Baby Boomers: are we ready for their impact on health care?

As the first of the Baby Boomer generation turns 65 this year, there is rising fear that a crisis awaits related to many mental health resources. This article describes the characteristics of Baby Boomers, their future mental health needs, and the extent of the impending insufficiency of mental health resources to meet those needs. Recommendations to address the unprecedented mental health demands of this generation are presented.

Acculturation, physical activity and television viewing in Hispanic women: findings from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey.

Objective: To assess the relationship of acculturation with physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Hispanic women in California.

Design: Data from the 2005 California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) - a cross-sectional telephonic survey of health indicators and health-related behaviours and attitudes - were used.

Setting: Using a random-digit dialling process, data were collected monthly from January to December 2005.

Contextual influences on women's health concerns and attitudes toward menopause.

Social factors that affect women's attitudes toward menopause were examined in a sample of 1,037 baby boomer women who took part in two waves of the Midlife in the United States survey. Survey data were collected in 1996 and 2005 from a nationally representative sample of women born between 1946 and 1964 residing in the United States. Women's attitudes toward the effects of menopause on fertility, health, and attractiveness were examined.

Revisiting our roots: caring in nursing curriculum design.

It is widely accepted that a caring curriculum is integral to nursing education. Caring as a concept is extensively cited in the literature as a core value in nursing education and nursing practice. What is not evident is the curricular designs used by nurse educators to enable students to internalize caring behaviors.

The importance of understanding military culture.

Social workers can make a significant contribution to military service members and their families, but first it is essential that the worldview, the mindset, and the historical perspective of life in the military are understood. Unless we understand how the unique characteristics of the military impact the service members and their families, we cannot work effectively with them. In addition, unless we understand their language, their structure, why they join, their commitment to the mission, and the role of honor and sacrifice in military service, we will not be able to adequately intervene and offer care to these families.

Innovative solutions: sample financial management business plan: neurosurgical intensive care unit.

This article describes one institution's intention to implement a financial management business plan for a neurosurgical intensive care unit in a level I trauma center. The financial objective of this proposed business plan includes a service increase in the patient population requiring critical care in a way that will help control costs.

Dynamic splinting in wrist extension following distal radius fractures.

Background: Wrist flexion contracture is a common pathology which presents secondary to distal radius fractures. Joint stability, restoration and early mobilization are frequently achieved through surgical treatment after such an injury. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the initial effect of dynamic splinting on wrist extension (active range of motion), in both surgical and non-surgical patients following distal radius fractures.

A personal reflection: personal struggles in graduate study.

This article discusses the personal struggles of a foreign-educated nurse experienced when returning to graduate school in the United States. She discusses her struggles as well as tips for other nurses considering returning to school for higher education.

Stress, burnout, and renewal activities of dental hygiene education administrators in six U.S. Midwestern States.

The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns that emerge among stress, burnout, and renewal activities of dental hygiene education administrators in six midwestern states in the United States. The study investigated the effects of stress on these administrators by identifying when stress and burnout occur, what precautions they take to prevent it, and what actions might combat stress and/or burnout once it has occurred. The administrators were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)-Educators Survey, and an in-depth interview.

Psychosocial factors affecting employees abilities to return to work.

This literature review explored the experiences of workers with on-the-job injuries, and the effect of psychosocial factors on their abilities to return to work. Four common themes were discovered frustration, depression, discrimination, and obstacles in understanding how the workers compensation system works and in obtaining care. The literature review suggested that interventions such as rehabilitation programs and psychosocial interventions help injured workers return to work.

A comparative approach for the investigation of biological information processing: an examination of the structure and function of computer hard drives and DNA.

Background: The robust storage, updating and utilization of information are necessary for the maintenance and perpetuation of dynamic systems. These systems can exist as constructs of metal-oxide semiconductors and silicon, as in a digital computer, or in the "wetware" of organic compounds, proteins and nucleic acids that make up biological organisms. We propose that there are essential functional properties of centralized information-processing systems; for digital computers these properties reside in the computer's hard drive, and for eukaryotic cells they are manifest in the DNA and associated structures.

Dynamic splinting home therapy for toe walking: a case report.

Serial casting is frequently prescribed for toe-walking but that does not allow continued physical therapy (PT). This report described a child and family who chose dynamic splinting (DS) with concurrent PT for treatment. The patient presented with right hemiparesis; below average motor skills and a gait pattern of toe contact (without ankle foot orthosis).

Ineffective participation: reactions to absentee and incompetent nurse leadership in an intensive care unit.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to analyse reactions to ineffective leader participation in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Background: Critical examination of leadership failures helps identify nurse manager behaviours to avoid.

Method: An online survey collected data from 51 interacting healthcare providers who work in an intensive care unit.

Considering a career change to a nursing faculty position? Key interview questions to ask and why.

Nursing is a practice profession that transitions some bedside clinicians to another career, such as a nursing faculty member in a university nursing program. Given the current faculty shortage, many clinicians may be considering this kind of transition. The nurse considering such a career change can benefit from learning about the job expectations of academe and being prepared to ask questions in the initial interview that may impact future satisfaction and retention.

The incidence of technological stress among baccalaureate nurse educators using technology during course preparation and delivery.

The concept of technology-related stress was first introduced in the 1980s when computers became more prevalent in the business and academic world. Nurse educators have been impacted by the rapid changes in technology in recent years. A review of the literature revealed no research studies that have been conducted to investigate the incidence of technological stress among nurse educators.

Measuring maternal responsiveness.

The purpose of this study was to review current research studies examining maternal responsiveness to locate self-report instruments, and to identify variables in these self-report instruments used to describe maternal responsiveness. The electronic databases, Medline, PsychLit, SocLit, and Cinahl were searched with the following key words: maternal responsiveness, maternal sensitivity, maternal attachment, maternal response, and responsiveness. Articles were obtained, assessed, and agreed upon for their usefulness to the study by the researcher and research assistant.

Mindful meditation: healing burnout in critical care nursing.

The nursing profession is experiencing a crisis in both manpower and the ability to fend off the deleterious effects of burnout. Nursing professionals face extraordinary stress in our present medical environment, and studies have frequently found moderate-to-high levels of burnout among nurses. Nurses experience burnout for a variety of reasons, some inherent to the profession and others related to our 21st-century values that have necessitated multiple breadwinners within the household.

Data, information, knowledge: a healthcare enterprise case study.

An efficient, integrated health services delivery enterprise requires the ability to coordinate service delivery across the provider network and avoid duplication of services. It must be able to associate relevant clinical information with patients regardless of which facility delivered the services. There are significant challenges in collecting, organizing, and extracting value from data collected in the course of providing healthcare.

End-of-life care: improving quality of life at the end of life.

Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this article is to identify barriers and interventions that influence quality of life at the end of life. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTINGS(S): Primary care, acute inpatient care, case management, and end-of-life care settings.

Findings/conclusion: Death and dying affects the whole family, not just the individual who is dying.