World Wide Web search tools

This article describes and compares five popular general search tools and two popular general metasearch tools. The tools and their related files in February 1998 are the source of information and illustrations. A MEDLINE(R) search no longer guarantees retrieval of the most current, relevant, appropriate, and useful information. To meet demands for current information, the World Wide Web (WWW) must be searched. However, the enormous size of the WWW makes finding relevant information a difficult task. Fortunately, there are many automated search tools that can assist in locating relevant information quickly. Choosing the most appropriate tool depends on the type of information being sought.

Changes in bacterial flora associated with skin damage on hands of health care personnel

In a prospective observational study of 40 nurses (20 with diagnosed hand irritation and 20 without), nurses with damaged hands did not have higher microbial counts (P = .63), but did have a greater number of colonizing species (means: 3.35 and 2.63, P = .03). Although numbers were small, nurses with damaged hands were significantly more likely to be colonized with Staphylococcus hominis (P = .03). Fifty-nine percent of S hominis isolates from nurses with damaged hands were resistant to methicillin compared with 27% of isolates from those with healthy skin (P = .14). Twenty percent of nurses with damaged hands were colonized with Staphylococcus aureus compared with none of the nurses with normal hands (P = .11). Nurses with damaged hands were also twice as likely to have gram-negative bacteria (P = .20), entercocci (P = .13), and Candida (P = .30) present on the hands. Antimicrobial resistance of the coagulase-negative staphylococcal flora (with the exception of S hominis) did not differ between the 2 groups, nor did a trend toward increasing resistance exist when compared with other studies during the past decade. Skin moisturizers and protectant products were used almost universally by nurses at work, primarily products brought from home. Efforts to improve hand condition are warranted because skin damage can change microbial flora. Such efforts should include assessment or monitoring of hand care practices, formal institutional policy adoption and control of use of skin protectant products or lotions, and prudent use of latex gloves or more widespread use of powder-free and nonlatex products.

Noun phrases for nursing diagnoses

TOPIC

The use of noun phrases for nursing diagnoses instead of the current mixture of phrases and clauses

PURPOSE

This article reviews the current list of qualifiers; discusses language clarity, precision, grammatical concerns; and defines noun phrases.

SOURCE

Literature review

CONCLUSIONS

The author proposes a list of qualifiers to replace the current list, and recommends a revised list of nursing diagnoses using noun phrases to improve their clinical usefulness, allow for alphabetization, and enhance clarity.

Using the Internet for nursing administration

The Internet offers unique communication opportunities that can be used advantageously by nurse administrators. The Internet supports electronic mail, file transfer protocol, telnet, Gopher, and World Wide Web protocols. Examples of nursing administration resources for each protocol are given. Issues involving the Internet include quality of the resource, confidentiality and privacy, taking advantage of the vision and support of nurse executives, licensure and reimbursement.

Use of the Internet for infection control and epidemiology

Infection control professionals are taking advantage of the Internet for the rapid transmission and distribution of information that includes sounds, still and motion images, and text to their peers, colleagues, patients, and the public. This article provides some background information on the Internet and examples of some electronic resources and offers suggestions of additional applications of the Internet for infection control and epidemiology.

Using the Internet for urology nursing

Nurses can take advantage of the Internet for information on diseases, diagnosis, and treatment, patient teaching, and collaboration with colleagues. The Internet is briefly described in this article. Several specific Internet addresses are given. Issues such as quality of resources, confidentiality and privacy, professional licensure and reimbursement of services rendered, and cost are discussed. Search tools for finding information you want on the Internet are included.

Modification of the diagnostic content validity model

Diagnostic content validation of nursing diagnoses is a recommended means to confirm the defining characteristics necessary to establish a specific nursing diagnosis. The diagnostic content validity model has been used in numerous studies to develop lists of major and minor defining characteristics recommended by experts as being present in patients with specific diagnoses. The authors provide an overview of the diagnostic content validity model, review the meaning and purposes of content validity, discuss problems with information processing, and suggest revisions to the diagnostic content validity model. Incorporation of these changes may improve the usability of nursing diagnoses in clinical practice, education, and research.

Educational Technology Network: a computer conferencing system dedicated to applications of computers in radiology practice, research, and education

Educational Technology Network (ET Net) is a free, easy to use, on-line computer conferencing system organized and funded by the National Library of Medicine that is accessible via the SprintNet (SprintNet, Reston, VA) and Internet (Merit, Ann Arbor, MI) computer networks. It is dedicated to helping bring together, in a single continuously running electronic forum, developers and users of computer applications in the health sciences, including radiology. ET Net uses the Caucus computer conferencing software (Camber-Roth, Troy, NY) running on a microcomputer. This microcomputer is located in the National Library of Medicine's Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications and is directly connected to the SprintNet and the Internet networks. The advanced computer conferencing software of ET Net allows individuals who are separated in space and time to unite electronically to participate, at any time, in interactive discussions on applications of computers in radiology. A computer conferencing system such as ET Net allows radiologists to maintain contact with colleagues on a regular basis when they are not physically together. Topics of discussion on ET Net encompass all applications of computers in radiological practice, research, and education. ET Net has been in successful operation for 3 years and has a promising future aiding radiologists in the exchange of information pertaining to applications of computers in radiology.

Electronic networking for nurses

Electronic networks can provide access to other nurses locally and around the world via electronic mail and on-line interactions. Networks can give nurses access to information and to the data that are processed and stored in computers in their own facility and in computers at remote sites. The major international networks, Internet, FidoNet, and BITNET each offer these opportunities. In addition, Internet, the network most useful to nurses, allows access to Sigma Theta Tau's International Nursing Library, E.T.Net, and the MEDLARS family of bibliographic data bases. Taking advantage of the services and resources networks offer can facilitate nursing practice, education, and research.

Clinical validation of pressure ulcer risk factors

The maintenance of skin integrity is considered to be a survival need in the human need nursing framework. Risk factors for the nursing diagnosis High Risk For Impaired Skin Integrity: Pressure Ulcer were identified in a diagnostic content validity study. The purpose of this study was to use a pressure ulcer risk assessment instrument based on results of that study. The clinical validation model was used to analyze the ulcer risk factor cluster present in a sample of older adults residing in two nursing homes in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. A convenience sample of 108 residents were each assessed independently by two research assistants. Interrater reliability of the instrument was 93 percent. There were eight risk factors present in more than 60 percent of the subjects in the pressure ulcer group; six in the high risk group, and five in the low risk group. Findings suggest that three factors may be the best discriminators for pressure ulcer risk: (1) friction, (2) being dependent in self-care, and (3) being confined to bed/chair.

Nurse validation of pressure ulcer risk factors for a nursing diagnosis

The nursing diagnosis "Potential Impaired Skin Integrity: Pressure Ulcer" provides a model for determining pressure ulcer risk. This article describes assessment parameters and risk factors that may be useful in the assessment of pressure ulcer risk. Results of a diagnostic content validity study of this diagnosis conducted by the author (Sparks, 1990) are presented.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine: a worldwide nursing resource

The National Library of Medicine, the world's largest library of the health sciences, will celebrate this year the 150th anniversary of its founding. The Library's material and its information services may be used by nurses and other health professional and health science students throughout the world.