The AJN Podcast

June 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the June issue of the American Journal of Nursing . A newborn appears on our cover this month, relating to our first CE, “Genomic Breakthroughs in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis.” Our second CE (with podcast) discusses the health care disparities faced by the LGBT population. We have the fourth installment of our systematic reviews series focusing on study selection and critical appra...

May 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the May issue of the American Journal of Nursing . A nurse practitioner we profile appears on our cover this month with a young Haitian patient. And our first CE article assesses the epidemic in Haiti. Our second CE discusses what nurses should know about intimate partner violence in rural U.S. areas. We have the third installment of our systematic reviews series focusing this month on search strateg...

Interview with Tracy A. Evanson from the University of North Dakota, author of “Intimate Partner Violence in Rural U.S. Areas: What Every Nurse Should Know” (May, 2014)

Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush and author Tracy Evanson discuss the importance of screening all patients for intimate partner violence and the unique issues rural survivors encounter because of where they live.

Interview with Mary Lou Fisher, author of “Responding to the Cholera Epidemic in Haiti” (May, 2014)

Less than a year after being was struck by a devastating earthquake, Haiti experienced a widespread cholera epidemic. Mary Lou Fisher, author of this article, discusses with AJN editor in chief Shawn Kennedy the work of Samaritan’s Purse, an NGO group, in responding to the epidemic and treating over 23,000 patients at several sites.

Interview with Janet Grady, author of “Telehealth: A Case Study in Disruptive Innovation” (April, 2014)

Telehealth (using technology and communications to provide care over long distances) is gaining in use as it contributes to increasing access to care and lowering cost by promoting out-of-hospital care and reducing readmissions. But because it’s new and unfamiliar, adoption may be slow or even resisted by some. Author Janet Grady discusses with AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy the important role telehealth is playing in care and offers a view of how it can be incorporated by nurses as a new too...

April 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the April issue of the American Journal of Nursing. A 12 year-old painted the colorful work that appears on our cover this month, tying in with our first CE on the use of guided imagery as a cognitive behavioral coping mechanism for pain in school age children with sickle cell disease. Our second CE is an original research on telehealth, and the use of new technologies that eventually become the norm...

Katie Marenghi, BSN, RN, Massachusetts General Hospital

Jessica Sexton, BSN, RN, Boston Children’s Hospital

Jay O’Reilly, ED nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (April, 2014)

Recalling the Boston Marathon Bombing, One Year Later (April, 2014)

As always, nurses rose to the occasion to provide needed care to those injured in the bombing. AJN contributing editor Gail Pisarcik Lenehan, EdD, RN, FAEN, FAAN, former president of the Emergency Nurses Association and a clinical nurse specialist in emergency nursing, revisited the day with several nurses who were on duty in one of Boston’s emergency departments. We present their stories in their own words below. Here, Lenehan and AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speak with MaryFran Hughes, MS...

Interview with Laurie Cook Heffron, author of “Original Research: Giving Sexual Assault Survivors time to Decide: An Exploration of the Use and Effects of the Nonreport Option” (March, 2014)

It used to be that evidence of sexual assault was not collected during the initial health exam unless the assault survivor had already initiated a report to law enforcement agencies. However, recognizing the trauma surrounding an assault, some states do conduct a forensic exam, store the evidence and allow survivors up to two years to decide whether or not to report the crime. Lead author Laurie Heffron discusses with AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy the findings of her mixed methods study of t...

March 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing . On our cover this month, young men pose at an AIDS service center in NYC, and our first CE, Nursing in the Fourth Decade of the HIV Epidemic, highlights changes in patients’ life expectancy, quality of life, policy, epidemiology, and nurses’ impact on this population. Our second CE is an original research on sexual assault survivors and the impleme...

Interview with Edie Brous, author of “The Case of Eric Decker”, the lead article in a new legal series, “Lessons Learned from Litigation” (February 2014).

Brous is a nurse and attorney, a contributing editor for AJN, and coordinates our legal column. AJN editor-in-chief discusses with Brous common problems that lead nurses to her door and what nurses can learn from this particular case.

Interview with Kim Sutters and Glenn Isaacson, authors of “Posttonsillectomy Pain in Children” (February, 2014)

Although pain following tonsillectomy varies from patient to patient, it is typically prolonged, constant and fairly severe. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the authors about their work in managing pain following the procedure, changes in guidelines and thinking around medications and schedules, and important considerations for increasing parental adherence to treatment plans.

February 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the February issue of the American Journal of Nursing . In honor of black history month, our cover photo comes from a 1951 Life Magazine photo essay about a nurse mid-wife who served the poor, mostly black communities in rural South Carolina. Our first CE is an original research piece on changing trends among newly-licensed RNs, assessing data about the job market and workforce. Our second CE discuss...

Interview with Donna Sabella, author of “Mental Illness and Violence” (January, 2014)

Recent mass shootings may lead the public to believe all people with mental illness can become violent. Author Donna Sabella discusses with AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy what role, if any, mental illness plays in violent behavior. She describes what the research shows and offers some pointers for assessing for violence risk.

