Dear Nurse Leaders,
The December 2018 edition of JONA is profiling some interesting innovations to deal with some issues that nurse leaders have struggled with but not always been able to tackle. One example of this is the project presented by Shelly Welch and her writing colleagues about a pilot supporting care transtions using senior college students as health coaches in combination with an RN partner. This program is an example of an innovative academic service partnership and was able to demonstrate a reduction in the readmission rate of the participants of 72%. The health coaches were trained to identify barriers to attaining the patient's goals so that interventions could be put in place to address these. Standard checklists were developed for the health coach to ensure consistency and included things like adherence with follow-up appointments and a review of unmet needs.
Katherine Virkstis and colleagues from the Nursing Executive Center present the "Spotlight on Retention" column. Dr. Virkstis points out four concerns that nurses have identified related to burnout. Those concerns are: the common incidence of violence and point-of-care safety threats; perceived compromises that nurses report in the care they deliver; the expectation for staff to bounce from traumatic experiences to other care situations without time to recover or process; and the impact of new technology, responsibilities and care protocols on the isolation and feeling of powerlessness.
An additional innovative practice is presented by Dr. Pam Cosper and colleagues. This study reports a project where a patient and family advisory council was used to collaborate in the development of an educational program targeted to increase the level of empathy among a sample of critical care nurses. The advisory council members were used to role play various situations for the nurse participants as part of the education. The findings include that the empathy level of nurses younger than 30 years of age increased after the education was completed.
In this edition, I take the opportunity to thank the Editorial Board members and peer reviewers who contribute to JONA's success and reputation. Without this talented cadre of volunteers, the feedback to authors and decisions about publication would not be at the quality we are known for. I appreciate each of them and they are listed on the masthead and in my special column.
Blessings to each of you for the New Year and for your health and safety. Caring for each other and for ourselves is important so we can continue the resilience that each of us need to care for our patients.
Melora Ferren, MSN, RN-BC, the Social Media Coordinator for JONA, continues to post weekly on Twitter highlighting a topic from the journal. The Twitter address for JONA is #JONANurseLeader.
Thanks for the emails I receive exploring interest in a topic for possible submission. You can reach me at jonaeditor@gmail.com. Please refer to the Guidelines for Authors located at www.jonajournal.com for guidance about manuscript development and citation information.
Sincerely,
Karen S. Hill, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief
jonaeditor@gmail.com
