Adult Health Nursing

With a strong focus on medical-surgical content, this text emphasizes a comprehensive, contemporary approach to nursing management of the adult patient with a medical-surgical disorder. Presented in a format that gives equal attention to nursing management and associated pathophysiology of the disorder, the scope of care has been broadened to encompass home care, long-term care, and rehabilitation. Divided into 12 body system units (with two additional units covering pathophysiologic dimensions and adult health nursing and principles of perioperative nursing), each body system unit begins with a three-part assessment chapter, covering anatomy and physiology, assessment, and laboratory and diagnostic tests. Clinical management chapters include comprehensive discussion of common disorders, with equal coverage of the disease process and management. Nursing management is consistently covered in the nursing process format of assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning/expected outcomes, implementation, and evaluation/documentation. Continuity of care concludes each applicable nursing management section.

Consistent five-step nursing process format which aids in the development of a practice-oriented, problem- solving approach to patient care. Includes a separate heading for Continuity of Care that stresses the importance of the nurse's role in promoting the transition from patient care in the acute care setting to rehabilitation, long-term care, and home care settings. Nursing Care Plans use nursing diagnosis and expected outcomes as a format to guide the student in selecting interventions for patients with specific disorders. Patient Education Guides are included to provide students with critical information to include in teaching patients and their families about care of conditions. Geriatric Considerations boxes present information about older adult's special needs for nursing care. Critical Thinking Guides are designed to guide students through decision making about patients with specific clinical problems. Home Care Guides provide the student with more detailed plans to help the patient and family manage a condition in the home. Clinical Alert boxes highlight precautionary information. Research boxes help students apply current research findings to the patient care setting. Presents health promotion boxes to highlight important preventive health content.

Features full-colour design with colour-coded units for visual appeal and accessibility of material.

Features almost 900 full-colour photographs and line drawings to visually illustrate the most up-to-date physiology and pathophysiology.

Includes new boxes featuring nutrition content to emphasize the importance of proper nutrition in the management of the medical-surgical patient.

Organizes content with a dynamic design that visually separates the nursing management content from the disease process content to aid students in conceptualizing the difference between these two aspects of nursing.

Separates concepts chapters from main text to eliminate redundancy between content covered in the fundamentals course and in the medical-surgical course, content focuses on nursing care of adult patient that students need in their medical-surgical nursing course.

Thoroughly revised and updated content includes latest research, therapeutic techniques, and CDC guidelines to provide clinical currency.

Spanish version also available, ISBN: 84-8174-372-0