DiversityNursing Blog

By definition...

Cultural competency is having specific cognitive and affective skills that are essential for building culturally relevant relationships between providers and patients. Obtaining cultural competency is an ongoing, lifetime process, not an endpoint. Becoming culturally competent requires continuous self-evaluation, skill development, and knowledge building about culturally diverse groups.

Healthcare disparities are inequalities in healthcare access, quality, and/or outcomes between groups. In the United States, these inequalities may be due to differences in care-seeking behaviors, cultural beliefs, health practices, linguistic barriers, degree of trust in healthcare providers, geographical access to care, insurance status, or ability to pay. Factors influencing these disparities include education, housing, nutrition, biological factors, economics, and sociopolitical power.

Models

Several models of cultural competency exist. In a model called The Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services, by Campinha-Bacote, nurses are directed to ask themselves questions based on the five constructs-awareness, skill, knowledge, encounters, and desire (ASKED)-to determine their own cultural competency. According to this model, nurses need an awareness of their own cultural biases and prejudices, cultural knowledge, and assessment and communication skills. Nurses also need to be motivated to have encounters with culturally diverse groups. In its most recent form, this model suggests that these encounters are the pivotal key constructs in the process of developing cultural competency.

The Giger and Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model identifies six cultural phenomena nurses and other healthcare providers assess in their patients: biological variations, environmental control, time, social organization, space, and communication.

Staff should select a model that best fits your specific work setting and patient population.

Beware stereotypes

Discussions about culture in healthcare often focus on race and ethnicity. Taking this approach excludes other factors (biological, psychological, religious, economical, political) that are all aspects of one's cultural experience. When race and ethnicity are overemphasized in conversations about healthcare disparities, the results can be polarizing because nursing remains a White, female-dominated profession. Also, emphasis on racial difference over other equally important differences sets up an "us versus them" dynamic between nurses that may lead to some minority nurses' disengagement from these initiatives. In addition, no one is immune to prejudice. Minorities are just as likely to have room for improvement in cultural competency.

Taking it all in

You can gain helpful information by performing a cultural assessment and using a broad definition of culture that reflects the differences in healthcare besides race and ethnicity. These definitions include age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, immigration status, employment status, socioeconomic status, culture, and religion.

To avoid stereotyping, keep in mind that individuals within a particular group can vary in many respects. For example, among older adults, certain characteristics may be typical but some older adults may demonstrate attributes that differ from the group. Many believe that all older people resist the use of modern technology; however, many people who are elderly enjoy using smartphones, tablets, electronic readers, and other devices. These intracultural differences are important to consider; having group knowledge never justifies predicting behaviors of any individual members. As part of a cultural assessment, determine the specific values, beliefs, attitudes, and health needs of each patient. See Performing a cultural assessment for an example using the Giger and Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model.

In the United States, the healthcare system is a cultural entity with its own norms and values. Yet nurses may overlook a facility's institutional culture when they consider the impact culture has on patients' healthcare access and outcomes. Both organizational and hospital unit culture play a role in determining the quality of care a patient receives. When you can determine what interpersonal or institutional barriers exist within a particular institution, clinic, or community setting, you're better able to assist your patients in overcoming them to achieve better healthcare outcomes.

Goals and Considerations of cultural competency

How do you know whether you're providing culturally competent care? Some believe that they've reached the goal of cultural competency as they gain new knowledge or skills, or have encounters with culturally diverse groups. But while providers may meet goals, there is always room for improvement. Helpful questions and considerations when determining cultural competency include:

* What does being culturally competent mean to me and the patients I serve?

* Which cultural competency model and/or assessment tool is most useful to me, given my patient population?

* As I gain cultural knowledge and skills, how can I use that knowledge to improve my patients' healthcare outcomes and assist in reducing healthcare disparities for underserved populations?

* Did the patient demonstrate an understanding of what I was trying to convey or teach?

* What can I do to improve the quality of care I deliver to members of this group?

Are you a nurse who uses an iPhone? The iPhone is especially useful for nurses who are mobile, as this tool can help you stay in touch with medical teams and patients’ needs. Additionally, many new apps have been developed for the iPhone that fit a nurse’s lifestyle and professional requirements. Why carry 15 tools around with you when one will do the work for them all? Many of the iPhone apps listed below are not open source or free. And, many require wireless networks to operate. But, when you consider the cost of the tools you might need to simulate these apps, the app may be worth the investment.

