03.09.2020 Views

2020 FNA Book Of Reports

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>2020</strong> Florida Nurses Association<br />

Consequences to Patient Care<br />

Worldwide, nurses spend more time at the bedside and in the community with patients than any other health<br />

care professional” (Mally et al., 2015, p. 410). “Nurses have an exemplary history of meeting challenges and<br />

overcoming barriers” (Mally et al., 2014, p. 416). Federal and state regulation requirements are demanding<br />

increased documentation and quality measures for every patient receiving care. The forecasted demand for<br />

nurses will skyrocket with the aging of the baby boomer generation and multi-system health problems that<br />

contribute to the complexity of patient care. It is critical to increase and sustain a pool of qualified nurses that<br />

will be necessary to provide quality hospice care. Knowledge about Hospice can impact all aspects of quality<br />

patient care. “As nurses across the world become better educated in hospice … and continue to use and add<br />

to the body of research, the care of the terminally ill will improve” (Mally et al., 2014, p. 416).<br />

Statement of Position<br />

The Florida Nurses Association supports the integration of education regarding hospice care nursing within<br />

the clinical component of nursing education as well as the expansion of educational opportunities for RN’s in<br />

the belief that this education would enhance nursing practice and ultimately improve the care of patients. The<br />

Florida Nurses Association further recognizes the special role RN’s have in leading the interdisciplinary team in<br />

providing important medical, psychological, and spiritual care at the end-of-life. The goal of this care is to help<br />

people who are dying have a more peaceful, comfortable and dignified death.<br />

Recommendations for Action<br />

• The Florida Nurses Association supports the integration of hospice care nursing within the didactic and<br />

clinical components of nursing education.<br />

• The Florida Nurses Association will encourage and promote all nurses to become more informed about endof-life,<br />

hospice, and palliative care issues through offering continuing education courses to its members<br />

and expanding articles published in The Florida Nurse publication.<br />

• The Florida Nurses Association will promote legislation through lobbying efforts to require recipients of<br />

Medicare and Medicaid funding be required to educate patients about Hospice.<br />

The Florida Nurses Association supports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s<br />

recommendations for early education and referral to hospice care services for all patients who are eligible<br />

Routine HIV Testing<br />

Author: Ann Pasquale DNP(c), MSN, APRN, PPCNP-BC<br />

Statement of Concern<br />

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 1.12 million people were<br />

living with a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection at the end of 2015. <strong>Of</strong> those infected, 162,500<br />

(15%) had not received a diagnosis (CDC, 2019). Young people were the most likely to be unaware of their<br />

infection. Among people aged 13-24 with HIV, an estimated 51% didn’t know (CDC, 2019). Missed HIV testing<br />

opportunities, treatment or prevention strategies among adolescents and young adults in healthcare settings<br />

can lead to serious missteps with tragic outcomes. Missed identification of an HIV infection can lead to<br />

delayed treatment and an increased risk of complications and further transmission of the virus while missed<br />

opportunities in prevention interventions can lead to acquiring the virus when pharmacological prevention<br />

management is widely available for high risk individuals.<br />

Rationale<br />

Background Information<br />

Although there has been a formidable shift over the past 30 years in the diagnosis, care, treatment, and<br />

life expectancy of those with HIV/AIDS, the virus continues to pose a particular threat to young adults and<br />

adolescents. While there have been considerable gains in treatment and prevention, many practitioners<br />

30

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!