The AJN Podcast

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is an anatomical drawing of the head and neck—the region that’s the focus of a CE article on oropharyngeal cancer in this issue. Our first CE, “Original Research: The Lived Experience of Social Media by Young Adult Burn Survivors,” explores young adult burn survivors’ use of social media as a way to find social support, express their identity while safeguarding their privacy, and further their healing. In our second CE, “Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Review of Nursing Considerations,” the authors provide an overview of head and neck cancer—its incidence, risk factors, treatment, and posttreatment sequelae—with a focus on HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. Our next article, “Cultivating Quality: A Clinical Nurse Specialist-Directed Initiative to Reduce Postoperative Urinary Retention in Spinal Surgery Patients,” details a quality improvement project to raise nurses’ awareness of the potential for postoperative urinary retention on the postanesthesia care unit, and to develop an updated nursing practice algorithm for its evaluation and management. In “Safety Monitor: Health Care Worker Fatigue,” the authors examine the safety implications of health care worker fatigue and offer strategies for reducing the incidence of fatigue-related errors and patient injuries. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Young adult burn survivors who were burned before they reached young adulthood face particular challenges in meeting their needs for socialization. AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with author Marie S. Giordano about a qualitative study she conducted to explore young adult burn survivors’ use of social media as a way to find social support, express their identity while safeguarding their privacy, and further their healing.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is Moonrise Over the Sandias (2015) by Charles Kaiman, a painter and a psychiatric nurse at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Albuquerque. Our first CE, “Appropriate Use of Opioids in Managing Chronic Pain,” discusses current best practices for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, emphasizing patient assessment and essential patient teaching points regarding safe medication use, storage, and disposal. In our second CE, “Moral Distress: A Catalyst in Building Moral Resilience,” the authors outline the concept and prevalence of moral distress, describe its impact and precipitating factors, and discuss promising practices and interventions. Our next article, “Diabetes Under Control: Prediabetes: What Nurses Need to Know,” provides an overview of prediabetes criteria and reviews the evidence showing that interventions targeting modifiable risk factors—such as diet and physical activity level—can prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes. In “Teaching for Practice: Strategies for Successful Clinical Teaching,” the authors offer strategies for clinical teaching with an emphasis on the importance of creating a positive learning environment. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Moral distress is a pervasive problem in the nursing profession. An inability to act in alignment with one’s moral values is detrimental not only to the nurse’s well-being but also to patient care and clinical practice as a whole. AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Cynda Hylton Rushton, who wrote about the concept and prevalence of moral distress in nursing, and how it can lead to moral resilience.

Over the past two decades, the use of opioids to manage chronic pain has increased substantially. Within this same period, unintentional death related to prescription opioids has been identified as a public health crisis, owing in part to such factors as insufficient professional training and medication overprescription, misuse, and diversion. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Risa Denenberg and Carol P. Curtiss about their article, which offers an overview of current best practices for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.

In the rural setting, women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) face unique challenges. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy with Karen Roush about a study she conducted to analyze the perceptions of rural health care providers regarding IPV prevalence, how comfortable they feel asking about emotional and physical abuse, and whether they feel able to help those women who disclose it.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to author Amanda Anderson about the initial installment of her new column for recent graduates, “Transition to Practice,” in which she shares preparation tips for the first day on the job.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to Marianne Matzo, author of “Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Palliative Chemotherapy,” and Sally Welsh, CEO of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, about the use of chemotherapy in patients with end-stage cancer.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover photo evokes the isolation faced by victims of intimate partner violence. Our first CE, “Original Research: Intimate Partner Violence: The Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors of Rural Health Care Providers,” analyzes the perceptions of rural health care providers regarding intimate partner violence prevalence, how comfortable they feel asking about emotional and physical abuse, and whether they feel able to help those women who disclose it. In our second CE, “Late and Long-Term Sequelae of Breast Cancer Treatment,” the authors provide an overview of the potentially debilitating physical problems that many breast cancer survivors experience after treatment, and address assessment and management strategies. Our next article, “Perspectives on Palliative Nursing: Palliative Chemotherapy,” addresses the use of chemotherapy in patients with end-stage cancer, and explores the nurse’s role in discussing palliative options with patients. In “Transition to Practice: A New Nurse’s First Days at the Bedside,” the author shares preparation tips for new nurses the first day on the job. “Special Feature: Nurses in the Civil Rights Movement” highlights the experiences of five nurses and one nursing student who fought for racial equality in the 1960s. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses Theresa Brown’s latest What I’m Reading column as well as her book, “The Shift.”

