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Out with the old and in with the new
EDITORIAL
Out with the old and in with the new
A
nother year ends, and we turn our faces with optimism toward a new year. As usual, many people are making New Year’s resolutions to discard old habits that may be adversely affecting them physically or mentally and planning new actions that will move them toward health, wellness, and peace. We all know that some resolutions fall by the wayside, but if one is persistent, following through with changes can eventually lead to a new way of life. Change continues to be the norm for the AORN Journal as well. The Journal will be moving from many old processes and procedures to new ones this year, continuing the evolution that began in 2006. One of the first things you may notice is a “tag line” added to the cover of the Journal, identifying the AORN Journal as the official voice of perioperative nursing. AORN speaks for all perioperative nurses, no matter where they practice. The AORN Journal is the source that perioperative nurses turn to for continuing education, information useful in daily practice, and answers to clinical questions. Another thing you may notice is the new icon identifying continuing education articles. We are retiring the old “Home Study” label to more clearly identify these important articles. To stay in compliance with the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation, the continuing education contact hours will now be based on a 60-minute hour instead of 50 minutes as they were in the past. The Journal also is continuing its journey along the technological highway by implementing a new online manuscript submission and review system. The Elsevier Editorial System (EES) will
© AORN, Inc, 2007
Nancy J. Girard, RN
enable authors to submit their manuscripts via the Internet and track the progress of manuscripts through the review process. Our reviewers will be able to complete their reviews online, and our editorial staff will be able to better track all facets of the process and ensure that the review process is timely and efficient. You will note that we’ve revised the Journal’s author guidelines to reflect this change in the way we handle manuscripts. We will roll out our new system over the next several months, so please watch Change will for announcements about this change on our be the norm for web site. As always, if you have questions or the AORN need help submitting a manuscript, please let Journal in the me know.
CONGRESS 2007
new year, continuing the evolution that began in 2006.
In the past, to meet the Journal Editor-in-Chief at Congress, members came to the Publications area of the Resource Center. This year, I will be available to visit with you at the Elsevier AORN Journal booth in the Exhibit Hall, a more convenient location for attendees who can stop by the booth during their tour of the exhibits. There will always be someone at the booth with whom you can talk if you want to give feedback or express an interest in writing for the Journal. Days and times that I will be available in the booth will be printed in Congress News. When you stop by the booth, please take a few minutes to watch a demonstration of the AORN Journal online and learn about some of the features that you can register to use. We will even
JANUARY 2007, VOL 85, NO 1 • AORN JOURNAL • 11
Editorial
JANUARY 2007, VOL 85, NO 1
help you register! You can also preview the manuscript submission system and learn how easy it will be to submit your manuscript electronically. These are new processes for us all, and I welcome your comments and feedback. Our Pre-Congress Writing Workshop scheduled for March 10 is also undergoing a change and will focus more on attendees’ needs. Some didactic information will be presented, but the majority of the session will be a hands-on
writing workshop with individualized instruction. The goal is for everyone who attends the workshop to leave with a good beginning for a journal article. Attendees should come prepared with a first draft or outline of their writing idea to get the most from this session. We will continue to present the highly regarded author awards at Congress this year, and also are adding some new and fun things to identify prospective and repeat
authors. Look for more information on this at Congress.
BRINGING IN THE NEW As the New Year begins, we all will be revising or deleting the old and bringing in new ideas, plans, and intentions. I wish you all good luck in any endeavor you tackle and wish you the best year possible. ❖ NANCY J. GIRARD RN, PHD, FAAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sciatica Can Be Treated by Surgery or Waiting
A
new study reveals that patients with sciatica can choose either surgical intervention or simply waiting to see if symptoms resolve without experiencing serious consequences, according to a Nov 22, 2006, article in The New York Times. Although surgical intervention appears to relieve a patient’s pain more quickly, the study found that people who waited for three to six months while undergoing physical therapy and counseling and taking anti-inflammatory medications eventually recovered from sciatica. Sciatica tends to run in families and occurs when the soft, gel-like material inside a spinal disk ruptures and protrudes through the outer lining of the disk. This protrusion compresses and inflames the root of the sciatic nerve, which runs down the back of the leg. Patients with this condition report pain that manifests • like a burning fork in the buttocks, • as weakness in a leg, or • as a searing pain down the back of the leg. Some patients who suffer from sciatica are unable to walk, some cannot sit, and some can barely crawl. As many as one million Americans suffer from sciatica, and it is estimated that 300,000 patients undergo a surgical procedure to relieve symptoms of sciatica each year. Researchers conducted a two-year study comparing surgery with waiting in nearly 2,000 patients with sciatica in 13 spine clinics in 11 states. These pa-
12 • AORN JOURNAL
tients were asked whether they would allow the researchers to randomly assign which treatment they would receive. Those who did not undergo surgical intervention received physical therapy, counseling, and anti-inflammatory medications. Approximately 40% of the patients assigned to have a surgical procedure elected not to have it because their conditions improved while they were awaiting surgery. One-third of the patients who were assigned to the waiting group elected to proceed with a surgical procedure because of the intensity of their pain. Researchers also obtained data from patients who were unwilling to be assigned at random to track the treatment they chose and how they fared. After two years, approximately 70% of patients in both groups indicated that they had a major improvement in their symptoms. Of significance, none of the patients who waited incurred any serious consequences, and none of the patients who had surgery had disastrous results. Although the researchers could not identify a definitive course of treatment, results of the study suggest that patients can be given a choice of which treatment option they would prefer. Kolata G. Study questions need to operate on disk injuries. New York Times. November 22, 2006. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/health/22spine .html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Accessed November 22, 2006.
