"The Nurse's Story" by Carol Gino

Please enjoy this republication of a previously published review of The Nurse's Story by my beloved colleague, Carol Gino.  

Book Review: "Dough Nation" by Nadine Grzeskowiak, RN

"Dough Nation" by Nadine Grzeskowiak, RN, is a memoir, medical confessional, investigative journalistic exploration, and fount of research and information about wheat and gluten, celiac disease, the vagaries of the wheat industry, and the ways in which science, economics, healthcare, and medicine have all conspired to confuse the public and cause great distress to those trying to improve their health by making informed choices. The subtitle of the book says it all: "A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease From Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism."

Book Review: "Celebrate Nursing" by Renee Thompson and Joanne Turka

Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CMSRN is a renowned nurse speaker, author, consultant and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Her work in the arena of understanding and preventing nurse bullying is profoundly informative and powerful. Renee has appeared on RNFMRadio numerous times, and she brings a level of emotional intelligence and intellectual prowess that is a true gift to nurses throughout the world. This is a review of her new book, co-written with Joanne Turka, MSN, RN-BC, CCRN.

Book Review: "The Call of Nursing"

"The Call Of Nursing: Stories From the Front Line of Health Care" by William B. Patrick, is a timely and precious book that highlights the diverse voices of nurses employed in various aspects of an equally diverse profession. Created from a massive undertaking of in-depth interviews with its subjects, this book is a honorable transcription of nurses' spoken narratives onto the page. These stories are a moving testament to the power of nursing, and the continued power of storytelling in the 21st century.

Book Review: "Hospice Voices"

Here on Digital Doorway, I've reviewed many books written by healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses. In contrast, "Hospice Voices: Lessons For Living at the End of Life" is a memoir written by a lay hospice volunteer who shares with us his moving story of spending time with those facing their mortality. It's a beautiful book, deeply instructive to the professional and layperson alike.

Journey to Joy Launches on June 6th!

On June 6th, a new book about joyful transformation for women will launch worldwide. I'm proud to say that my wife, the coach Mary Rives, is one of 35 fascinating and inspiring contributing authors to what will certainly prove to be an Amazon bestseller.

Book Review: Nursing 2013 Drug Handbook

I will begin this review with the disclosure that Publisher Wolters Kluwer contacted me through a marketing agent and requested that I post a review of their new Nursing 2013 Drug Handbook here on Digital Doorway. I did not receive financial compensation of any kind for this review, but did receive a free copy of the guide in order to facilitate the review process. I previously reviewed the Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook, and you can find that very popular review here.

"The "Twelve Rooms of the Nile"

Novels featuring nurses are not altogether rare, but a novel depicting the fictional meeting of the French writer Gustave Flaubert and a young Florence Nightingale amidst the ancient ruins of Egypt was unimaginable until author Enid Shomer brought this odd coupling to life. “The Twelve Rooms of the Nile” is a story-telling gem, and the fact that the publisher (Simon and Schuster) sent a review copy to this humble nurse blogger has proven to be a delight.

Book Review: "Reflections From Common Ground"

"Reflections From Common Ground: Cultural Awareness in Healthcare" by Beth Lincoln, MSN, RN, is a timely and important guide to developing and strengthening cultural competence in the arena of healthcare.

Book Review: "Social Media for Nurses"

Social media and the growth of the internet are more crucial to healthcare and the nursing profession than ever. The new book, "Social Media for Nurses: Educating Practitioners and Patients in a Networked World", is the perfect guide for nurses, nursing students and healthcare professionals who want to be well-informed on the ways that social media continues to change the healthcare landscape, and will continue to do so for years to come.

Book Review: "Last Acts of Kindness"

Judith Redwing Keysarr is the Director of Palliative and End of Life Care of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the San Fransisco Bay Area. Her book, “Last Acts of Kindness: Lessons for the Living From the Bedsides of the Dying” was recognized as the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year in 2011. Ms. Keysarr will appear as our guest onRN.FM Radio on Monday, November 26th, 2012. (As always, I received no compensation for this book review.) 

