The Article: New study calculates number of deaths caused by poverty

Big Idea: Synthesizing 47 different articles into a meta-analysis paper, researchers were able to estimate the impact of adverse social conditions on death. 

Evidence: Meta-analysis, using data from 47 articles 

Quotable:

[This comes from the newspaper article] "For 2000, the study attributed 176,000 deaths to racial segregation and 133,000 to individual poverty. The numbers are substantial. For example, looking at direct causes of death, 119,000 people in the United States die from accidents each year, and 156,000 from lung cancer."

So What?

This means that more people are dying from racial segregation and individual poverty than from accidents and lung cancer. Amazing to think about the impact of social conditions versus biomedical illness, especially when you consider the amount of money we put into fighting these disease while we neglect social services and undervalue the importance of community. While we may not be able to draw a direct connection from poverty to these deaths it is interesting to consider how addressing the underlying social issues might impact these numbers.

This article was fascinating to me and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it.

Marla E Salmon ScD, RN, FAAN

Dean & Professor - University of Washington School of Nursing

A conversation with Marla Salmon ScD RN FAAN, current Dean and Professor at the University of Washington and former Chief Nurse of the United States of America. We discuss her experience working with Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and her career moving from patient to nation care. This interview was a fun and candid conversation that was made possible thanks to the kind introduction by Carla Hall and Jane Palmer from Sigma Theta Tau International, both of whom were the first live audience for a taping of Nursing Ideas.

Marla became a nurse "to make a difference in peoples lives."

During this interview our discussion ranges from how she sent a letter to the World Health Organization to how learning etiquette and being grounded by the people around her helped her along the way. In this brief interview I got just a glimpse of the amazing leader and kind person she is. Hopefully, you will learn from her and be inspired by the simple yet very meaningful insights from her experience as a international leader in nursing.

Links

• Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing
• World Health Organization
• Emily Post's Etiquette Website
• Nurse: A World of Care [Book] - Dedication of Nurses Around the World

Question

• Marla Salmon: The next generation of nurses need to do a much better job of caring the nursing profession forward. How are you going to use web 2.0 and social networking as a way of advancing the profession and reaching people that were not possible before?

Chris Salgado RN, BN, MA

Program Leader - Children, Youth & Families Program

Vancouver Coastal Health

I really must apologize to Chris about this podcast. We had a great conversation in January last year (2009). We met at the Canadian Nursing Association - Nursing Leadership Conference. She had a very interesting idea about how to engage with nursing staff. She works in public health who have their fingers on the pulse of what familes, clients and communities partners need form nursing leadership. Using the World Cafe approach she was able to engage and pull ideas from key stakeholders of her nursing practice. Below are the pictures of what resulted from this approach.

Links

• The World Cafe

Research

• Standielf, R. B. (2000) The art of focused conversation: 100 ways to access group wisdom in the workplace. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society

Question

• Chris Salgado: What are your ideas that work for leading teams for changing practice?
• Robert Fraser: What was the last conference you were at that you had an opportunity to exchange ideas and share thoughts with others?