The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named December 8-14, 2008, National Influenza Vaccination Week and has designated specific days of this week to represent different age groups. The American Nurses Association (ANA) wants to remind nurses and all health care workers of the importance of getting immunized against the flu each year. The flu shots are not cumulative and do not protect from one year to the next. This is an important point we make to our patients, and one we all need to heed ourselves. With nursing shortages and the looming possibility of cutbacks by hospitals. clinics and other health care settings due to the poor…
-
-
Survey Shows Nurses’ Health Affected by Exposure to Chemicals
Some very disturbing news is exposed in the San Francisco Chronicle today. We all know that as nurses we are exposed to chemicals, germs, and a whole lot of unknown problems everyday. It’s just part of the risks we take to help others. But how much exposure is too much? And what is being done to protect us? The results of an online survey of 1500 nurses in the U.S. conducted by the Environmental Working Group and Health Care Without Harm shows that nurses are being affected by their exposure to eleven common health care chemicals. These common chemicals include: hand disinfectants cleaning agents latex chemotherapy drugs and antiretrovirals gasses…