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Foundation of Surgical Nursing
I
Book reviews
The Mask of Euthanasia. Curtin, Leah. Nurses Concerned for Life, Inc, Cincinnati, 1975, 53 pp. If you have not agonized over such decisions as when to cease life-sustaining efforts, the chances of your becoming involved are mounting. In this booklet the nurse-author points out that “the increasing power of technology to control human destiny is no longer a theoretical issue.” Medical moral problems are front page news and nurses must be aware of the forces working against the pledge to preserve life. Even the term euthanasia, generally defined as mercy killing, is being modified to “death with dignity” or “the institution of therapy that is hoped would hasten death.” Conflict occurs over the care of the mentally retarded, mentally ill, deformed persons, and the elderly. What must first be resolved is what is “life” and what is a “meaningful life.” In defining life it is possible “to read human beings out of the human race.” By this “dehumanization, violence can be explained, justified, and propagated.” The official journal of the California Medical Association predicts “that the new ethic of relative rather than absolute value on such things as human lives will prevail as man exercises even more certain and effective control over his numbers so as to achieve his desired quality of life and living.” The author poses such thought-provoking questions as, How long should life be preserved when there is no redeeming social value? If a parent does not have the right to withhold education for his child, does he have the right to produce the uneducatable? Is the cost of providing care to a child with meningomyelocele appropriate in view of our society’s full range of needs for medical care? Do we project rejection of the patient
916
because of our own feelings about suffering and dying? The appendix includes the introduced or proposed bills in the Congress and legislatures in Washington, DC, Florida, and Idaho. The author feels that if euthanasia is considered the answer to overpopulation and personal misery, there is no doubt it will be widely practiced in this country within a decade. The unappealing paper cover with its stencil-like lettering may repel some readers because they suspect amateur treatment but the first few pages will dispel this feeling and capture the most serious thoughts. Sister M Thomasine Hardesty, OP, RN Cincinnati
Foundation of Surgical Nursing. Forrest, Jane. Edward Arnold Publishers, London, 1974, 90 pp, $3.95. Although a statement on the first page says . . our first consideration . . . is the man, woman, or child admitted for treatment,” further reading does not substantiate this assertion. Statements such as “The extent of the necessary investigations may be considerably varied; a fact which adds further interest to surgical nursing” and “The answer to this question will lead you along an interesting path of research” made this reviewer “wonder” whether surgical nursing is for the satisfaction of the nurse rather than meeting the needs of the surgical patient. Most of the information is in the form of definitions rather than in terms of nursing care. For example, the chapter on wounds discusses six types of accidental wounds, ten complications of wounds and has one short paragraph about the role of the nurse in caring for or preventing complications of wounds. ‘I.
AORN Journal, April 1976, V o l 2 3 , No 5
The brief chapters of two and three pages deal generally with pre and postoperative care of the surgical patient. However, except for a few pages devoted to the needs of the elderly, no attempt is made to define the special needs of patients in other age groups or those having surgery in specialty areas. Written for student nurses, this book does not provide the comprehensive information for them to understand the requirements of surgical nursing. Sister Kane, RHSJ, RN, MEd Cornwall, Ontario
Operating Room Resource Utilization: Chicago Area Survey Findings and Recommendations. Rinde, Andrew, Blakely, Timothy. Chicago Hospital Council, Chicago, 1974, 100 pp, $15. Based on a study conducted by the Chicago Hospital Council, the book presents ideas, data, techniques, and methodologies about OR management. High operational costs and high construction costs were the incentives for the study funded by the Chicago Blue Cross Plan for Hospital Care. A special committee of the Chicago and North Suburban Chicago chapters of AORN reviewed the initial draft and made recommendations. Through this publication, the authors endeavor to assist hospitals in achieving optimal utilization of existing operating room facilities and personnel, in planning operating room facilities to minimize construction expense, in designing patient scheduling systems that effectively meet the needs of the department, in containing operating room labor costs through effective staffing and organization, and in designing operating room management information systems for monitoring facility utilization. Material was obtained through pure research, applied research, and literature reviews. Numerous graphs and charts clarify findings. The appendices include questionnaires used to gather material and the compiled findings. An extensive bibliography of over 100 references adds authenticity to this publication. Operating room resource utilization findings include such topics as general and spe-
