GrayCat Education Foundation

Calling nurses to exercise as role models for their patients

2011-08-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

ScienceDaily (2011-08-30) -- Nurses, just like many of their patients, struggle to find time and motivation to exercise. But a new study may give these all-important caregivers some additional pressure and responsibility: nurses' attitudes can influence whether their patients commit to a healthy lifestyle.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830151237.htm#

Specific Dietary Choices Have a Big Impact on Long Term Weight Gain

2011-08-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

In a study published in the June 23, 2011, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that modest changes in specific foods and beverages, physical activity, TV-watching, and sleep duration were strongly linked to long-term weight gain. The changes in diet, in particular, had the strongest associations with differences in weight gain.
"An average adult gains about one pound per year. Because the weight gain is so gradual and occurs over many years, it has been difficult for scientists and for individuals themselves to understand the specific factors that may be responsible," said lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and Harvard Medical School.

The researchers analyzed data from three separate large cohort groups with a focus on specific lifestyles factors and weight gain. Specific lifestyle factors were associated with weight gain ins all three studies.

The foods most associated with weight gain over the 20 year study period were potato chips, other potatoes, sugar sweetened beverages, unprocessed meats and processed meats. Most importantly, the foods associated with less weight gain when their intake was increased included vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and yogurt.

The results indicated that focus on total calories may not be best yardstick to preventing weight gain. Focusing on a higher quality dietary intake by eating more healthful foods and beverages seems to have been the most important.

"These findings underscore the importance of making wise food choices in preventing weight gain and obesity," said Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH and senior author of the paper. "The idea that there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods is a myth that needs to be debunked."
Other lifestyle factors that influenced weight were the amount of physical activity, TV watching and getting 6-8 hours of sleep per night. In combination, weight-changes associated with any one lifestyle change were fairly small. However, together they added up, especially for diet. "Small dietary and other lifestyle changes can together make a big difference -- for bad or good," said Mozaffarian. "This makes it easy to gain weight unintentionally, but also demonstrates the tremendous opportunity for prevention. A handful of the right lifestyle changes will go a long way."

Susanna Neahusan, M.ed, RN

Dariush Mozaffarian, Tao Hao, Eric B. Rimm, Walter C. Willett, Frank B. Hu. Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men. New England Journal of Medicine, 2011; 364 (25): 2392 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296

"The Networking Paradox"

2011-07-18T10:23:00.004-05:00

A basic truth about networking is that it is actually more about giving than taking. While a network can significantly impact your business success the method of making it pay dividends is to keep your focus on giving. There are many creative ways to contribute to your network without taking a lot of time and energy. Here are a few ideas.

•Follow up: When you ask someone for something and they provide it (like advice, a reference, contact information or an introduction), let them know the result. Did you get the sale? Did the idea work? People rarely remember to do this. When they do it is noticed and appreciated.

•Say thank you: This is another thing that is often forgotten. Thank people often. Mailing a note of thanks is usually preferred but sometimes an e-mailed note is appropriate.

•Just say hello: Update people when something interesting happens. You are simply staying in touch and not asking for anything. People appreciate it when you make this effort.

•Give positive feedback: Unsolicited positive feedback really stands out and is really appreciated. Let someone know you were really impressed with [their talk, that article, what you said in the meeting]… it really made a difference.

•Send an article of weblinks: if you read something interesting that may benefit another person don’t hesitate to e-mail a quick note. I thought this was interesting and thought you might also. This may initiate a discussion or simply a “thanks.”

•Make an introduction: Be aware of people you know that would likely want to meet another contact of yours. Be sure it is valuable to both parties though. If one person needs help from the other person be clear to the one doing the “giving” prior to finalizing the introduction.

This is an excerpt from our new course "Transitioning Your Nursing Skills into Amazing Business Success." We are currently offering it for CE as we run our pilot testing and make the final edits. We will apply for 2.0 contact hours. Click here to take our free course.

Minimizing Tube Feeding Complications in the Long Term Care Setting

2011-05-30T11:01:00.000-05:00

High staff turnover is a great challenge in many long term care facilities. The quality of nursing care may suffer from the lack of experience and training of staff on the proper care of a resident being tube fed.

Feeding tubes are common in nursing homes today. Nursing Home administrators may be tempted to accept large number of residents with feeding tubes since payment is higher for residents with this skilled need. However, staffing ratios must take into consideration the time required for assessing and administering medications to the tube feeder.

We have developed a course offering 1.5 contact hours to assist nurse administrators in determining appropriate staffing needs, documentation guidelines as well as staff competency recommendations. This is also a great tool for staff RNs to increase their knowledge of the proper care of the tube fed long term care resident.
Minimiizing Tube Feeding Complications in the Long Term Care Setting

A Holistic Approach to Smoking Cessation

2010-09-24T09:01:00.001-05:00

“Your tax dollars at work” is a phrase my husband likes to use when he hears another instance of questionable government spending.

