Where would we be without nurses? That’s the question for this week’s must reads.

When one thinks of medical care, an image of doctors usually comes up – perhaps something like that below:

However, an American Nurse Today article asks us to imagine a different world – “Imagine a world without nurses”.

So, with that, we dedicate this week’s must reads solely to nursing issues (as well as a few issues not just of concern to nurses).

Pain Knowledge

A recent survey of nurses’ and nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding pediatric pain found:

the level of knowledge about pain and its proper management is very poor, in both active pediatric nurses and nursing students … Due to these insufficiencies, pain in children remains inadequately and poorly managed, which leads to unnecessary suffering in the pediatric population.

Although this study was done in Mexico, how applicable do you think this is to the US and the rest of the world?

And although you may think that nurses may have been unfairly singled out, a recent study by Massachusetts General Hospital found that:

Hospitals across the country are increasingly turning to hydromorphone over morphine to treat pain, triggering an increase in opioid-related adverse events and higher readmission rates”

Malpractice Insurance

An article in ADVANCE for Nurses asks, “Do Nurses Need Malpractice Insurance?”:

If a patient is injured and sues, the patient’s attorney is going to sue everyone involved. That includes nurses, physicians, the employing entity, and anyone whose actions or inaction may have contributed to the patient’s injury. A nurse might be involved, even if the nurse’s connection to the patient’s care was minimal.

What might a nurse be sued for? Blood clots perhaps?

The theme of World Thrombosis Day 2015 is “Make Time 2 Move”. So, if you are a nurse, doctor, or other clinician, help get your patients moving and ambulated:

Simply sitting for more than 90 minutes reduces the blood circulation behind your knee by 50%. In fact, for every hour that you spend seated, your risk of developing a DVT increases by 10%.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, those who exercise regularly are less likely to experience blood clots while those who do not exercise increase their risk, because blood can pool in the body’s deep veins, particularly those of the legs.

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• Must Reads