SVN...prn Winter 2015 Issue

414.376.0001 info@svnnet.org
...prn
WINTER 2015 - Vol 23, No. 4
IMPROVING LIVES…THROUGH INCREASING KNOWLEDGE
Phyllis Gordon,
MSN, ACNS, BC
SVN President, 2015-2016
To know is to know
that you know
nothing. That is
the meaning of
true knowledge….
- Socrates
IN THIS ISSUE
- Member News
- Nurses at the Table
- Finding the
Evidence
- Research Corner
- Continuing
Education
SVN...prn Editor
Cristina Sola, BS, RN-BC
Whether you are the practitioner,
nurse, or patient, knowledge
is an important element in
improving lives. The following
short story illustrates the value of
knowledge.
Think about the world of
vascular medicine and nursing
as you read this story.
A giant ship engine failed. The
ship’s owners tried one expert after
another, but none of them could
figure out how to fix the engine.
Then they brought in an elderly
man who had been fixing ships
since he was a young. He carried
a large bag of tools with him, and
when he arrived, he immediately
went to work. He inspected the
engine very carefully, top to
bottom. After looking things over,
the old man reached into his bag
and pulled out a small hammer. He
gently tapped something. Instantly,
the engine lurched into life. He
carefully put his hammer away. The
engine was fixed!
A week later, the owners received
a bill from the old man for ten
thousand dollars. “What?!” the
owners exclaimed.“He hardly did
anything!” So they wrote the elderly
man a note saying, “Please send us
an itemized bill.”
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer…… $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap…$ 9,998.00
Yes, we know there is a price
for knowledge, but this story
also indicates the quality of
that knowledge and the value
it brings to our practice and to
the management of vascular
disease for our patients. The
value of knowledge also includes
the quality of the patient’s
understanding about his/her
disease and living a life where the
patient takes an active role in the
management of the disease. The
value of the patient knowing the
what, why and how of their care
to improve his/her own life.
SVN’s mission and vision both
highlight improving lives through
a 3-prong approach that is
intertwined – practice, research
and education. Over the years,
SVN has addressed all three
of these important aspects of
improving what the vascular
nurse and our vascular patients’
know about their disease and its
management. For this message,
I want to highlight one leg of the
stool – education.
In this issue, I want to focus
on education.For many years
SVN has developed and revised
patient education materials,
which consisted of booklets
and education sheets. These
have recently been revised
and available on our website
for download or print. An area
for SVN to explore is to allow
patients direct access to vascular
education materials.
The Annual Convention has been
a major source of increasing
the knowledge of the vascular
nurse and will continue to be in
the future. However, the SVN
Board will need to include in
their review of the Strategic Plan,
more innovative formats in the
presentation of the convention
sessions, such as virtual sessions.
Several years ago, thanks to
the hard work of a small group
of SVN members, four online
courses were developed and
SVN invested in the process for
these to be available online for
continuing education credit. A
fifth module on wound care is
being developed.
The SVN Education Committee,
chaired by Chris Owens, is
gearing up to develop a Vascular
Nurse Tool Kit that can be
utilized to orient and increase the
knowledge of the nurse new to
vascular practice. For the future,
SVN will need to address the
presentation of vascular disease
in schools of nursing, as we know;
the nurse will meet patients with
vascular disease in any type of
practice setting. To start this,
SVN has developed a position
statement on Including Vascular
Disease in Nursing Education,
published in late 2012 in the
Journal of Vascular Nursing and
is available on the SVN website
under the Resources tab.
More recently, SVN has been
collaborating on a nursing
educational grant project with
the Preventative Cardiovascular
Nurses Association (PCNA).
This project consisted of the
presentation of lectures on The
Management of Venous
Thromboembolism(VTE): A Casebased
Approach. Melody Heffline
(SVN member) and pharmacist
Kelly Rudd presented at the PCNA
conference and SVN Convention
both in April of this year.
Currently, SVN is participating in
plans to repeat the presentation
to regional groups in designated
cities in the U.S.
We are extremely excited
about all of these educational
endeavors. There is so much
more that SVN can dream
about regarding improving the
knowledge of the vascular nurse
and the vascular patient. As
Albert Einstein once noted, “The
true sign of intelligence is not
knowledge but imagination.” We
will need your help in the future.
With pleasure,
Phyllis Gordon
SVN President, 2015-2016