Book Review: "The Comfort Garden: Tales From the Trauma Unit"

Once in a while, a book comes along that makes one look long and hard at one's own relationship with work, the role of the caregiver, and the ways in which caring for others can take a toll on one's own personal and professional life. Laurie Barkin's "The Comfort Garden: Tales From the Trauma Unit" is a heartbreaking, inspiring and deeply thoughtful book that has done just that for me--and so much more.

Martine Ehrenclou and "The Take-Charge Patient"

Martine Ehrenclou is a well-known and talented writer whose books "Critical Conditions" and "The Take-Charge Patient" have received well-deserved attention and praise. I have been happy to become acquainted with Martine through our connections on social media, and I'm happy to provide this review of "The Take-Charge Patient", published by Lemon Grove Press in 2012. As always, I received no compensation for this post other than a review copy of the author's book.

Book Review: "Minding the Bedside"

Jerome Stone, a Registered Nurse, researcher, author and practitioner of meditation, has shared his vision of the intersection of nursing, meditation and mindfulness in his excellent book, "Minding the Bedside: Nursing From the Heart of the Awakened Mind". The following is a review posted in advance of his appearance on RN.FM Radio.

Book Review: "The Real Healthcare Reform"

Note: As with all of my book reviews here on Digital Doorway, I received no payment for this review other than a copy of the book from the authors in order to expedite the review process. 

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According to Linda Leekley, BS, RN and Stacey Turnure, RN--the authors of "The Real Healthcare Reform: How Embracing Civility Can Beat Back Burnout and Revive Your Healthcare Career"-- incivility "infects" healthcare workplaces in epidemic proportions. Based on that premise, the authors maintain that it is through embracing civility that true healthcare reform will take place.

RN.FM Radio is Truly Unleashed!

For those of you who follow Digital Doorway regularly, you've no doubt heard about RN.FM Radio, the new internet radio station that was founded by yours truly and two dynamic nurse colleagues early in 2012. The official moniker of the station, "RN.FM Radio: Nursing Unleashed", is an apt title as the show continues to draw high-quality guests and engender energetic and enlightening conversation.

Book Review: "The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill"

Disclaimer: As always, I received no payment for this book review, only a copy of the book from the author in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

"The Craft of Compassion at the Bedside of the Ill" is a poetic and moving discourse on compassion by nurse, author and medicine man Michael Ortiz Hill. In this stirring book, Mr. Hill presents his view of compassion as a craft that can be learned, honed and developed, a notion that many in the nursing and medical fields would be wise to heed.

Gender, Healthcare and Communication

Last night on RN.FM Radio during a discussion with Beth Boynton, the nurse author of "Confident Voices: The Nurses' Guide to Improving Communication and Creating Positive Workplaces", we touched on the subject of gender and its effects on communication. Countless books on communication between the sexes have been written---the ones most readily coming to mind being those by Deborah Tannen, including "You Just Don't Understand" and "That's Not What I Meant"---and I am keen to point out that there is currently no book on the market of which I am aware that specifically discusses the gender aspects of communication within healthcare.

Book Review: Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses, Twelfth Edition

As always, I begin my book reviews with the disclosure that I did not receive financial compensation of any kind for this review, but did receive a free copy of this drug guide from Majors Books in order to facilitate the review process.
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Some frequent readers of Digital Doorway will recall that I posted a review of the Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook on November 22nd of last year, and I was quite pleased with the overall layout and presentation of that particular drug guide for nurses. Since I happen to have both the Nursing 2012 Drug Guide and my review of said book in the forefront of my mind, the following review of Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses will be written as I take the differences and similarities between these two recently published drug guides for nurses into consideration.

General  layout


The 12th edition of Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses appears to be extremely similar to its brethren, both in size, layout and general offerings.

Both Davis's guide and Nursing 2012 use almost the exact same color scheme for their drug monograph pages, with slight differences in font size and type. I find Nursing 2012 slightly easier on the eye in terms of font choice, but Davis's is also relatively readable without strain.

Drug monograph layout

Comparing drug monograph layout, there is generally little difference between these nursing drug guides, but I will take the time to elucidate several small differences which may or may not have a great impact on the user.


