Articles – The Lamp, October/November 2021
- ICU nurses struggle to maintain standards
- Pandemic exposes the vulnerability of under resourced health systems
- Nursing students face anxiety, financial stress and an uncertain future
- Pandemic sows chaos in nursing education
Articles – Health Promotion Journal of Australia, January 2022
- Editorial: Advancing health promotion in rural and remote Australia: Strategies for change
- ‘One hundred dollars is a big help, but to continue, it’s a challenge’: A qualitative study exploring correlates and barriers to active kids voucher uptake in Western Sydney
- Barriers and motivators for preschoolers playing and walking with their dog: Results from qualitative research
- An open trial of the ‘RECONNECT’ exercise program for NSW police officers with post traumatic stress disorder or psychological injury
- Further evidence from the LiveLighter campaign: A controlled cohort study in Victoria and South Australia
Articles – Nurses & Political Action
- How and why nurses became involved in politics or political action, and the outcomes or impacts of this involvement
- Call for action: Nurses must play a critical role to enhance health literacy
- Determining if nurses are involved in political action or politics: A scoping literature review
- Educational strategies to encourage participation in health policy for nurses: A systematic review
- Nurses in politics: Advocacy and leadership
Articles – Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, September - November 2021
- Editorial: Burnout as a systemic challenge: job demands, loss cycles and the need for a workforce strategy
- Mental well-being and future career intentions of new graduate nurses and midwives in their first year of entry into the workforce: a cross sectional survey
- The region-wide implementation of a relationship education program for first time parents delivered in the maternal and child health care setting: evaluating reach and effectiveness
Articles – Journal of Gerontological Nursing, February 2022
- Emerging Need for Dementia Care in Prisons: Opportunities for Gerontological Nurses
- “They Just Took Him Out of My Life”: Nursing Home Care Partner Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Gender and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Social Determinants of Health and Subjective Cognitive Decline: The Mediating Role of Depression
- Gratitude Strengthens the Relationship Between Leisure Social Support and Self-Rated Health Among Nursing Home Residents
Events
- New Zealand Women in Medicine (NZWIM) Conference
- New Zealand Women’s Leadership Symposium
- Health and Safety Association NZ (HASANZ) Conference
National News
- COVID-19: How to support our immune system in the fight against Omicron
International News
- With the new BA.2 COVID sub-variant spreading rapidly, what will Australia’s colder months look like?
- Victoria is trialling paid sick leave for casual workers. Here’s what that will look like
- Men think they’re brighter than they are and women underestimate their IQ. Why
Articles – The Lamp, October/November 2021
1. ICU nurses struggle to maintain standards
The Lamp, October/November 2021, 18-19.
Politicians say hospital staff are “coping” during the pandemic, but ICU nurses tell a different story
2. Pandemic exposes the vulnerability of under resourced health systems
The Lamp, October/November 2021, 20-21.
A new US study highlights how COVID-19 battered an already poorly resourced and vulnerable health system.
3. Nursing students face anxiety, financial stress and an uncertain future
Shaye Candish
The Lamp, October/November 2021, 23.
NSWNMA Assistant Secretary Shaye Candish says the COVID-19 pandemic is causing havoc for NSW nursing students.
4. Pandemic sows chaos in nursing education
The Lamp, October/November 2021, 22.
Thousands of final year nursing students may not graduate this year as placements are cancelled and rosters disrupted.
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Articles – Health Promotion Journal of Australia, January 2022
5. Editorial: Advancing health promotion in rural and remote Australia: Strategies for change
James A Smith., Karla Canuto., Kootsy Canuto., Narelle Campbell., Dagmar Schmitt., Jason Bonson., Le Smith., Paul Connolly., Billie Bonevski., Chris Rissel. & Robyn Aitken
Health Promotion Journal of Australia. (January 2022). 33(1), 3-6. doi: 10.1002/hpja.569
6. 'One hundred dollars is a big help, but to continue, it's a challenge': A qualitative study exploring correlates and barriers to active kids voucher uptake in Western Sydney
Natalie Virgona., Bridget C Foley., Helen Ryan., Michelle Nolan. & Lindsey Reece
Health Promotion Journal of Australia. (January 2022). 33(1), 7-18.
The Active Kids voucher is a universal, state-wide voucher program, provided by the New South Wales (NSW) Government, Office of Sport. All school-aged children in NSW are eligible to receive a voucher to reduce registration costs of structured physical activity programs. This study explores reasons behind lower uptake among children who are overweight or obese, from cultural and linguistically diverse families and those living in low socio-economic areas.
7. Barriers and motivators for preschoolers playing and walking with their dog: Results from qualitative research
Melissa Coci., Julie Saunders. & Hayley Christian
Health Promotion Journal of Australia. (January 2022). 33(1), 19-27.
