We’ve already noted one or two of them here in recent weeks, but here are some excerpts and links to several other articles of note in the April issue of AJN, in case you missed them:
The percentage of prescribed medications that are actually taken by patients is estimated to be as low as 60%—and among patients with chronic conditions, it may be even less. Patients with mental disorders may have even lower rates of adherence than those with physical conditions. Suzanne Hardeman, an NP and licensed professional counselor, and Meera Narasimhan, a physician, have culled from the available literature a list of strategies that have been shown to improve adherence in patients with mood and psychotic disorders.
That’s from a sensible and useful article on improving medication adherence in patients with mental disorders.
For a report on the good and bad news about where we are with providing cancer survivorship programs and support, read “Building Cancer Survivorship Care,” which points out some excellent resources, but also notes that “few cancer patients have access to survivorship care.” Still!
Laura Dean faints after witnessing an elderly man collapse with an apparent heart attack. James Parsons passes out as an RN begins venipuncture for collection of a lab specimen. Nursing student Melanie Simms faints while observing her first surgical procedure.
“Recognizing and Treating Vasovagal Syncope” gives a nice overview of this common problem, who is most likely to be afflicted by it, how to prevent injuries when it happens, and how nurses can work with patients to prevent it.
April 2010 AJN Cover
And for an overview of what else to look for in the April issue, download the short and lively podcast discussion between interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa. If you’re not familiar with podcasts: you can listen to them right on you’re computer, or you can download them to MP3 players and save them for later. Go here to browse through all AJN podcasts, including author interviews and more.
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