Gag order laws threaten nursing education and health equity.

Since 2021, some state legislators have passed laws that limit what public institutions can teach about discrimination. The number of these laws, also called gag orders, is increasing despite a national outcry against racism, homophobia and transphobia, and other forms of discrimination. Many nursing and other professional healthcare organizations have recognized and published statements decrying racism in healthcare and calling for an increased focus on health disparities and advancing health equity.

Maternal Morbidity Predicted by an Intersectional Social Determinants of Health Phenotype: A Secondary Analysis of the NuMoM2b Dataset.

Maternal race, ethnicity and socio-economic position are known to be associated with increased risk for a range of poor pregnancy outcomes, including maternal morbidity and mortality. Previously, researchers seeking to identify the contributing factors focused on maternal behaviors and pregnancy complications. Less understood is the contribution of the social determinants of health (SDoH) in observed differences by race/ethnicity in these key outcomes.

Nurse Leadership Style, Nurse Satisfaction, and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize current evidence on nursing leadership styles, nurse satisfaction, and patient satisfaction. Results suggest that relational leadership traits contribute to greater nurse satisfaction whereas task-oriented styles may decrease nurse satisfaction. Minimal information for the connection between nursing leadership and patient satisfaction was found.

Nursing students make the world a better place through policy development.

Nursing students enter the profession wanting to make the world a better place. To achieve this, members of the National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) practice policy development that contributes to professional formation. The authors use the example of how the rigorous process of writing and submitting resolutions to the NSNA House of Delegates influences policy development at the state and national levels.

Optimizing fibromyalgia management.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a persistent pain state commonly diagnosed and managed by nurse practitioners. This article summarizes current information regarding the etiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic standards, and pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments necessary to successfully manage FM.

Outbreak investigations: Community participation and role of community and public health nurses.

Community and public health nurses (C/PHNs) may play a vital role in the investigation of disease outbreaks. C/PHNs possess skills in conducting interviews on sensitive subjects and in collaborating with communities. C/PHNs maintain key links to community providers, symptomatic clients, their families and associates, as well as community institutions where outbreaks occur.

Student perspectives on transitioning to new technologies for distance learning.

This article reports on students' perceptions of their learning experiences when an existing distance-learning master's program transitions to new technologies and new instructional strategies. Unique elements addressed in this article include (1) findings when a program with extensive experience delivering distance education changes to new technologies and (2) findings when a multidimensional format is used to evaluate program delivery. The technology changes involved migrating from a satellite-based technician-supported videoconferencing system to a land-based faculty-operated videoconferencing system and the addition of class Web materials and asynchronous computer conferencing to course delivery.

Smoking cessation interventions for pregnant women to prevent low birth weight: what does the evidence show?

Purpose: To review the epidemiology of smoking cessation and low birth weight (LBW), the use of meta-analysis and cost-benefit analysis in analyzing this problem, and the financial considerations of institutionalizing smoking cessation interventions. Recommendations for clinicians caring for smoking pregnant women and suggestions for implementing the recommended strategies for smoking cessation programs are included.

Data Sources: Comprehensive review of smoking and low birth weight (LBW) outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and tobacco use and dependence literature; clinical practice guidelines, and a widely cited meta-analysis on smoking cessation.

Factors affecting caregivers' ability to make environmental modifications.

This study explored factors that family caregivers described as affecting their ability to use environmental modifications. Intensive interviews and participant observation were used to collect detailed data from 24 primary family caregivers. Several factors that affect the caregivers' ability to implement modification strategies were identified in the analysis.

Long-term persistence of symptoms.

Objectives: To provide a brief review of cognitive changes, fatigue, lymphedema, and peripheral neuropathy as persistent symptoms, and provide assessment and management information.

Data Sources: Published articles and research studies.

Conclusions: As the number of people surviving cancer for extended periods of time continues to increase, the phenomenon of symptoms that persist following the completion of treatment is being recognized.

Health of America's newcomers.

Newcomer health and health care are policy issues with major outcomes of cost shifting and enormous consequences for newcomers and the community health nurses who promise them care. Newcomers are persons entering U.S.