Out with the old and in with the new
A
nother year ends, and we turn our faces with optimism toward a new year. As usual, many people are making New Year’s resolutions to discard old habits that may be adversely affecting them physically or mentally and planning new actions that will move them toward health, wellness, and peace. We all know that some resolutions fall by the wayside, but if one is persistent, following through with changes can eventually lead to a new way of life. Change continues to be the norm for the AORN Journal as well. The Journal will be moving from many old processes and procedures to new ones this year, continuing the evolution that began in 2006. One of the first things you may notice is a “tag line” added to the cover of the Journal, identifying the AORN Journal as the official voice of perioperative nursing. AORN speaks for all perioperative nurses, no matter where they practice. The AORN Journal is the source that perioperative nurses turn to for continuing education, information useful in daily practice, and answers to clinical questions. Another thing you may notice is the new icon identifying continuing education articles. We are retiring the old “Home Study” label to more clearly identify these important articles. To stay in compliance with the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation, the continuing education contact hours will now be based on a 60-minute hour instead of 50 minutes as they were in the past. The Journal also is continuing its journey along the technological highway by implementing a new online manuscript submission and review system. The Elsevier Editorial System (EES) will
© AORN, Inc, 2007
Nancy J. Girard, RN
enable authors to submit their manuscripts via the Internet and track the progress of manuscripts through the review process. Our reviewers will be able to complete their reviews online, and our editorial staff will be able to better track all facets of the process and ensure that the review process is timely and efficient. You will note that we’ve revised the Journal’s author guidelines to reflect this change in the way we handle manuscripts. We will roll out our new system over the next several months, so please watch Change will for announcements about this change on our be the norm for web site. As always, if you have questions or the AORN need help submitting a manuscript, please let Journal in the me know.
CONGRESS 2007
new year, continuing the evolution that began in 2006.
In the past, to meet the Journal Editor-in-Chief at Congress, members came to the Publications area of the Resource Center. This year, I will be available to visit with you at the Elsevier AORN Journal booth in the Exhibit Hall, a more convenient location for attendees who can stop by the booth during their tour of the exhibits. There will always be someone at the booth with whom you can talk if you want to give feedback or express an interest in writing for the Journal. Days and times that I will be available in the booth will be printed in Congress News. When you stop by the booth, please take a few minutes to watch a demonstration of the AORN Journal online and learn about some of the features that you can register to use. We will even
JANUARY 2007, VOL 85, NO 1 • AORN JOURNAL • 11
Editorial
JANUARY 2007, VOL 85, NO 1
help you register! You can also preview the manuscript submission system and learn how easy it will be to submit your manuscript electronically. These are new processes for us all, and I welcome your comments and feedback. Our Pre-Congress Writing Workshop scheduled for March 10 is also undergoing a change and will focus more on attendees’ needs. Some didactic information will be presented, but the majority of the session will be a hands-on
writing workshop with individualized instruction. The goal is for everyone who attends the workshop to leave with a good beginning for a journal article. Attendees should come prepared with a first draft or outline of their writing idea to get the most from this session. We will continue to present the highly regarded author awards at Congress this year, and also are adding some new and fun things to identify prospective and repeat
authors. Look for more information on this at Congress.
BRINGING IN THE NEW As the New Year begins, we all will be revising or deleting the old and bringing in new ideas, plans, and intentions. I wish you all good luck in any endeavor you tackle and wish you the best year possible. ❖ NANCY J. GIRARD RN, PHD, FAAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sciatica Can Be Treated by Surgery or Waiting
A
new study reveals that patients with sciatica can choose either surgical intervention or simply waiting to see if symptoms resolve without experiencing serious consequences, according to a Nov 22, 2006, article in The New York Times. Although surgical intervention appears to relieve a patient’s pain more quickly, the study found that people who waited for three to six months while undergoing physical therapy and counseling and taking anti-inflammatory medications eventually recovered from sciatica. Sciatica tends to run in families and occurs when the soft, gel-like material inside a spinal disk ruptures and protrudes through the outer lining of the disk. This protrusion compresses and inflames the root of the sciatic nerve, which runs down the back of the leg. Patients with this condition report pain that manifests • like a burning fork in the buttocks, • as weakness in a leg, or • as a searing pain down the back of the leg. Some patients who suffer from sciatica are unable to walk, some cannot sit, and some can barely crawl. As many as one million Americans suffer from sciatica, and it is estimated that 300,000 patients undergo a surgical procedure to relieve symptoms of sciatica each year. Researchers conducted a two-year study comparing surgery with waiting in nearly 2,000 patients with sciatica in 13 spine clinics in 11 states. These pa-
12 • AORN JOURNAL
tients were asked whether they would allow the researchers to randomly assign which treatment they would receive. Those who did not undergo surgical intervention received physical therapy, counseling, and anti-inflammatory medications. Approximately 40% of the patients assigned to have a surgical procedure elected not to have it because their conditions improved while they were awaiting surgery. One-third of the patients who were assigned to the waiting group elected to proceed with a surgical procedure because of the intensity of their pain. Researchers also obtained data from patients who were unwilling to be assigned at random to track the treatment they chose and how they fared. After two years, approximately 70% of patients in both groups indicated that they had a major improvement in their symptoms. Of significance, none of the patients who waited incurred any serious consequences, and none of the patients who had surgery had disastrous results. Although the researchers could not identify a definitive course of treatment, results of the study suggest that patients can be given a choice of which treatment option they would prefer. Kolata G. Study questions need to operate on disk injuries. New York Times. November 22, 2006. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/22/health/22spine .html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Accessed November 22, 2006.