http://www.thinkculturalhealth.org/

Medication

http://www.ismp.org/Newsletters/acutecare/articles/20080313.asp

Link to questioning medication orders

DVT and VTE Protocal

Blue Bloaters and Pink Puffers

The other day some of the nurses were trying to remember the nicknames for two types of respiratory patients. Although it was somewhere in our memory vault, we just couldn't recall. One of our hospitalists came by and immediately was able to state it.... "blue bloaters and pink puffers." Here are a few links to refresh your memory. Pink Puffers COPD type A
Blue Bloaters COPD type B

Women and Heart Disease

Facts about Heart Disease in Women from the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease:
Prevalence:
8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease - 10% of women ages 45 - 64 and 25% age 65 and over.
6,000,000 of women today have a history of heart attack and/or angina or both. Nearly 13% of women age 45 and over have had a heart attack.
435,000 American women have heart attacks each year; 83,000 are under age 65 and 9,000 are under age 45. Their average age is 70.4.
4,000,000 women suffer from angina, and 47,000 of them were hospitalized in 1999.
Mortality:Heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women and kills 32% of them.
43% of deaths in American women, or nearly 500,000, are caused by cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) each year.
267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.
31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, or 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.
At-Risk:
The age-adjusted rate of heart disease for African American women is 72% higher than for white women, while African American women ages 55-64 are twice as likely as white women to have a heart attack and 35% more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.
Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
Women with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have heart attacks.
High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women.
39% of white women, 57% of black women, 57% of Hispanic women, and 49% Asian/Pacific Islander women are sedentary and get no leisure time physical activity.
23% of white women, 38% of black women, and 36% Mexican American women are obese.
Compared with Men:
38% of women and 25% of men will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.
35% of women and 18% of men heart attack survivors will have another heart attack within six years.
46% of women and 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure within six years.
Women are almost twice as likely as men to die after bypass surgery.
Women are less likely than men to receive beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or even aspirin after a heart attack.
More women than men die of heart disease each year, yet women receive only:
33% of angioplasties, stents and bypass surgeries
28% of inplantable defibrillators and
36% of open-heart surgeries
Women comprise only 25% of participants in all heart-related research studies.
Statistics complied from:
National Center on Health Statistics; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and American Heart Association's 2002 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, which may be viewed online at: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/10148328094661013190990123HS_State_02.pdf

Partnership for Prescription Assistance

Dear Healthcare Provider:
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies, is a central clearinghouse that connects individuals who are uninsured or lack adequate healthcare coverage to programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The PPA is the largest private-sector patient assistance effort helping people in need who qualify obtain their medicines through more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA has helped more than 4.3 million individuals find programs, but many more could benefit if they were only aware that help was available.
“The PPA is continuing to make tremendous inroads by assisting struggling Americans who need it most,” said Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). “America’s pharmaceutical research companies are devoted to not only inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, but to making sure all patients have access to those medicines. That is why we continue to work with healthcare providers to make sure no patient goes without the medicines they need.”
Healthcare providers can direct their patients to the PPA’s easy-to-use Web site (www.pparx.org) or the toll-free number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) where trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages.
In addition, the PPA provides information on nearly 10,000 free healthcare clinics and has connected more than 194,000 patients with clinics and healthcare providers in their communities.
More than 1,300 national, state and local organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, United Way of America, the YMCA and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, have partnered with America’s pharmaceutical research companies to help spread the word about the PPA.

Generic Bargains

In the last few years, several chains have followed Walmart's lead to offer certain generic prescriptions for $4 that is cheaper than most copays. This helps tremendously those who have no insurance or high copays.UPDATE: Kroger, Target, and Walmart now have 90 day supplies of some generics for $10! For many this is cheaper than your normal co pay from your insurance company.
Walmart, Target, and Kroger have similar lists of generics and may be viewed by clicking on the links below.
Not to be outdone, Meijer offers several generic antibiotics free. UPDATE: Meijer now offers several brands of prenatal vitamins free.!
Kmart has a generic program that is $15 for a ninety day supply for select generic drugs. Although it averages $5 a month, there is only one trip to the pharmacy saving time and gasoline.

Walmart
Meijer-free antibiotics and prenatal vitamins
Kroger
Target
Kmart

Drug Information

Here is another resource for drug information. It contains news, new medications, drug identifier, and images of drugs. This is one of the best free resources I have found recently.

The NLM gives us this search engine for drug information.

Search

Parkinson's CME

Often we as nurses care for patients with Parkinson's disease that are often in the later stages of Parkinson's disease. How much do we really know about Parkinson's disease. Here is an interesting CME program from Medical Crossfire. Remember that in the state of Ohio nurses can use CME programs for credit for continuing education. This program is free.

Blood transfusion and the Jehovah Witness

Here is the link to the official site from the Watchtower society on their stand on receiving blood and blood products.

Healthwatch

Cbs has an excellant interactive site called Healthwatch.Link

Nurses needed

Promotional video for nursing created by nursing students.



Link about video

CCRN review

http://www.chartingandassessment.com/CCRN/Main.htm


This is a free online CCRN flashcard program for review.

Curbside MD

There's a new search engine called Curbside MD. It gathers evidenced based articles... "Curbside.MD searches professional resources such as PubMed, National Guidelines Clearinghouse, FDA, and more." Check it out you and will find that it can be useful in your research.

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics

Click here for the downloadable 2007 report from the American Heart Association

Drug Patient Teaching

Here is the link to Nursing Spectrum's Patient Education for the new Drug Handbook.

Gmail

Gmail is Google's email service. Like AOL and Yahoo's email, it can be accessed from any computer by using your password if you have signed up for Google's free services.
One of the neat things that I have found about it is that you can email yourself if you have a file, pictures, etc. that you want to save or have available elsewhere. In addition, the storage is online instead of on your hard drive.
Another thing you can do is link the attachment in your email in your blog or website if you want to share. Here is an example.

Med Surg Quizes

Here is a link to several quizes that you can review various subjects with feedback. Have fun and see what you need to review!!

In addition, the following link has a gigantic amount of quizes!!

Cardiocast

Cardiocast at http://www.cardiocast.net/is site that has "all your eggs in one basket". It has Webcasts, CME, Podcasts, links,etc. all relating to cardiac care.

Prayer through the Father's Eyes

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cuts us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner,help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with the fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, dear Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day is a slave to addictions that we can imagine only in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the elderly couple walking annoying slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year to go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not just to those who are close to us, but to all humanity.Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy, and love.