Herbal Supplements for Common Women's Health Issues.

The use of alternative therapies for health problems specific to women is increasing. As many as 67% of women admit to using complementary therapies of some kind, including supplements, chiropractic intervention, acupuncture, and acupressure. Many women turn to herbal supplements because they think that pharmacologic interventions are unsafe or not effective. Current literature provides conflicting information regarding many complementary and alternative therapies, including herbal supplements. Although most are not harmful, it is important to review the safety and efficacy of supplements for women's health issues.

Exercise as a Therapeutic Intervention.

Evidence supports exercise as a first-line option for many chronic diseases. Although recommendations suggest 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, replacing sedentary behaviors with light-intensity activities reduces risks of all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and incidence of CVD and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Exercise has positive effects on brain function, cognition, and depressive symptoms. Based on such evidence, health care providers should incorporate evaluation of physical activity into patient care. Patients should be evaluated for readiness and ability to exercise and encouraged to increase activity level.

Radiographic studies in the critical care environment.

Critical care patients present with or develop conditions that require imaging with a variety of radiographic methods. Technological advances such as the introduction of digital imaging instead of screen-film radiography have improved image resolution, readability, management, and portability of results while maintaining confidentiality of patient information. Radiographic imaging in the critical care unit is an integral part of patient management. It is imperative that the critical care nurse be cognizant of radiographic studies and thus be able to collaborate with all health care providers in the administration of quality patient care.

Angiography: From a patient's perspective.

In critical care, nurses are expected to react quickly to urgent and emergent situations. It is imperative that nurses have the ability to recognize signs and symptoms in patients that require diagnostic intervention. This article begins with a brief description of angiography and its role in the critical care environment. This is followed by a description and comparison of several modalities used to evaluate the cerebral and carotid vessels. A related case study, from a patient's perspective, provides the context for this discussion.

Nuclear scan studies in critical care.

The field of nuclear cardiology has grown significantly over the past decade. This is a reflection of the value seen by providers in these safe and effective procedures. Nuclear scan studies are noninvasive and versatile in their usefulness. These studies assist in determining the likelihood of future cardiac events, guide approaches to revascularization, and assist in evaluation of the adequacy of revascularization procedures. Critical thinking and decision-making abilities are two key requirements for nurses in the critical care environment. Knowledge and understanding of the nuclear scan studies indicated for patients help nurses advocate for those in their care.

Allergy skin testing: what nurses need to know.

Skin testing is a common procedure in any clinical setting. Critical care nurses will encounter skin testing in the inpatient and outpatient settings primarily to test for patient allergies to environmental factors, or allergies to certain medications. As there is a great deal of controversy about standard practices surrounding the different tests, information about various allergy tests and testing protocols is vital. Quality assurance standards should be met to ensure adequacy of the skin testing technique. Persons performing skin tests should undergo evaluation of their technique. To improve the predictive values of skin testing, and to ameliorate the incidence or severity of adverse affects, it is important for the critical care nurse to understand the dynamics of the test and the possible risks, along with variables that can confound the results. By doing this, nurses will improve not only patient outcomes related to the testing itself but also the value and reliability of the most effective diagnostic tool available for allergic disease.

Thoughtful nursing practice: reflections on nurse delegation decision-making.

This article discusses delegation challenges and legal and regulatory oversight associated with delegation in the clinical practice setting. The authors address moral and legal attributes of the roles and responsibilities of health care providers regarding delegating health care interventions. The article also explores guiding principles and rules of delegation within professional standards, national practice guidelines, and state nurse practice acts. Nurse experts provide thoughtful reflection on nursing models and the role of delegation, emphasizing the critical role of delegation in extending the role of the health care professional in patient care services.

Visual literacy in the online environment.

Visual literacy combines words and graphics to enhance learning. Students are immersed in digital literacy and multimodal learning; therefore, it is important for educators to embrace visual literacy and strike out beyond printed text, PowerPoint slides, and discussion boards. This article describes the use of visual literacy as a tool to enhance student learning. An example demonstrating the application of visual literacy to teach transcultural nursing in an online environment is provided. The Web site containing a copy of the visual literacy teaching tool is also available to readers.

Antimicrobial resistance in critical care.

Patients presenting with active infections or at increased risk for infections pose a significant challenge in critical care nursing. It is important for critical care nurses to use effective antimicrobial strategies in patient management to reduce the potential development of antimicrobial resistance. They should be involved actively in promoting patient management through development of research-based nursing guidelines and protocols.