Venous access devices are ubiquitous in nearly every direct care nursing setting. But as technology becomes more complex and new evidence emerges, nurses must evaluate it against their current practice: Should I use saline or heparin to flush this access device? Am I placing this peripheral venous catheter correctly? What does the latest evidence say? Do I need to implement a practice change?
On November 6, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Nurse Assist, LLC’s, recall and warned consumers, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities not to use recalled saline (0.9% sodium chloride) and sterile water medical products manufactured by Nurse Assist, LLC, and sold under various brands, because they may not be sterile.
More than double the number of healthcare workers reported harassment at work in 2022 than in 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said when sharing the results of a recent survey in an October 2023 Vital Signs report. Harassment may include threats, bullying, verbal abuse, or other actions from patients and coworkers that create a hostile work environment, all of which have important implications for health worker mental health, CDC said.
Whether as a whisper or a roar, a voice is simply a composition of unique sounds that produces a multitude of meanings. However, all voices should be heard. In particular, those who advocate for and provide care to people with cancer should bellow their voices broadly to improve quality of life and outcomes.
Part of the very nature of our humanity, every one of us will experience some form of misfortune, grief, or sadness throughout our lives. In what may seem like impossible conditions, many of us doubt whether we can find any joy or peace. Although ordinary human beings can rise to such challenges in extraordinary ways, a nurse coach can provide the necessary care and guidance to help nurses achieve that and be better able to care for others.
“Quality cancer care requires safety, efficacy, timeliness, and a patient-centered approach coordained by an interprofessional team with the integration of evidence-based practices to continuously improve care. Holistic, culturally sensitive, quality cancer care [also] requires equitable access to healthcare professionals via telehealth or in-person visits across specialties with an understanding of how cancer and cancer treatments affect wellness.”
On October 31, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) used with gemcitabine and cisplatin for the treatment of locally advanced unresectable or metastatic biliary tract cancer.
One in four U.S. nurses reported being assaulted during the past year—two every hour—and it is happening in oncology settings, too, authors wrote in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.
On October 27, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorz) with cisplatin and gemcitabine for first-line treatment of adults with metastatic or recurrent, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). FDA also approved toripalimab-tpzi as a single agent for adults with recurrent unresectable or metastatic NPC with disease progression on or after a platinum-containing chemotherapy.
On October 25, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC (Exela), is voluntarily recalling the following products to the consumer level because it observed silicone particulate matter during routine inspection of retained samples.