Nursing Commons^™

State Mandated Prenatal Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening At A Large Community Hospital, William Cusick, Julie G. Stewart, Michael Parry, Gavin Mcleod, Gerald Rakos, Chris Sullivan, John Rodis

Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: To describe the initial experience of state mandated prenatal HIV screening at a large community hospital.
Methods: HIV screening was provided to all pregnant women as of October 1, 1999. All HIV-positive women identified received aggressive antiretroviral therapy to reduce the likelihood for vertical transmission. Neonates were screened for HIV at zero, six, and 12 months of age.
Results: Seven pregnant women (0.3%) and two additional family members tested positive for HIV. All seven infants born to the identified HIV-positive women have tested negative for infection. We estimated that six of nine cases of HIV infection identified would have …

Concept Analysis Of Comfort, Mary Lou Siefert

Nursing Faculty Publications

Topic: The concept of comfort, although used frequently and throughout the nursing literature, has not been clearly or consistently defined. Purpose: To clarify the meaning of comfort by employing the systematic approach of an evolutionary concept-analysis method. Sources: Books, journals, professional organization position statements, electronic searches. Conclusions: A clear definition and meaning of comfort is needed, and thus the ability to use this concept empirically in order to further nursing knowledge development.

A Case Study In Instructional Design For Web-Based Courses, Anne M. Barker

Nursing Faculty Publications

When offering a Web-based course, the challenge is to deliver content in a format that enables the student to learn, think critically about the content, and grow as a result of the learning. This article presents a framework for designing an online course that achieves these goals. The framework is based on Knowles' (1) principles for adult learning. The process of course design begins with a review of the existing syllabus and organization of the course content into logical modules. A course in the RN to BSN program is used as an illustration. Lessons learned pertaining to the changing role …

Sex And Race Differences In Electrocardiogram Use (The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey), Amy L. Arnold, Kerry A. Milner, Viola Vaccarino

Nursing Faculty Publications

There are sex and race differences in many aspects of health care delivery. For example, blacks and women are less likely to receive aspirin and thrombolytic drugs. Blacks and women presenting with chest pain are less likely to be referred for cardiac catheterization. Blacks and women diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are also less likely to undergo cardiac catheterization. The gender differences in diagnostic evaluation after AMI appear more pronounced among younger women. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association joint electrocardiography guidelines state that all patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain …

Presentation And Symptom Predictors Of Coronary Heart Disease In Patients With And Without Diabetes, Marjorie Funk, Janice B. Naum, Kerry A. Milner, Deborah Chyun

Nursing Faculty Publications

The aims of this prospective, observational study were to compare: (1) symptom presentation of coronary heart disease (CHD) between patients with and without diabetes and (2) symptom predictors of CHD in patients with and without diabetes. We directly observed 528 patients with symptoms suggestive of CHD as they presented to the ED of a 900-bed cardiac referral center in the northeastern United States. There were no significant differences in symptom presentation of CHD between patients with and without diabetes, although patients with diabetes were slightly more likely to present with shortness of breath (P =.056). Patients with diabetes reported …

Charting A Career In Health Care Management: Boxing The Compass, Dori Taylor Sullivan

Nursing Faculty Publications

This article describes how one health care executive charted her career course to achieve the advanced management competencies defined by Longest. To achieve success in the new and complex world of integrated health care delivery networks, aspiring executives are encouraged to develop a broad base of knowledge and experience that capitalizes on their unique skills, talents, and interests, rather than pursuing a narrowly defined linear career ladder. The importance of management team competency and selection of educational preparation are highlighted in the context of examples of advanced management competency development.

Becoming Advocates For Battered Women, Julie G. Stewart

Nursing Faculty Publications

Through her research, an advanced practice nurse has identified five stages through which abused women proceed on their way to freedom. The author calls on all clinicians to become advocates for battered women by recognizing them in clinical practice and helping them find the road to a life of safety, peace, and restored self-esteem.

Violence Prevention: Reaching Adolescents With The Message, James B. Tucker, James E. Barone, Julie G. Stewart, Robert J. Hogan, James A. Sarnelle, Michele M. Blackwood

Nursing Faculty Publications

To identify an effective medium for communicating with adolescents in a large-scale, cost-effective violence prevention program.

A set of youth violence prevention programs was established at The Stamford Hospital, a level II trauma center. The traveling version of the program was presented to middle school students in four parts: 1) a rap music video created by our violence prevention staff, 2) a facilitated discussion about dealing with anger, 3) a video of a trauma resuscitation in our emergency department, and 4) a commercial video of a teenage boy paralyzed after a gunshot wound. A written questionnaire with a five-point rating …

Prescribing Medications For Mood Disorders, Judith S. Lynch

Nursing Faculty Publications

The nurse practitioner plays a vital role in the treatment of mood disorders in the primary care setting. An important part of the primary care of these patients will require the accurate prescribing of common psychotropic medications and the monitoring and follow-up of a holistic management plan.

Enteric Absorption Of Ciprofloxacin During Tube Feeding In The Critically Ill, Stephen M. Cohn, Mark D. Sawyer, Gerard A. Burns, Concertina Tolomeo, Kerry A. Milner

Nursing Faculty Publications

To determine the pharmacokinetic properties of ciprofloxacin in the critically ill, we studied seven mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia during entcral feedings. Subjects received ciprofloxacin 750 mg every 12 h via nasogastric tube and serial serum drug concentrations were measured after the first and fourth dose. After the initial dose, the maximum serum concentration ranged from 1.24–3.06 mg/L, and the area under the time curve from 0–12 h ranged from 3.2–19.65 mg.h/L. Similar levels were noted after dose four. Gastrointestinal absorption of ciprofloxacin in tube fed critically ill patients was decreased, but well above MIC values for many pathogenic bacteria.

An Emerging Leadership Paradigm: Transformational Leadership, Anne M. Barker

Nursing Faculty Publications

Transformational leadership is the "in" label. But what does it mean? Why is it becoming popular? Barker tells us that in an era when hierarchies and their rules are breaking down, the inspirational leader who empowers workers is needed.

Calling In A Nursing Consultant To Calm The Waves Of Change, Anne M. Barker

Nursing Faculty Publications

When collaborating as change agents directors of nursing and nursing consultants must pinpoint both the reasons for resistance to change and how to deal with them. in the case of a new director, this included developing a trusting, collaborative relationship with her staff. A nursing consultant helped make that job easier.