Using Simulation to Improve Student and Faculty Knowledge of Telehealth and Rural Characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of senior baccalaureate nursing students and faculty members regarding telehealth and rural nursing concepts before and after participation in a newly developed simulation, which incorporated telehealth use in a rural home environment. Statistically significant increases in knowledge were found in both faculty and students following participation in the simulation. The results of this research indicate the need to increase student and faculty knowledge about telehealth and rural nursing concepts.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease.

Here we determined if vitamin D deficiency is more common in children with chronic kidney disease compared to healthy children. In addition, we sought to identify disease-specific risk factors for this deficiency, as well as its metabolic consequences. We found that nearly half of 182 patients (ages 5 to 21) with kidney disease (stages 2 to 5) and a third of age-matched 276 healthy children were 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficient (<20 ng/ml).