nursing concepts: oxygenation
TRANSCRIPT
International Journal of Nursing Practice
2002;
8
: 342
Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKIJNInternational Journal of Nursing Practice1322-71142002 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
86December 2002388
Book ReviewsBook Reviews
10.1046/j.1322-7114.2002.00388.xBook Review342 BEES SGML
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B O O K R E V I E W
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Nursing Concepts: Oxygenation.
Lisa KennedyShelton (2001). Slack Inc, Thorofare, NJ, USA. 225pages, $US23.95, ISBN 1-55642-523-6
This text is one of a series of Nursing Concepts and isaimed both at nursing students and practising nurses.Other titles in the series include Mobility, SymptomManagement in the Acute Care Setting, and Ethics andConflict. On that basis, it is unclear what the overall scopeof the series is intended to achieve.
The title of this text both undersells and correctlydescribes the content; in discussing oxygenation, the textincludes chapters on the cardiovascular and haematologi-cal systems as well as the more obvious in-depth review ofthe respiratory system. This approach would assist the stu-dent to grasp the holistic, inter-related nature of the bodysystems. At first glance, this is a useful approach. How-ever, the content is not sufficient for a student at any levelto use this as a main source of reference.
The text is surprisingly comprehensive in some areas,for example descriptions of preload and stroke volume inthe cardiovascular chapter. Similarly, the chapters onassessment of the respiratory and cardiovascular systemsare thorough. However, some sections do suffer from alack of balance, for example the section on mechanicalventilation gives over emphasis to negative pressure ven-tilation (the ‘iron lung’ type ventilator) but no mentionis made of Non-Invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation(NIPPV), the mainstay of contemporary oxygenationtherapy for many patients with respiratory failure.
The author uses clear diagrams to explain proceduresand aspects of nursing assessment (e.g. JVP measure-ment); however, the depth is limited for the registerednurse, who would need to refer to other texts for greaterdetail. Patient scenarios are used throughout; these suc-ceed in capturing the readers attention and also provideclinical application for the main text. Each chapter con-cludes with a small multiple-choice questions self-test.
The usefulness of the text is limited by the use of a bib-liography at the end of each chapter, rather than direct ref-erences. As a result, some unsubstantiated claims aremade by the author, for example, ‘research has beenunable to identify any parameters that can predict weaningsuccess’. This approach is unhelpful for any reader, par-ticularly students and clinicians who are encouraged toexplore the evidence base of material presented as ‘bestpractice’.
This text is suitable for both quick reference andgeneral interest reading. I would recommend the text forstudents, although the cross-systems approach limits itsusefulness to a library loan rather than purchase. Regis-tered nurses would find the text helpful to refresh previ-ous learning but would, I suspect, be frustrated by thelack of depth.
Ruth Endacott
Professor of Clinical Nursing,
La Trobe University,
Melbourne, Australia