Nursing News Flash

One of the primary chlorine disinfectants currently being used to clean hospital scrubs and surfaces does not kill off the most common cause of antibiotic associated sickness in healthcare settings globally, according to a new study.

Pediatric obesity has become a significant health concern in recent years, with the prevalence reaching higher levels. It is a complex condition influenced by various factors, including genetics, lifestyle choices and environmental factors.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry have joined forces and issued an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the management of stimulant use disorder.

From 2019 to 2020, the incidence of local-stage disease decreased significantly for 19 of 22 cancer types, compared with stable year-over-year changes pre-COVID-19, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in the International Journal of Cancer.

The 2024 childhood and adolescent immunization schedule has been released and includes new recommendations for respiratory syncytial virus, mpox, COVID-19, influenza, pentavalent meningococcal, 20-valent pneumococcal, and poliovirus immunizations and vaccines.

In this interview for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2023, Kitty van Weezenbeek, Director of Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of AMR for the World Health Organization, sheds light on the critical challenges and advancements in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, a global threat impacting health and wellbeing across sectors.

This study of Medicare claims data for 4,386 hospitals found that higher segregation of hospital care was associated with poorer health outcomes for both Black and white patients, with significantly greater negative health outcomes for Black populations, supporting racial segregation as a root cause of health disparities. Policymakers and clinical leaders could address this important public health issue through payment reform efforts and expansion of health insurance coverage, in addition to supporting upstream efforts to reduce racial segregation in hospital care and residential settings.

Repeated COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes have had a stark and lasting impact on vulnerable older residents, a new study reports. Long COVID has left many residents of these facilities relying more and more on staff to help them months later with basic, everyday activities, such as bathing and using the toilet.

Each year since 2020, Trusted Health has released the annual Frontline Nurse Mental Health & Well-Being Survey in order to gauge the well-being of the nation's nurses, and also to advocate for solutions. This year's survey offers some reasons for cautious optimism. Nurses' self-reported mental health ratings continued to improve since the darkest days of the pandemic, from 5.4 in 2020 to 6.6 in 2023.

KSNA is committed to mentoring nursing leaders for today and tomorrow. This year we will begin a series of leadership webinars that may be taken on demand. The KSNA Leadership Series will focus on topics for current and emerging leaders. Quarterly educational sessions will be provided on-demand over the next year: Part 4: Foundations of Leadership — Dustin Baker, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, NE Available on-demand from January 1-31, 2024 Register now to participate in the 2023 KSNA Leadership Series! Pre-registration for each part of the series is required. Registration Fees $29.00 KSNA Member $49.00 Non-Member For full details or to register online please visit the KSNA website — click here! Disclosures Successful Completion — Participants must register, participate in the entire educational session and complete an online evaluation to receive a certificate of completion for each session of the series. Relevant Financial Relationships — This educational activity does not include any content that relates to the products or services of an ineligible company/organization, which would require identification and mitigation. Accreditation 1.0 contact hour per session. The Midwest Multistate Division is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Questions? Please contact Sara Fry at with any questions. We hope you will choose to join us!

Autonomy in nursing is the ability of nurses to understand their patient's right to medical information and care, independently making decisions without consulting the healthcare provider. Autonomy also includes properly advocating for your patient. However, you must fully understand the patient's medical wishes to do so. You must also have a grasp on all potential risks, benefits, and complications to make well-informed decisions.