Editor's Note To relieve work stress, two nurses at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia helped engineer the hospital’s first Paws for Pennsy event, the July 22 Nurse.Com reports. Nurses and other hospital staff were invited to cuddle, pet, and enjoy the antics of dogs and cats and get much-needed tension relief. About…

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New ideas and a renewed sense of purpose are two things OR Manager Conference attendees can expect to take home from each year’s gathering. Those who listen to Jody Urquhart will also return to their ORs armed with ways to inspire and engage their staffs. Urquhart, author of All Work…

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Healthcare facilities are places of healing. Sometimes they also can be places of danger and death—just like the rest of the world. When an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) became the site of a fatal stabbing 3 years ago, outpatient surgery leapt into the public eye, and not in a good…

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Editor's Note This study finds that physicians who use electronic health records (EHRs) have higher rates of burnout and are more likely to be dissatisfied with their jobs because of the amount of time spent completing computerized medical forms. The findings, based on a survey of 6,375 physicians, found that…

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Editor's Note Women who put in long hours of work over many years have an increased risk of chronic, life threatening illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and diabetes, this study finds. Women’s work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more for more than 30 years tripled the risk of…

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Editor's Note Mangers who inspire their staff members who work in groups to perform above and beyond the call of duty may harm their employees' health, finds this study. The results suggest that constant pressure from transformational leaders to make an extra effort at work may promote self-sacrifice in vulnerable…

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Editor's Note Female RNs working a rotating night shift for 5 years or more was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in this study. The analysis included nearly 190,000 RNs involved in the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS), who were followed over 24 years in…

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Editor's Note Musical preferences and perceptions of the effect of music in the OR differ by professional status and specialty, this study finds. A survey of 282 patients and 390 providers (ie, physicians, residents, and nurses in anesthesiology and surgery), found that: Patients who highly enjoyed music said it alleviated…

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Editor's Note In this study, overall physical activity and stress management scores were low for 494 RNs surveyed. Results showed statistically significant differences between RNs 50 years of age and older and those 30 to 39 years of age for health responsibility, nutrition, and stress management, which suggests that older…

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Editor's Note Working 46 hours per week or more increases the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), this study finds. Beginning at 46 hours, increasing work hours were progressively associated with increased risk of CVD (ie, angina, coronary disease, heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure, or stroke). Compared to…

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