If we consider indications and dosages, I appreciate that Nursing 2012 combines both of these attributes of every  drug at the beginning of each drug monograph, clearly delineating the pertinent details for both adults and children. Meanwhile, Davis's guide lists indications first and offers dosages and routes much later in each monograph. Personally, I prefer having the dosages and indications up front as soon as I begin reading about a drug, but the publishers and writers at Davis seem to feel that action, pharmacokinetics, contraindications and precautions, adverse reactions, side effects and interactions come first. I assume it is a matter of personal preference.

The Davis drug guide uses a red maple leaf symbol to specify medications that apply specifically to Canadian clinicians and nursing practice. This is a nice touch, and our Canadian brethren may very much appreciate this attention to detail on their behalf.

While Nursing 2012 uses boldly-lettered "Black Box Warnings" to indicate a warning that necessitates caution and attention, Davis prefers a red "High Alert" warning label.

Both books include the steps of the nursing process within the monographs, warnings regarding interactions of drugs with foods and herbs, and various aspects of IV medication administration. 

Drug photographs

Many drug guides now offer photographs of commonly used medications, and this can be an invaluable tool for identification of medications and patient education. Nursing 2012 offers a photo guide to 396 common tablets and capsules. The photographs are full color, life-size, alphabetized, and located in the center of the book. The edges of the pages are shaded a different color so that this section can be handily and quickly utilized.


Davis's Drug Guide offers photographs only of medications with "Tall Man Lettering Changes" which have been recently mandated by the FDA. There are 33 medications with look-alike names and spellings which have now been changed to identify them and reduce confusion and medication errors. Examples of these "Tall Man" lettering changes are CycloSPORINE and CycloSERINE or GlipiZIDE and GlyBURIDE.

While having these mandated changes delineated clearly for readers is an excellent edition that Nursing 2012 lacks, having photographs of only 33 medications compared to the 396 medications displayed photographically in the Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook leaves little room for comparison. Nursing 2012 wins hands down for its use of photographic images.

Of note, the photographs of the "Tall Man" drugs in Davis's book are lumped together with other sections of special information. The edges of the pages of all of these special information sections are shaded with the same color, thus the pages of medication photographs are awkward to find and consequently less than handy.


Digital Offerings

The Davis guide comes with a CD -ROM (compatible with both PC and Mac) that offers an audio library of drug names, a drug search program, updated tutorials on medication errors, wound care and psychotropic drugs, as well as calculators for BMI, metric conversions, IV drip rates, and other features. There is also a free mobile device download of 100 drug monographs and resources available online at DavisPLUS.

Meanwhile, Nursing 2012 delivers access to an online drug advisor, patient teaching sheets, CEUs, as as well as detailed monographs of every drug listed in the book and some medications not included in the print version. This can all mostly be downloaded or viewed on a mobile device. Still, I feel it would behoove the publishers of Nursing 2012 to consider the addition of a CD-ROM in subsequent editions.

The Summing Up

For overall readability, layout and design, I definitely prefer the Nursing 2012 Drug Handbook over Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses, Twelfth Edition. Nursing 2012's inclusion of far more photographic images of medications and its slightly better font choices make it preferable for me, however Davis's inclusion of the CD-ROM, Canadian specifications and "Tall Man" lettering changes mandated by the FDA are also important features to consider.

These two guides are quite comparable, and both offer nurses the information they need in not dissimilar formats and designs. In terms of most of the differences, personal preference may be the deciding factor for many nurses. And for those enamored of the photographic images of drugs, Nursing 2012 is the best choice. Still, a prudent nurse cannot go wrong with either guide, and both will certainly lend themselves to safer care, fewer medication errors, and nurses who have the information they need at their fingertips.

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If any readers of Digital Doorway would like a 10% discount on the Davis Drug Guide from Majors Books, please use the code "nursekeith" when checking out. This offer is valid for 30 days. I receive no compensation for sales of this book through Majors Books. This is simply a gift to my readers from me, and a thank you from Majors Books for the review. 

That said, the first commenter on this post who can tell me the name of two famous nursing theorists and their main theories of nursing will win a copy of Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses from me!  The winner will be announced within the "comments" section, and that individual will need to send their mailing address to kc@nursekeith.com.