Although napping is used to reduce sleepiness and fatigue in other safety-sensitive industries, it has not had widespread acceptance in nursing. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks to lead author Jeanne Geiger-Brown about the results of a project conducted to assess the barriers to successful implementation of night-shift naps and to describe the nap experiences of night-shift nurses.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the May issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is A Maid Asleep (1656–57) by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. Our first CE, “Original Research: Napping on the Night Shift: A Two-Hospital Implementation Project,” describes the results of a project conducted to assess the barriers to successful implementation of night-shift naps and to describe the nap experiences of night-shift nurses. In our second CE, “Intrathecal Pumps for Managing Cancer Pain,” the author provides an overview of intrathecal pump therapy, including its benefits, potential risks, and complications, medications, and the nursing care required by patients who use an intrathecal pump. Our next article, “Emergency: Henoch–Schönlein Purpura in the ED,” uses a case study to detail the nursing assessment, diagnosis and treatment, and possible complications of Henoch–Schönlein purpura, the most common form of pediatric vasculitis. In “Special Feature: Mentoring Clinical Nurses to Write for Publication: Strategies for Success,” the authors describe the initiation of a workshop series designed to teach clinical nurses about the writing process and mentor them through the stages of submitting a manuscript for publication. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Research has shown that nurses who participate in shared decision making (SDM) have more control over their practice and greater job satisfaction, and hospitals that have instituted SDM have lower rates of nurse turnover and better patient outcomes. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Karen Murray, who wrote about the successful implementation of a shared decision-making structure at a pediatric Magnet hospital and the lessons learned from the project.

AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks co-author Deborah Greenwald about a study of nurses’ self-reported health-promoting behaviors, which revealed that many nurses may not practice adequate self-care, and underscored the importance of prioritizing nurses’ health at both the individual and institutional levels.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the April issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover is a 1924 portrait of the Grace Hospital School of Nursing basketball team. Our first CE, “Original Research: An Investigation into the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Practices of RNs,” discusses a study that gathered baseline data on the self-reported health-promoting lifestyle practices of RNs working in six major health care and educational institutions in Pennsylvania. In our second CE, “Cardiotoxicity and Breast Cancer as Late Effects of Pediatric and Adolescent Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment,” the author reviews the late adverse effects associated with the management of Hodgkin lymphoma, which include breast cancer as well as cardiotoxicity and its sequelae. Our next article, “Diabetes Under Control: Blood Glucose Meters in ICUs,” details the controversies surrounding restrictions on the off-label use of point-of-care blood glucose monitors in critically ill, hospitalized patients. In “Journey of Excellence: Implementing a Shared Decision-Making Model,” the authors describe the successful implementation of a shared decision-making structure at one hospital and discuss the lessons learned from the project. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Child sexual abuse is a global issue that all nurses must be aware of and knowledgeable about as they care for children in various settings. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Donna Sabella, who wrote about the prevalence, potential risk factors, and possible signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, as well as long-term issues faced by survivors.