Interview with Patricia Pittman, lead author of “Original Research: Perceptions of Employment-Based Discrimination Among Newly Arrived Foreign-Educated Nurses” (January, 2014)

In June 2010, we published Pittman’s article on ethical recruitment of foreign-educated nurses (FENS); now, Pittman and colleagues report on a survey of FENS regarding equitable treatment in the workplace. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the findings with Pittman.

January 2014 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing . A painting on this month’s cover depicts a more modern provider in today’s changing healthcare landscape than Norman Rockwell’s typical portraits of the kindly older family doctor. Our first CE is an original research on employment-based discrimination among foreign-educated nurses. Our second CE defines the principles behind the self-management ...

Interview with Sharon Martin, author of “Original Research: Predictors of Nurses’ Intentions to Work During the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic” (December, 2013)

Should there be an influenza pandemic, hospitals will need to rely on their employees who may be fearful for their own health or spreading the illness to families. In this study, research Sharon Martin and colleagues report on a survey of Maine nurses and their willingness to report to work and what factors might influence them to do so. Some of her results are surprising. AJN ’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the ramifications of her findings and what nurse administrators need to keep ...

Interview with Gina Murphy, lead author of “Quiet at Night: Implementing a Nightingale Principle” (December 2013).

If you’ve ever been a patient in a hospital, you know how noisy it is, even at night. One unit at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center decided to embark on a quality improvement project aimed at decreasing noise to promote sleep. Gina Murphy, the nurse manager of the unit and the lead author, discusses the project with AJN ’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy.

Interview with Linda Eisele-Hlubocky and JoAnne Sehr, authors of “Family Pet Visitation” (December, 2013)

Linda Eisele-Hlubocky & JoAnne Sehr Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush speaks with the authors about their article and the implementation of the Iowa Model to promote quality care through a family pet visitation program. They explain the benefits to patients, their families, and even to hospital staff.

December 2013 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the December issue of the American Journal of Nursing . A photo of a thirteen year-old girl with a trained therapy dog appears on this month’s cover, relating to our article on family pet visitation and a piece called “One Health at Kansas State University.” Our first CE this month is an original research about nurses’ willingness to work during an H1N1 pandemic. The second CE discusses HIV and foot ...

Interview with LeeAnna Spiva, lead author of “Hearing the Voices of Newly Licensed RNs: The Transition to Practice” (November, 2013)

Hospitals invest considerable resources in recruiting and transitioning new nurses to practice, yet many leave after their first year. This qualitative research study explores what a cohort of these nurses have to say about what they found valuable – or not- in their orientation program. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the issues with the lead author and what the key messages might be.

Interview with Suzanne Morse Buhrow, author of “Coccidioidomycosis: A Differential diagnosis for Visitors to the Southwest” (November, 2013)

Also known as valley fever, this fungal infection is under-diagnosed or often misdiagnosed, leading to debilitating and chronic effects. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the author’s personal experiences, why this disease seems to be increasing, and what she hopes nurses will take away from this article.

November 2013 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the November issue of the American Journal of Nursing . A nursing student appears on this month’s cover tying in with our original research piece on newly licensed RNs. Our first CE this month is an emergency article on IV access with an accompanying video. The second CE discusses a pilot study on assessing patients for dysemia. An Emerging Infections article explains Coccidioidomycosis or “valley fe...

Interview with Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy sits down with Bev Malone at the NLN Summit in September 2013, in Washington, DC. Discussion ranges from NLN’s recent move of its headquarters to Washington DC from New York City, NLN’s strategies and priorities and status of the nursing faculty shortage.

Interview with Christine Waszynski and Patricia Veronneau, two of the authors of “Decreasing Patient Agitation Using Individualized Therapeutic Activities” (October, 2013)

Christine Waszynski & Patricia Veronneau Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the authors about their nurse-led project to make better use of the “sitters” who were providing continuous observation for patients suffering from cognitive impairment, delirium and other conditions causing agitated behavior. Simple interventions led to less disruptive behavior.

Interview with Staja Booker, lead author of “Mouth Care to Reduce Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia” (October, 2013)

Often times, mouth care may be neglected or performed inadequately to reduce oral bacteria that may cause pneumonia. This article offers a step-by- step guide to evidence-based practice for oral care for intubated patients. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the author’s experience in writing this article and what she hopes nurses will take away from it.

October 2013 Highlights

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Managing Editor Karen Roush present the highlights of the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing . This month’s cover photo comes from a photo essay of gender non-conforming children at a camp for transgender children, tying in with our AJN reports on the same topic. Nurses from Hartford Hospital wrote our first CE this month, describing their successful nurse-led quality improvement project for cognitively-impaired patients. The second CE dis...

Interview with Dan Hartley, epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), August 2013.

AJN's editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Dr. Hartley, who along with nurse epidemiologist Marilyn Ridenour, led a team to develop a program to educate nurses about workplace violence. The program, a series of online modules, is free and available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/training_nurses.html See the related blog post at http://wp.me/prthD-43r