Is adherence therapy an effective adjunct treatment for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Poor adherence to medication in schizophrenia spectrum disorders leads to inadequate symptom control. Adherence therapy (AT) is an intervention that seeks to reduce patients' psychiatric symptoms by enhancing treatment adherence. We aimed to systematically review the trial evidence of the effectiveness of AT on improving clinical outcomes in these patients.

Assessment of Barriers to Screening Mammograms for Rural, Poor, Uninsured Women and a Community Plan of Action.

This project determined the barriers to obtaining screening mammograms for women aged 40-64 years in rural northwest Georgia, sampling 20 poor and uninsured women and 5 key community professionals. Data were collected from the women participants regarding mammogram screening beliefs about their susceptibility, barriers encountered, and benefits identified. The same women and key community providers were interviewed about their perception of barriers to receiving mammograms.

Migrant and minority family members in the intensive care unit. A review of the literature.

Statistics show that people with migrant and minority background as patients are significant in numbers in the intensive care unit. This also puts family members in the perspective of nursing because family members are an inherent part of the intensive care unit. Family-centered care is perhaps most applicable to vulnerable populations like migrant family in the intensive care unit to meet family member's needs.

Patients with cancer and family caregivers: management of symptoms caused by cancer or cancer therapy at home.

People are diagnosed with cancer sooner nowadays thanks to increased awareness and improvements in cancer screenings. Patients are able to live longer due to cancer treatment regimens; however, they suffer the consequences of living with cancer and therapy-related symptoms. Symptom management is challenging for both patients and family caregivers.

Transition of premature infants from hospital to home life.

Purpose: To conduct an integrative literature review to studies that focus on the transition of premature infants from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home.

Method: A literature search was performed in Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CIN AHL), PubMed, and MEDLINE to identify studies consisting on the transition of premature infants from hospital to home life.

Results: The search yielded seven articles that emphasized the need for home visits, child and family assessment methods, methods of keeping contact with health care providers, educational and support groups, and described the nurse's role in the transition program.

Strategies to teach family assessment and intervention through an online international curriculum.

A Web-based certificate program for international health professionals to acquire understanding of family health and strategies to implement culturally sensitive health care of families is outlined. In four Web courses and a project, students progress interactively to apply culture, family, and interdisciplinary health system theories to assessments and clinical interventions with families in the interdisciplinary setting. Four online educational strategies to facilitate student success from the virtual classroom to actual clinical care are described: adjusting to the technology, communicating the learning progress openly, giving mutual feedback, and implementing evidence-based family care.