Journal of Compassionate Health Care

New open access Journal also on Bio Med Central: Journal of Compassionate Health Care

The inspiration for this new open access journal, Journal of Compassionate Health Care emerged from the apparent need to restore humanity to healthcare, particularly within a period of austerity that has been affecting many countries. In 2011, we organized a successful Symposium on the topic of compassion in health care [1] at the University of Greenwich, UK, bringing together key people from various backgrounds with an interest in moving forward with the science and art of compassion. From this Symposium, we realized that people are united in the importance of developing compassionate health care settings, through a multidisciplinary approach.

This editorial seeks to enhance the broad concept of compassionate health care, in theory and in practice by inviting practitioners and researchers in health care to consider compassionate care as a core subject in their interest and research priorities. The journal aims to provide a vehicle for bringing together multidisciplinary perspectives, research and initiatives concerning the concept of compassionate health care, which has recently received much attention and interest. Here we explain the motivation behind the new open access journal, and we invite health care practitioners and researchers to join us in promoting the Journal’s aims and scope.

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Read more on the reasons for this journal

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Thru A Nurse's Eyes: The Other Side Of The Rails

I have been a nurse for 25 years at a large, inner city, level 1 trauma center in Pittsburgh.  My entire career has been dedicated to taking care of patients like this.  Never in my worst nightmare did I ever think I would become one of them.  Being a patient is indescribable, especially when your medical resume reads like an epitaph.  It was humbling, humiliating, embarrassing, painful, incredibly frightening at times, and an overwhelmingly eye opening experience that has forced me to look at the nurse that I was.

Once I was conscious, and able to absorb the chronicles of my autobiography for the previous 2 1/2 months, I needed time to feel, to really comprehend what happened to me.  The anxiety arising from the inability to breathe was unspeakable and exhausting.  It is forever embedded in my memories.  Before I knew it I was intubated, sedated, and placed on ECMO.  The nightmare had begun.

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Those Thank Yous Go a Small Way (& 9 more inspiring nursing stories from All Health Care)

So there I was, having a tough night in the ER. Five PTs, couple of belly pains, acute pancreatitis, intractable pain (not drug seeker but the real thing d/t spinal stenosis) and yes, one actual drug seeker (great actor though). Orders coming in simultaneously, docs calling to give more orders, call bells going off, charting being done on scrap paper for later input into the computer, you know, the usual new grad time management spin and futz. 
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Nursing News from Nursing Times.net: Wide variation in hospital scores for 'dementia friendliness

Healthcare professionals’ own assessments of how dementia-friendly their settings are reveal “alarming” variations across England, experts say.

The PLACE (Patient-Led Assessment of the Care Environment) scores focus on the environment in care homes and hospitals, including how well they protect patients’ dignity, the food and catering, and general maintenance.

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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES, POEMS AND STORIES FOR NURSES

Welcome to our inspirational quotes, poems and stories for nurses.  Nursing can be difficult and very stressful at times, so we have dedicated this area of our website to inspirational quotes, poems and stories.  If you would like to send us something to post in the inspirational section, you can email the Onlyanurse.com editor at Keith@onlyanurse.com

We hope you enjoy these inspirations and hope that whatever you may be going through, you find something here that brings you comfort and happiness, if only just for a moment!

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Nursing poems

Nurse
Submitted by Paul Nickerson - Paul is not a Nurse, but his Mother , now retired, was for many years. Paul found this poem tucked away
in a small photo album belonging to his mother.


It was a game we all played as a child
Then some of us made it a dream worthwhile
More to learn, not as much time to share
Because in our hearts we really cared
We have worked the late night hours
While others slept away
Handles a doctor's many moods
Then found time to pray
Critical moments that remain as memories
Some sad - then some are good
Then there are the tragedies
That will never be understood
We see a newborn baby smile
As we watch another slip away
And that completes the circle
The price for life's that paid
Sometimes not appreciated
When just a hug will do
We are proud of our profession
A gift from me to you
*****************

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The 10 ups and downs of being a Nurse: Taken from the blog Mighty nurse

Nursing kind of reminds me of a roller coaster… You start off just trying to find one to get on. Which line is the shortest (how many people are applying)? Are you tall enough (do you have experience)? And when you finally find one that you’re able to ride, you buckle up and hold on for dear life
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Nurse's Small Act Of Kindness Was The Best Medicine For Her Elderly Patient

The smallest acts of kindness can be the best medicine.

That's what Lori Mesko, a registered nurse at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich., recently learned.

She told The Huffington Post in an email that she's wanted to take care of others since she was a young girl. "Growing up with a older mother who was sick quite often made me realize I wanted to be a nurse," she said.

Last month, Mesko was treating an elderly patient named Marjorie Fisher. Peggy Fisher-Kmieciak, Fisher's daughter, wrote that her mother had been having a tough time lately in a post on the hospital's website

From The Huffington Post  |  By Ashley Woods

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So I have this patient

So I have this patient.

She's young. Way younger than me, like thirty.

And she's got two kids. One about to start preschool, one just born.

And the other day, her arm quit working. And it hurt a lot. Enough that she thought it would be a good idea to go to the ED.

Where they found a tumor.   On her spine. Actually, three......

From the blog Head Nurse                                       Read More

Nursing time management :

It never fails. You start your day with the best intentions.  You started your assessments and meds on time (woo hoo!), and then all of a sudden three doctors round at once and expect you to implement their orders immediately. One patient needs to pee, one needs pain meds, lab is on the phone with an alert lab value, a family member is on the phone waiting for an update, and the STAT med you called for an hour ago hasn’t shown up yet.
Good. Lord. What do you do now?
Extract from Nurse Eye Roll Blog

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