A large proportion of preschoolers do not meet the recommended three hours of daily physical activity. A potential source of daily physical activity could be that provided via the family dog. This qualitative study aimed to explore the barriers and motivators to preschoolers playing with their dog and participating in family dog walks.
8. An open trial of the 'RECONNECT' exercise program for NSW police officers with posttraumatic stress disorder or psychological injury
Simon Rosenbaum., Michael Stierli., Steven McCullagh., Jill Newby., Philip B Ward., Samuel Harvey. & Zachary Steel
Health Promotion Journal of Australia. (January 2022). 33(1), 28-33.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological injuries are debilitating health problems facing police officers. There is increasing interest in the role of exercise as an intervention. We aimed to determine the preliminary effectiveness of the RECONNECT exercise program for NSW Police Officers experiencing PTSD or psychological injury.
9. Further evidence from the LiveLighter campaign: A controlled cohort study in Victoria and South Australia
Caroline Miller., Joanna Caruso., Joanne Dono., Belinda Morley., Melanie Wakefield., Helen Dixon. & Kerry Ettridge
Health Promotion Journal of Australia. (January 2022). 33(1), 34-39.
The LiveLighter healthy weight and lifestyle social marketing campaign, developed in Western Australia, employs graphic advertising to communicate negative health effects of overweight and motivate behaviour change. This study extends prior evidence of the effectiveness of the LiveLighter campaign by evaluating its implementation in a new jurisdiction.
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Articles – Nurses & Political Action
10. How and why nurses became involved in politics or political action, and the outcomes or impacts of this involvement
Donna M. Wilson., Leah Underwood., Sungmin Kim., Mary Olukotun. & Begoña Errasti-Ibarrondo
Nursing Outlook, (January 2022). 70(1), 55-63.
Nurses’ political engagement is needed for societal advancements. The purpose of this study was to explain why and how nurses became politically active, and what they achieved.
11. Call for action: Nurses must play a critical role to enhance health literacy
Lori A. Loan., Terri Ann Parnell., Jaynelle F. Stichler., Diane K. Boyle., Patricia Allen., Christopher A. VanFosson. & Amy J. Barton
Nursing Outlook. (January 2018) 66(1), 97-100.
Health literacy is a precursor to health and achievement of a culture of health ( Barton et al., 2017 ). Patient empowerment, engagement, activation, and maximized health outcomes will not be achieved unless assurance of health literacy is applied universally for every patient, every time, in every health care encounter, and across all environments of care.
12. Determining if nurses are involved in political action or politics: A scoping literature review
Donna M. Wilson., Frederick Anafi., Elizabeth Kusi-Appiah., Elizabeth Mirekuwaa Darko., Kali Deck. & Begoña Errasti-Ibarrondo
Applied Nursing Research. (August 2020). Vol. 54, Article 151279.
There is much current as well as long-standing concern that nurses need to be more involved in and also more adept at politics and political action for the advancement of the profession, and for the health and wellbeing of the public.
13. Educational strategies to encourage participation in health policy for nurses: A systematic review
Won Lee & Sungkyoung Choi
Nurse Education Today. (April 2022). Vol. 111, Article 105310.
To identify evidence on the types of educational interventions that have been developed to encourage participation in health policy for nurses and on the effectiveness of these interventions.
14. Nurses in politics: Advocacy and leadership
Dragon, Natalie.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal. (Apr-Jun 2019). 26(6), 30-32
Australian politics is heating up with a federal election on the way. Three Australian nurse MPs are leading the charge, showing that politics and nursing are not mutually exclusive. Ged Kearney, Joe Kelly and Nat Cook are working to make a difference beyond the realm of healthcare.
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Articles – Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, September - November 2021
15. Editorial: Burnout as a systemic challenge: job demands, loss cycles and the need for a workforce strategy
Greg Sharplin
AJAN, September - November 2021. 38(4), https://doi.org/10.37464/2020.384.721
Burnout is conceptualised as a phenomenon that is related specifically to the occupational context. Burnout was first introduced in 1974 and is now a recognised occupational risk for many healthcare workers, including nurses and midwives. If we imagine nurses and midwives are a football team and transpose the current working environment to the playing field, we would likely have a situation where the team would be losing each week simply because they don’t have enough players on the field (lack of staff)
16. Mental well-being and future career intentions of new graduate nurses and midwives in their first year of entry into the workforce: a cross sectional survey
Se Ok Ohr., Doreen Holm., Jean Ball., Maralyn Foureur
AJAN, September - November 2021. 38(4), https://doi.org/10.37464/2020.384.172
Mental well-being is important for people to feel good and function well in their daily life. However, little is known about changes in mental well-being and future workforce intentions of nurses and midwives in their first year of professional practice.
