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Registered nurses are too often viewed as task completers rather than as being critical to safety. Despite repeated evidence showing a relationship between nurse staffing and patient safety, researchers have found that this had “little impact on policy”.

A five-minute delay in the clamping of healthy infants’ umbilical cords results in increased iron stores and brain myelin in areas important for early-life functional development, a new US nursing study has found. In their study of 73 infants, nurse researchers said their results challenge the common practice of immediate umbilical cord clamping.

Healthcare associated infections such as MRSA cause more than just physical distress for patients, according to a recent analysis. A new study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, found many patients had emotional responses to diagnoses of hospital acquired infections, including “feeling dirty,” “having the plague” or “feeling like a leper.”

Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who wish to have children have an excellent chance of a successful pregnancy if the pregnancy is planned, if conception occurs when IBD is in remission, and if there is pre-conception counselling.

Q fever awareness and vaccine access needs to increase for all people living in rural and regional areas, as a new Australian study finds people who are not in recognised high-risk groups are still at increased risk of catching the highly infectious disease. The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found rural residents in Australia were highly likely to be exposed to the bacterial infection, even if they were not working with animals.

Prolonged antibiotic therapy for joint infections and osteomyelitis has substantial costs in terms of dollars, time and the potential development of antibiotic resistance. Standard duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy is six weeks for osteomyelitis and between two and six weeks for septic arthritis. Recently, a randomised, unblinded non-inferiority trial was conducted in the UK comparing intravenous to oral antibiotic therapy for bone and joint infections, most often following surgical debridement.

The MJA has published two articles on advances in glaucoma management and the importance of collaborative care in improving patients’ quality of life.

CKN provides clinicians with a range of apps from highly-regarded clinical information resources available on the site. Featured this month are BMJ Best Practice’s app with decision support information for patient diagnosis and treatment, and drug information apps from MIMS and Micromedex.

Thousands of cases of pancreatic cancer could be avoided in the coming decades if current smokers could kick the habit, prompting one expert to call for a renewed commitment to making tobacco control and smoking cessation “public health priority number one”.

Specialists and hospital staff cite challenges in accessing patient information from other clinicians as a common reason for requesting unnecessary medical tests, treatments or procedures, according to a new report from Choosing Wisely Australia.