Cheryl A. Lehman

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension within the ICF model: a review of the literature.

&NA; Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is an unusual disease, seen most often in women of childbearing age who are obese. If left untreated. IIH can cause chronic pain and blindness. Although IIH has been recognized by healthcare providers since the late 1880s, the cause is still not known and risk factors remain unclear. Treatment has not changed over the years. While professionals struggle to define, describe, and successfully treat IIH, persons with the disease are struggling to cope. Internet support group communications relate numerous personal stories of frustration, depression, pain, anxiety, and disability. The World Health Organizations International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model provides an appropriate framework through which to view what is known and what is yet to be discovered about IIH. The ICF model was designed to complement the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, looking beyond mortality and disease by describing how people live with their health conditions. Applying this framework to IIH reveals many opportunities for nursing research within the ICF domains of health condition, body function and structure, ability and participation, and environmental and personal factors.

APN Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Practices in Providing Women's Healthcare Services to Women with Disabilities

&NA; Women with disabilities require the same gynecological and reproductive healthcare services as women without disabilities, yet they often experience difficulty obtaining them. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) increasingly provide primary care services that include womens health care, yet their influence on this population has not been systematically examined. This study examined the practices, environments, knowledge, and self‐efficacy of APNs in Texas regarding provision of womens health care to women with disabilities. The studys respondents are 744 women who replied to a mailed survey. The results reveal that while nurses do not lack knowledge, work environments do not support competent care of women with disabilities and practices do not always follow national guidelines. Predictors of self‐efficacy in provision of health care to women with disabilities were status as a womens health nurse practitioner, previous rehabilitation experience, high knowledge scores, and a working environment perceived as accessible. Until changes are made in APN education and environmental barriers are addressed, APNs may not be able to provide optimal womens healthcare services to women with disabilities.

Development and implementation of a problem-focused neurological assessment system.

&NA; A menu‐driven, problem‐focused neurological assessment system was constructed and implemented after concerns at a six‐hospital teaching center about the quality of nursing assessments for patients with neurological diagnoses were validated. This system enables the physician to guide the nurses assessment by ordering specific neurological tests for each patient. Extensive staff training took place to develop competence with this system. This new system has resulted in positive changes for this facility. Nurses acknowledge greater comfort with performing neurological assessment; documentation of assessment has improved; and the assessments are becoming more individualized for each patient. This system resulted in a higher quality of neurological care for patients.