A Case Study to Address a Gap in the Device-to-Vial Interface Stopper Push-in by Chemo Spikes.

This case study is the first to address the risk, at the device-to-vial interface, of a spike pushing a stopper into a vial. It was performed after healhcare workers at cancer care hospitals complained about the risk of possible exposure to hazardous injectable drugs during the transfer if the spike pushed the stopper into the vial. This case study took a three-step approach to understand the device-to-vial interface and the factors that determine stopper push-in force threshold and spike puncture force, respectively.

Breastfeeding knowledge of university nursing students.

Objective: To assess breastfeeding knowledge among senior nursing students and identify the types of breastfeeding knowledge the students have. We also investigated the relationship between the different types of breastfeeding knowledge.

Study Design And Methods: An exploratory descriptive design used a convenience sample of 115 students from two schools of nursing in two Midwestern universities.

Assessment and early diagnosis of dysphagia.

Dysphagia is defined as difficulty in swallowing food (semi-solid or solid), liquid, or both. Neurological, muscular, anatomical, and/or psychological factors may predispose a person to difficulty in swallowing. Difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia can lead to serious complications including aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and death if not diagnosed early.

A daylong clinical laboratory: from gaming to high-fidelity simulators.

Meeting required objectives in the clinical setting can be difficult because of low exposure to critical events. This has been further compounded by an increase in the number of enrolling students without a reciprocal rise in the number of field-related clinical sites. As simulation gains popularity in nursing, exploration of its use and benefits to teach nursing-related concepts is desirable.

Validation of critical thinking skills in online responses.

Although nursing accreditation bodies have recognized critical thinking as a significant outcome for graduates at the baccalaureate and master's levels, no consensus exists on its definition and measurements. In addition, schools of nursing that are completely online do not agree on how to evaluate critical thinking in online responses. This study explains the development of a 10-item tool that uses a Likert scale to evaluate critical thinking skills in students' online responses in three master's-level courses in a nursing school in the midwestern United States.

Management of children with swallowing disorders.

Early diagnosis and treatment of feeding and swallowing problems may improve a child's health status and quality of life and reduce health care costs. Pediatric nurse practitioners have a salient role in the early diagnosis of children at risk for feeding and swallowing problems. Increased knowledge about the normal swallowing process, children at risk for feeding and swallowing disorders, and associated symptoms enhances early diagnosis and treatment.

Perspectives of nursing executives regarding ethical-economic issues.

The authors grapple with the very real issue of how to allocate scarce health care resources while trying to hold down costs, especially in the face of changing federal and managed care reimbursement realities. Nurse executives (NEs) were surveyed in an attempt to discover their perspectives on a number of related ethical-economic issues. The NEs' responses to the entire "ethical-economic" survey were contrasted with answers offered to the same tool earlier by staff RNs.

Perspectives of practicing nurses on ethical issues in health care economics.

Perspectives of nurses working in seven hospitals across the United States are described. Most nurses believed that all people should have equal access and quality of health care. However, most nurses were unwilling to pay more taxes or donate time to achieve these goals.

Teaching families to evaluate age-appropriate toys.

Nurses should stress to parents that they need not purchase the most frequently advertised or expensive toy to promote their child's growth and development skills. As parents develop an understanding of normal growth and development and how to evaluate and stimulate their child's development through the use of toys, they will be able to select and create appropriate toys that will not frustrate or overstimulate the child. This approach will enable all parents, regardless of income, education, and resourcefulness, to promote and stimulate their child's gross and fine motor skills, social development, and cognitive development through the use of toys.

Economic awareness of registered nurses employed in hospitals.

The basic knowledge and beliefs of RNs in three hospitals in the midwest are described. Nurses lack basic knowledge of how economics affect their practice, yet desire to learn more about economic issues related to nursing practice and health care.

An isomorphous heavy-atom derivative of crystaline formylmethionine transfer RNA.

An isomorphous osmium derivative of crystalline yeast initiator transfer RNA has been prepared and interpreted to 6-angstrom resolution. The coordinates of the heavy atoms have been determined by Patterson and "direct" methods applied to the difference coefficients of the centric projections, followed by least-squares refinement. There is one dominant site per asymmetric unit, consistent with the finding by neutron-activation analysis that there is approximately one osmium atom per molecule of transfer RNA.