Developing Competency-Based Nursing Treatment for Persons With Tobacco Use Disorder.

Background: Tobacco continues to have a deleterious impact on health outcomes in the United States. Professional nurses at all levels of practice have an opportunity to be a part of the solution. The development of nurse-specific competencies for treating tobacco use disorder (TUD) disorder is long overdue.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): What Nurses Need to Know.

Background: Efforts to decrease adverse effects of tobacco use are affected by emergence of new nicotine delivery products. Advertising, product promotion, and social media promote use of these products, yet a lack of evidence regarding safety leaves nurses unprepared to counsel patients.

Objectives: To critically evaluate current research, reviews of literature, expert opinion, and stakeholder policy proposals on use and safety of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

Managing prescription drug diversion risks: caring for individuals at home.

As the Society for the Study of Addiction concluded in their 2010 study of prescription drug diversion and sourcing, friends and family members are identified as a significant source for drugs being abused. The 2010 National Conference of State Legislatures reported that a national drug survey found more than half of the nonmedical users of prescription pain relievers acquire them at no cost from a friend or relative (Hanson, 2010). The Harvard Medical Letter (2011) reported that 70% of prescription drug abusers identify their source as a family member or friend.

Adolescents and inhalant abuse: how huffing affects the myelin sheath.

As concern grows over the impact that accidental chemical exposures may have on the long term health of individuals, our young people are deliberately exposing themselves to the effect of neurotoxic chemicals with the intent of feeling high. Over time the result of inhaling these chemicals is often the development of symptoms and behavior that may suggest serious physiological damage. Research is being conducted to examine what the exact nature of the damage might be, especially the impact of inhaled lipophilic chemicals on structures in the brain and other parts of the nervous system.

Substance abuse prevention and treatment within the criminal justice system: an overview of the issues.

Many nurses, especially those in addictions, work directly in the prison system and or relate to inmates before or after institutionalization for criminal activity. This connection led to the theme of the 2009 Annual Education Conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, entitled "Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment: Working with the Criminal Justice Systems." The conference was partially funded through an award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (grant # SP015963) and focused on identifying the special risk factors for and barriers to the treatment of addictions for those who enter the criminal justice system.

Measuring quality: one hospice's process.

This article describes the recent modifications to the Medicare Conditions of Participation as they relate to hospice programs' quality requirements. The process used by one hospice program in the Washington Metropolitan Area to implement the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organizations Quality Partners Self-Assessment Surveys is explained. Baseline survey results were used to identify and prioritize areas for improvement related to the standards of hospice care.