The apps below are linked either to download sites or reviews with a link to the download site. They are listed in alphabetical order, a methodology that shows we don’t favor one app over another.

1. A.D.A.M. Symptom Navigator: If patients are using this app, maybe you should, too – easily find out what to do about any symptoms. Learn self care, when to go to the doctor, and when it is an emergency.
2. Bishop’s Score Calc: This obstetric calculator is used to calculate Bishop’s Score, a score used to assess probability of impending delivery as well as expected success rate if labor is induced. Expectant parents may also find this of use in aiding their obstetrician in determining whether induction of labor is reasonable.
3. Bio Dictionary: Bio Dictionary covers most of general biological terms. Two methods are offered for searching, and terms and their explanations are audible!
4. Cockcroft: Calculate the estimated clearance of creatinine (eCcr) with the creatinine serum rate (in mg/dL or in micromol/L). Weight can be either in kilogram or in pounds.
5. Epocrates Rx: One of the few free iPhone apps, Epocrates Rx includes a drug guide, formulary information and drug interaction checker. This product also includes continual free updates and medical news. Plus, this app resides on your device so you can look for information without wireless connections.
6. Eponyms for the iPhone: Downloadable through the iTunes store and courtesy of Pascal Pfiffner, this app brings the beautiful eponym database from Andrew J. Yee to your iPhone or iPod touch.
7. Glucose Charter: Glucose-Charter is a blood glucose, insulin and medication recording app for any iPhone. Patients can self-monitor, nurses can use it to check patients.
8. iAnesthesia: Case Logs: iAnesthesia: Case Logs allows all anesthesia providers to easily create, manage and backup case logs quickly in the operating room, leaving you with more free time when not at work.
9. iChart: Keep track of patients through this personal medical assistant. It stores everything from patient data to charts and lists of medications in a streamlined, organized fashion.
10. In Case of Emergency (ICE): You may not always practice in a hospital setting. If not, this app can provide you with all the information you need to contact emergency services in your location.
11. iRx: iRx is a pharmaceutical reference tool to get FDA information on specific drugs. This application is currently in beta status, but is fully functional.
12. Lab Tests: This laboratory test database is broken up into categories including, Blood Bank, Clinical Chemistry, Coagulation, Hematology, Serology, Immunology, Tumor Markers, Urinalysis and Therapeutic Drugs. Reference ranges and notes on the clinical significance of the test are given when indicated.
13. Medical Reference: Why memorize medical terminology when you can look it up on your iPhone?
14. Mediquations: Mediquations for the iPhone and iPod Touch brings over 201 common medical calculations and scoring tools to your fingertips with the simplicity and elegance you expect out of an iPhone application.
15. MIM Radiology: The MIM iPhone Application provides multi-planar reconstruction of data sets from modalities including CT, PET, MRI and SPECT, as well as multi-modality image fusion.
16. Mosby’s iTerms Flash Cards for Medical Terminology: Mosby’s iTerms Flash Cards for Medical Terminology, the premier study guide for mastering the prefixes, suffixes, combining forms, and abbreviations used to build medical terms, is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch.
17. NCLEX-RN Medications: Nursing students can cram for their NCLEX exam with this app that will help you study medications and conditions.
18. Netter’s Anatomy Flash Cards: Using outstanding anatomical illustrations from Netter’s hugely popular Atlas of Human Anatomy (4th Edition), Netter’s Anatomy Flash Cards allows you to carry the bestselling reference for human anatomy on your iPhone or iPod touch.
19. Netter’s Musculoskeletal Flash Cards: Master the musculoskeletal anatomy and pathology you need to know with 210 flash cards.
20. Netter’s Neuroscience Flash Cards: Enhance your understanding of key neuroscience concepts with Netter’s Neuroscience Flash Cards for iPhone and iPod touch.
21. Nursing Central: Nursing Central is the complete mobile solution for nursing produced by Unbound Medicine. The app includes premier disease, drug and test information by and for nurses.
22. Pocket First Aid Guide: Do you panic when caring for several people at once? Get a grip with this iPhone app. This is a first-aid guide for your iPhone that will help you treat anything from beestings to burns to eye injuries while you are within range of the Internet.
23. ReachMD: The ReachMD CME iPhone application is an easy-to-use and fully accredited Continuing Medical Education tool that gives healthcare practitioners a convenient way to earn free CME credits through their iPhone or iTouch.
24. ScribbleDoc: If you can’t read the good doctor’s writing, perhaps this app can help. Use your iPhone to scan the problem and ScribbleDoc should convert the image to text.
25. Skyscape Medical Resources: Available from the iTunes Apps Store, this app offers Outlines in Clinical Medicine, Archimedes – Medical Calculator, RxDrugs: Drug Dosing Tool and MedAlert for free with their download.

Physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and pharmacists are using social media tools to network with professional colleagues, track down job leads and apply for new positions, according to a new survey.

The survey was conducted by AMN Healthcare, which bills itself as the nation's largest healthcare staffing and workforce solutions company. AMN Healthcare's "2010 Social Media Survey of Healthcare Professionals" was designed to provide healthcare employers and leaders a snapshot of how healthcare professionals are currently using social media and other online applications for networking, job hunting and other career development activities. The survey, which was conducted this fall, received 1,248 responses.

The survey suggests that traditional methods of recruitment such as referrals, online job boards and search engines are not being superseded by social media, whereas social media does surpass other job search methods such as newspaper ads, career fairs and other methods.  At the same time, social networking sites are experiencing tremendous growth, and have become the new frontier in professional networking and career development for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and pharmacists. Job candidates are spending more time online and experimenting with media sites for job searches, but have thus far found minimal success in securing interviews, job offers and positions.

"It's not surprising that social media and mobile media usage have become additional job sourcing methods for healthcare professionals and a way to network with peers and companies," said Susan Salka, AMN's president and CEO. "What this tells us is that job seekers will add new methods and continue to replace those that don't work as they have access to innovative new resources. As the nation's largest healthcare staffing company, we find this information valuable in being able to connect with top talent in healthcare today. It will be interesting to compare this year's results with those from 2011 and beyond to gauge the search methods and developing preferences of job seekers."

Key survey findings:

    Thirty-eight percent of clinicians surveyed are currently seeking employment, and 12 percent of current job seekers have been looking for more than a year.
    Nurses have had a significantly shorter job search than their fellow professionals, averaging three months, compared to just less than seven months for physicians and allied professionals, and nine months for pharmacists.
    Thirty-seven percent of clinicians reported using social media for professional networking; nurses had the highest use among healthcare workers at 41 percent.
    Ten percent of healthcare professionals are using mobile job alerts, but only 3 percent have received an interview, 2 percent have received a job offer and 1 percent secured a new job.
    Physicians are by far the heaviest users of mobile devices for professional reasons among their medical colleagues; 37 percent used healthcare-related applications and 17 percent used mobile devices for healthcare-related content or jobs.
    Sixty-four percent of the clinicians surveyed would choose Facebook, the clear favorite, if they could choose only one social networking site.

Legislation in California that set nurse-to-patient ratios added more registered nurses to the hospital staffing mix, not fewer as feared, researchers say.

Lead researcher Matthew McHugh, a nursing professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, says California was the first state to pass legislation setting staffing levels. However, mindful of the ongoing nurse shortage California legislators determined that hospitals could employ licensed practical nurses as well as registered nurses to meet the requirements of the law, McHugh says.

“California’s state-mandated nurse staffing ratios have been shown to be successful in terms of increasing registered nurse staffing,” McHugh says in a statement. “From a policy perspective, this should be useful information to the states currently debating legislation on nurse-to-patient ratios.”

California experienced a more serious nurse shortage than other areas of the country but made up the gap by hiring “travel nurses” — temporary workers who move from hospital to hospital as needed and ae not less educated LPNs, the researchers say.

The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, examined hiring practices from 1997 to 2008, pre- and post-implementation of the legislation, concluding that the increase in nurse staffing did not come at the expense of decreasing RNs.

“Our findings demonstrate that the nurse-to-patient ratio mandate in California was effective in increasing registered nurse staffing in hospitals,” McHugh says.

From monster.com

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Does your state have legislation like this? What do you think? Does it help or hinder you in doing your job? How about your patients? Let us know in the comments!

Hospital employment climbed by 15,400 in February

Employment at the nation's hospitals increased 0.32% in February to a seasonally adjusted 4,806,600 people, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. That's 15,400 more people than in January and 109,600 more than a year ago. Without the seasonal adjustment, which removes the effect of fluctuations due to seasonal events, private hospitals employed 4,797,600 people in February - 13,300 more than in January and 111,500 more than a year ago. The nation's overall unemployment rate was unchanged in February at 8.3%.