17. The region-wide implementation of a relationship education program for first time parents delivered in the maternal and child health care setting: evaluating reach and effectiveness
Ann Taket & Beth R Crisp
AJAN, September - November 2021. 38(4), https://doi.org/10.37464/2020.384.203
Aims: To present the results of a region-wide evaluation of Baby Makes 3, a brief relationship education program for first time parents implemented in the maternal and child health setting. The program is designed to utilise the ‘teachable moment’ provided by the birth of the first child, and strengthen the couple relationship, promoting gender equity and preventing intimate partner violence.
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Articles - Journal of Gerontological Nursing, February 2022
18. Emerging Need for Dementia Care in Prisons: Opportunities for Gerontological Nurses
Kitt-Lewis, Erin & Loeb, Susan J.
Journal of Gerontological Nursing. (February 2022). 48(2), 3-5. doi:10.3928/00989134-20220111-01
Early release and medical parole are policies that have been proposed to help remedy the aging crisis in prisons, but they have made little impact because the guidelines remain extremely restrictive. Building upon successful initiatives in mental health as well as end-of-life (EOL) care peer support in their system, the PA DOC plans to launch a neurocognitive care unit to address their growing need for dementia care in the first quarter of 2022.
19. “They Just Took Him Out of My Life”: Nursing Home Care Partner Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Miller, Vivian J & Ji Hyang Cheon.
Journal of Gerontological Nursing. (February 2022). 48(2), 7-11. doi:10.3928/00989134-20220111-02
The current study describes the impact of visitation restrictions on nursing home residents and their family caregivers from caregivers' perspectives during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
20. Gender and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Social Determinants of Health and Subjective Cognitive Decline: The Mediating Role of Depression
Chantaezia, Joseph., Titilayo, James., Mohammad Rifat Haider., Zahnd, Whitney E & Cohen, Steven A.
Journal of Gerontological Nursing. (February 2022) 48(2), 13-22.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) may be associated with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which is a precursor for Alzheimer's disease. The main aims of the current study were to examine the association between SDOH and SCD; to determine if there is an indirect pathway among SDOH, depression, and SCD; and to examine the related gender and racial/ethnic disparities.
21. Gratitude Strengthens the Relationship Between Leisure Social Support and Self-Rated Health Among Nursing Home Residents
Liang-Chih Chang & Dattilo, John.
Journal of Gerontological Nursing. (February 2022). 48(2), 23-30. doi:10.3928/00989134-20220110-02
A central outcome indicator of person-oriented services in primary health care is self-rated health (SRH). Therefore, promoting SRH among nursing home residents is valuable. We examined whether demographic variables, gratitude, and leisure social support (LSS) related to SRH, and whether gratitude moderated the relationship between LSS and SRH.
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Events
22 New Zealand Women in Medicine (NZWIM) Conference
Rescheduled dates: 12th - 14th May 2022
Venue: Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa: Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
Theme: Kotahitanga me Manaakitanga - Celebrating strength in our unity, supporting our community.
23. New Zealand Women’s Leadership Symposium
Date: Thursday 28th July 2022
Venue: Aotea Centre, Auckland, 50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
24. Health and Safety Association NZ (HASANZ) Conference
Sharing Know How; Growing How To
Date: 16 - 18 November 2022
Venue: Te Papa
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National News
25. COVID-19: How to support our immune system in the fight against Omicron
Newshub – 14 March 2022
When it comes to the immune system, many of us seem to adhere to preconceived notions on how to 'boost' one's immunity - taking vitamin C supplements, not smoking, eating your five-a-day, or downing an "immune-boosting" shot of ginger and turmeric. But how does the immune system actually work, and what is the secret to developing good immunity?
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International News
26. With the new BA.2 COVID sub-variant spreading rapidly, what will Australia’s colder months look like?
ABC News – 15 March 2022
With the "new normal" in full swing and most public health restrictions a thing of the past, the emergence of a new, highly contagious coronavirus sub-variant, described as a "sister" of the original Omicron, has been enough to send shivers up spines. It's estimated that the BA.2 sub-variant is up to 40 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant BA.1, which sent Australia's COVID infections to previously unimaginable heights.
27. Victoria is trialling paid sick leave for casual workers. Here's what that will look like
ABC News – 14 March 2022
The Victorian government has launched a pilot scheme that will trial paid sick leave for casual workers. The 'Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee' scheme will be the first of its kind in Australia and it's estimated it will cost $245.6 million over its two-year trial period.
28. Men think they’re brighter than they are and women underestimate their IQ. Why?
ABC News – 15 March 2022
In a recent study, my colleagues and I explored how consistently men and women estimated their own intelligence or IQ (intelligence quotient). We also assessed measures of general self-esteem and masculine and feminine personality traits. We found the strongest predictors of overestimating IQ were biological sex and then psychological gender. Being born male and having strong masculine traits (both men and women) were associated with an inflated intellectual self-image.
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