ABSTRACT
Developing, measuring, and reporting clinical outcomes is challenging for all health care providers. Nurse practitioners are qualified and suited to work with developmentally disabled clients and their special needs. A review of current literature shows that several isolated studies on clinically relevant topics have been published. Strategies are explained here to assist nurse practitioners in developing systems for tracking individual client data and for creating outcome-based networks to increase the generalizability of findings.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/nursing , Nurse Practitioners/standards , Outcome Assessment, Health Care/organization & administration , Benchmarking , Evidence-Based Medicine , Humans , Information Services , Meta-Analysis as Topic , Needs Assessment , Nursing Evaluation ResearchABSTRACT
The public policy of supporting the mentally retarded in community-based, group home environments provides an exciting opportunity for nurses to develop health promotion and self-care programs to increase the independent living capacity of this population. This article discusses the issues raised and solutions developed by nurse practitioners working with adults with serious medical problems and diminished cognitive capacity.
Subject(s)
Community Mental Health Services , Health Promotion , Intellectual Disability/nursing , Activities of Daily Living , Adult , Aged , Aging , Caregivers , Communication , Female , Group Processes , Humans , Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Male , Middle Aged , Nurse Practitioners , Self Care , Women's HealthABSTRACT
It is important for nurses and other healthcare workers to recognize that patients who present themselves for health care could already be infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Therefore, appropriate and sensible infection control precautions should be taken at all times. An assessment of nurses' knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/HIV provides information to guide further continuing education efforts. This study describes the learning needs and preferred learning methods regarding AIDS/HIV among registered nurses working in a community in Texas. Respondents confirmed the need for important content areas regarding primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention such as universal precautions, protection from infectious diseases, and occupational hazards for healthcare providers. Several teaching methodologies were included. Self-paced instruction was the least preferred teaching-learning method; hands-on methodology was most preferred for the topics of clinical manifestations, long-term care, testing, and counseling.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Community Health Nursing/education , Education, Nursing, Continuing/methods , HIV Infections/nursing , Nursing Staff/education , Nursing Staff/psychology , Teaching/methods , Female , Humans , Male , TexasABSTRACT
The public policy of supporting the mentally retarded in community-based, group home environments provides an exciting opportunity for nurses to develop health promotion and self-care programs to increase the independent living capacity of this population. This article discusses the issues raised and solutions developed by nurse practitioners working with adults with serious medical problems and diminished cognitive capacity.
Subject(s)
Halfway Houses , Health Promotion , Intellectual Disability/nursing , Adult , Aged , Female , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nurse Practitioners , Self CareABSTRACT
Women represent an ever-increasing percentage of the homeless population. Often children accompany their mothers. Care of homeless women and their children presents a challenge to all health care providers. This article describes the benefits and obstacles to the adoption of health promotion behaviors in these populations. Nurse practitioners are challenged to balance the emergent crisis-oriented needs of many health care encounters with the homeless with the profound need for these populations to develop healthy living habits.
Subject(s)
Child Health Services , Health Promotion , Ill-Housed Persons , Women's Health Services , Adult , Child , Female , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Middle Aged , Nurse PractitionersABSTRACT
Nurse practitioners (NPs) can face, and have faced, several challenges in the health care environment. As with the denial of hospital admitting or staff privileges, the granting of inequitable reimbursement levels by state administrative bodies, physicians, insurers, and other members of the health care community may limit NP practice. Several strategies are discussed that will demonstrate how nurse practitioners can use legal and administrative mechanisms (e.g., antitrust laws) to eliminate restraints of trade and assure the availability of more equitable direct reimbursement patterns.
Subject(s)
Economic Competition/legislation & jurisprudence , Medical Staff Privileges/legislation & jurisprudence , Nurse Practitioners/legislation & jurisprudence , Reimbursement Mechanisms/legislation & jurisprudence , Antitrust Laws , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
Denial of hospital admitting or staff privileges can limit the practice of a nurse practitioner. The Sherman Antitrust Act (1982) with restraint of trade stipulations has been used successfully by nonphysician health care providers to gain hospital admitting and staff privileges. Cases are discussed to offer examples to nurse practitioners for a potential legal recourse for gaining desired privileges.