918
cial room utilization, morning and afternoon room utilization, and staff utilization. It is interesting to note that the percentage average of operating room actual utilization is consistently well below the potential utilization range of 75% to 80%. Findings indicate that problems in facility planning, patient scheduling systems, and staffing determination are prevalent. The discussion on operating room facility planning contains some valuable formulas. Suggested operating room patient scheduling systems are complete with numerous charts, methodologies for determining operating time requirements, and forms of scheduling practices. The most valuable chapter for operating room supervisors deals with operating room organization and staffing including full-time requirements, vacation and illness coverage, part-time personnel, division of professional vs nonprofessional duties, and duty vs oncall staffing. Components of an ongoing management information system designed to support the managerial functions of the operating room deal with such areas as statistics and record keeping, operational control, and planning. Doris MacClelland, RN, MSN San Diego, Calif
The Head Nurse: Her Leadership Role, 3rd ed. Barrett, Jean, Gessner, Barbara A, Phelps, Charlene. Appleton-Century-Crofts, 440 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10016, 1975, 450 pp. In the six years since the last edition of this book, the role of the head nurse has changed. Today, the emphasis is on the patient. This edition reflects some of these changes, discussing first the patient and then the nurse and the nursing process. The authors state that professional nurses "are obligated to meet the needs of the patient whether or not the patient or family know of this." They emphasize the right of patients to participate in planning their care. When discussing a new concept, thought must be given to implementation and the time necessary to develop the concept. The authors note that nurses need time to plan and organize.
AORN Journal, April 1976, VoI 23, No 5
Book reviews
The Mask of Euthanasia. Curtin, Leah. Nurses Concerned for Life, Inc, Cincinnati, 1975, 53 pp. If you have not agonized over such decisions as when to cease life-sustaining efforts, the chances of your becoming involved are mounting. In this booklet the nurse-author points out that “the increasing power of technology to control human destiny is no longer a theoretical issue.” Medical moral problems are front page news and nurses must be aware of the forces working against the pledge to preserve life. Even the term euthanasia, generally defined as mercy killing, is being modified to “death with dignity” or “the institution of therapy that is hoped would hasten death.” Conflict occurs over the care of the mentally retarded, mentally ill, deformed persons, and the elderly. What must first be resolved is what is “life” and what is a “meaningful life.” In defining life it is possible “to read human beings out of the human race.” By this “dehumanization, violence can be explained, justified, and propagated.” The official journal of the California Medical Association predicts “that the new ethic of relative rather than absolute value on such things as human lives will prevail as man exercises even more certain and effective control over his numbers so as to achieve his desired quality of life and living.” The author poses such thought-provoking questions as, How long should life be preserved when there is no redeeming social value? If a parent does not have the right to withhold education for his child, does he have the right to produce the uneducatable? Is the cost of providing care to a child with meningomyelocele appropriate in view of our society’s full range of needs for medical care? Do we project rejection of the patient
916
because of our own feelings about suffering and dying? The appendix includes the introduced or proposed bills in the Congress and legislatures in Washington, DC, Florida, and Idaho. The author feels that if euthanasia is considered the answer to overpopulation and personal misery, there is no doubt it will be widely practiced in this country within a decade. The unappealing paper cover with its stencil-like lettering may repel some readers because they suspect amateur treatment but the first few pages will dispel this feeling and capture the most serious thoughts. Sister M Thomasine Hardesty, OP, RN Cincinnati
Foundation of Surgical Nursing. Forrest, Jane. Edward Arnold Publishers, London, 1974, 90 pp, $3.95. Although a statement on the first page says . . our first consideration . . . is the man, woman, or child admitted for treatment,” further reading does not substantiate this assertion. Statements such as “The extent of the necessary investigations may be considerably varied; a fact which adds further interest to surgical nursing” and “The answer to this question will lead you along an interesting path of research” made this reviewer “wonder” whether surgical nursing is for the satisfaction of the nurse rather than meeting the needs of the surgical patient. Most of the information is in the form of definitions rather than in terms of nursing care. For example, the chapter on wounds discusses six types of accidental wounds, ten complications of wounds and has one short paragraph about the role of the nurse in caring for or preventing complications of wounds. ‘I.
