 2022 Class of Fellows. The inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to the profession at the AANA’s Annual Congress, taking place on Aug. 12-16 in Chicago.

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American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has been recognized by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with a 2022 Gold Circle Award in the Digital Content category. The Gold Circle Awards competition is the premier association marketing, membership, and communications award program that recognizes excellence, innovation, and achievement in association/nonprofit marketing, membership, and communications campaigns and activities.

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Alabama patients now have increased access to safe, affordable care with the signing today of HB 268 by Governor Kay Ivey. The law provides that, in addition to physicians and dentists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) may provide anesthesia care under the direction of or in coordination with a physician, podiatrist, or dentist.

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A standardized rounding tool sparks daily discussions of patient metrics and contributes to decrease in ICU length of stay and reduction in duration of mechanical ventilation.

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Lead is an environmental neurotoxicant that causes neurocognitive deficits and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. It also disproportionately affects socially disadvantaged communities. The association between lead exposure and children’s IQ has been well studied, but few studies have examined the effects of blood lead on children’s physiological stress and behavior. Three University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) studies shed light on how lead can affect children and adolescents’ physiological stress and emotional/behavioral development.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Board of Directors has appointed William “Bill” Bruce, MBA, CAE, to serve as AANA’s Chief Executive Officer, effective June 27, 2022.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will honor the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) with the Excellence in State Government Relations Advocacy Award at its Mid-Year Assembly to be held in Washington, D.C., April 2-6.

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Dr. Dina Velocci, DNP, CRNA, APRN, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) issued the following statement in response to a verdict of a former nurse found guilty in an accidental injection death of a patient.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will recognize Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) as the winner of its Health Leadership Award for 2022 at its Mid-Year Assembly, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 2-6.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will recognize Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) as the winner of its Health Leadership Award for 2022 at its Mid-Year Assembly, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 2-6.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) commends President Biden for signing the “Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act” (H.R. 1667), which promotes behavioral health and well-being among healthcare professionals. The bill is named after an emergency room physician who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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ring a hearing on VA Healthcare workforce issues on March 17 in the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (VA), Committee member Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) urged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Congress to address workforce shortages in the VA healthcare system by allowing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice at the full scope of their licensure and education.

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Of the more than 200,000 women in U.S. federal and state prisons and jails, it is estimated that up to 10% are pregnant and will give birth while incarcerated. Clinical practice guidelines to support breastfeeding and increase infants’ access to human milk are well established. However, little data assess the extent to which they are modifiable or applicable for incarcerated mothers.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) will honor Lt. Col. Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA, with the Daniel D. Vigness Federal Political Director Award at its Mid-Year Assembly, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 2-6. Wiggins, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), is staff CRNA with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh and chief nurse for the critical care transport team in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

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University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) faculty J. Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, are guest editors of the April 2022 special edition of the journal Research in Nursing & Health. The Issue “Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health” is the first of its kind published by a nursing research journal.

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are on the front lines of patient care, safely administering nearly 50 million anesthetics each year in the United States. During Patient Safety Awareness Week, March13-19, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) joins the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in recognizing practices, education, and standards that improve safety for patients and healthcare professionals.

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The president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) issued the following statement in response to a bill designed to prevent Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) from practicing to the full extent of their licensure in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

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Approximately 23,700 children in the U.S. undergo invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure annually. Although most survive, little is known if they have worse long-term neurocognitive function than children who do not undergo such procedures. There are concerns about neurotoxic effects of critical illness and its treatment on the developing brain. Therefore, infants and young children may be uniquely susceptible to adverse neurocognitive outcomes after invasive mechanical ventilation.

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An analysis of data from 1,480 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in March 2020 at 57 U.S. hospitals is one of the few studies conducted in diverse, multicenter patient populations that describes patients’ illness trajectory, patterns of organ failure, therapies and clinical outcomes.

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A national survey revealed racism remains a challenge across the nursing profession. Two members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) who were appointed to working groups for the study said that their participation in the survey was vital since, “at the end of the day, patient outcomes are impacted.”

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Utah has consistently been recognized as one of the best U.S states for healthcare, but a bill circulating in the state’s legislature is threatening to compromise patients’ access to affordable, quality care. Senate Bill 121 will limit the availability of proven, cost-efficient anesthesia delivery in the state, according to Dan Bunker, CRNA, president of the Utah Association of Nurse Anesthetists (UANA).

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Patients physically recovering from traumatic injury are at risk for experiencing psychological distress, particularly depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Early identification of depression and PTSD risk while under the care of the trauma service is essential to supporting the comprehensive recovery of injured patients.

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Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Untreated cavities can cause pain, infections, and can lead to problems eating, speaking, and learning. During February, National Children’s Dental Health Month, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) reminds parents it is important not only to know how to keep your child’s teeth healthy, but also to ensure that they have access to safe dental care.

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On July 15, 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an urgent plea for all Americans to take part in slowing a serious threat to public health. He wasn’t talking about the COVID-19 pandemic but rather the harmful effects on personal and public health caused by the infodemic – the creation and spread of an excessive amount of unreliable and false health information.

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On Feb. 2, 2022, the House Veterans Affairs Committee moved legislation forward to remove wage restrictions and increase recruitment opportunities for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in the Veterans Affairs health system.

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Yale New Haven Hospital reduced its rates of postoperative urinary retention (POUR) among thoracic surgery patients recovering from a lobectomy from 21% to 3%, after implementing a nurse-led voiding algorithm customized to the patient population.

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In honor of National CRNA Week (Jan. 23-29, 2022), U.S. House of Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rodney Davis (R-IL) , Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Dave Joyce (R-OH), introduced bipartisan House Resolution 886 on the House floor, “Recognizing the roles and the contributions of America’s Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and their critical role in providing quality health care for the public, especially during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.”

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Children who survive critical illness and their parents commonly experience physical, emotional, and cognitive conditions as a result of the critical illness. These effects can also include prolonged absences from school and/or work. What has not been fully understood is the rate and duration of school absences among these children and work absences among their caregivers.

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Surgical patients in hospitals with better nurse work environments were less likely to be admitted to an ICU and less likely to die, according to an analysis of health records of nearly 270,000 patients in 453 hospitals. The study is the first to directly link the nurse work environment to ICU use.

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The start of the new year often brings with it new state laws and regulations, including two that remove barriers to patient care for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in Alaska and South Dakota.

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In order for nurses to lead in health and health care innovation, schools of nursing and nursing programs must think strategically about the knowledge and skills the next generation of nurses will need and then support those innovation needs at all levels of research, education, and practice.

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It is not uncommon for people with opioid-related conditions, including opioid dependence and opioid use disorder (OUD), to be regularly hospitalized to treat infections, trauma, or other emergent conditions. Data show that patients with substance use disorders (SUD) are much more likely to self-discharge against medical advice than patients admitted for similar conditions without SUDs. This can lead to poorer health outcomes including worsening illness, readmissions, and death.

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Parkdale Center and American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) further solidified their partnership with upgrades to the AANA Helpline that offers support and assistance for substance use disorder (SUD) to Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and students enrolled in nurse anesthesia programs.

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Black men are disproportionately impacted by injuries in the United States. This disparity is glaring given that injury is one of the top ten causes of death. Data show that injured Black men from disadvantaged neighborhoods experience higher injury mortality, years of life-expectancy loss, and psychological symptoms that persist after initial wounds have been treated.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Board of Directors has named David Anderson to serve as AANA’s Chief Financial Officer, effective Jan. 17, 2022. He will report to interim Chief Executive Officer David Hebert.