Abstract

The most valuable texts of 2006, as chosen by AJN's panel of judges.

 

Article Content

ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING

Chosen by M. Terese Verklan, PhD, CCNS, RNC, associate professor, neonatal clinical nurse specialist, School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

 

1. Clinical Manual for the Oncology Advanced Practice Nurse Edited by Dawn Camp-Sorrell and Rebecca A. Hawkins. 2nd edition. Pittsburgh, Oncology Nursing Society.Useful for both academic and clinical advanced practice nurses, this multidisciplinary text outlines the pathophysiology of cancer, as well as comorbidities and treatments.

 

* Functions as a reference and a teaching tool

  
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* Focuses on the provision of care across the entire cancer spectrum

 

* Discusses how treatment affects other medical conditions

 

2. Forensic Nursing: A Handbook for PracticeEdited by Rita M. Hammer, Barbara Moynihan, and Elaine M. Pagliaro. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.Integrating theoretical, clinical, and legal topics, the authors present a lively overview of an important emerging field.

 

* Explores the link between patient care and criminal prosecution.

 

* Illustrates aspects of forensics including investigation, evidence collection, and photography

 

* Points to the relevance of forensics to disasters and computer crimes

 

3. School Nursing: A Comprehensive TextEdited by Janice Selekman. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis.Considering such concerns as violence in the schools, this well-organized text is likely to have an impact on the work of school nurses.

 

* Sorts out the various elements affecting school nurses: the law, the school administration, economics, and the family.

 

* Discusses children's health in sections devoted to the well child, acute and chronic illness, and behavior

 

* Examines health service management in schools

 

 

COMMUNITY-PUBLIC HEALTH

Chosen by Karen Cassidy, EdD, MSN, MBA, RN, manager, dementia unit, Nazareth Home, Louisville, KY

 

1. Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-Oriented PracticeBy Marcia Stanhope and Jeanette Lancaster. 2nd edition. St. Louis, Mosby Elsevier.This is a good resource for both practicing nurses and students, emphasizing prevention and evidence-based practice.

 

* Examines such critical topics as vulnerable populations, bioterrorism, and homeland security

  
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* Provides information on index cards for use in the clinic

 

* Includes exercises for sharpening problem-solving skills, as well as cross- references to additional resources

 

2. Health Promotion Throughout the Life SpanBy Carole Lium Edelman and Carol Lynn Mandle. 6th edition. St. Louis, Mosby Elsevier.This volume addresses health and prevention for all ages and populations.

 

* Calls attention to multicultural concerns

 

* Uses the framework of Gordon's functional health patterns for assessment

 

* Offers care plans and helpful tips appropriate for students

 

3. International Public Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems, and PoliciesEdited by Michael H. Merson, Robert E. Black, and Anne J. Mills. 2nd edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.The authors highlight the greatest global public health challenges-reproductive health, infectious disease, and nutrition-and offer possible solutions.

 

* Provides case studies and discussion questions for each chapter

 

* Emphasizes the role of agencies in health policy

 

* Contains tables and maps to illustrate the scope of global public health issues

 

 

CONSUMER HEALTH

Chosen by Nancy Evans, BS, health science consultant, San Francisco

 

1. Multiple Sclerosis: A Guide for FamiliesBy Rosalind C. Kalb. 3rd edition. New York, Demos Medical.The many emotional, cognitive, sexual, and family issues involved in living with multiple sclerosis are examined in this up-to-date and clearly written text.

 

* Provides practical advice on topics such as making the most of physician visits and evaluating long-term care options

  
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* Offers clinical and practical experience from patients living with the disease

 

* Presents information in a format that's more accessible to the visually impaired

 

2. Alzheimer's Disease: A Handbook for Caregivers, Family and FriendsBy Patricia R. Callone, Barbara C. Vasiloff, Connie Kudlacek, Janaan Manternach, and Roger A. Brumback. New York, Demos Medical.This practical, insightful resource examines, credibly and with compassion, the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer disease.

