12/18/12
New articles have been posted on three previously published OJIN topics.
Facilitating Change Among Nursing Assistants in Long Term Care, by François Aubry, PhD; Francis Etheridge, MA; and Yves Couturier, PhD, discusses the implementation of change in long term care organizations (LTCOs). The authors present their findings describing the process by which new nursing assistants are integrated informally into LTCOs in Quebec, Canada, and the manner in which informal work strategies to manage heavy workloads are transmitted to these new assistants. They introduce a five-step innovation plan for change that promotes consideration of nursing assistants’ strong sense of community to be a change engine rather than a change obstacle. This article adds to the May 2003 OJIN topic, “Health Care and the Aging Population: What are Today’s Challenges?”
The ever popular January 2001 OJIN topic, “The Nursing Shortage: Is This Cycle Different?” adds an article from an international perspective. Macao, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) in the People’s Republic of China, has long been troubled by a shortage of nurses. In the article, Nursing Shortage: The Facts and Strategies in Macao Society, authors Ming Liu, PhD, RN; Bernice Lam, MSc, RN; Pedro Fong, PhD, MRPharmS; and Hao Bin Yuan, PhD, RN, describe the nursing shortage in Macao SAR, discuss contributing factors and present successful strategies used to manage the shortage.
What we do every day at work and in our home lives can make a difference in the quality of our environment. Consider, for example, the flushing of pharmaceuticals into the sewer system, which can lead to water pollution and a threat to aquatic and human life. In contrast, keeping aquatic life healthy can contribute to human health. A new addition to the May 2007 OJIN topic, “Environmental Health: Important Choices for a Greener World ” is the article, Think before you flush! A Sustainable Aquatic Eco-System’s Relation to Human Health by A. Elaine McKeown, MSN, RN, and Judith Pawloski, MSN, RN. The authors consider nursing’s guiding principles for environmental health, review research related to pharmaceutical pollution of water resources, describe health care treatments derived from marine life, and discuss suggestions for promoting aquatic health. This article also features some original artwork by McKeown.
The OJIN journal editors invite you to share your response to previously posted OJIN topics by sending a Letter to the Editor or by submitting a manuscript that will further the discussion of these or any other OJIN topic.