Complementary and alternative medicine: nurses' attitudes and knowledge.

Despite significant evidence for the integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into professional nursing practice, gaps exist regarding nurses' baseline knowledge, beliefs of efficacy, and learning needs for further education to facilitate the integration of CAM into nursing practice. The top three conditions which adults identified for using CAM were back pain, neck pain, and joint pain. CAM can offer nurses additional treatment options for managing their patients' pain and discomfort. The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) identifies that nurses can help provide the missing link between conventional Western medicine and CAM therapies. Nurses cannot successfully advocate for CAM therapies, nor understand their patients' prior use of such treatments, unless they themselves are familiar with both the risks and the benefits of these practices. It is necessary to first establish nurses' baseline knowledge and beliefs related to CAM so that adequate educational programs can be initiated to help mitigate the barriers to incorporating CAM into the acute care setting. This descriptive study explores registered nurses' attitudes and knowledge related to CAM by using the Nurse Complementary and Alternative Medicine Nursing Knowledge and Attitudes Survey developed by Rojas-Cooley and Grant. Nurses in this study demonstrated limited self-reported knowledge of basic CAM terminology and CAM practices.

Antihypertensive medication adherence among elderly Chinese Americans.

This study explored the level of antihypertensive medication adherence and examined certain demographic attributes and influential factors in relation to antihypertensive medication nonadherence among Chinese American elders using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Findings revealed that 52% of the elderly Chinese Americans adhered to their antihypertensive medications. Gender, education, years of residency in the United States, years of diagnosed hypertension, and perceived safety of taking antihypertensive medications did not contribute to the differences in medication adherence. Forgetfulness, medication adverse effects, language difficulties, and cultural barriers were the influential factors that hinder antihypertensive medication adherence. Developing effective and culturally appropriate strategies for Chinese American elders is recommended.

Cultural self-efficacy of graduating baccalaureate nursing students in a state funded university in the Silicon Valley.

The purpose of the study was to examine the level of cultural self-efficacy of graduating baccalaureate nursing students using Bernal and Froman's Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES). A convenience sample of 48 nursing students from an ethnically diverse community completed an 8-item demographic questionnaire and a 26-item CSES. The subjects of this study were found to have an increased level of cultural confidence in comparison with previous studies. Exposure to cultural concepts and to ethnically diverse populations may play an important role in this unique finding. This study also suggests nurse educators continue to incorporate cultural concepts and skills in the nursing curriculum.

The Omaha System and quality measurement in academic nurse-managed centers: ten steps for implementation.

Measuring and describing client problems, nursing interventions, and outcomes is a challenge in nursing care. This study reviews the literature about the use of the Omaha System and describes the steps used to introduce and implement the Omaha System as a documentation and outcome measurement system in academic nurse-managed centers. The goal of the article is to provide a guide for nurse educators to develop and implement a quality measurement system that can be used in clinical settings by undergraduate students. The Omaha System is a strategy to introduce and incorporate evidence-based practice in the undergraduate nursing clinical experience.

Public health nurse interventions for women in a dependency drug court.

There is an increasing number of children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect. Parents of these children often have difficult drug abuse problems leading to the removal of their children. The cost of caring for these children is staggering, reaching an estimated $24 billion. One program in Northern California that has been created to assist parents is dependency drug court. This research utilized qualitative and quantitative data to identify the perceived needs of women who have graduated from this dependency drug court (n = 50) and what they think the public health nurse (PHN) could do to intervene in the difficult process of going through dependency drug court and reunifying with their children. Two main themes emerged from select interviews with former drug court recipients who were functioning as "mentor moms" (n = 4). Common barriers contributed to stress during recovery, and specific strategies promoted reunification and program success. Among strategies recommended by the mentor moms was a suggestion for PHNs to bridge the information gap through regular reports on the development and health of their children during the time they reside in foster care.