 

* Provides possible solutions to common problems of caregiving

 

* Simplifies complex concepts and analyzes various caregiving styles

 

* Emphasizes nurturing rather than mourning the individual

 

3. Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple SclerosisBy Jeffrey N. Gingold. New York, Demos Medical.The author gives a concise and riveting first-person account of the cognitive effects of multiple sclerosis.

 

* Explains how to obtain appropriate professional and personal support

 

* Recommends strategies for handling cognitive disabilities

 

* Places multiple sclerosis in a human, rather than clinical, context

 

 

CRITICAL CARE-EMERGENCY NURSING

Chosen by Polly Gerber Zimmermann, MS, MBA, RN, CEN, FAAN, assistant professor, Harry S. Truman College, Chicago

 

1. Critical Care Nursing SecretsBy Hildy M. Schell and Kathleen A. Puntillo. 2nd edition. St. Louis, Mosby Elsevier.A book for generalists and specialists, novices and experienced nurses, this updated edition has nine new chapters.

 

* Shares the best "tricks of the trade" in question-and-answer format

  
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* Clarifies essential information for critical care patient management

 

* Serves as a useful review for certification in critical care nursing

 

2. AACN Protocols for Practice: Care of Mechanically Ventilated PatientsEdited by Suzanne Burns. 2nd edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.This is a welcome, authoritative, and evidence-based reference on the care of patients on mechanical ventilation.

 

* Discusses occupational hazards, ethical considerations, and competency issues

 

* Ranks recommendations and is a needed step toward nationwide standardization

 

* Includes an annotated bibliography

 

3. Nurse's Clinical Pocket GuideBy Ehren Myers. 2nd edition. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis.For its breadth and depth in covering the whole spectrum of care-from routine to emergency-this easily accessible resource is recommended.

 

* Covers standardized tools and assessment guides

 

* Is compact and has color-coordinated sections and wipeable pages

 

* Provides helpful illustrations

 

 

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Chosen by H. Robert Kolb, RN, BS, CCRC, research subject advocate, University of Florida, Gainesville

 

1. Radiation Oncology Nurses Enhancing Excellence (RONEE)Edited by Marilyn L. Haas. Pittsburgh, Oncology Nursing Society.Using audiovisuals and online interactivity, this excellent eight-CD set explores the management of symptoms that may result from radiation therapy. It's also designed for continuing education credit.

 

* Provides rich opportunities for learning through multimedia applications

  
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* Imparts information in ways similar to those used in online courses

 

* Supports the highest professional nursing society standardsIndividualized Healthcare Plans for the School NurseEdited by Cynthia Silkworth and Martha Arnold. North Branch, MN, Sunrise River Press.Silkworth and Arnold's book and software program guide school nurses in the development of health care plans with nursing diagnosis, goals, interventions, and outcomes.

 

* Includes chapters on evidence-based practice, standardized nursing language, privacy issues, and special education.

 

* Examines the burdens borne by the homeless, immigrants, refugees, and the medically fragile

 

* Creates care plans automatically

 

 

GERONTOLOGIC NURSING

Chosen by Carla Graf, MS, RN, APRN, BC, geriatric clinical nurse specialist, University of California, San Francisco

 

1. Vulnerable Older Adults: Health Care Needs and InterventionsEdited by Patricia M. Burbank. New York, Springer.In the interdisciplinary care of the frail elderly, this theory-based resource will prove invaluable.

 

* Explores the problems of older adults marginalized by poverty, incarceration, or HIV infection

  
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* Suggests interventions across all levels of care

 

* Highlights the need for policymaking and advocacy

 

2. An Evidence-Based Approach to the Treatment and Care of the Older Adult with CancerEdited by Diane G. Cope and Anne M. Reb. Pittsburgh, Oncology Nursing Society.The authors discuss cancer in this population, providing resources on risk factors, screening, diagnosis, treatment, pain, and symptom management.

