Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
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To provide an overview of the clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, and treatment with advanced practice nursing implications of black-spot poison ivy phenomenon. ⋯ An understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, treatment, and management of this rare phenomenon is important for the nurse practitioner (NP) to be able to make an accurate diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment without delay. The NP's recognition and differentiation of it from other skin disorders including melanoma is paramount.
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J Am Acad Nurse Pract · Jan 2011
ReviewFamily presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: using evidence-based knowledge to guide the advanced practice nurse in developing formal policy and practice guidelines.
To provide advanced practice nurses (APNs) with the best available evidence for implementation of policies and procedures to allow family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the acute care environment. ⋯ With this evidence-based knowledge the APN will be able to disseminate information to facilitate collaborative change in current practices surrounding staff education, decision making, and self-governance. The APN can then address controversial changes when developing formal policies and procedures, which will increase patient satisfaction and outcomes.
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J Am Acad Nurse Pract · Dec 2010
ReviewBreast cancer screening in women: An integrative literature review.
To (a) conduct a thorough search of the literature for breast cancer screening studies utilizing mammography, ultrasound, or breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and (b) critically appraise these studies to aid the nurse practitioner in choosing the most appropriate screening tool for their individual patients. ⋯ Women who fall into high-risk categories should be screened yearly with breast MRI and mammography. Women with dense breast tissue according to a standardized density score should be screened yearly with ultrasound and mammography. Women in the general population should be screened yearly with mammography.
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J Am Acad Nurse Pract · Sep 2010
ReviewA review of the International Brain Research Foundation novel approach to mild traumatic brain injury presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.
"The International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury" held at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ., from October 12 to 15, 2008, included a presentation on the novel assessment and treatment approach to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) by Philip A. DeFina, PhD, of the International Brain Research Foundation (IBRF). ⋯ March 12, 2009." This article summarizes and adds greater detail to Dr. DeFina's presentation on the current standard and novel ways to approach assessment and treatment of mTBI and PTSD. Pilot data derived from collaborative studies through the IBRF have led to the development of clinical and research protocols utilizing currently accepted, valid, and reliable neuroimaging technologies combined in novel ways to develop "neuromarkers." These neuromarkers are being evaluated in the context of an "Integrity-Deficit Matrix" model to demonstrate their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, guide treatment programs, and possibly predict outcomes for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury.
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J Am Acad Nurse Pract · Apr 2010
ReviewNurse practitioners as an underutilized resource for health reform: evidence-based demonstrations of cost-effectiveness.
Healthcare reform in 2009 was motivated by an imperative to reduce the relentless increase in spending on medical care. Many efforts to solve the problem focused on applying proven principles of evidence-based practice and cost-effectiveness to find the least-expensive way to produce a specific clinical service of acceptable quality. This paper combines economic analysis and reviews published literature to show how the goals of healthcare reform can be accomplished by allowing independently licensed nurse practitioners to provide their wide range of services directly to patients in a variety of clinical settings. The paper presents extensive, consistent evidence that nurse practitioners provide care of equal or better quality at lower cost than comparable services provided by other qualified health professionals.