Relationships among the nurse work environment, self-nurturance and life satisfaction.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to (1) ascertain the relationship among self-nurturance, perceived Magnet features and life satisfaction and (2) evaluate the predictive effects of self-nurturance and Magnet features on life satisfaction.

Background: Promoting health is a global priority for nurses and for the public who depend upon them to provide quality care. Health gains can be realized by modifying the work environment and by modifying lifestyle choices (self-nurturance).

Lessons learned when Magnet designation is not received.

Magnet designation is the highest level of acknowledgement accorded healthcare organizations in recognition of professional nursing care. After our nursing leadership team attended a Magnet conference in 1998, we were inspired, and so was our staff. In 2004, we submitted our documentation and were notified that it met the criteria, and our site visit was scheduled.

Finding HIPAA in your soup.

From the time when compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) "privacy rule" became mandatory in April 2003 through April 2005, 12,542 complaints of privacy violations were filed nationally. But what constitutes a violation? Widespread confusion about the rule unnecessarily complicates nurses' relationships with patients and sometimes affects their clinical performance. A nurse responsible for HIPAA compliance at one hospital untangles the many threads of HIPAA's privacy rule and details its implications for nurses' everyday work.