 

* Offers spiritual, legal, ethical, and complementary care options

 

* Provides specific information about the effects of a variety of cancers on older people

 

* Features assessment instruments and discusses treatments

 

3. Handbook of Geriatric AssessmentEdited by Joseph J. Gallo, Hillary R. Bogner, Terry Fulmer, and Gregory J. Paveza. 4th edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.This text discusses how to assess activities of daily living and cognitive and psychological disorders, as well as how to use tools for assessing pain, elder abuse, and substance abuse.

 

* Presents instruments for use in many aspects of geriatrics

 

* Describes how to use a team approach to manage older adults

 

* Includes a chapter on disaster preparedness and response for this population

 

 

HISTORY AND PUBLIC POLICY

Chosen by Sean Clarke, PhD, RN, CRNP, assistant professor and associate director, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia

 

1. Founding Friends: Families, Staff and Patients at the Friends Asylum in Early Nineteenth-Century PhiladelphiaBy Patricia D'Antonio. Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University Press.Using the diaries of superintendents, D'Antonio examines the history and moral underpinnings of a Quaker-run mental health care facility. An exemplary piece of scholarship.

 

* Discusses the roles of the family and politics in treating the mentally ill

  
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* Gives historical insight into modern mental health care

 

* Addresses the need for compassion in individual and institutional care

 

2. Nurses on the Move: Migration and the Global Health Care EconomyBy Mireille Kingma. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.Kingma provides a panoramic overview of trends in the migration of nurses, including issues of supply and demand, global health care quality, and international regulations.

 

* Investigates the effects of patterns of nurses' migration on health care

 

* Examines how to ensure the safety and quality of nursing care worldwide

 

* Raises ethical questions about the recruitment of nurses in a competitive market

 

3. From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the PublicBy Bernice Buresh and Suzanne Gordon. 2nd edition. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.The stereotypical images of nurses have muted the profession, the authors argue, rather than encouraged nurses' advocacy on its behalf. They urge nurses to articulate their position in a positive light to patients, colleagues, and the media.

 

* Functions as an instruction manual, presenting effective ways for nurses to communicate

 

* Offers thought-provoking analysis to inspire and challenge nurses to publicly support their profession

 

 

MATERNAL-CHILD NURSING AND CHILDBIRTH

Chosen by Anita Catlin, DNSc, FNP, FAAN, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, and Andrea Hall-Miller, MA, RN, CLS, Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa Medical Center, Santa Rosa, CA

 

1. Essentials of Maternity, Newborn, and Women's Health NursingBy Susan Scott Ricci. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.Appropriate for any nurse, this excellent reference includes a glossary, assessment forms, and acronyms for essential interventions.

 

* Includes comprehensive references and relevant Web sites

  
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* Provides a CD-ROM and sample NCLEX questions

 

* Offers evidence-based guidelines for the maternity nurse

 

2. School Nursing: A Comprehensive TextEdited by Janice Selekman. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis.Chapters cover topics including the history and theory of school nursing, law, ethics, research, and diseases that a school nurse might encounter.

 

* Addresses mental health, learning disabilities, and childhood obesity

 

* Highlights management of a school clinic

 

* Examines problems such as bullying and violence

 

3. Nursing Excellence for Children and FamiliesEdited by Martha Craft Rosenberg and Marilyn J. Krajicek. New York, Springer.This work of the Child-Family Expert Panel from the American Academy of Nursing examines the assumptions and values of nurses who care for children.

 

* Advises on assisting the child within the context of the family

 

* Underscores such issues as access to care, culturally responsible care, and family partnerships

 

* Includes a case study in each chapter

 

 

MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING

Chosen by Anne E. Belcher, PhD, RN, AOCN, CNE, FAAN, senior associate dean for academic affairs, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore

 

1. Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and ChildrenBy Kathryn L. McCance and Sue E. Huether. 5th edition. St. Louis, Elsevier Mosby.Extensively updated, this edition details both normal and abnormal processes for all body systems.

 

* Covers gene-environment interactions, cellular mechanisms of defense, and cellular proliferation (cancer)

  
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* Contains many beautiful illustrations

 

* Features a 1,200-term glossary, a companion CD and workbook for instructors, an electronic resource CD, and access to Evolve (an online resource coordinated with the text)

 

2. Advanced Assessment: Interpreting Findings and Formulating Differential DiagnosesBy Mary Jo Goolsby and Laurie Grubbs. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis.This volume aims to help the advanced practice nurse home in on a most-likely diagnosis in a patient with a variety of signs and symptoms.

