Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae rectal screening during an outbreak of New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae at an acute care hospital.

We describe the results of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) screening as part of an outbreak investigation of New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-producing CRE at a tertiary care university teaching hospital. The manual method for CRE screening was useful for detecting patients with asymptomatic CRE carriage but was time-consuming and costly.

CGEAN: a resource for nursing administration.

In the last decade, CGEAN has expanded its membership to include more nurse executives, nurse researchers, and international members. CGEAN is also responding to changes in healthcare administration as it becomes more evidence-based and in faculty roles, which are increasingly emphasizing external research funding as a role expectation. This year 's forum on research development held during the business meeting at the NARC conference yielded several new initiatives to support faculty development and student training in research. We invite readers to join with us to implement these new initiatives.

Longitudinal nursing case management for elderly heart failure patients: notes from the field.

Longitudinal case management is an intervention delivered by professional nurses that involves following patients from the inpatient to the outpatient arena. The hands-on process of day-to-day case management of elderly persons with heart failure is presented. The issues associated with delivering this intervention to this patient population are examined, and implications for refining the case management process are discussed.

Shaping systems to promote desired outcomes. The magnet hospital model.

The organization of nurses' work is a major determinant of patient and staff welfare. Magnet hospitals have demonstrated organizational attributes that enable nurses to fully use their knowledge and expertise to provide high-quality patient care. The empirical evidence that this type of organization produces better patient and staff outcomes is compelling. Therefore when reconfiguring the delivery of care, the organizational form found in the magnet hospitals should shape systems to promote desired outcomes.

Nurse on Capitol Hill.

There are myriad ways that nurses help their patients, and they do not all occur in a health care setting. This nurse entrepreneur found her career niche in influencing legislation that impacts patients and the health care system. The author tells the story of how she "landed on" and "conquered" Capitol Hill.

Hot issues for NPs in 1998.

Although it is unlikely that the legislative endeavors of 1996 and 1997 relating to the health care industry will be matched in 1998, implementing regulations of the Balanced Budget Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act will predicate the successes or shortcomings of these new laws in 1998. It is important that NPs stay in close contact with their state legislators and Medicaid officers responsible for implementing the SCHIP. NPs should also closely track efforts at the Federal level to ensure inclusion of non-physician providers in legislation that is important to NPs, such as bans on "gag" clauses--a protection that should include all health care providers.

An update on nursing involvement in hospital governance: 1990-1996.

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature and extent of nursing involvement in hospital governance in 1994; compare the 1994 level of involvement to 1990 levels; compare 1990 projections for 1995 to the actual state in 1994; and examine CNEs' projections of the nature and extent of involvement in 1996. The database compiled in the study and the author's earlier work (Havens, 1990, 1992) will assist in efforts to monitor nursing's status in hospital policy-making as monumental structural changes take place in health care organizations.