MedSurg Nursing back issues from June 2007:
Health care reform: what can we do?(from Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses)
Jun 01, 2007; ... With almost 47 million Americans without health insurance (National Coalition on Health Care [NCHC], 2007) and an estimated 16 million Americans who are underinsured (Schoen, Doty, Collins, & Holmgren, 2005), health care reform will be a major topic among the 2008 presidential candidates ....
Clear communication--accept nothing less.(Editorial)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Nursing leaders continue to work with other disciplines to create a more patient-responsive health care system in the 21st century. Perhaps nothing that nurses and other providers do is more central to this effort than communication. According to the Institute of Medicine (1999, ...
Evidence base for developing a palliative care service.(CNE SERIES)(continuing nurse education)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Mrs. G., a 74-year-old female, was admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of her congestive heart failure (CHF) and pneumonia. Her symptoms included cough, fever, and increasing shortness of breath (SOB). She also had a history of coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, and ...
Postoperative continuous peripheral nerve blockade in the lower extremity total joint arthroplasty population.(CNE SERIES)(continuing nurse education)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Intravenous opioids, historically a mainstay of pain management, may be supplemented or supplanted by nonsystemic modalities. Just as diagnostic technology continues to develop less invasive, more targeted methods to assess clinical problems, pain management also now targets relief ...
Development of an evidence-based protocol for reduction of indwelling urinary catheter usage.(Best Practice)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... For many years, long-term care has been attuned to the problems associated with indwelling urinary catheters (Gammack, 2003; Newman, 2006). Use of catheters has been limited to residents with very specific problems, such as urinary retention or Stage III and IV pressure ulcers on the ...
Advance directives: curriculum content and preparation of nursing students.(Research for Practice)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... In 1978, the State of North Carolina enacted the Right to a Natural Death Act (Dellinger & Wall, 2004). This law gives patients autonomy in determining their end-of-life wishes. It also protects health care workers who follow their patients' wishes in end-of-life care. The United States ...
A clinical advancement process revisited: a descriptive study.(Research for Practice)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... A clinical ladder was implemented in 1991 at a community hospital in central Virginia to offer promotion opportunities beyond the traditional administrative or education roles by fostering professional growth, skill development, and monetary compensation for nurses who wished to remain at ...
Medication errors in a rural hospital.(Research for Practice)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The incidence of medication errors has been increasing steadily, particularly administration of incorrect medications (Davis, 2002). Underreporting of medication errors is a problem. The number of medication errors reported nationally is believed to be only a small percentage of the actual ...
Positive steps towards negative pressure wound therapy.(Clinical 'How To')(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Numerous wound treatments are available today, and wound care is a popular topic for regulatory and accreditation organizations, and payer sources in all health care venues. One of the most intriguing wound care treatments available is negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). Although ...
An overview of stem cell transplant as a treatment for cancer.(Cancer: Caring and Conquering)
Jun 01, 2007; ... The National Cancer Institute estimates that 10.1 million Americans have a history of cancer, and that three of every four American families will have at least one family member diagnosed with the disease (National Cancer Institute, 2006). Stem cell transplantation (SCT) has been used for ...
Critique of 'advance directives: curriculum content and preparation of nursing students'.(Research Roundtable)
Jun 01, 2007; ... As a consumer of nursing knowledge, the medical-surgical nurse must appraise professional literature critically (especially nursing research) as he or she reads. This appraisal should include consideration of the topic's importance to the body of nursing knowledge, the appropriateness of ...
Are you 'nuts'? Lessons from Southwest Airlines.(Nursing Management)
Jun 01, 2007; ... I remember boarding a Southwest Airlines flight with a huge crowd attending a wedding in Dallas. The flight attendants opened champagne and started serving it. When one of the attendants approached me, I stated that I was not a member of the wedding party group. "Oh, everyone on this plane ...
The art of truth telling: handling failure with disclosure and apology.(On Leadership)
Jun 01, 2007; ... AS LEADERS, WE WOULD LIKE to believe that we don't make mistakes. Leaders are not immune from errors and failures any more than clinicians. Every leader and manager faces failure in varying forms throughout their careers. Failure is inevitable but is also a daunting opportunity to learn ...
Hypnotic sedative drugs.(Nursing Pharmacology)(Clinical report)
Jun 01, 2007; ... In June 2005, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) held its first conference on insomnia in over 22 years. The aim of the conference was to recognize insomnia as a chronic long-term illness requiring treatment. NIH also has reviewed clinical research from drug trials, which were ...
A template for safe and concise handovers.(Professional Issues)
Jun 01, 2007; ... "When information is missed in patient handovers, people die," Dr. Gail Wolf tells graduate nursing students at the University of Pittsburgh. As the nursing vice-president for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), a 15-hospital system in western Pennsylvania, Dr. Wolf speaks ...
Assessing pain in persons with dementia.
Jun 01, 2007; ... WHY: There is no evidence that persons with dementia physiologically experience less pain than do other older adults. Rather than being less sensitive to pain, cognitively-impaired elders may fail to interpret sensations as painful, are often less able to recall their pain, and may not be ...
Asthma.(Preparing for Certification)
Jun 01, 2007; ... Ms. M.J., a 24-year-old woman, is admitted to the medical-surgical unit. Her chief complaint is shortness of breath. She states that she became short of breath yesterday but the feeling subsided and she didn't need to come to the hospital. This morning she again became dyspneic and started ...