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Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volume 16, 1998 (Focus on Health Issues in Pediatric Nursing)
Book reviews
lacks information for further reading. It represents value for money in terms of what it has to offer in taking practice forward and how the principles can be adapted to differing circumstances, although this may be to a lesser degree within a larger organization. This book contributes to the debates about evidence based practice and clinical effectiveness, multidisciplinary practice development and patientcentred care, and serves as a resource for those grappling with integrating these issues in practice. The book is of value to students and experienced professionals in a variety of settings, and will also be of interest to those in existing development units.
Val Blackmore
Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volume 16, 1998 (Focus on Health Issues in Pediatric Nursing) Fitzpatrick J (ed) Springer Publishing Company, 1998 ISBN 0 8261 8235 6, Price s The whole ethos and raison d'etre of this series compels review by Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing. The latest volume of Annual Review of Nursing Research (ARNR) continues the success of 15 years' rigorous evaluation of research in a wide variety of nursing fields. This pedigree must be one of the book's major strengths. Other positive factors are the inclusion of the chapter titles for all back copies of the series, and the contents for the next. There are some unconvincing claims and some contradictions about the focus of this volume. For example, the subtitle of 'Focus on Health Issues in Pediatric Nursing', although only seven of the 11 chapters relate to children and the false linkage of children with the elderly as vulnerable populations is rather spurious. Health promotion does, however, feature prominently. The first eight chapters relate to 'Health Promotion Across the Lifespan,' with contributions on childhood nutrition; health care for the school-age child; childhood diabetes; prevention of mental health problems in adolescence; development of sexual risk taking in adolescence; motivation for physical activity among children and adolescents; health promotion in old age; and health promotion for family caregivers of chronically-ill elders. The remaining two parts are 'Research on Care Delivery' with one chapter on prenatal and parenting programmes for adolescent mothers, and 'Other Research' which contains work on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, strategies to improve functional status, and schizophrenia. This is a book for academics and specialist nurses rather than for the mass of practitioners. Despite the increasing attempts to focus the content of each volume on a theme, if the reviews are to be current, then they can hardly wait perhaps 5 years
167
for the next appropriate collection. This means that specialist topics are spread throughout the volumes. Few practitioners will be able to afford the cost of successive volumes for perhaps only the one or two relevant chapters. In contrast, this volume, and indeed the series, will make a valuable substantive resource for academic libraries and institutions, as well as providing excellent examples of critical reviews for postgraduate students. Of course, caution must be observed in estimating the utility of such collections once archived. This volume tends to consider studies from 1985 onwards. Clearly, in only 2 years' time some of this work will already be 15 years old, and appropriate care will be needed in assessing the results of the analyses a further 3 or 5 years later. The greatest value of such a volume is in its immediate utilization for amending practices, and then in its informing of further, ongoing review. When will the next volume be published with a focus on health issues in paediatric nursing? Although allowing for variation when appropriate, there is a clear house style and this leads to the book having a consistent style and layout. The volume is readable to those with knowledge of research methodology and terminology, and each chapter may be taken alone without loss of coherence or integrity. The rigour displayed in each review is commendable. Accurate and extensive review of the literature is crucial to evidence-based practice, and readers may have complete confidence in the findings and commentary presented within these reviews. Although some aspects of the content do not transfer well into the context of nursing practice in the UK (for examples social policy or educational issues), most other issues remain pertinent. An example might be the evidence that suggests that merely causing populations to be more knowledgeable is insufficient to alter their health behaviours. In any case, an international perspective on health issues is often enlightening. It is in the analysis of the reviewed studies that the reader may gain the most benefit, since the net impact of the collated studies is the vital factor for those wishing to implement research into practice. These reviews provide precisely what practitioners require.
