Exploring the skin-to-skin contact experience during cesarean section.

Purpose: To explore and describe the mother's experience of holding her neonate in skin-to-skin contact (SSC) immediately after cesarean delivery during surgical closure and recovery.

Data Sources: Eleven women between the ages of 23 and 38 years, who had achieved 39.1-40.

Implementing a clinical practice guideline for the treatment of bronchiolitis in a high-risk Hispanic pediatric population.

Introduction: Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants and young children. Because of its frequency, a clinical practice guideline for bronchiolitis was implemented in this population in an effort to decrease costs and the number of diagnostic evaluations performed and medications used without increasing length of stay or transfers to the pediatric intensive care unit.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 322 pediatric admissions to a rural community hospital was conducted (169 before guideline implementation and 153 after guideline implementation), and data were categorically stratified into three groups for comparison purposes.

An interprofessional education project to address the health care needs of women transitioning from prison to community reentry.

With the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the need for health care providers to work collaboratively in teams to provide cost-effective, quality health care has become even more apparent because an estimated additional 22 million Americans gain health care coverage by 2014. The need for evidenced-based care that combines the expertise of various disciplines has been acknowledged by policy makers and health educators. With support from national Association for Prevention, Teaching and Research, an interprofessional education course was designed and implemented by health professionals in nursing, nutrition, and dentistry, in collaboration with a local community agency, to address the health care needs of women transitioning from prison to the community.

Facilitating risk reduction among homeless and street-involved youth.

Purpose: The purposes of this evaluation project were to describe a group of homeless adolescents and street-involved youth who utilized a mobile unit that provided medical and mental healthcare services and to assess the efficacy of the services provided in reducing their health risk behaviors.

Data Sources: The records of 95 youth aged 15-25 years who used the medical mobile unit for an average of 14 months were examined and evaluated according to the national health indicators related to risk reduction. Current literature related to health risk behavior among homeless youth was reviewed, synthesized, and provided the background for this article.

What African-American middle school youth report about risk-taking behaviors.

Introduction: African-American youth represent the heaviest burden for HIV in all U.S. ethnic groups.

Community-based participatory research to prevent substance abuse and HIV/AIDS in African-American adolescents.

Adolescence is a time for exploration and risk-taking; in today's urban environment, with the twin threats of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, the stakes are particularly high. This paper describes a community-based participatory research project to design, implement, and evaluate a faith-based substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention program for African-American adolescents. A coalition of university-based investigators and African-American church member stakeholders collaborated on all aspects of Project BRIDGE, the 3-year intervention to reduce substance abuse and HIV/AIDS in African-American adolescents.

Bone mineral density in adolescent women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate.

Purpose: To present current data on bone mineral density (BMD) in adolescent women using the long-acting contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and also to discuss the importance of developing maximal bone mass during adolescence to offset bone demineralization later in life.

Data Sources: Research-based articles in the medical literature, review articles, and recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Conclusions: Osteoporosis is a preventable disease that affects millions of Americans, particularly older women.

Bone mineral density in a cohort of adolescent women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate for one to two years.

The purpose of this study was to examine estradiol and bone mineral density (BMD) in a cohort of adolescents using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) for one to two years. BMD was significantly decreased in the femoral neck and lumbar spine at year one. Estradiol levels suggested hypoestrogenization among subjects

Nurse practitioners and parent education: a partnership for health.

Purpose: To present the findings from a pilot-test of an innovative curriculum for parent education classes that included information about well child care and the care of sick children presented to substance abusing women at a residential drug treatment facility.

Data Sources: Selected literature and the results of a comparison of pre- and post-tests from the 37 women who received the classes over a 6 week period.

Conclusions: The Healthy Children, Happy Children parent education program was successful overall in increasing the knowledge of the mothers about common skin disorders, care of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and basic first aid.

Adolescent cigarette smoking and health risk behavior.

During the past 30 years, tobacco use among adolescents has substantially increased, resulting in major health problems associated with tobacco consumption. The purpose of this study was to identify adolescent smoking behaviors and to determine the relationship among smoking, specific demographic variables, and health risk behaviors. The sample consisted of 93 self-selecting adolescents.

Perioperative preparation of the adolescent surgical patient.

The perioperative preparation of adolescents for surgery provides a challenge to nurses and other health care providers because of the wide diversity in adolescents' age, physical maturation, and cognitive and psychosocial development. Perioperative issues, informed consent, and assent differ considerably depending on the age and developmental level of each adolescent. This article provides information about adolescent growth and development and approaches to managing adolescent surgical patients.

Perspectives in adolescent risk-taking through instrument development.

Understanding the high-risk adolescent's perception of risk taking is essential for health professionals to determine appropriate interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the revised Adolescent Risk-Taking Instrument (ARTI) designed to measure the high-risk adolescent's perception of risk taking. This study also examined the variables that are most predictive of social adaptation and risk taking.

A collaborative model for community-based health care screening of homeless adolescents.

Because of their survival life-style, homeless youth are at extremely high risk for contracting life-threatening and debilitating diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and hepatitis B, and for engaging in chronic substance abuse; yet health services are often limited and not easily accessed. This article describes an innovative health-screening project for 150 homeless youth between the ages of 11 and 23 years in an urban metroplex. The Homeless Youth Services Project was the initial phase of a multiphase project to investigate the social and health services available to homeless youth.

The CNS with practitioner preparation: an emerging role in advanced practice nursing.

As health care reform continues, CNSs are retooling for nurse practitioner (NP) roles. Although the debate regarding role integration is ongoing, advanced practice nurses (APNs) with blended preparation are appearing in the workplace. Much has been written about attributes the NP brings to the practice setting, but little has been said about the unique skills and knowledge base that the CNS brings.

Leadership development: educating nurse practitioners for the future.

The development of leadership potential is recognized to be an essential component of nurse practitioner education to prepare graduates for a dynamic health care system. Leadership potential refers to those skills that enable a nurse practitioner to function as a change agent and to effectively resolve conflict. The purpose of the study was to examine personal variables (personality type, self-esteem, and learning style) with respect to the leadership potential of pediatric nurse practitioner graduates over a 3-year period.

Counseling the high-risk adolescent.

Interviewing and counseling high-risk adolescents provides a challenge to nurse practitioners. The problems of poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, and low self-esteem overlay other characteristics of risk, making assessment and management of the adolescent's problems complex and difficult. Survey data, obtained in this study on adolescent risk-taking, suggest that violence, aggression, and thrill-seeking behaviors are increasingly common.

Development of an adolescent risk-taking instrument.

The purpose of this research study was to estimate the reliability and content validity of an instrument designed to measure risk-taking in adolescents. Six subscales containing 69 items were developed to measure the adolescent's perception of risk-taking. Subjects consisted of 75 male and female adolescents enrolled in a vocational training program.