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What are your thoughts? Is your hospital hiring? Growing? Why do you think so?

New CDC Campaign Aims to Stem HIV Crisis among Black Women

 

To combat the high toll of HIV and AIDS among black women in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched Take Charge. Take the Test., a new campaign to increase HIV testing and awareness among African-American women. The campaign – which features advertising, a website and community outreach – is being launched in conjunction with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in 10 cities where black women are especially hard-hit by the disease.

“At current rates, nearly 1 in 30 African-American women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetimes,” said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. “To help reduce this toll we are working to remind black women that they have the power to learn their HIV status, protect themselves from this disease, and take charge of their health.”

The program is being launched in Atlanta; Chicago; Detroit; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Houston; Memphis, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; New Orleans; Hyattsville, Md.; and St. Louis.

Take Charge. Take the Test. is part of CDC’s commitment to address the urgent HIV prevention needs of African-American women, who are far more heavily affected by HIV and AIDS than women of any other race or ethnicity in the United States. African-American women account for nearly 60 percent of all new HIV infections among women (and 13 percent of new infections overall). The rate of new infections among black women is 15 times higher than among white women.

The campaign emphasizes the importance of HIV testing as a gateway to peace of mind and better health. Campaign messages will reach black women through a variety of highly visible channels, including outdoor and transit advertising; radio ads; posters and handouts distributed in salons, stores, community organizations, and other venues; campaign ads and materials on health department and partner websites; and a dedicated campaign website,http://hivtest.org/takecharge, where women can find HIV testing locations in their communities.

In addition to promoting HIV testing, the campaign encourages African-American women to talk openly with their partners about HIV and insist on safe sex, and to bring these same messages to other women in social settings, workplaces, living rooms, and religious congregations.

Take Charge. Take the Test. reflects a strong partnership between CDC, health departments, and local organizations in the 10 participating cities, which worked together to develop local campaigns for the communities they serve. The campaign was initially piloted in Cleveland and Philadelphia, where Take Charge. Take the Test. community events were attended by nearly 10,000 women, and campaign messages were seen more than 100 million times.

“We hope to extend the reach of this campaign to multiple cities throughout the nation, help empower many more women to take control of their health, and help break the silence about HIV in their communities,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP).

Research shows that black women are no more likely than women of other races to engage in risky behaviors. But a range of social and environmental factors put them at greater risk for HIV infection. These include higher prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in some black communities, which increase the likelihood of infection with each sexual encounter. Limited access to health care can prevent women from getting HIV tested. Research also shows that financial dependence on male partners may limit some women’s ability to negotiate safe sex. HIV stigma, far too prevalent in all communities, may also discourage black women from seeking HIV testing.

“This campaign is just one part of the solution,” said Donna Hubbard McCree, Ph.D., associate director for health equity at DHAP. “All of us have a role to play in stopping the spread of HIV among black women – by talking to our sisters, daughters, husbands, and boyfriends about how to protect ourselves against HIV and the importance of getting tested; by speaking out against stigma; and by tackling the social inequities that place so many of us at risk for HIV.”

Take Charge. Take the Test. is the latest campaign of CDC’s Act Against AIDS initiative (http://actagainstaids.org) a five-year, $45 million national communication campaign to combat complacency about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States. The campaign also directly addresses the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which calls for reducing new infections, intensifying HIV prevention efforts in communities in which HIV is most heavily concentrated, and reducing HIV-related deaths in communities at high risk for HIV infection. Other Act Against AIDS campaigns include those targeting high-risk populations such as gay and bisexual men, as well as efforts to reach health care providers and the general public.

from The CDC   

 

What do you think? How will the CDC Campaign work? Will it be effective? Shoot off in the comments!

Marilen Logan, RN, MSN, PHN, stands hunched over a table. In her hands are vials. That's not unusual for a nurse in a busy city hospital - until you look inside the vials. Rather than a blood sample, these vials contain lavender, peppermint and lemongrass.   

 

"Patients in the hospital are often under a lot of stress," says Marilen. "Certain scents can enhance a feeling of calm, reduce anxiety and in turn improve outcomes."   

 

She adds, "It's also a familiar healing approach for many of my patients, who have been exposed to the benefits of aromatherapy because of their unique cultural backgrounds."

