Understanding alpha-hydroxy acids.

This self-study activity has been developed for nurses, estheticians, and other health care professionals whose patients use alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) products. Skin anatomy and physiology are reviewed and information is presented on the mechanisms of action of AHAs. Cosmetic and therapeutic benefits of AHA-containing products are detailed. Factors that influence the safety and effectiveness of AHA products are explored, including concentration, pH, and the amount of free acid present. A method is detailed for applying AHA-containing chemexfoliating agents, and guidelines are offered for taking a patient history, post-procedure skin care, and applying subsequent peels.

Laser education. Are current programs meeting perioperative nurses' needs?

As we expected, our surveys found that advanced-level respondents were more highly trained and more experienced, and they perceived themselves as more knowledgeable and more skilled than basic-level laser nurses. Respondents surveyed in 1991 were better educated and more experienced, and they perceived themselves as more knowledgeable and slightly more skilled than those surveyed in 1989. Though these apparent trends are encouraging, other findings indicate that there are large gaps in the knowledge base of even advanced-level laser nurses, particularly in the area of basic laser physics. Of those responding to the item on attendance at educational programs on lasers, 91% had attended some type of laser inservice or education program. Far more respondents, however, had attended manufacturer-provided operational inservice programs or hospital inservice programs on safety compared to those who reported having attended in-depth continuing education courses. In addition, wide discrepancies were observed between the percentages of respondents who had experience with a given type of laser and those who had education beyond the level of operational inservice programs. Apparently, a significant number of nurses who are involved in laser procedures have had no training beyond a very basic level. Respondents rated themselves most knowledgeable about areas related to laser safety and operation. When asked to identify the most important areas of laser education, patient and personnel safety was the paramount concern for all four groups. At the same time, they identified laser physics and tissue interaction as difficult-to-understand, yet important, areas of laser education.

A study of sterilization containers.

The introduction of rigid sterilization container systems in the U.S. marketplace has brought about many questions regarding how they should be used and whether or not they provide a "total system for aseptic practice." Questions have even been raised as to whether the rigid container is a better system than the established cloth and non-woven methods of wrapping. The purpose of this article is to share the results of a study which was conducted to closely examine the use of containers. The focus of the study was to determine whether an inner wrap should be used, whether there were problems at the sterile field with presentation of instruments, and whether the container configuration caused problems in processing, sterilization, storage, or use at the field. No attempt was made to compare various systems.