A.J. Long Saunders nursing drug handbook 1999 Hodgson BB and Kizior R J W. B. Saunders Company, 1999 ISBN 0 7216 7398 8, Price s 17.95 As the title suggests this is a drug handbook specifically designed for nurses. Although, there are other similar publications available this book includes some unique aspects which result in a comprehensive guide to medication administration. In the main section of the book individual drugs are organized alphabetically by their generic name.
lacks information for further reading. It represents value for money in terms of what it has to offer in taking practice forward and how the principles can be adapted to differing circumstances, although this may be to a lesser degree within a larger organization. This book contributes to the debates about evidence based practice and clinical effectiveness, multidisciplinary practice development and patientcentred care, and serves as a resource for those grappling with integrating these issues in practice. The book is of value to students and experienced professionals in a variety of settings, and will also be of interest to those in existing development units.
Val Blackmore
Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volume 16, 1998 (Focus on Health Issues in Pediatric Nursing) Fitzpatrick J (ed) Springer Publishing Company, 1998 ISBN 0 8261 8235 6, Price s The whole ethos and raison d'etre of this series compels review by Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing. The latest volume of Annual Review of Nursing Research (ARNR) continues the success of 15 years' rigorous evaluation of research in a wide variety of nursing fields. This pedigree must be one of the book's major strengths. Other positive factors are the inclusion of the chapter titles for all back copies of the series, and the contents for the next. There are some unconvincing claims and some contradictions about the focus of this volume. For example, the subtitle of 'Focus on Health Issues in Pediatric Nursing', although only seven of the 11 chapters relate to children and the false linkage of children with the elderly as vulnerable populations is rather spurious. Health promotion does, however, feature prominently. The first eight chapters relate to 'Health Promotion Across the Lifespan,' with contributions on childhood nutrition; health care for the school-age child; childhood diabetes; prevention of mental health problems in adolescence; development of sexual risk taking in adolescence; motivation for physical activity among children and adolescents; health promotion in old age; and health promotion for family caregivers of chronically-ill elders. The remaining two parts are 'Research on Care Delivery' with one chapter on prenatal and parenting programmes for adolescent mothers, and 'Other Research' which contains work on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, strategies to improve functional status, and schizophrenia. This is a book for academics and specialist nurses rather than for the mass of practitioners. Despite the increasing attempts to focus the content of each volume on a theme, if the reviews are to be current, then they can hardly wait perhaps 5 years
167
for the next appropriate collection. This means that specialist topics are spread throughout the volumes. Few practitioners will be able to afford the cost of successive volumes for perhaps only the one or two relevant chapters. In contrast, this volume, and indeed the series, will make a valuable substantive resource for academic libraries and institutions, as well as providing excellent examples of critical reviews for postgraduate students. Of course, caution must be observed in estimating the utility of such collections once archived. This volume tends to consider studies from 1985 onwards. Clearly, in only 2 years' time some of this work will already be 15 years old, and appropriate care will be needed in assessing the results of the analyses a further 3 or 5 years later. The greatest value of such a volume is in its immediate utilization for amending practices, and then in its informing of further, ongoing review. When will the next volume be published with a focus on health issues in paediatric nursing? Although allowing for variation when appropriate, there is a clear house style and this leads to the book having a consistent style and layout. The volume is readable to those with knowledge of research methodology and terminology, and each chapter may be taken alone without loss of coherence or integrity. The rigour displayed in each review is commendable. Accurate and extensive review of the literature is crucial to evidence-based practice, and readers may have complete confidence in the findings and commentary presented within these reviews. Although some aspects of the content do not transfer well into the context of nursing practice in the UK (for examples social policy or educational issues), most other issues remain pertinent. An example might be the evidence that suggests that merely causing populations to be more knowledgeable is insufficient to alter their health behaviours. In any case, an international perspective on health issues is often enlightening. It is in the analysis of the reviewed studies that the reader may gain the most benefit, since the net impact of the collated studies is the vital factor for those wishing to implement research into practice. These reviews provide precisely what practitioners require.
A.J. Long Saunders nursing drug handbook 1999 Hodgson BB and Kizior R J W. B. Saunders Company, 1999 ISBN 0 7216 7398 8, Price s 17.95 As the title suggests this is a drug handbook specifically designed for nurses. Although, there are other similar publications available this book includes some unique aspects which result in a comprehensive guide to medication administration. In the main section of the book individual drugs are organized alphabetically by their generic name.