Effective October 5, 2007, the Academy of Neonatal Nursing's new address will be: 2220 Northpoint Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95407. Our telephone number (707-568-2168), email addresses, etc. remain the same.

 

The US Food and Drug Administration Cautions in the Use of Codeine for Mothers of Nursing Infants

On August 17, 2007, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory for mothers taking codeine while nursing their infants. Some mothers are ultra-rapid metabolizers of codiene into morphine and have high doses of the drug in their breast milk. Although this is very rare, the side effects can be life-threatening or even fatal to the infant. The FDA recommends that mothers be aware of signs of morphine overdose such as increased sleepiness (more than four hours at a time), difficulty nursing or breathing, and limpness. The ability to metabolize codiene very rapidly into morphine is genetically determined. It can presently be determined through genetic testing for the genotype CYP2D6.  Health care professionals and nursing mothers should report the signs of morphine overdose as related to nursing and codeine to the FDA's Med Watch Adverse Event Reporting Program by phone at 1-800-332-1088.

USA Today Reports "Hospitals Move to Phase Out Chemical"

The chemical DEPH, or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, used in medical equipment is being blamed for leaching an estrogen-like compound of which even minute amounts could cause problems for infants, especially males who spend weeks in the NICU. The American Medical Association (AMA) has been campaigning for the removal of the chemical from medical equipment since the late 1990s and petitioned the FDA to force manufacturers to label plastics which contain DEPH. In 2002, the FDA issued a public health notification "PVC Devices Containing Plasticizer DEPH" which listed the following devices affected: IV bags and tubing, UACs, enteral nutrition feeding bags, nasogastric bags, and ECMO tubing.  The AMA, as part of a collaborative medical group, "Healthcare without Harm," is pushing for more stringent measures to eliminate DEPH use in the hospital setting. Medical companies such as Cryovac are now offering non-PVC and DEHP-free products. More information about DEPH and a list of hospitals phasing out the chemical, can be found here. The FDA public health notification can be accessed here and the plastic industry's perspective and information is available online at American Chemistry Council's Phthalate Information Center. For more information on reducing DEHP in your unit, please see the Practice Points article published in Neonatal Network: How to Reduce DEHP in your NICU: A plan of simple steps to promote change, Vol 25(6): 2006.

March of Dimes "Every Baby Has a Story Video PSA Contest" 

The March of Dimes recently held a contest for the best 60-second public service announcement that portrays the March of Dimes and its mission. Entries were based on the theme "Every Baby Has a Story," to increase public awareness of premature birth, or lack of affordable health care coverage for pregnant women and their babies. Videos could be based on these themes, or tell a story based on personal experience. Voting for finalists opens on November 1. The winner will be announced in early December, and will receive a cash prize with the possibility of having the video broadcast on network television. Click here to view the videos and vote for your favorite. 

2007 Excellence in Writing Award

All manuscripts submitted to Neonatal Network®: The Journal of Neonatal Nursing during the year 2007 are eligible for the "Excellence in Writing Award". The winner of the 2006 award, Carla Nye, received her trip to the 7th National Neonatal Nurses Meeting, where she received recognition and her monetary award.

Neonatal Network is looking for  articles on a wide range of clinical and research topics that are aimed at helping  neonatal nurses improve their practice. Get a copy of Guidelines for Contributors and submit your manuscript by December 31, 2007!

 

Conferences and Meetings

• Academy of Neonatal Nursing-Beautiful and colorful Miami, Florida, is the venue for the "Building the Evidence: Supporting the Practice," 5th National Advanced Practice Neonatal Nurses Conference, April 24-26, 2008. A lineup of intriguing sessions is planned that include: "How Much Evidence? When to Treat?" "Proteomics: The Wave of the Future," "Workforce Issues for the NNP," and "The Boggy Baby." Miami is a wonderful destination with incredible food, ocean breezes, and warmth, even in April. Receive the early registration discount by registering online in late October.

• Academy of Neonatal Nursing-The 8th National Neonatal Nursing Meeting will be held in Washington D.C., October 8-12, 2008. In addition to a great faculty and timely topics in the main conference, many great preconference sessions have been planned. Details upcoming on the Academy web site.

• The Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)-will be holding their 2008 convention "Many Voices, One Mission" in Los Angeles, California, June 21-25. More details can be found on their website.

• The Newborn Hearing and Screening Conference, NHS2008-will be held at Lake Como, Italy, June 19-21, 2008,  and will discuss the most recent research in hearing screening, audiologic diagnosis, and interventions for infants with hearing loss.
  

• The International Congress of Genetics will be held in Berlin, Germany, July 12-17, 2008. The International Congress of Genetics dates back to 1899 and is held once every 5 years. The 2003 congress met in Melbourne, Australia. Under the auspices of the International Genetics Foundation, it serves to "reflect on progress made in genetics and to celebrate the best of contemporary research and to anticipate future developments."
  

