Clinical Decision Making for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners

ISBN: 9781284065800
ISBN-10: 1284065804
Copyright: 2017
Edition: 1st
Author: Thanavaro, Joanne L. , Moore, Karen S. ,
Doody's Expert Review    Score: 93
Reviewer: Sharon Thomas,  BSN  (University of Missouri)
Description
Organized using a systems-based approach, this book is an excellent tool to help nurse practitioners develop evidence-based clinical decisions. It uses case studies and common scenarios to help practitioners and students determine courses of treatment leading to good patient outcomes.
Purpose
The authors wrote the book because of their work with nurse practitioner students who "struggled with putting all the pieces together" when making clinical decisions. Each case study lists physical exam data and then questions what other data is needed and guides students in a systematic way to explore options based on additional data.
Audience
While the stated intent is to assist nurse practitioner students and practicing nurse practitioners to make improved decisions, the book is very informative and could be useful in helping nurses working in both acute and long-term care to develop treatment and care plans that address the needs of patients for whom they care.
Features
Focusing on 13 primary care areas including some body systems, men's, women's, and psychiatric disorders, and geriatric issues, the book uses a variety of case studies in each section to provide a diverse learning experience. Each section presents a history and physical exam, a discussion of others needed, a differential diagnostic list, and a guide through a treatment plan. Each scenario also has recommendations for appropriate charting. There are excellent guidelines and information tables to support decision making. For example, there is a table showing the Classification of Asthma Severity from the national Asthma Education and Prevention Program in the section on common respiratory disorders. Another feature of the book is the appendix, where readers can test their grasp of each area through questions and answers. At the end of each section, the correct answers and rationales are given. The only shortcoming is that the excellent tables are not in a separate index. This would make the reference material more easily accessible.
Assessment
Because of its organization and devotion to evidence-based practice, this book is an excellent tool for many levels of nursing. It is a valuable resource for developing critical thinking skills and determining good patient care outcomes. I like the holistic approach and the practical nature of each scenario. The authors have done an excellent job of giving reasons for each step in the process, thereby establishing a very solid framework for planning care and optimizing follow-through.
Review Questionnaire
Range Question Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 4
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. N/A
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. N/A
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 8
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? N/A