Marilen says her own diverse background inspired her to create the aromatherapy program. "I grew up using aromatherapy. My aunts in the Philippines would boil certain leaves when my mom suffered migraines. And my mother would give me citrus fruits to smell when I got carsick."   

 

Marilen created the unique program last year while at Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. Her program was the centerpiece of a study the hospital conducted to determine how aromatherapy could improve patient satisfaction and overall experience. It was so successful there; she hopes to import the program to CPMC's St. Luke's campus, where she's now the interim supervisor of nurses in the telemetry, medical-surgical, and intensive care units.     

 

Journey to Nursing  

Growing up in her native Philippines and then Dubai before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Marilen always admired the work of her aunts -- all nurses. Although she wanted to follow in their footsteps, Marilen's journey to nursing took a slight detour.   

 

"Believe it or not, I was squeamish about blood," she laughs. So after earning a degree in psychology she worked in the world of finance.   

 

But as Marilen watched her parents get older, she realized that the need for high-quality medical caregivers would grow. So she banished her fears and entered a masters nursing program with an emphasis in health care systems leadership.   

 

"My parents believe strongly in education and compassion for others," Marilen says. "I want to pass along those same values to my teams. When nurses are supported and encouraged, they see the bigger picture and begin to really 'own' their unit. This results in a better working environment for nurses and better patient care."   

 

Marilen says her deep-rooted values also created a foundation for her professional success. "I have been able to move into leadership because I'm always looking for ways to continue my education. My supervisors at CPMC also have confidence in me and help me find these opportunities," Marilen says.   

 

In fact, her aromatherapy program was her final project for the Leadership Residency Program, a one-year paid leadership development program sponsored by Sutter Health. "I was amazed and grateful to be selected by my Chief Nursing Officer to take part in the LRP," Marlien says. "I'm also thankful to work for a hospital and health system that supports its employees with such wonderful opportunities."   

 

Future Smells Sweet  

Marilen's dreams for her future are as strong as the lavender oil in her aromatherapy program. "I hope to become a chief nursing officer someday," she says. "I also hope to teach student nurses and honor my aunts by mentoring my younger cousins who have gone into nursing."

"I've found a great place to work and see myself staying here a long time so that I can give back," she adds," "I want nurses to be happy where they work."

 

To learn more about nursing at Sutter Health, please click here.

Student at the UCLA School of Nursing start their nursing career with a high tech boost. As part of their ceremony to receive their white coats, this year they were also give iPod Touch devices preloaded with Medication and Diagnosis guides as well as a Spanish language dictionary and translation assistance. UCLA is determined to offer new grad nurses that are ready for "High Touch" care but within a "High Tech" environment.

 Nursing Reimagined. Nursing Redefined.

Want to Learn More?

• Civil Rights Memorial Center Located in historic Montgomery, Ala., across the street from Southern Poverty Law Center, the center offers images of iconic civil-rights leaders, a 56-seat theater and the Wall of Tolerance, where visitors pledge to take a stand against hate by entering their names on an interactive wall.
• DuSable Museum of African American History This Chicago museum has been dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of the history and culture of Africans and Black Americans for more than 46 years.
• Hampton University Museum & Archives Located on the grounds of Hampton University campus, the museum, which was founded in 1868, is one of the oldest in Virginia. It features more than 9,000 objects, including African American fine arts, traditional African, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Island, and Asian art.
• Idaho Black History Museum Housed in St. Paul Baptist Church in Boise, one of the oldest buildings constructed by Idaho Blacks, the museum presents exhibits and educational outreach, including workshops, literacy programs and music.
• International Civil Rights Center & Museum This newly opened exhibit and teaching facility, located in the historic F.W. Woolworth building in Greensboro, N.C., where four N.C. A&T freshmen set off a nonviolent sit-in 50 years ago, is a recreation of what the segregated South was like during the civil-rights movement. 
• Museum of African American History in Boston Based in an African Meeting House, the oldest U.S. church built by free Blacks in 1806 has recently been restored, thanks largely to sponsorship from Walmart Foundation. It features stories of Blacks from 1638 through the Civil War.
• NAACP Interactive Historical Timeline Funded through a $500,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation, this newly launched online learning tool from the NAACP offers major milestones in Black history, biographies of legendary leaders in Black history and other educational resources. Verizon Communications is No. 22 in the 2011 DiversityInc Top 50.
• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture Although the museum is currently being built on the National Mall in the District of Columbia, not far from what were once slave markets called “Robey’s Den,” a gallery can be found on the second floor of the National Museum of American History. And thanks to a $1-million grant of technology and expertise from IBM (No. 7), you can take a virtual tour at nmaahc.si.edu.

