The American journal of nursing
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Survival rates for cardiac arrests that occur in hospitals and outside them continue to be low (17% and 6%, respectively), and fewer than one-third of patients who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Consequently, a number of changes were made to the 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. The changes were intended to simplify CPR in order to increase its use and effectiveness by both clinicians and nonprofessionals. This article summarizes the primary changes to the recommendations, including a universal 30-to-2 compression-to-ventilation ratio for all lone rescuers, the need for compressions of sufficient depth and number, and the replacement of the three-shock model of initial defibrillation with one that recommends a single shock, now seen as an adequate precursor to CPR.
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Nurses deal with the fallout of a nation with more than 46 million uninsured. Affecting the patients and families they care for, the hospitals and clinics they work in and manage, and the communities they serve, nurses have a credible standing from which to debunk any myths about who the uninsured are, why they are uninsured, and the difference that health insurance makes in their health and well-being. This article on the uninsured and health insurance coverage among low-income Americans outlines key facts about the uninsured and the primary cause of the problem--the affordability of health insurance.