MedSurg Nursing back issues from June 2005:
Advance directives: a call to action.(from AMSN)
Jun 01, 2005; ... For weeks we listened to the media reports regarding the determination of the life of Terri Schiavo. We listened as the saga unfolded around the ethical and legal issues regarding the determination of her care. As a nurse, I was asked many times what I thought about the case. Over and ...
Assessing nursing competency.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Jun 01, 2005; ... One of my roles as a clinical nurse specialist is to assess competencies of the nursing staff on the units that I cover, as well as to assist on other units. When I lived in Boston, we were assessed informally while we worked by the nurse manager and clinical teacher/clinical nurse ...
Antibiotic resistance: the impact on care of hospitalized patients.(CE SERIES)
Jun 01, 2005; ... The evolving failure of antibiotics to cure some bacterial infections is an unforeseen result of their reputation for curing. Their effectiveness at eradicating previously fatal illnesses and preventing acquired infections fueled their demand by patients and families. This overuse of ...
Huntington disease: a nursing perspective.(CE SERIES)
Jun 01, 2005; ... Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder first described in the literature by George Huntington during the 19th century (Huntington, 1872). It affects approximately 1 in 10,000 persons in North America and Europe (Walker & Raymond, 2004). The condition ...
Managing medication errors--a qualitative study.(Research for Practice)
Jun 01, 2005; ... The Institute of Medicine reports 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals annually as a result of medical errors that could have been prevented (Kohn, Corrigan, & Donaldson, 2000). Medication errors accounted for 7,391 deaths in 1993, compared to 2,876 deaths in 1983 (Kohn et al., 2000) ....
Implementing evidence-based nursing practice.(Advanced Practice)
Jun 01, 2005; ... Within the nursing profession, it is expected that new information in he form of research findings will be incorporated constantly and knowledgeably into nursing practice. The staff nurse is a critical link in bringing research-based changes into clinical practice. Depending on the ...
Changes in inhaler devices for asthma and COPD.(Nursing Pharmacology)
Jun 01, 2005; ... Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involve chronic inflammation and constriction of the bronchioles. Optimal therapy for many patients requires control of both pathologic mechanisms through the use of inhaled hronchodilators and corticosteroids. Bronchodilator and ...
Let's talk 'cancer prevention'.(Cancer: Caring and Conquering)
Jun 01, 2005; ... In the inaugural column of this feature, Dr. Connie Curran (2005), executive director of C-Change, talked about her belief that medical-surgical nurses are at the forefront of health care delivery in the United States. I could not agree more! Because of their roles, medical-surgical nurses ...
Terri Schiavo and end-of-life decisions: can law help us out?(Ethics, Law, and Policy)
Jun 01, 2005; ... The case of Terri Schiavo was the most litigated medical case in history. It was the focus of legislatures and courts at both the state and federal levels. Indeed, it spawned its own "private" law, passed by the Congress in an effort to give the federal courts special jurisdiction to hear ...