At the bottom of an article in the May, 18, 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine it stated the smoking cessation project was 97.85% funded ($3.3 M) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and that Pfizer Inc. provided study medication and nominal support (2.15%) for recruiting participants ($72K).

The article was “Research Evaluating Effectiveness of Behavioral Counseling and Varenicline (Chantix) for Smoking Cessation.” The research question was which behavioral programs worked best in combination with Varenicline. Using Varenicline was not even in question. If Pfizer wishes to explore its use in different settings - good for them. But, why does the NCI feels it should spend highly sought after public grant funding to support the use of drugs to quit smoking?

We are funding the pharmaceutical approach as if it were the most valid method instead of focusing on what has really worked in the past. Over 90% of those who stopped smoking did so by going “cold turkey” or by reducing and then quitting. They chose not to use evidence-based treatment methods (or drugs) to support their quit attempts.

In 2010, there are more ex-smokers than current smokers. This is quite a large population to evaluate. However, we haven’t investigated ex-smokers in the context of retrospective population-based studies. In the May 2010 publication of the PLoS Medicine, Simon Chapman and Ross MacKenzie at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia recently hypothesized that the volume of research and effort devoted to professionally and pharmacologically mediated cessation is inversely proportional to that examining HOW most ex-smokers actually quit.

We continue to focus on the individual. We label smoking a pathology and medicalize cessation. Our system of capitalism converts health needs into commodities. This drives the research funding and distorts the emphasis to the individual and on the pharmacotherapy of cessation.

Healthy People 2010 goals state that efforts to reduce tobacco use in the United States have shifted from focusing primarily on smoking cessation for individuals to more population-based interventions. Such interventions emphasize prevention of initiation, reduction of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, and policy changes in health care systems to promote smoking cessation. However, our current research funding does not support these goals.

A holistic approach to smoking cessation views the individual in the context of their physiology and internal life as well as the shared cultural and social systems. We must fund research of population-based interventions and take the focus away from drug therapy to “treat” the individual patient.

Teaching Holistic Concepts by Example

2010-07-23T17:38:00.001-05:00

Teaching Holistic Concepts by Example

“Learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection.” Paulo Freire, Education Theorist

Praxis is a Greek word meaning “action with reflection.” It comprises a cycle of action-reflection-action that facilitates learning. Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is adopted and realized. It is the practical and applied knowledge behind one's actions.
Most educators agree that doing is the way both adults and children learn: concepts, skills or attitudes.

Using case studies or question and answer sessions promotes the analysis, application and implementation of new material.
Example: An instructor in a continuing education course teaches practitioners how to incorporate holistic concepts into patient care. The instructor describes tools to bridge the mind and body such as a focusing technique, a method of getting in touch with your body's sense in a particular situation. The instructor then applies the technique in a sample situation.

The nurse is about to change the patient’s dressing and uses a simple focusing prompt, such as "Take a moment to check inside your body and then let me know when you're ready for me to begin." This step can alter the experience and promote patient empowerment.

Thus, when teaching holistic concepts of care our listeners greatly benefit from enacted scenarios of new skills not only to point out the “how to” but also to illustrate the impact on the patient. In the clinical setting, role-modeling holistic therapies would influence how our peers and other care givers interact with patients. We would “teach by example.”

Motivation and Momentum

2010-07-08T16:28:00.002-05:00

What motivates people to adopt and adhere to healthy lifestyles is often unique to the individual and can be a tangled knot of different issues to unravel. We see that many times newly adopted lifestyle changes get de-railed by life’s challenges and stressful events.

Resilience is the capacity of people to bounce back from the disruption of stress and catastrophe that occurs in life. There are many factors associated with resilience such as taking care of one’s mind and body, exercising regularly and keeping social ties. However, another component that is often undervalued is that of positive expectations and visualization of what is wished. Positive and hopeful thoughts serve to drive the emotions and motivate people.

Those in the field of Positive Psychology view hope as a learned style of goal-directed thinking. It is the belief that one can: 1. find pathways to desired goals; and, 2 become motivated to use those pathways. Pathways Thinking is when people perceive they are capable of generating workable routes to desired goals. Agency Thinking is the motivational component. It is the self-referential thoughts about one’s capacity to succeed and to follow through. This is associated with internal messages of self-efficacy or “can do” thinking.

Self efficacy, that “can do” spirit, is integrally involved in this process of hopeful thinking. When supporting people during the challenge of adopting a lifestyle change or in maintaining it, it is essential to draw upon their personal experiences and successes in other areas of life to guide them to positive pathways. We have all seen the momentum that can occur when someone succeeds in one area and translates it to another.

Good News Popcorn lovers!

2010-07-07T17:56:00.000-05:00

Popcorn eaters get more whole grains, fiber
Researchers found popcorn eaters have about a 250% higher intake of whole grains and 22% higher intake of fiber than non-popcorn eaters. The study also found that people who snack on popcorn also eat less meat and have higher levels of magnesium and carbohydrates than non-popcorn eaters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL56559120080515