A policy analysis of nurse practitioner scope of practice in Massachusetts.

Nurse practitioner (NP) practice has evolved since inception of the role in 1965. Educational requirements have been standardized requiring a master's degree, yet variation in NPs scope of practice exists across the United States. As the population ages and more Americans have health insurance coverage, the demand for health care continues to increase.

Still More Thoughts About Conceptual Models and Literature Reviews: Focus on Health Policy.

This essay is the second of two essays about the use of a conceptual model to guide scoping reviews of literature. The first essay, published in the previous issue of Nursing Science Quarterly, provided examples of the use of the conceptual model of nursing and population health as a starting point for the construction of conceptual-theoretical-empirical structures for scoping reviews. In this essay, the examples are of the use of the conceptual model of nursing and health policy.

Implementing a Distraction-Free Practice With the Red Zone Medication Safety Initiative.

Background: The incidence of medication errors remains a continued concern across the spectrum of health care. Approaches to averting medication errors and implementing a culture of safety are key areas of focus for most institutions. We describe our experience of implementing a distraction-free medication safety practice across a large free-standing children's hospital.

Use of vincristine and cyclosporine in childhood thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but life-threatening hematologic disorder in children. Plasmapheresis, the standard therapy for TTP, is effective in achieving remission in most patients. However, some patients become either refractory to or dependent upon plasmapheresis.