Care Delivery and Treatment Decision Making: Bioethical and Nursing Considerations During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The disruption in the supply chain of resources and interruptions in cancer treatments caused by the pandemic presented tremendous challenges to the healthcare system. OBJECTIVES: This article describes the National Academy of Medicine-defined states of medical and nursing care delivery for which local plans should be drawn and the shifting and evolving systems framework that can guide decisions to optimize the crisis standards of care. METHODS: A case study is presented to describe the process of shifting the state of medical and nursing care delivery and bioethical nursing considerations during the pandemic and beyond. FINDINGS: An evolving and shifting systems framework for crises rooted in deontology, principlism, and the ethics of care model provide meaningful guidance for establishing priorities for patient care.

Bibliotherapy: Appraisal of Evidence for Patients Diagnosed With Cancer

An appraisal of the evidence on the efficacy of bibliotherapy on anxiety, distress, and coping in patients with cancer is lacking in the literature. Bibliotherapy is a self-help intervention using a variety of tools, such as self-help workbooks, pamphlets, novels, and audiobooks, to improve mental health. This review identified nine original research articles that examined bibliotherapy as an intervention to alleviate the psychological issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. Data synthesis from these studies provides preliminary evidence that bibliotherapy is an acceptable and beneficial adjunct therapy for patients with cancer experiencing anxiety, depression, and ineffective coping.

Advances in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of hyperthyroidism in children.

The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating multiple complex metabolic processes that affect most organs. Physical growth and cognitive development are dependent on proper levels of thyroid hormone. This article will review common challenges in the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in children, the approaches to treatment, and the nursing interventions guided toward child and family responses to thyroid disease. A comparison of signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is also included. The nursing interventions addressed in the article integrate the biological, psychological, social, and environmental stresses and adaptations necessary to cope with hyperthyroid disease.