Book Review: "Confident Voices" by Beth Boynton

A note to the reader: As always, I have received no remuneration for posting this book review. As a point of disclosure, I did, however, receive a free copy of the book from the author in order to facilitate the review process.

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"Confident Voices: The Nurse's Guide to Improving Communication and Creating Positive Workplaces", was published in 2009 by Beth Boynton, RN, MS and edited by Bonnie Kerrick, RN, BSN.

Summary

In Confident Voices, Boynton strives to give nurses the understanding and skills to navigate the workplace in a way that fosters improved communication, healthier workplaces and a more supportive and safe environment for them and their colleagues. Boynton achieves her goal, and delivers information that is useful, well-organized, easy to digest, and potentially possible to put into practice immediately.

The book walks the reader through three distinct sections covering various topics of interest to the nurse who wishes to work in an environment that supports positive relationships and respectful communication.

Part I addresses workplace dynamics, and identifies the characteristics of toxic workplaces, and delves into theories that explain human behavior, especially in the context of the workplace. Organizational culture is explained and dissected, and workplace violence---be it physical, verbal or emotional---is also addressed.

Part II is focused on "building assertiveness and respectful listening skills" and explores "strategies for creating organizational cultures where effective communication and respectful relationships can thrive".

Part III integrates the theories, insights and skills covered in Parts I and II in the context of nurses' experiences which were gleaned from interviews with nurses in the field. Common toxic behaviors are described and various revisions of the encounters in question are offered as examples of improved communication and healthier outcomes for all involved.

Discussion

Toxicity in the workplace is an important subject rarely given its due, and Boynton succeeds in communicating her mission clearly in this very useful book. We all know that the health care system is suffering from various forms of overload and dysfunction, and the result for nurses is that we often feel powerless in the face of old patriarchal systems of organization, entrenched methods of communication, and hierarchical relationships that apparently strip us of our power and leave us literally speechless in the face of workplace violence, bullying, top-down management, and organizational failure.

Boynton gives nurses concrete examples of common situations wherein nurses can practice their assertiveness and respectful communication skills. She also provides practical tools for nurses within a theoretical framework that takes into consideration the characteristics of toxic workplaces, the ways in which workplace violence impacts nurses, and how effective communication can cut through the static to a place of greater clarity, personal empowerment, and professional satisfaction.

In a future edition of "Confident Voices",  I would like to see the author make use of a more diverse selection of real-life scenarios in order to address potential gender and power issues that her examples fail to take into consideration.

Suggestions

The nurse interviews used in the book to illustrate Boynton's thesis all feature female nurses who are interacting with male physicians in the hospital setting. While this gender dynamic may be common (and may be a deeply and culturally embedded knee-jerk reaction when we think of "nurse and doctor") there are now a plethora of female physicians working alongside male nurses, and male nurses working alongside male physicians.

Additionally, it would be interesting to explore workplace dynamics when we consider male and female nurses working together, as well as combinations of male nurses alongside male nurses, and female nurses collaborating with female doctors. It could also be enlightening to explore the dynamics of workplace violence, bullying and communication when considering comparisons between male and female supervisors and administrators, and the ways in which gender differences impact communication in health care. Several books have been written about the effects of feminism on the nursing profession, most notably "Daring to Care: American Nursing and Second-Wave Feminism" by Susan Gelfand Malka. Perhaps an exploration combining the effects of feminism on nursing and changes in communication would be an interesting follow up to "Confident Voices".

Within "Confident Voices", Boynton also does not address cultural, ethnic and racial differences in communication that could greatly impact nurses and those who work in health care institutions. Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics and other groups may have cultural practices and norms vis-a-vis communication that differ widely from white American culture. From eye contact to body language, communication in the workplace also needs to take these differences into consideration.

My Recommendation

Overall, I would highly recommend "Confident Voices" to any nurse who wishes to improve his or her own communication skills, share those skills with colleagues, and attempt to understand organizational culture with an eye towards creating positive workplaces for all concerned.

On the Radio

Beth Boynton will be appearing as a guest on RN.FM Radio: Nursing Unleashed on March 12th, 2012 at 9pm EST. Please tune in and you will be able to call into the show and ask Beth questions about her work as a nurse, writer, and workplace communication expert.