VIDEOS

1. DiversityInc CEO Luke Visconti and National Civil Rights Museum President Beverly Robertson
2. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
3. African American History Museum in Boston
4. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History series
5. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

COLLATERAL MATERIAL

• PricewaterhouseCoopers: 10 Minutes on Managing Diversity
• PricewaterhouseCoopers: Confronting the Issue brochure
• PricewaterhouseCoopers: Impact fact sheet
• PricewaterhouseCoopers: Why Diversity Why Now
• WellPoint’s Black History Month poster

Nurse Robert Freeman's free app helps nurses decode thousands of medical abbreviations they see on charts

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS (reprint)
Published: Monday, January 30, 2012
by Clem Richardson

When Apple accepted his app in November, Robert “Robbie” Freeman said he would have been happy if 1,000 people downloaded it in the first year.

A little over 60 days later, more than 12,000 people have downloaded Freeman’s “Nurse Net” app, and the 26-year-old registered nurse could not be happier - even though he has not made a dime on the deal, since he demanded the app be free.

“People all over the world are downloading it,” Freeman said. “They’ve really embraced it. I really wanted it to be something everyone can use.”

Freeman is a registered nurse and staff nurse at Beth Israel Hospital. Last year he won both the 2011 Novice Nurse of the Year from his employer, Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Novice Nurse of the Year, Nurse of Distinction award from 1199/Service Employees International Union.

He used the money from the award to come up with his app after realizing the need.

“I was speaking to my nurse colleagues about the things we would love to see in an app, tools that would help us deliver care and help us practice our profession,” Freeman said. “My generation, the millennial generation, really have embraced apps, but there are not a lot of them out there for nurses, even though nurses make up the largest group of health professionals in the country.”

Nurse Net’s tools include a News Reader, which gathers medical news from the top nursing websites and media outlets.

“Health care is always changing and the standards of care are always evolving,” Freeman said. “It’s important to stay up to date. With the reader you can keep up with the latest medical news.”

The Abbreviation Assistant decodes more than 10,000 medical abbreviations nurses are liable to encounter on medical charts, like HLD, which stands for Hyperlipidemia, high levels of fat in the blood.

“The idea came to me one day when a colleague said she saw this abbreviation on a chart and didn’t know what it meant,” Freeman said. “Health care has a culture of abbreviating everything, so sometimes it’s hard to keep up.

“This can help with patient safety, because if you are unsure of an abbreviation it could compromise treatment plans,” he said.

The Credentialer does the same as the abbreviation assistant, only for degrees or credentials health professionals list after their names.

“We have a lot of certifications and specialities in medicine, and with each degree, exam and organization comes another set of initials,” Freeman said. “Sometimes there are all sorts of initials after a name and it’s not always apparent what they mean. You put the abbreviation in the app and it tells you what it means.”

TELL YOUR DOCTOR EVERYTHING

A graduate of both the University of Albany and Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing, Freeman works on the Chris and Morton P. Hyman Patient Care Unit at Beth Israel.

He turned to friend Daniel Delphin, founder of DS410 a New York City based Mobile Application Company, for the technical work on his app, but did most of the research himself over a three-month period.

A former Long Island Athlete of the Year (2003) for his long distance running, Freeman is committed to helping others: after completing nursing school he spent three weeks with an American medical team doing free work in rural Kenya, East Africa.

The Nurse Net app, he said, is just more of the same.

“I have no interest in making a profit here,” Freeman said. “The nursing community as a whole has given me so much. I felt very strongly I wanted this to be a free app. People in nursing school will benefit from it the most, and they are already saddled with fees. I didn’t want this to be another fee they had to pay.

“To be able to allow nurses to go to work and improve the safety of the care they give their patients while letting them be more efficient and productive, how can I not give that for free?”

The Nursing Net app is available at the Apple Store.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/beth-israel-nurse-creates-nurse-net-a-free-app-nurses-deliver-healthcare-digital-age-article-1.1013660#ixzz1leu0kYyR