MEMBER news
SAYING GOODBYE
M. Isobel Green, RN, CNS,
CNC, CVN past SVN Treasurer
and longtime member
recently passed away.
Green worked tirelessly to
promote vascular nursing and
is described consistently as the
kindest person who was a pure
joy to work with and a tireless
promote of SVN.
Her SVN colleagues have these
memories to share:
“When I first came onto the
board, Isobel was the treasurer,
and I had the honor of sharing
a room with her on occasion. She
is from England and would travel
with one small carry-on for the
whole week. She taught me to
pack by rolling my clothes. I still
tell that story. “
- Phyllis Gordon
“Isobel was a wonderful kind
and compassionate person who
worked very hard in promoting
SVN and vascular nursing
internationally. A big loss to
the vascular nursing world!”
- Marge Lovell
“Isobel was very passionate
about vascular nursing and
such a wonderful mentor. She
will be so missed.”
- Debra Kohlman-Trigoboff
“She was truly a great person.
Isobel served as treasurer when
I was president and was a pure
joy to work with and get to know
as a friend. She was a tireless
promoter of SVN. We will all
miss her.”
- Jane Frasca
“So saddened to hear of
Isobel’s passing. She was one
of the kindest people I had the
pleasure of knowing.”
- Karen Fitzgerald
Share your favorite memory
of Isobel with us on the SVN
Facebook page.
NEW BOARD MEMBER
SVN
welcomes
Chris Owen,
BSN, MSN,
RNFA to the
Board of
Directors.
Owen was appointed to the board
in November to fill a vacated board
position.
Board Profile Director
(2015-2017)
Chris Owen, MSN, ACNP-BC, RNFA
Baltimore Washington Medical
Center, Maryland
Liaison to: Education Committee
www.svnnet.org

NURSES at the table
Submitted by
Patty Flanagan MSN, RN-BC
SVN Board Liaison to Public Policy &
Advocacy Committee
It is an honor and a privilege for
nurses to advocate for patients
as individuals, families and
communities. Nursing is a highly
respected and trusted profession.
Patients and the public value what
nurses have to say. Nurses bring
to the table real life scenarios to
aid in the discussion of healthcare
issues.
In the day to day care of patients,
nurses are good at advocating for
individual patient needs. However,
patient advocacy goes beyond
that. Being involved in decisions
that impact the nurse’s patient
population is an important aspect
of nursing. Nurses can advocate
for patients by being involved
in decision-making committees
at their place of employment,
whether it be in an inpatient or
outpatient setting.
Nurses can advocate for families
by listening to their concerns and
needs, identifying the common
thread and acting on that need;
targeting the appropriate key
figures to address the issues and
become involved in the decisionmaking
process.
Communities can be geographic
or disease-specific populations.
Advocating for communities
includes becoming involved in
disease-specific organizations,
town boards, zoning boards,
and school boards as well as
monitoring legislation for health
care issues being discussed.
Communicating to key figures
the issues and their impact
on patients, families and
communities.
Nurses also need to be aware of
issues affecting the profession,
being aware of issues being
discussed at the nurse’s place
of employment, nursing
organizations and in legislation.
Nurses must prepare themselves
to take part in the discussions
and place themselves in positions
of influence to advocate for
patients as individuals, families,
communities and the nursing
profession.
References:
1. Burns, N., Grove, S. Understanding nursing research (5th Ed). 2011. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders.
2. Song, J., Chung, K. Observational studies: cohort and case-control studies. Plast Reconstr Surg: 2010; 126(6): 2234-2242.
3. Framingham Heart Study. Available at: https://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/
Call for JVN Editorial Board Members
The Journal of Vascular Nursing is soliciting interested colleagues
to apply for an Editorial Board appointment.
Editorial Board members are responsible for editorial review of manuscripts
for publication in JVN and for assisting the Editor as assigned. Service on the
Editorial Board is for one year to be renewed annually at the Editor’s discretion.
Qualifications for appointment consideration include the following:
1. Registered professional nurse. Master’s degree in nursing required.
2. Vascular nursing practice experience in areas of education, practice,
administration, or research sufficient to developing considerable expertise
in the area.
3. Documented writing ability as evidenced by publication.
4. Membership in SVN for a minimum of one year.
We invite interested colleagues to submit a letter of interest, including
your fields of interest and expertise, and current curriculum vitae to
the Editor, Cindy Lewis MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, at Cynthia.lewis@aurora.
org. All applications will be reviewed.
www.svnnet.org