• Academy of Neonatal Nursing will be planning soon for 2009. Get involved! Ideas for topics of interest, and speakers, are always welcome. Email us at memberinfo@academyonline.org.

Are you Planning a Conference?

Perhaps you would like to get the word out about an educational conference your unit or hospital is sponsoring? If so, we would love to hear from you! Send your name, phone number, and a brief description of the conference to Deb_Askin@umanitoba.ca.

SIDS Nursing and Parent Education

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is offering a free nursing curriculum, Continuing Education Program on SIDS Risk Reduction. The 38 page program is divided into a pre-test, 2 sessions each with 3 lessons and post-test. The first session is "What You Need to Know About SIDS." The second session pertains to "How to Communicate SIDS Risk-Reduction Techniques to Parents and Caregivers."  The NICHD also offers health information for consumers as well as free "Safe Sleep for Your Baby-Please Put Me on My Back to Sleep" door hangers. Click here for more information, or to order the curriculum packet.

Over 1,300 ANN members took a minute this summer to complete our online survey. Results can be viewed here. The journal subscription to Neonatal Network:^® The Journal of Neonatal Nursing topped the list as the primary reason for ANN membership, followed by free CEUs. A sampling of additional benefits requested by the respondents include: more merchandise to promote ANN, such as pens, scrubs, and tee shirts; opportunities for discounts and CEUs; a Listserv; a more user-friendly website; international conferences, and local, daylong seminars. CE topic suggestions ranged from repeating the basics to the latest advancements. Broad topics suggested included neonatal transport, pharmacology, nutrition, NEC, mechanical ventilation, hypothermia and asphyxia, pain management, palliative care, syndromes, and surgical care. The survey is providing valuable information ANN will use in planning and education. Thank you for responding to the "One Minute Survey!"

 

5th National Advanced Practice Conference in Miami, Florida

Join us in Miami at an exciting conference, "Examining the Evidence, Supporting the Practice." We are looking for podium presentations and posters to compliment our lineup of world class speakers. First, in keeping with our theme of examining current practice, we invite 15 to 20 minute podium presentations on the topics of ventilation: how do you ventilate very low birth weight babies to optimize lung volume and prevent lung injury; and nutrition: how do you feed LBW infants in your institution?

Second, clinical, case study, and research poster presentations are also welcome. The topics for these posters should be relevant to the theme of the conference and the audience of advanced practice neonatal nurses.

Case Study of the Month

Do you have an interesting case study you would like to share with fellow ANN members? ANN is planning to develop a "Case of the Month" feature on our website and would like to invite members to submit their cases for consideration. Submissions should include a brief description of the case including the relevant history, and presentation diagnostic testing and, of course, the diagnosis. If you have a case you would like to submit please email it here.

Call for Abstracts

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network (IPN/APNN) are sponsoring the 5th International Conference on Advanced Nursing Practice entited: Leadership in Advanced Nursing Practice: Maximizing Health, Celebrating Collaboration and Promoting Innovation, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 17-20, 2008, and invite you to submit an abstract for oral or poster presentation. Abstract contributions to the conference should focus on practice, education, research, knowledge transfer and policy related to the theme. The abstract submission is open until 5 pm PST December 3, 2007. Notification of abstract acceptance is in February, 2008.

 

Foundation for Neonatal Research and Education (FNRE)

FNRE is a nonprofit organization that offers scholarships and grants to prepare neonatal nurses for the future by strengthening nursing knowledge and practice. ANN supports this foundation by generously donating one dollar for every new or renewed membership. More information can be found at the FNRE web site.

Excellence in Neonatal Nursing Practice Award

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing wishes to recognize the accomplishments of those nurses who strive to provide the best nursing care possible to their patients. These nurses demonstrate a strong commitment to their patients and show creativity, intelligence, perseverance, and an unbending will to be the best. The Academy wishes to celebrate these often unsung heroes and the work that they do. Application deadline June 1, 2008. Updated forms will be online soon detailing qualification and nomination information.

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing Academic Scholarship Award

The purpose of this award is to provide monies to ANN members pursuing academic advancement in neonatal nursing. ANN is accepting applications from neonatal nurses within our organization who are currently enrolled in an educational program seeking an undergraduate or graduate degree in a neonatal nursing or a related nursing major. Application deadline June 1, 2008.

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing Conference Scholarship Award

This award recognizes professionally active Academy members by awarding scholarships to attend the National Neonatal Nurses Meeting. ANN is seeking applications from members who are currently active in the care of neonates and who maintain a current knowledge base. Application deadline is June 1, 2008. Updated forms will be online soon.

The Academy of Neonatal Nursing is not responsible for products or links mentioned in this newsletter. They are provided as a convenience and should not be viewed, in any way, as an endorsement of any particular website, company, product, service, idea, or viewpoint.