Nursing News and Research

Latest Nursing News and Research

Review of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models of community-based respite care for frail older people and their carers

Family members and friends often need support as they cope with being the main caregivers for their older, sick or disabled loved ones.

25 Apr 2007

Humanizing approaches to dementia care may extend patients' lives

Through an intensive comparative study of two nursing home units using contrasting approaches to dementia care for elders with severely disturbed behaviors, Central Michigan University professor of anthropology Athena McLean has found that "humanizing" approaches to dementia care may not only extend quality of life for patients, but also their length of life.

25 Apr 2007

Chronically ill prisoners can face great healthcare problems, but others inmates enjoy improved health

People with chronic illnesses can experience great difficulties in prison, but people such as drug addicts and the homeless may find their healthcare improves, according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

25 Apr 2007

Telephone support reduces depression for older HIV survivors

Many patients diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s and 1990s have survived and now are entering their golden years.

24 Apr 2007

Non-coplanar PCBs and related chemicals warrant serious attention for health reasons

Scientists have determined that a specific class of PCB causes significant developmental abnormalities in rat pups whose mothers were exposed to the toxicant in their food during pregnancy and during the early weeks when the pups were nursing.

24 Apr 2007

Qigong helped people during SARS outbreak

Oriental therapies can help chronically ill people stay strong and reduce stress levels during epidemics, according to research in the April issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.

24 Apr 2007

Schering-Plough announces ZETIA spproved in Japan

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that Schering-Plough K.K., the company's country operation in Japan, has received marketing approval for ZETIA (ezetimibe), a novel cholesterol-lowering agent that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.

20 Apr 2007

Should researchers wash their hands of hand washing?

Despite the high profile given to hand washing in hospitals, there is still little robust evidence to show which are the best ways to improve hand hygiene.

19 Apr 2007

Most-at-risk nursing home residents to be tested for superbugs

A Johns Hopkins study of adult patients admitted to The Johns Hopkins Hospital showed that patients who resided in nursing homes or other kinds of long-term care facilities at any time within the last six months were far more likely than other adult patients to carry or be infected with a drug-resistant superbug.

17 Apr 2007

Effect of alcohol and aspirin consumption in traumatic brain injury patients

An estimated 1.5 million people in the United States incur a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year and 60,000 people die annually from these injuries.

17 Apr 2007

Astrocytes may contribute to Lou Gehrig's disease

Two papers by Columbia and Harvard researchers report for the first time that astrocytes (the most abundant non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system), which carry a mutated gene known to cause some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease), induce motor neuron death.

16 Apr 2007

Gleevec available to patients in post-surgical GIST study

Investigators will begin offering Gleevec(R) (imatinib mesylate)* tablets to patients receiving placebo in a major North American clinical trial after an interim analysis showed participants with Kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated with Gleevec following surgery were significantly less likely to experience a return of their cancer compared to those not taking this innovative therapy.

15 Apr 2007

Aggressive behaviour on acute psychiatric wards: prevalence, severity and management

Psychiatric nurses have a one in ten chance of being physically injured by an aggressive patient over the course of a year and many more suffer emotional distress because of the verbal abuse they receive while working in these difficult and challenging environments.

12 Apr 2007

Talk therapy during school helps teens with depression

Training school social workers to lead “talk therapy” sessions during the school day can help teens and pre-teens recognize and begin to overcome mild depression, anxiety and anger problems, research is showing.

11 Apr 2007

New rules ban sexual relationships between doctors and patients

As part of a comprehensive package of reforms in Britain, healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and midwives, will be warned against forming sexual relationships not only with patients but also with former patients.

11 Apr 2007

Montefiore Medical Center launches human papilloma virus clinic

The only HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) Vaccine Clinic of its kind has been launched at Montefiore Medical Center.

7 Apr 2007

Emerging threats demand new approach to disaster preparedness

The SARS epidemic, the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and avian influenza all underline a growing need for preparedness planning that addresses multiple hazards and coordinates all levels of government and society, said a panel of public health experts today at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C.

3 Apr 2007