Evaluation of mood disorder patients in a primary care practice: measures of affective temperament, mental health risk factors, and functional health in a retrospective, descriptive study of 35 patients.

Objective: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE, DESCRIPTIVE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH A MOOD DISORDER ON THE BASIS OF THE FOLLOWING: (1) comorbid medical illnesses, (2) risk factors for mood disorders and longitudinal presence of symptoms, (3) presence of affective temperament, and (4) functional status and quality of life.

Method: Patients (N = 35) were a convenience sample diagnosed in the Mood Disorder Clinic (MDC), a family practice site-based mental health treatment consultation service. All study patients were assessed using a semistructured interview and diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria.

Formative and summative evaluation of a practice doctorate program.

Practice doctorate programs are developing rapidly to meet the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommendation that advanced practice nurses will be prepared with a Doctor of Nursing Practice by 2015. Evaluation of nursing doctoral programs has focused almost exclusively on research doctorate programs. The authors examine formative evaluations from students enrolled in a practice doctorate program and summative evaluations provided by students at the time of and 1 year following graduation.

Correlates of sexual function following vulvar excision.

Objectives: The objectives were to evaluate associations between size of excision, grade of VIN, demographic variables, location of excision and laterality and sexual function and quality of life (QOL) in women with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) following vulvar excision.

Methods: Forty-three women with VIN who had undergone a vulvar excision completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 (QLQ C-30) scale to provide an assessment of sexual function and QOL. Medical records of the participants were reviewed for pathology results, operative reports, and medication history.

Pilot study of sexual function and quality of life after excision for vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia.

Objective: To compare sexualfunction and quality of life (QOL) in women with vulvar excision for vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) with those in an age-matched, healthy comparison group.

Study Design: This cross-sectional study contrasted women (n = 43) after vulvar excision for VIN with a healthy comparison group (n = 43). Participants were asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 to provide an assessment of sexual function and quality of life.

The practice doctorate: perspectives of early adopters.

The emergence of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is being described as a disruptive innovation that is altering the landscape of nursing and health care and creating a great deal of controversy within and beyond the profession of nursing. This article proposes that the DNP is actually the natural evolution of a larger disruptive innovation begun in the late 1960s with the advent of nurse practitioner programs. As expected with disruptive innovations, many challenges face those who are early adopters and who forge ahead during the early phase of innovation and later during the upmarketing phase.

Use of the female sexual function index in women with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia.

The present investigation extends the validation of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000) to include women with vulvar excisions for vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). No instrument previously has been validated in this population.

Inactive nurses: a source for alleviating the nursing shortage?

Objective: This study seeks to provide an understanding of why inactive registered nurses chose to become inactive and what they would require for them to return to nursing.

Background: In 2000, a shortage of 110,000 (6%) registered nurses existed in the United States. If the current trends continue, the shortage is projected to grow to 29% by 2020.