Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Welcome to Episode 104
To take the survey, click here takethesurvey.com/rawvoice
The Nursing Show is a proud member of the ProMed Podcast Network.
Subscribe to the show, free!
—–
Right Click to download (Macs Option Click)
Subscribe with iTunes here (need iTunes — it’s free)
RSS Feed to subscribe (copy url to Juice, Zune Marketplace, or your favorite podcatcher)
Click the arrow below to listen to the show:
[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/nursing_show/traffic.libsyn.com/nursingshow/NursingShow_20091106.mp3]
———————————–
Sponsors
NursingTopStudent.com all of the tools student nurses need for less than $1 a day. Audio and video study aids plus a whole lot more! More than 200 files and counting!
GoToMyPC: As secure as online banking. Try it FREE for 30 days.
———————————–
News–
Improved Jaundice Screening Can Protect Newborns
Children of Working Mothers Have Unhealthier Lifestyles
Health Experts Support Tools to Prevent Preterm Birth
———————————–
Tip of The Week- Care and Interventions of Newborn Jaundice
Most preterm and almost 50% of full term newborns present with jaundice, a yellow discoloration of the skin and sclera of the eyes. The yellowish hue comes from bilirubin, a substance produced from break down of red blood cells, when it reaches a blood level greater than approximately 2.5 mg/dL. This bilirubin is excreted in the stool via the liver, in the case of infants, this process takes more time resulting to accumulation in the skin. Jaundice appearing about 2-3 days after birth, called physiologic jaundice is normal in newborns,however, interventions like phototherapy should be instituted to help the infant’s body excrete the excess bilirubin.
There are also disorders that can cause bilirubin levels to increase in newborns like blood type incompatibilities, prematurity, polycythemia, etc. If left unresolved, bilirubin may continually increase and cause serious complications such as cerebral palsy, deafness, and kernicterus ( brain damage from very high bilirubin levels).
Infants receiving phototherapy, the first line intervention for jaundice, requires special attention to avoid chilling or burning of the skin. Intake and output should be monitored and carefully documented, including continuous assessment for skin breakdown and bilirubin lab values should always be updated. Serum bilirubin levels above 25 mg/dL or higher at any time is a medical emergency and the infant should be evaluated immediately for exchange transfusion.
For more on nursing care of newborn jaundice, follow links below
Newborn Jaundice by NIH Medline
eMedicine Article on Newborn Jaundice
———————————–
Don’t miss an episode! You can receive the Nursing Show Newsletter in your email inbox.
Other Podcasts from Jamie Davis:
- The MedicCast (for EMTs, Paramedics, EMS field work)
- MedicCast News (Weekly short medical news program)
- MedicCast Live (Monthly live call-in show with a single EMS topic)
——————————–
Song this week:
Music from The Podsafe Music Network
This week- “Wednesday Morning” by Slackstring
If you like the track, click below to go to iTunes and purchase it there:
Click here to check out other Songs from the MedicCast Network Podcasts at the iTunes Store.
————————————-
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Filed under nursing show podcasts, pediatrics for nurses by on Nov 6th, 2009. 1 Comment. 
Nursing students hear all of the time about the importance of patient education, simple interventions, and access to care. The Parkland Memorial Hospital in Texas has released an amazing set of statistics based on their reduction in premature births over the last 20 years while the rest of the country’s rates continue to rise to alarming levels.
Premature Births Decline
The released report shows premature birth rates of 10.9 percent in 1988. In the most recent year on record, that rate has fallen to 4.9 percent (2006). Even more amazing is the fact that this hospital’s patient population contains a high number of transients, non-english speaking persons, and minorities – all groups identified as being at high risk for pregnancy related complications.
RNs and student nurses should pay attention to this hospital’s amazing turn around despite a patient population that “experts” would say makes such a thing impossible.
Nurses and Nursing Care Counts
How did this Texas hospital system make this happen?
Improved and open access to care, pre-natal planning, and education are the key parts to Parkland’s success. All of these program aspects are likely handled or administered by nurses in some capacity. This is another example of simple interventions and patient education making a huge difference to the patients.
Better Health Thru Nurses
The lesson for you and all of the nursing world to take from this article is to look at what small improvements can be made to the systems in your facility. Identify an at risk population of patients in your community and look at ways they are underserved by the medical establishment. Now, ask yourself this question:
What simple, measureable health care intervention would have the greatest effect on that population’s overall present and future health?
Work with your staff and supervisors to implement a study that examines the effects of this intervention over time. By contributing to the growing body of nursing research, you will show the widespread impact that qualified nursing care has on a community’s overall health.
Tell Us What You Think
Are you doing something like this already? Let us know! Leave a comment using the link below or email us at Comments@NursingShow.com to share with the rest of the community here.
Filed under pediatrics for nurses by on Mar 2nd, 2009. Comment.
Recent Comments