AORN Journal, April 1976, V o l 2 3 , No 5
The brief chapters of two and three pages deal generally with pre and postoperative care of the surgical patient. However, except for a few pages devoted to the needs of the elderly, no attempt is made to define the special needs of patients in other age groups or those having surgery in specialty areas. Written for student nurses, this book does not provide the comprehensive information for them to understand the requirements of surgical nursing. Sister Kane, RHSJ, RN, MEd Cornwall, Ontario
Operating Room Resource Utilization: Chicago Area Survey Findings and Recommendations. Rinde, Andrew, Blakely, Timothy. Chicago Hospital Council, Chicago, 1974, 100 pp, $15. Based on a study conducted by the Chicago Hospital Council, the book presents ideas, data, techniques, and methodologies about OR management. High operational costs and high construction costs were the incentives for the study funded by the Chicago Blue Cross Plan for Hospital Care. A special committee of the Chicago and North Suburban Chicago chapters of AORN reviewed the initial draft and made recommendations. Through this publication, the authors endeavor to assist hospitals in achieving optimal utilization of existing operating room facilities and personnel, in planning operating room facilities to minimize construction expense, in designing patient scheduling systems that effectively meet the needs of the department, in containing operating room labor costs through effective staffing and organization, and in designing operating room management information systems for monitoring facility utilization. Material was obtained through pure research, applied research, and literature reviews. Numerous graphs and charts clarify findings. The appendices include questionnaires used to gather material and the compiled findings. An extensive bibliography of over 100 references adds authenticity to this publication. Operating room resource utilization findings include such topics as general and spe-
918
cial room utilization, morning and afternoon room utilization, and staff utilization. It is interesting to note that the percentage average of operating room actual utilization is consistently well below the potential utilization range of 75% to 80%. Findings indicate that problems in facility planning, patient scheduling systems, and staffing determination are prevalent. The discussion on operating room facility planning contains some valuable formulas. Suggested operating room patient scheduling systems are complete with numerous charts, methodologies for determining operating time requirements, and forms of scheduling practices. The most valuable chapter for operating room supervisors deals with operating room organization and staffing including full-time requirements, vacation and illness coverage, part-time personnel, division of professional vs nonprofessional duties, and duty vs oncall staffing. Components of an ongoing management information system designed to support the managerial functions of the operating room deal with such areas as statistics and record keeping, operational control, and planning. Doris MacClelland, RN, MSN San Diego, Calif
The Head Nurse: Her Leadership Role, 3rd ed. Barrett, Jean, Gessner, Barbara A, Phelps, Charlene. Appleton-Century-Crofts, 440 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10016, 1975, 450 pp. In the six years since the last edition of this book, the role of the head nurse has changed. Today, the emphasis is on the patient. This edition reflects some of these changes, discussing first the patient and then the nurse and the nursing process. The authors state that professional nurses "are obligated to meet the needs of the patient whether or not the patient or family know of this." They emphasize the right of patients to participate in planning their care. When discussing a new concept, thought must be given to implementation and the time necessary to develop the concept. The authors note that nurses need time to plan and organize.
AORN Journal, April 1976, VoI 23, No 5