NEW YORK NURSE: June 2009

Council on Nursing Practice: taking on issues important to you

Horizontal violence, title protection, downsizing, and more

by Erin Silk

The NYSNA Council on Nursing Practice (CNP) recently held its business meeting and representatives from Practice Focus Groups (PFGs) attended for the first time. The CNP continues to identify issues important to nurses and the patients they care for. PFG members defined the following areas of concentration for the Council:

Barcode scanning

The CNP has several concerns about barcode scanning of medications. A major issue is that medication could be mixed up if labeled incorrectly. It is recommended that medication labels should still always be verified with the actual pill in the bag or container before it is given to the patient. Another issue is the lack of a paper trail for the person responsible for writing the script. It is suggested that the vendor of the barcode be contacted for options and logging the information in the nurses notes may be appropriate.

Horizontal violence

NYSNA, in conjunction with the Foundation of New York State Nurses and the New York Association of Nurse Executives, has sent out a survey to the membership regarding horizontal violence. Although widely underreported, more nurses are recognizing that open hostility, withholding information, undermining, and excessive bickering in the workplace qualifies as horizontal violence. Results of the survey are due to be released later this summer.

CNS title protection

CNS title protection is necessary to safeguard against those claiming to be clinical nurse specialists, who really are not. A motion was approved to support the Council on Legislation to move forward with this important initiative.

Gerontological care

Increase in the HIV/AIDS population, and continuing concerns about syphilis have prompted the CNP to suggest more education about the sexual activity of elders. NYSNA offers three online courses through e-leaRN™: HIV/AIDS: The Impact on Persons Age 50+, HIV/AIDS Medications: The Importance of Adherence, and HIV/AIDS: Where Are We Now? to help deal with this growing issue in elder care. NYSNA members receive a 15% discount by entering their member number at the time of registration.

Other areas of focus for the CNP include public health nursing, institution downsizing and documentation:

Recruitment and retention of public health nurses is especially needed as the majority of the population begins to spend more illness days at home rather than in the hospital.
Facility downsizing often results in nurses having to float to cover areas outside their specialty. This practice can lead to frustration, poor morale, and most importantly, human error. Nurses should not be expected to perform in areas in which they do not feel comfortable or competent, as a consequence of closing units.
With little or no time to document, common documentation issues for nurses begin with the fact that computers don’t always speak to each other, leading to duplication of efforts or errors. Another issue includes frustration with computer drop-down boxes that don’t include common industry language used to describe a particular health action or diagnosis.

Committed to promoting approved standards of practice, PFGs include NYSNA members from adult, family/maternal child, behavioral, public, and gerontological health areas. Members are encouraged to decide which group best reflects the patients they work with the most, or the area in which they might like to gain more information and experience.

You can join a PFG by registering online at members.nysna.org.