Nursing News and Research

Latest Nursing News and Research

New passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Examination

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN®) voted on Dec. 10, 2009, to raise the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN® Examination (the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses).

16 Dec 2009

GeckoSystems Intl. upgrades CareBot's voice synthesis capability

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. announced today that they have recently improved their voice synthesis capability due to insights from their in home personal companion eldercare robot evaluation trials. GeckoSystems is a dynamic leader in the emerging Mobile Service Robot industry revolutionizing their development and usage with "Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety, Security and Service™."

16 Dec 2009

AstraZeneca's CRESTOR receives favorable vote from FDA Advisory Committee

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) today voted 12 yes, 4 no, and 1 abstention that AstraZeneca has established sufficient benefit to offset the observed risks to support the use of CRESTOR®

16 Dec 2009

New method to improve accuracy of estimated blood loss

Determining blood loss at the scene of trauma can be critical to successful patient treatment. Health care workers such as emergency medical technicians have used visual estimation, which can be highly inaccurate, as their only means of determining volumes of blood loss. A new, simple method developed by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School may drastically improve their accuracy.

16 Dec 2009

MU researcher says older American women face unique barriers in healthcare

For Americans living in rural areas, obtaining and maintaining health care can be challenging. Aside from common barriers, including shortages of care providers and facilities, older women face additional challenges, according to Kay Libbus, a public health researcher at the University of Missouri. Libbus says that women ages 50-65 living in rural areas are at-risk for inadequate health care coverage and limited access to health information.

16 Dec 2009

Advanced Plasma Products launches its new TriClean Pro air sanitizer

Applied Science Products, Inc., announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Advanced Plasma Products Inc., has introduced its new TriClean Pro air sanitizer product powered by the company's newest advanced plasma generator design.

15 Dec 2009

Safe Life increases production of its A400 Series respirators

Safe Life Corp., an innovative antimicrobial company dedicated to developing novel technologies that prevent the spread of infection and disease, announced today that it is ramping production of its comfortable, breathable, A400 Series respirator to help healthcare providers and government agencies address the global shortage of N95 respirators during the H1N1 pandemic.

15 Dec 2009

Dangers of H1N1 flu contaminated touch surfaces tour kicks-off

Dr. Bob Arnot kicks-off a national educational tour on the silent threat of H1N1 flu contaminated touch surfaces and the new biotechnology in EPA-registered SpectraSan 24 that kills bacteria, fungus and viruses including Influenza A (H1N1 or Swine Flu).

15 Dec 2009

Sierra Vista Developmental Center in Yuba City to close its doors

After a decade of providing vital services to people with some of the most challenging behaviors and needs, Sierra Vista Developmental Center in Yuba City is scheduled to close its doors December 18.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare power mobility remains a viable option for beneficiaries

Across America, seniors, together with their families and caregivers, are making difficult decisions about the future. Did that last emergency room visit after a fall mean it's time to consider nursing homes? How much longer can their loved one remain safely in their own home or apartment?

15 Dec 2009

Antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications linked to increased risk of cardiovascular events and death

Women with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who report taking antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, and death compared to women not taking these medications, according to researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).

15 Dec 2009

People with periodontal disease are at high risk for diabetes, survey finds

The study, led by Dr. Shiela Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had not been diagnosed with diabetes.

15 Dec 2009

SNFs in Ohio make major changes in operations and services to deal with Medicaid bed tax

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in Ohio are making major changes in operations and services in order to deal with a 92 percent increase in the state-imposed Medicaid bed tax (franchise permit fee) from $6.25 to $12.01 per bed per day, scheduled for December 15.

15 Dec 2009

INS cites FDA-approved Totect antidote for anthracycline extravasations

The third edition of Infusion Nursing: An Evidence-Based Approach, published by the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), includes Totect(®), the only FDA-approved treatment for anthracycline extravasation. Anthracyclines are a group of chemotherapy medications including daunorubicin, doxorubicin, idarubicin and epirubicin that have been used in the treatment of various types of cancer since the early 1970s.

15 Dec 2009

Majority of dialysis patients face readmission to acute care facilities, says study

A new study by University of Cincinnati (UC) nephrologists shows that most dialysis patients admitted to long-term care hospitals face readmission to acute care facilities, and those with acute kidney failure don't often recover full kidney function.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare actuary: Health costs would rise after overhaul

The Senate's health overhaul plan would cover 33 million more people but fail to curb rising health costs, could threaten some Medicare patients' access to care, and may sink profits for one-fifth of hospitals and nursing homes, according to news accounts of an HHS report released Friday afternoon.

15 Dec 2009

Long-term care proposal raises cost, sustainability concerns

"Embedded in sweeping health legislation passed by the House and being debated on the Senate floor is a major new federal insurance program," called the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, or Class Act, The New York Times reports.

15 Dec 2009

KHN column: Why $75-a-day matters to caregivers

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "In the ongoing congressional debate over the CLASS Act—the proposed national long-term care insurance program—critics and supporters have been arguing over whether a benefit of $50- or even $75-a-day is worthwhile.

15 Dec 2009

Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation gifts $15 million to University of Michigan Health System

The University of Michigan Health System has received a $15 million gift from the Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation, the largest gift ever made to the Health System for women's health. It will support the construction of a new women's hospital.

15 Dec 2009

NAMS recommends women to discuss osteoporosis with their OB/GYNs

According to a new survey distributed by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), while 98 percent of women who participated consider bone strength to be an important health concern, nearly half (45 percent) of these women reported that osteoporosis was not addressed during their last routine OB/GYN visit, and more than a quarter (26.4 percent) of women surveyed have never discussed osteoporosis with their OB/GYN.

14 Dec 2009