[Nursing responsibility in the administration of medications: some thoughts about a safe practice with care quality]. / Responsabilidade da enfermagem na administração de medicamentos: algumas reflexões para uma prática segura com qualidade de assistência.

A nursing role that is worthy of reflection is the administration of medications, as it involves legal and ethical aspects of impact on professional practice. Errors in the administration of medications point out the responsibility of the nursing category. An adequate performance of this role enables the prevention of real errors. The purpose of this study was to analyze nursing responsibilities in the administration of medications through a bibliographical research in the Medline and Lilacs data bases (1997/1999). Results showed the lack of published works on this theme and, therefore, the need for reflections on nursing professionals participation in the administration of medications, especially concerning publications.

[Expectations of nursing students from their initial hospital training experiences]. / Expectativas dos alunos de enfermagem frente ao primeiro estágio em hospital.

The first experience in hospital training may create tensions and anxieties. These feelings interfere negatively in the teaching-learning process. The aim of this paper was to investigate the expectations of Nursing Fundamentals II students regarding their initial hospital training. Second-year students of the Nursing Course offered by Universidade Estadual de Maringá (state of Paraná, Brazil) were chosen as subjects of this investigation. The students revealed a state of anxiety when confronting technical procedures, relationship with patients and evolution. By reflecting on these aspects instructor the may increase the teaching-learning efficiency and humanize the professional training.

[Distribution of single-dose drugs. Reflection on nursing practice]. / Sistema de distribuição de medicamentos por dose unitária: reflexões para a prática da enfermagem.

The nurse, as a member of the staff, is supposed to take responsibility on the administration of medicines as one of the important duties among all the activities he/she has to perform. The implementation of the distribution system of only-dose medicine is directly bound to nurses' activities. Therefore, this study has as its main purpose to detect nurses' reflections about the system and their impact on nursing practice. The authors questioned the way the nurse and his/her staff are inserted in this context of changes, in a way of really assuring benefits for the patients, following and evaluating the whole process, considering that such change affects directly part of these activities.

[Intussusception in the Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra. 13-year results]. / Invaginación intestinal--Hospital Pediátrico de Coimbra. Resultados en 13 años.

We present the results from 233 consecutive patients treated for intussusception at the Children's Hospital of Coimbra over a 13-year period (between 1/6/77 and 31/5/90). Males outnumbered females (66.5% vs 33.5%) and 87.9% of the cases occurred within the first year of life. Among the presenting signs and symptoms, abdominal pain occurred in 87.9% and vomiting in 81.5%. The presence of currant-jelly stools was less common, but noted in 67.3%. Hydrostatic barium enema was performed in 94.4% of the patients with the aim being both diagnostic and therapeutic, successful reduction was achieved in 57.7%. One hundred and twenty-one patients were operated on with specific pathologic lesion found in 11.5% of them. Complications occurred only in the group submitted to surgery. Six children were reoperated on. Most intussusceptions were of the ileocecocolic variety. The overall recurrence rate was 3.8% (3% recurrent intussusceptions followed barium enema reduction and 0.8% followed manual reduction). Mortality rate was 2.5% (1.7% related to intussusception).