From 1995 to 2010, U.S. prisons saw a 282% rise in the number of older inmates (ages 55 and older), and between 2001 and 2007, nearly 8,500 prisoners ages 55 and older died while incarcerated. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with one of the authors about their review of the literature, in which they reveal the challenges of providing end-of-life care to prisoners and suggest steps nurses can take to improve this care and address the challenges faced by dying inmates and the inmate volunteers who care for them.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover, an elderly prisoner is handcuffed before being transported to a local hospital. In our first CE, “End-of-Life Care Behind Bars: A Systematic Review,” the authors review the literature and reveal the challenges of providing end-of-life care to prisoners, and suggest steps nurses can take to improve this care and address the challenges faced by dying inmates and the inmate volunteers who care for them. Our next article, “The Benefits of Rapid Response Teams: Exploring Perceptions of Nurse Leaders, Team Members, and End Users,” investigates the perceptions of nurse leaders, rapid response team (RRT) members, and rapid response team users concerning the benefits of RRTs. Our second CE, “Revisiting Child Sexual Abuse and Survivor Issues,” focuses on the prevalence, potential risk factors, and possible signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, and also provides information about what nurses can do should they suspect that a child has been or is being abused. In “Anencephaly: An Ongoing Investigation in Washington State,” the nurse who reported an alarming cluster of babies born with anencephaly in 2012, which triggered a still-ongoing investigation, reviews the many risk factors for neural tube defects and discusses the roles nurses can play in addressing their puzzling rise. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the February issue of the American Journal of Nursing. On this month’s cover, nurse Sarah Carruth comforts a young patient at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. The first article, “Latino Nurses in the United States: An Overview of Three Decades (1980–2010),” shares original research that found that while the overall number of Latinos has grown dramatically in the United States over the 30-year study period, the number of Latino nurses has not; the authors make recommendations for improved and accessible nursing education to help increase Latino representation in the nursing workforce. Our first CE, “Hypoglycemia: A Serious Complication for the Older Adult with Diabetes,” examines the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment of hypoglycemia in older adults with diabetes, and emphasizes the role of nurses in educating older patients in preventing hypoglycemic events and recognizing their warning signs. Our second CE, “Using Essential Oils to Enhance Nursing Practice and for Self-Care,” presents an overview of the use of essential oils, with a focus on its benefits and risks, supportive research, and how to incorporate its use into practice. In “Special Feature: Creating a Bullying Task Force,” the authors review workplace bullying among nurses—including its prevalence, manifestations, and consequences—and describe how one hospital developed a bullying task force and implemented a nurse-led initiative to address bullying. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Nurse-to-nurse bullying is unfortunately common in health care settings—studies reveal it ranges from 31% to 57%. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Ronald Keller, who wrote about an initiative put in place in his acute care setting to address the problem.

Studies have shown that a diverse health care workforce is key to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care. But while the U.S. Latino population has tripled, the Latino RN workforce has not kept pace. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the author about the issues spurring this research and what can be done to increase the number of Latino nurses.

AJN Editor-in-Chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with author Victoria Menzies about her article “Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Current Considerations in Symptom Management.”

AJN’s Editor-in-Chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with clinical nurse specialist Carol P. Curtiss about how efforts to address prescription opioid abuse may lead to unintended consequences.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover features a photo that represents one of 2015’s top news stories: the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. Our first CE, “Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Current Considerations in Symptom Management,” provides an overview of fibromyalgia syndrome and describes treatment guidelines, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches, and nursing approaches aimed at enhancing patient self-management. Our second CE, “Many Benefits, Little Risk: The Use of Massage in Nursing Practice,” describes the emotional and physiologic benefits of massage and offers specific massage techniques to use in practice. In “Cultivating Quality: Beyond Socks, Signs, and Alarms: A Reflective Accountability Model for Fall Prevention,” the authors discuss how a group of clinical nurses designed a nursing practice initiative featuring nurse self-reflection that successfully led to a decrease in falls. “Disaster Care: Increasing Emergency Preparedness” presents an overview of the current issues in disaster and public health preparedness facing U.S. health care institutions. Finally, the author of “Ethical Issues: Ethical Practice with Patients in Pain” uses two cases to examine the nature of pain and the ethical complexities nurses face in responding to patients’ pain. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the December issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover features nurse Elie Kasindi Kabululu caring for a patient at Centre Médical Evangélique in Nyankunde, Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo. Our first CE, “Inside an Ebola Treatment Unit: A Nurse’s Report,” describes the author’s experiences working with MSF at an Ebola treatment unit in Liberia for five weeks, outlines the practices and teams involved, and aims to convey a sense of what it’s like to work during an Ebola outbreak and to put a human face on this devastating epidemic. Our second CE, “Incorporating Acupressure into Nursing Practice,” discusses potential clinical indications for the use of acupressure, describes the technique, explains how to evaluate patient outcomes, and suggests how future research into this integrative intervention might be improved. In “Cultivating Quality: Original Research: Implementation of an Early Mobility Program in an ICU,” the authors recount how an early mobilization program at a community hospital contributed to fewer delirium days and improvements in patient outcomes, sedation levels, and functional status. Finally, “iNurse: Nurses and the Migration to Electronic Health Records” presents the challenges and benefits of using electronic health records and provides tips for adapting to EHR systems. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

