HUDDLE
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Good Morning, Readers! |
Did you know that February 10-14, 2025 is Phlebotomists Recognition Week? This year’s theme, “Drawn to Help Others,” emphasizes the vital role that phlebotomists play in healthcare. Make sure to tell the phlebotomist in your life how much you appreciate all that they do as an essential part of the healthcare team!
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Today's Top Beats |
🩺 New Nurse Retention
🔬 Biomedical Research Jeopardy
🧂 Salt Substitute and Stroke
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HANDOFF |
Group Mentoring Boosts Retention |
Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver raised its new nurses’ retention rate to a whopping 97% with the help of a nurse group mentoring program. So now the hospital is expanding the program, which started in 2023 after the pandemic had reshaped the nursing workforce at the hospital. Up to 80% of nurses had fewer than two years of experience by 2022, making one-on-one mentoring logistically difficult. The new group program lasts 12 months.
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Biomedical Research in Jeopardy |
Medical researchers are expressing deep concerns about a new NIH guideline that would cut indirect costs on grants—the overhead paid to research institutions beyond the grant funds—to 15%. Universities’ indirect rates typically range from 50% to 70%. Scientists are sounding the alarm that this cut will devastate
biomedical research with broad economic repercussions. In his explainer, University of Washington biology professor Carl Bergstrom called it “deadly to the U.S. economy.”
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Salt Substitute Lowers Stroke Risk |
It’s long been known that salt substitutes—replacing sodium chloride with potassium chloride in foods—can help reduce blood pressure. Hypertension has also long been the number one risk factor for stroke. So could using salt substitutes therefore reduce risk of stroke? It appears so, according to a new study in JAMA Cardiology that found stroke survivors who used salt substitutes were less likely to have another stroke or to die.
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TODAY'S TOP VITAL
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73% |
The percentage of high school students who did not eat a daily breakfast in the previous seven days, according to a Washington Post story on a CDC report. But good news: guess how many didn’t have a soft drink in the past week?
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PRN
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TECH TUESDAY WITH NURSE MANNY
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The Benefits of AI Companionship |
Aging comes with unique challenges—loneliness, cognitive decline, and the need for increased support. AI companionship is stepping in to help, offering engagement, reminders, and even emotional connection.
Devices like ElliQ, Misa, Dear Friend and others provide seniors with conversation, cognitive exercises, and wellness check-ins, making independent living a little easier.
These AI companions offer clear benefits. They help reduce loneliness, provide medication reminders, and assist with daily routines, allowing older adults to feel more connected and supported. Some models even detect changes in behavior and alert caregivers.
They’re not of course without limitations. AI can’t replace human touch, emotional nuance, or critical decision-making in emergencies. They also require some level of tech literacy and may not be accessible to all seniors.
As nurses, we know nothing replaces genuine human connection, but can AI be a useful tool in supplementing care? Would you recommend AI companionship to your patients or loved ones?
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Nurse Manny is passionate about leveraging health tech for better patient care.
Want him to review your tech? Email him!
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Did you miss our last newsletter? Click here.
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BREAK ROOM |
Would You Say This? |
Sometimes, we come up with creative nicknames reserved for our doctor besties. You would not be able to guess what this Gen Z nurse called an attending who intubated a patient. Would you ever say this?
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DISCHARGE INSTRUCTIONS
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Share your unique link below 👇 via text, email, or snail mail and share it with your besties! The more friends you refer, the more swag you earn!
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