 

* Focuses on special populations, including the elderly and young pregnant women

 

* Includes a full-color insert of dermatologic conditions

 

* Outlines chief complaints commonly associated with each body or organ system

 

3. Palliative Care Nursing: Quality Care to the End of LifeBy Marianne LePorte Matzo and Deborah Witt Sherman. 2nd edition. New York, Springer.The authors frame each chapter using the palliative care nursing competencies by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to discuss how nurses can best assist patients and families at the end of life.

 

* Includes self-assessment exercises

 

* Provides guidelines beneficial to students, educators, and nurses

 

* Focuses on holistic care of the very ill

 

 

NURSING EDUCATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

Chosen by Nancy R. Ahern, MSN, RN, instructor, University of Central Florida, Orlando

 

1. Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: A Guide for Academic and Clinical SettingsEdited by Rona F. Levin and Harriet R. Feldman. New York, Springer.This compilation of strategies for nurse educators will help them provide students and nurses with the knowledge they need to practice evidence-based nursing.

 

* Discusses the theory and application of teaching evidence-based practice

  
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* Illustrates teaching strategies with concrete examples

 

* Suggests ways to transform the nursing curriculum

 

2. Clinical Instruction and Evaluation: A Teaching ResourceBy Andrea B. O'Connor. 2nd edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.This resource presents theoretical and practical information for clinical instruction and evaluation in all settings, using tables, figures, and strategies to assist educators.

 

* Provides strategies for addressing challenging student situations

 

* Offers useful clinical resources for nursing education

 

3. School Nursing: A Comprehensive TextEdited by Janice Selekman. Philadelphia, F. A. Davis.This well-organized reference addresses the roles and functions of the school nurse, legal concerns, the well child, episodic illness, chronic conditions, high-risk behaviors, and health services management.

 

* Includes bulleted lists, tables, graphics, references, and Web sites

 

* Outlines credentials and training required to meet the demands of the subspecialty

 

* Written in collaboration with the National Association of School Nurses

 

 

NURSING MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

Chosen by Joanne Disch, PhD, RN, FAAN, Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership and associate professor, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

 

1. Nurses on the Move: Migration and the Global Health Care EconomyBy Mireille Kingma. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.Kingma's thought-provoking analysis of the issues related to nursing migration provides an international perspective.

 

* Introduces new terms (most notably "brain circulation," "brain drain," and "brain gain") and concepts related to global migration

  
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* Analyzes such issues as vested interests and the business side of migration

 

2. Beyond Leading and Managing: Nursing Administration for the FutureBy Patricia S. Yoder-Wise and Karren E. Kowalski. St. Louis, Mosby Elsevier.The authors approach the topic of nursing administration from a contemporary perspective, using commentaries from respected leaders in the field.

 

* Discusses administrative theory, finances, and quality of care

 

* Includes exercises and tools to enhance learning

 

3. Accounting Fundamentals for Health Care ManagementBy Steven A. Finkler and David M. Ward. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.This text describes in an understandable manner complex, critically important concepts of accounting as they relate to the health care management field.

 

* Illustrates concepts with applications and examples

 

* Introduces vocabulary, tools, and ideas used in health care management

 

* Provides helpful definitions, charts and tables, applications, and examples

 

 

NURSING RESEARCH

Chosen by Wendy C. Budin, PhD, RN, BC, associate dean, Graduate Nursing Programs and Research, College of Nursing, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

 

1. Encyclopedia of Nursing ResearchEdited by Joyce J. Fitzpatrick and Meredith Wallace. 2nd edition. New York, Springer.A comprehensive, concise, and authoritative guide, this book is for those interested in understanding, using, or conducting nursing research.