The Elder Justice Act was signed into law in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act. AJN’s Editor-in-Chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with elder care expert Terry Fulmer on the effects of this law and its implications for nurses.

AJN launches the first article in a series on cancer survivorship care. Author Kara Mosesso and Mary McCabe, clinical director of the Cancer Survivorship Initiative at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discuss this article, which reviews the identification, evaluation, and management of potential treatment-related effects in adult survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the November issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover features the third-place winner of AJN’s 2015 Faces of Caring: Nurses at Work contest, depicting a nurse caring for a patient at Clearview Cancer Institute in Huntsville, Alabama. Our first CE, “Adverse Late and Long-Term Treatment Effects in Adult Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors,” summarizes the identification, evaluation, and management of potential treatment-related effects in adult survivors of hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Our second CE, “Imagery for Self-Healing and Integrative Nursing Practice,” describes how imagery can be used to encourage patients’ healing process, and presents an imagery technique and a sample script to use in practice. In “Prescription Opioid Analgesics: Promoting Patient Safety with Better Patient Education,” the author uses a case study to examine the risks of nonmedical opioid use in postoperative patients and highlights the nurses’ role in patient education to avoid adverse outcomes. Finally, “Preventing Newborn Falls While Supporting Family Bonding” addresses the circumstances behind newborn falls in hospitals when infants are in the care of family members, and reports on steps hospitals are taking to effectively prevent these accidents. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the NP role with the launch of the first NP program at the University of Colorado in 1965. AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with the authors, both at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of Nursing History at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, about the significance of the role and future directions

AJN launches the first in a five-part series of articles that will examine various aspects of holistic nursing and integrative care. AJN editor in chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Margo Halm, co-author of this overview of how hospitals are incorporating these therapies for patients, families and staff. Subsequent articles will focus on the most common modalities, including imagery, massage, acupressure and essential oils.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the October issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover celebrates AJN’s 115th anniversary with a collage showcasing archival photographs and past covers. Our first CE, “Integrative Care: The Evolving Landscape in American Hospitals,” provides an overview of some of the integrative care initiatives being introduced in hospitals throughout the U.S. and reports on findings from a survey of nursing leaders at hospitals that have implemented integrative care programs. Our second CE, “Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation,” gives an overview of the procedure, its possible complications, and best practices for nursing care. In “Intergenerational Lessons and ‘Fabulous Stories’,” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation senior adviser for nursing Susan B. Hassmiller, along with two nurse historians, shares five lessons learned from interviewing her mother, Jacqueline J. Wouwenberg, a 1947 graduate of the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing, and being interviewed herself. “The NP: Celebrating 50 Years”—which includes an illustrated timeline from the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing—highlights important events in the history of the NP and shows how the NP role has changed and expanded through the decades. Finally, “Pathfinding on the Frontier” describes the success of a patient care coordination program in a primary care practice in rural Kansas. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy presents the highlights of the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover features the first place winner of our Faces of Caring: Nurses at Work photo contest: perianesthesia nurse Carolyn Benigno preparing a patient for surgery at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Our first CE, “Acute Pain Management for Inpatients with Opioid Use Disorder,” reviews current literature related to the topic of acute pain management for inpatients with OUD and dispels common myths about opioids and OUD. Our second CE, “Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States: Overview and Update,” provides an overview of the symptoms, screening, and treatment recommendations for the most common STIs in the United States and describes the most recent relevant findings in order to inform nursing practice. The Cultivating Quality feature, “Improving Pediatric Temperature Measurement in the ED,” discusses an ED staff-led quality improvement project conducted to determine the best method of pediatric temperature measurement. In “Perspectives on Leadership: Conflict Engagement: Creating Connection and Cultivating Curiosity,” the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ Leadership Column introduces an approach for practicing the skills needed for creating connection and cultivating curiosity when addressing conflict on the unit. Finally, “Ethical Issues: Teaching Crucial Knowledge vs. Helping Out on the Unit” explores the ethical considerations that occur when student education and urgent patient care needs are conflicting priorities. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Author Barbra Mann Wall describes her article, which uses oral history interviews to give voice to retired African nurse leaders, who describe what nursing practice and education meant to them during and after periods of colonization in Africa from the 1950s to the 1970s. Their stories offer alternative concepts of nursing identity formation and professionalism.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the August issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover shows a community nurse practicing health education with residents of a small fishing village in rural Uganda.. Our first CE, an original research piece, “‘I Am a Nurse’: Oral Histories of African Nurses,” features oral histories from African nurse leaders who describe what nursing practice and education meant to them during and after periods of colonization in Africa. Our second CE, “Nurses’ Role in Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion,” highlights the nonmedical use of opioids and how nurses play a critical role in stopping this epidemic of opioid abuse. The clinical feature, “The Evolution of Physical Activity Promotion,” describes how nurses can promote physical activity in their patients, an important health issue that many Americans fall short of. In “Safety Monitor: Misplacements of Enteral Feeding Tubes Increase After Hospitals Switch Brands,” the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority reviews cases of misplaced tubes and offers guidance for how nurses can prevent such errors in their own practice. Finally, “Nursing Resources: Vaccine Safety Resources for Nurses,” describes how nurses can teach patients about the importance and safety of vaccines in a time when the public still has many concerns about vaccines. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Author Renee C.B. Manworren describes how prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the U.S. Her article explains that nurses are in a vital position to help reverse this public health crisis and provides three key interventions in which nurses play a critical role to help prevent opioid abuse.