Women's risk of decision delay in acute myocardial infarction: implications for research and practice.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Despite recent advances in treatment options for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), there has not been similar progress in decreasing the time between symptom onset and the decision to seek medical help (labeled "decision delay") and therefore availability of such treatments. Women delay longer than men before seeking help for symptoms of AMI, yet few studies have analyzed decision delay by gender.

Mammography screening for older women with and without cognitive impairment.

No upper age limit exists for Medicare benefits for mammography screening, but benefits for women older than age 75 remain unclear. From a clinical perspective, it would be useful to know if there is an upper age limit for women beyond which screening for breast cancer will not extend life. Using a decision-analysis model, the author examined the utility of screening using cohorts of women age 75 to 79, 80 to 84, and 85 and older, with and without cognitive impairment.

Meaning of illness for women with coronary heart disease.

Objective: The goal of this study was to describe the meaning of an acute cardiac event and cardiac illness for women with coronary heart disease.

Design: A longitudinal, descriptive design was used.

Setting: The study was undertaken at a tertiary care hospital in the Pacific Northwest.

Stress, hope, and well-being of women caring for family members with Alzheimer's disease.

The article describes a study that tested a midrange model of caregiver stress mediation in women caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease. The study was grounded in the nursing theory of modeling and role modeling and tested two hypotheses based on theoretically derived propositions. A convenience sample of 88 female caregivers participating in a larger study completed measures of perceived stress, hope, and well-being.

Stress mediation in caregivers of cognitively impaired adults: theoretical model testing.

The purpose of the study was to test a midrange model of caregiver stress mediation based on Modeling and Role-Modeling theory. Perceived support and self-worth were examined to determine if these self-care resources had a mediating effect between stress and well-being in caregivers of cognitively impaired adults. The sample of 117 caregivers completed measures of basic need status, perceived support, self-worth, stress, and well-being.

Accuracy of chemical dot thermometers in critically ill adults and young children.

Chemical dot thermometers are used widely, but their clinical accuracy is not well documented. Temperature measurements with chemical dot and electronic thermometers were compared at the oral site in 27 adults and the axillary site in 44 adults and 34 young children in critical care units. In adults, mean readings with chemical dot thermometers were lower by -0.

Wellness spirituality in homosexual men with HIV infection.

The concept of wellness as a spiritual process is examined in this grounded theory study on the role of human relationships in the well-being of gay men with HIV infection. The sample included 29 homosexual men in various stages of HIV illness. Findings reveal a description of the construct, wellness spirituality, in which the elements of human connectedness, meaning, and self-acceptance are discussed.

The phenomenology of knowing the patient.

Nurses' discourse about knowing the patient emerged as a recurring theme in an interpretive phenomenological study of the development of expertise in critical care nursing. The purpose of this article is to present analyses related to the meaning of knowing the patient, and its role in everyday nursing practice. Informants in the study were 130 nurses who practiced in adult, pediatric and newborn intensive care units of eight hospitals in three metropolitan areas.

Parallels between research and diagnosis: the reliability and validity issues of clinical practice.

There are many similarities between the methods used to conduct research and the strategies clinicians utilize to improve the quality of the data collected for diagnostic purposes. This article reviews basic reliability and validity issues as they relate to clinical practice.

The Oregon plan: increasing access to health care.

In 1989, a coalition of Oregon legislators, policymakers, and health care professionals created a new plan that attempts to ensure equitable and universal access to health care by prioritizing types of care. Critics call it unrealistic and a dangerous rationing scheme. Proponents argue it is better than the current system that denies thousands of citizens access to basic care.

The IPR inventory: development and psychometric characteristics.

The purpose of this study was to develop, validate, and norm a measure of dimensions of interpersonal relationships that are salient to nursing: social support, reciprocity, and conflict. The selection of these concepts was guided by social exchange and equity theories. In the first phase of the study, 44 respondents were interviewed to provide narrative data from which to develop items so that items would be grounded in lived experience.