 

* Contains a subject index and cross-references

  
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* Presents a broad range of topics discussed by experts in the field

 

2. Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based PracticeBy Geri LoBiondo-Wood and Judith Haber. 6th edition. St. Louis, Mosby Elsevier.An updated classic, this text looks into traditional research methods and quantitative and qualitative approaches to clinical practice.

 

* Uses recent research to highlight research concepts

 

* Includes chapters on learning outcomes and critical thinking challenges

 

3. Basic Steps in Planning Nursing Research: From Question to ProposalBy Marilynn J. Wood and Janet C. Ross-Kerr. 6th edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.Step-by-step guidelines are presented for developing a methodologically sound research proposal, from how to choose a topic to completing the proposal.

 

* Demonstrates how decisions at each stage affect subsequent steps in the research

 

* Provides examples of research studies to highlight a variety of research designs

 

* Gives examples of completed studies that used a variety of research designs and methods

 

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ISSUES

Chosen by Pamela J. Haylock, MA, RN, oncology consultant, and doctoral student at University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, Medina, TX

 

1. Integrative Health Promotion: Conceptual Bases for Nursing PracticeBy Susan Kun Leddy. 2nd edition. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.The second edition asks nurses to challenge the current meaning of "health."

 

* Depicts differences between nursing and other health care professions

  
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* Examines cultural, ethical, and legal influences on nursing interventions

 

2. Nurses on the Move: Migration and the Global Health Care EconomyBy Mireille Kingma. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.A thoroughly researched and thoughtful exploration of the complex issues of globalization and its effects on nursing, the global nursing shortage, and the migration of nurses.

 

* Examines nurse migration as a professional career choice

 

* Discusses the ideas held on the subject by such global entities as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund

 

* Prompts creative solutions to improve access to health promotion

 

3. Teaching Cultural Competence in Nursing and Health Care: Inquiry, Action, and InnovationBy Marianne R. Jeffreys. New York, Springer.A guide to cultural competence, a tool for measuring and evaluating learning, and a means for identifying at-risk patients.

 

* Facilitates development of cultural competence

 

* Supports major concepts with evidence

 

* Provides varied techniques for teaching and case studies

 

 

PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

Chosen by Karen A. Ballard, MA, RN, nurse consultant, New York City

 

1. Psychosocial Nursing Care Along the Cancer ContinuumEdited by Rose Mary Carroll-Johnson, Linda M. Gorman, and Nancy Jo Bush. Pittsburgh, Oncology Nursing Society.A diagnosis of cancer can have profound psychosocial implications; the authors discuss coping strategies.

 

* Illuminates ethical issues such as informed consent and assisted suicide

  
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* Addresses communication, crisis intervention, and the mind-body connection

 

* Raises issues such as clinical trials, genetic testing, and stem cell transplantation

 

2. Counseling Children and Adolescents Through Grief and LossBy Jody J. Fiorini and Jodi Ann Mullen. Champaign, IL, Research Press.Children and adolescents experience many losses and griefs, and this volume presents thoughtful discussion on the myths associated with such loss.

 

* Examines the impact of religion, family, and a person's sex on grief

 

* Provides information on interpersonal, developmental, and stigmatizing losses

 

* Uses illustrative case studies

 

3. Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Clinician's GuideBy Cheryl Tatano Beck and Jeanne Watson Driscoll. Sudbury, MA, Jones and Bartlett.This book presents diagnostic criteria, screening tools, and treatment suggestions for mood and anxiety disorders women experience postpartum.

 

* Employs the earthquake assessment model and others

 

* Examines anxiety, depression, psychosis, bipolar disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder

 

 

PUBLIC INTEREST and CREATIVE WORKS*

Chosen by Donna Diers, PhD, RN, FAAN, Annie W. Goodrich Professor Emerita, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, CT

 

1. The Poetry of Nursing: Poems and Commentaries of Leading Nurse-PoetsEdited by Judy Schaefer. Kent, OH, Kent State University Press.This unusually rich poetry anthology gives life to varying experiences of patients and nurses.

 

* Includes narratives on the poets' own creative process

  
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* Makes an excellent gift for nurses

 

 

*Only one title chosen.[Context Link]