Finding the Evidence
“EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE”
Submitted by
Debra Kohlman-Trigoboff,
RN, MS, ACNP-BO, CVN,
SVN Past President
Evidence Based Practice (EBP)
is an approach to patient care
integrating the strongest research
evidence, clinical expertise and
patient preferences 1,2 . Utilizing EPB
is not only about implementing
strong evidence into practice,
but it also entails removing
harmful or ineffective practice
patterns. EPB has been shown to
improve patient outcomes, reduce
healthcare cost and increase
clinician satisfaction 3 .
Keeping current with EBP requires
self-direction and spans the
lifetime of one’s practice. With
busy clinical practice and home
schedules, practitioners often
find it difficult to keep up with
and ultimately implement the EBP
recommendations. One study cites
EBP is used approximately 55% of
the time by medical professionals 4 ;
one barrier being the time
constraints needed to review
and assimilate the data.
There are multiple medical
resources now available online to
keep practitioners up-to-date with
the current literature. Vincent,
et al (2015) has compiled a list of
strategies for maintaining currency
in research and clinical literature.
Please refer to Table 1 below.
Table 1 (Vincent, et al 2015)
www.svnnet.org

Finding the Evidence
“EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE” continued
Computerized decision models
that assimilate and summarize
relevant research evidence linking
it through the electronic medical
record to a patient’s situation may
be the ultimate way to improve
clinical care. Though this technique
would be ideal, many practices
don’t have access to computerized
decision models. More readily
available, however are many
resources that have already
critically evaluated research
and have compiled a summary
of the critical studies into
single documents. Examples of
assimilated and critically evaluated
research include clinical practice
guidelines, several of which have
been developed by SVN members
and can be accessed on the SVN
website. There are other examples
of pre-appraised evidence listed in
Table 2 by Vincent, et al (2015).
Table 2 (Vincent, et al 2015)
The goal of evidence based
practice is quality improvement
ensuring implementation
of best practices. Many EBP
authors stress the importance of
individualizing the evidence to
the patient and have meaningful
conversations with the patient and
other healthcare professionals.
Though many practitioners may
have busy home and practice
schedules, mastering the plethora
of evidence in the clinical literature
can be achieved through the use
of internet resources and preappraised
clinical evidence to
implement and improve clinical
practice.
References:
1. Sackett, D, Straus, S, Richardson W, et al Evidence Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach. EBM 2nd ed, Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill
Livingstone, 2005
2. Straus, S. Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach. EBM. New York, NY. Churchill Livingstone, 2005.
3. Melnyk, B, Fineout-Overbolt, E. Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare. 2nd Ed. Philadelphia: PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins,
2011.
4. Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press:
2001.
5. Vincent, D, Hastings-Tolsma, M, Gephart, S, et al. Nurse Practitioner Clinical Decision-Making and Evidence-Based Practice. The Nurse
Practitioner, 2015, 40(5): 47-54.
www.svnnet.org

