Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States.

Nonadherence with medical treatment is a critical threat to the health of those living with HIV disease. Unfortunately the search for explanatory factors for nonadherence is still not fully developed, particularly in the area of religion and spirituality. Extant literature suggests that church attendance, religious practices and spiritual beliefs may improve health and generally benefit patients.

State, heal thy physicians: an assessment of the Louisiana Natural Death Act.

In our society, state governments have the major role in regulating physician behavior and actions related to end-of-life decision making. However, in the current confusing and conflicted legal environment, how well are state governments doing with this serious responsibility? The authors of this article report the results of the first statewide survey of Louisiana physicians regarding their knowledge of and compliance with specific parts of one state government's attempt to regulate end-of-life decision making: the Louisiana Natural Death Act (LNDA). Physician respondents were asked to indicate their level of familiarity with the LNDA and several questions examined physician compliance with specific sections contained in the statute.

Determinants of satisfaction and turnover among nursing assistants. The results of a statewide survey.

This research is an examination of job satisfaction and turnover among nursing assistants employed in nursing homes. Using a statewide sample with 550 nursing assistants responding, the results indicated that 60% were satisfied with their jobs and 30% planned to quit. The nursing assistants participating in this study identified the relationship with the resident as the most important work issue, and their major reason for staying in the job.