Author Corinna Dan describes her article, which reviews the epidemiology and diagnosis of viral hepatitis. It also discusses new screening recommendations and innovations in assessment and treatment of the disease. It also outlines an updated action plan in which nurses play an important role in the coordination of care for viral hepatitis

Author Linda K. Anderson describes her article “Nursing Management of Patients with Ehlers—Danlos Syndrom, in which she provides and overview of this hereditary connective tissue disorder. She offers guidance on ways nurses can manage symptoms, recognize and prevent serious complications , and improve patients’ quality of life.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the July issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover shows the World Hepatitis Day logo. Our first CE, “Viral Hepatitis: New U.S Screening Recommendations, Assessment Tools, and Treatments,” reviews new screening, assessment, and treatment recommendations for viral hepatitis. Our second CE, “Nursing Management of Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome,” gives an overview of this hereditary tissue disorder. The feature article “In the Community: Effective Collaboration Among Magnet Hospitals: A Win-Win for Nurses and Institutions” describes how six hospitals helped each other achieve and maintain Magnet recognition. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy and Clinical Editor Betsy Todd present the highlights of the June issue of the American Journal of Nursing. This month’s cover shows nurses at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute practicing mindfulness in a healing garden. Our first CE, “Early Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Dislodgment,” presents a real case of PEG tube dislodgement and subsequent sepsis leading to the patient’s death. Our second CE, “Epilepsy Update Part 2: Nursing Care and Evidence-Based Treatment,” addresses the most important aspects of assessing and caring for patients with epilepsy. The feature article “Cultivating Quality: Cultivating Mindfulness to Enhance Nursing Practice” describes a multifaceted mindfulness program introduced for members of a nursing team. And our “Culturally Competent Care: Using the ESFT Model in Nursing” article discusses the need for nurses to communicate effectively with diverse populations and how health care disparities can be reduced through culturally competent care. In addition, there’s News, Reflections, Drug Watch, Art of Nursing, and more.

Author Gigi Smith describes her article, the first in a two-part series on epilepsy, which discusses new research on the causes of epilepsy, new definitions that are changing the ways we evaluate the disease, and the psychosocial challenges faced by people who have it.