Carol O. Long

Evaluating Web sites.

Your task:  Be persistent. It may take some detective work to find information identifying the author/sponsor of the site.  Consider the qualifications and organizational affiliation of the author  Look up the organization which produced the Web site (if its unfamiliar) to identify its credentials, viewpoint, or agenda  If the source is an E-journal, discover whether it is refereed (reviewed by scholars) before it is accepted for publication.

Development of the questionnaire on palliative care for advanced dementia (qPAD).

The Questionnaire on Palliative Care for Advanced Dementia (qPAD) is a 2-part instrument that measures long-term care staff knowledge, and beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes about palliative and end-of-life care for persons with advanced dementia. Factor analyses of the Knowledge Test (coefficient α = .81) produced 3 factors: Anticipating Needs, Preventing Negative Outcomes, and Insight and Intuition (coefficient α = .75, .73, and .58, respectively), explaining 67% of the total variance. Factor analyses of the Attitude Scale (coefficient α = .83) produced 3 factors: Job Satisfaction, Perceptions and Beliefs, and Work Setting Support of Families (coefficient α = .90, .64, and .67, respectively), explaining 68% of the total variance. These initial findings hold promise for an instrument that measures both knowledge and attitudes of long-term care staff in the care of persons with advanced dementia.

Emergency preparedness for the home healthcare nurse.

Recent events are quickly becoming the hard teacher: giving tests of preparedness first, then allowing for lessons afterward. However, each emergency teaches valuable lessons about assessment and preparation, and each lesson learned can be integrated into assessment of and preparation for the next event. This article outlines key steps that home care nurses can take to ensure patient safety during emergencies or disasters.

Nurse Practitioners and End-of-Life Care: Beliefs, Practices, and Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to explore how nurse practitioners (NPs) approach end-of-life (EOL) care. A modified version of the End-of-Life Decision Questionnaire was distributed to NPs attending the 2001 National Conference for Nurse Practitioners in Baltimore, MD. Findings indicate that the majority of NPs had initiated EOL discussions in their career. Education and experience contribute significantly to the comfort level of NPs who initiate EOL discussions. Nurse practitioners also feel that additional education as well as experience would enhance their ability to initiate EOL discussions.

What's new in Alzheimer's disease?

Major changes in the care and treatment of dementia of the Alzheimers type have been made, and more are looming on the horizon. This article presents current information regarding pathology, diagnosis, causes, and treatment options. Additionally, the newest medications and alternative approaches to this prevalent disease are discussed.

Delirium: Opportunity for Comfort in Palliative Care

Delirium is a very common neuropsychiatric disorder seen in the very ill and at the end of life and is distressing to patients, families, and caregivers. Although common, delirium is frequently misdiagnosed and poorly managed. Too often, patients are merely labeled as confused or agitated. This lack of recognition, assessment, and treatment can lead to poor outcomes, including functional decline, new nursing home placement, and even death. Prompt assessment, prevention, and both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic intervention by nurses and the interdisciplinary team can significantly reduce distress, assure comfort, and maximize safety in all care settings.

Exploring telehealth opportunities in domestic violence shelters.

Purpose To determine the degree of interest in using a computer for the purpose of accessing services from a nurse practitioner (NP) at domestic violence shelters (DVSs); and to identify issues of privacy and confidentiality that might arise from participation by victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a Telehealth intervention. Data Sources Focus groups with 19 women residing in two DVSs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and themes were identified that answered the questions posed in the interviews. Conclusions Most of the women understood the term NP and were favorably inclined to seek services from one. Over half of the women were not familiar with computer use, but were willing to learn in order to receive health care services, both for episodic needs and for maintenance of chronic conditions. After learning of the method proposed to allow them to access an NP through the internet while still protecting their privacy and confidentiality, the women felt comfortable with this approach to meeting their health care needs. Implications for Practice Results from this study can be used to support the development and testing of Telehealth interventions for these victims of IPV.

Computer and Internet use by home care and hospice agencies.

Nurses in home healthcare and hospice are embracing the advances in computer science and technology to provide an edge in administration and clinical practice. Of concern to nurse managers is the extent to which personal computers and the Internet have been used in home healthcare and hospice, and what information, opportunities, and needs related to education are on the horizon. This article discusses the results of a national survey conducted exclusively on the World Wide Web to answer these questions.

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Defining and monitoring indwelling catheter-related urinary tract infections.

Defining and monitoring infection rates in home care is of major importance with the implementation of Adverse Event Outcome Reports. This study identifies the collective effort of home care quality improvement nurses in defining standard indicators for urinary tract infections and the ways to monitor these infections within and across home care agencies for evaluation and benchmarking.