RESEARCH
Corner
Barth J, Jacob T, Daha I, et al.
Psychosocial interventions for smoking
cessation in patients
with coronary heart disease.
Cochrane Database Syst
Rev. 2015 Jul 6; 7:CD006886
Benetos A, Rossignol P,
Cherubini A, et al.
Polypharmacy in the Aging Patient:
Management of Hypertension in
Octogenarians.
JAMA. 2015 Jul 14;314(2):170-180
Blyth A, Maskrey V, Notley C, et al.
Effectiveness and economic evaluation
of self-help educational materials for
the prevention of smoking relapse:
randomised controlled trial. Health
Technol Assess. 2015 Jul;19(59):1-70.
Dumville JC, Land L, Evans D, et al.
Negative pressure wound therapy
for treating leg ulcers.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jul
14;7:CD011354.
Ebbert JO, Elrashidi MY,
Stead LF Interventions for smokeless
tobacco use cessation.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Oct
26;10:CD004306.
Gepner Y, Golan R, Harman-Boehm I,
et al.
Effects of Initiating Moderate Alcohol
Intake on Cardiometabolic Risk in
Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A 2-Year
Randomized, Controlled Trial.
Ann Intern Med. 2015 Oct 13.
McInnes E, Jammali-Blasi A,
Bell-Syer SE, et al.
Support surfaces for pressure ulcer
prevention.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Sep
3;9:CD001735.
O`Meara S, Martyn-St James M,
Adderley UJ.
Alginate dressings for venous leg
ulcers.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Aug
19;8:CD010182.
Patnode CD, Henderson JT,
Thompson JH, et al.
Behavioral Counseling and
Pharmacotherapy Interventions for
Tobacco Cessation in Adults, Including
Pregnant Women: A Review of Reviews
for the U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force.
Ann Intern Med. 2015 Sep 22.
Pursnani A, Massaro JM, D`Agostino
RB Sr, et al.
Guideline-Based Statin Eligibility,
Coronary Artery Calcification, and
Cardiovascular Events.
JAMA. 2015 Jul 14;314(2):134-41.
Sharma M, Cornelius VR, Patel JP,
et al. Efficacy and Harms of Direct
Oral Anticoagulants in the Elderly for
Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation
and Secondary Prevention of Venous
Thromboembolism: Systematic Review
and Meta-Analysis.
Circulation. 2015 Jul 21;132(3):194-204.
Smyth RM, Aflaifel N, Bamigboye
AA Interventions for varicose veins
and leg oedema in pregnancy.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Oct
19;10:CD001066.
Stead LF, Koilpillai P, Lancaster T
Additional behavioural support as
an adjunct to pharmacotherapy for
smoking cessation. Cochrane Database
Syst Rev. 2015 Oct 12;10:CD009670.
Umpierrez G, Cardona S, Pasquel F, et
al. Randomized Controlled
Trial of Intensive Versus Conservative
Glucose Control in Patients Undergoing
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery:
GLUCO-CABG Trial.
Diabetes Care. 2015 Jul 15.
Uthman OA, Hartley L, Rees K, et al.
Multiple risk factor interventions for
primary prevention of cardiovascular
disease in low- and middle-income
countries.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Aug
4;8:CD011163.
Wang D, Liu B, Tao W, et al.
Fibrates for secondary prevention of
cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Oct
25;10:CD009580.
Williams B, MacDonald TM, Morant S,
et al.
Spironolactone versus placebo,
bisoprolol, and doxazosin to determine
the optimal treatment for drugresistant
hypertension (PATHWAY-2): a
randomised, double-blind,
crossover trial.
Lancet. 2015 Sep 18. pii: S0140-
6736(15)00257-3.
Wong GW, Laugerotte A, Wright JM.
Blood pressure lowering efficacy of
dual alpha and beta blockers for
primary hypertension.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Aug
26;8:CD007449.
Wu L, Norman G, Dumville JC, et al.
Dressings for treating foot ulcers in
people with diabetes: an overview of
systematic reviews.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jul
14;7:CD010471.
Janice D. Nunnelee PhD RN
Practice and Research Committee
414.376.0001 info@svnnet.org

Continuing ED
IAC RESEARCH AWARD PROGRAM:
2016 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
MAYO CLINIC
WOUND SYMPOSIUM
The Intersocietal Accreditation
Commission (IAC) Research Committee
seeks to support innovative and
meritorious research relevant to
accreditation and quality improvement
through its annual IAC Research
Award Program. The purpose of the
research award is to gain insight into
the accreditation process and its value
to medicine and society. For complete
details about the IAC Research Award
Program, including links to published
abstracts and manuscripts, visit
intersocietal.org/research.
For 2016, the IAC Research Committee
will award grants up to a maximum
of $75,000 (including institutional
overhead). Interested individuals are
encouraged to submit proposals that
advance the IAC Research Committee’s
mission of “Strengthening Accreditation
through Research”.
IMPORTANT DATES:
· Call for Proposals ... 12/1/2015
· Letter of Intent Submission
Due ... 3/1/2016
· Notification for Letter of
Intent Decision ... 4/2/2016
· Proposal Submission ... 6/2/2016
· Notification of Award ... 9/2016
HOW TO APPLY:
For complete submission instructions,
please visit
intersocietal.org/iac/research_2016.htm.
For questions or a variables list,
please contact Mary Beth Farrell,
MS, IAC Director of Research, at
800-838-2110 or e-mail
research@intersocietal.org.
February 18-20, 2016
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
Mayo Clinic Wound Symposium will
meet the continuing-education needs
of wound care providers, from novice
to expert. We will provide educational
sessions and interactive workshops
offering comprehensive wound
management strategies (from Basics to
high level). This course is for physicians,
CNPs, PAs, nurses, podiatrists, physical
therapists, dietitians and others who
manage skin and wound care patients
across the continuum of health care.
Register now at:
https://ce.mayo.edu/preventivemedicine/content/mayo-clinic-woundsymposium-2016
www.svnnet.org