Young patients and “natural” supplements, poor self-care and hospital readmissions for heart failure, sexual violence against female war refugees, and more from health journals.
Safe Supplements?
The Food and Drug Administration recently reported that there are over 85,000 natural health products (NHP–vitamins, minerals, herbals, homeopathic and traditional medicines) already on the market, with more coming. About 31 percent of U.S. children take them as supplements. In “the first known review to synthesize pediatric NHP clinical management guidance in primary care,” doctoral student Emily Gutierrez*, RN, MSN, CPNP, Assistant Professor JoAnne Silbert-Flagg, DNP, CPNP, IBCLC, and a colleague examine the literature and suggest guidelines for ensuring the safety of young patients in “Natural Health Product Use and Management in Pediatrics: An integrative review.” [European Journal of Integrative Medicine, April 2014]
Hearts and Minds
Hospital readmissions of patients who experience heart failure cost the U.S. millions of dollars yearly. In “Predictors of Heart Failure Self-Care in Patients Who Screened Positive for Mild Cognitive Impairment,” Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb, Sarah Szanton, Jerilyn Allen, and lead author Karen Davis (director of nursing at The Johns Hopkins Hospital) suggest that cognitive screening for all heart failure patients will reduce readmissions by identifying those least likely or able to perform proper self-care after they’re discharged. Patients with heart failure can suffer from such mild cognitive impairments as decreased memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function. [Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, January 2014]
Refugees At Risk
About 1 in 5 refugee or displaced women and girls will experience sexual violence, although social stigma, lax justice systems, lack of access in war-torn regions, and other barriers to reporting such crimes mean that figure might be far too low, say Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, and colleagues in “The Prevalence of Sexual Violence Among Female Refugees in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Many survivors will find the climate too inhospitable to disclose their experiences and seek help. The authors suggest developing strategies for improving identification of survivors, predicting where violence is most likely, and expanding prevention efforts. [PLOS Current Disasters,March 2014]
From hypertension to addiction, from dementia care to pain management, from depression to violence to safer intershift handoffs, a sampling of journal-published faculty research from July 2013 to June 2014.
Annals of Internal Medicine “Evidence Supporting a Systolic Blood Pressure Goal of Less Than 150 mm Hg in Patients Aged 60 Years or Older: The Minority View” Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb and colleagues
Clinical Journal of Pain “Caregiver’s Perceptions of the Relationship of Pain to Behavioral and Psychiatric Symptoms in Older Community Residing Adults with Dementia” Nancy Hodgson*, Laura Gitlin, and colleagues
Forensic science, Medicine and Pathology “Development of a screening Tool to Identify Female Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Setting: Qualitative Evidence from Research Among Refugees in Ethiopia” Daniel J. Sheridan, Jaquelyn Campbell, and colleagues
“Hypertension and Overweight/Obesity in Ghanaians and Nigerians Living in West Africa and Industrialized Countries: a Systematic Review”
Yvonne Commodore-Mensah*, Laura J. Samuel, Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb, and colleague
May 2013
Journal for Nurse Practitioners “Kawasaki Syndrome and Streptococcal Scarlet Fever: a Clinical Review” Elizabeth Sloand and colleague
September 2013
“The Quality and Effectiveness of Care Provided by Nurse Practitioners: a Systematic Review of U.S. Research Studies, 1990-2009” Julie Stanik-Hutt*, Kathleen M. White, and colleagues
“Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) as an Integral Part of Nursing Practice”
Deborah Finnell* and colleagues
Trials
March 2014
“Study Protocol for a Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Two Parent Training Programs in a Fee-for-Service Mental Health Clinic: Can We Improve Mental Health Services to Low-Income Families?” Deborah Gross*, Chakra Budhathoki, and colleagues
