San Francisco: UCSF
Nursing Press; 2004.
ISBN: 0-943671-21-3.
1024 pages; $100.00 (Paperback) |
Women's
Primary Health Care: Protocols for Practice
2nd edition
| to pdf >>
Winifred
L Star, Lisa L Lommel, and Maureen T Shannon, editors
Review by Allison Waczek, MSN, FNP
|
As nurse
practitioners continue to expand their role in medicine, protocols for
guiding practice are paramount. Each state governs and defines a nurse's
scope of practice; the State of California defines this scope in the
Nurse Practice Act.1 In the book Women's Primary Heath
Care: Protocols for Practice, written by Winifred Star, RNP, Lisa
Lommel, FNP, and Maureen Shannon, FNP, the authors set out to develop
practice guidelines that are conventionally comprehensive but also include
such sensitive topics as lesbian health, sexual abuse, and violence.
The disease-specific protocols presented in the book emphasize women's
health with the intention that they be used as guidelines for practice.
The authors have accomplished this tall task masterfully.
The title
Women's Primary Health Care is slightly misleading: Although
the focus is on women's health, many of the disease-treatment protocols
listed in the book are pertinent to men's health as well. Nonetheless,
in each section of the book, the authors do use a wonderful technique
of focusing on pathophysiology specific for women as compared with men.
This technique was executed particularly well when discussing cardiovascular
disorders--and specifically angina, a condition whose frequently late
or misdiagnosis in women can result in a negative clinical outcome.
This book
is filled with the latest information that would delight any nurse practitioner--whether
student, beginning, or seasoned practitioner. Each section has a familiar
narrative flow that begins with the pathophysiology of the disease followed
by a SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) format, advice regarding
when to consult a mentor, important reminders regarding patient education,
and an extensive bibliography. The book is filled with evidence-based
treatment plans that are supported by a bibliography that enables the
practitioner to investigate further as needed. However, although this
extensive book of protocols certainly offers some useful benefit for
any reader, seasoned nurse practitioners might find that the book contains
more information than they need. I therefore see this book as applicable
mainly for nursing programs throughout the country: The book provides
a great framework for practice and can serve as a multipurpose resource.
Because no protocol for nursing practice should replace the sound clinical
judgment necessary in each case, this book can be considered a fine
adjunct to both common sense and sound medical advice.
I suggest
that future editions consider including a section on obesity in the
category of behavioral disorders. Whether obesity is conceived as a
disease or as a physical sign, we can agree that the incidence of obesity--and
its frequent sequelae, heart disease and diabetes--is increasing and
therefore warrants discussion of treatment and prevention. In the current
edition of the book, obesity is discussed in the Cardiovascular Disorders
section as a comorbid condition; placing it in the Eating Disorders
section might be more appropriate.
Overall,
this book is excellently written and edited, focusing and expanding
on the health and well-being of women. I look forward to adding it to
my resource library for future use; I only wish that I had access to
it when I was in nursing school.
Reference
- Official
California legislative information. California business and professions
code. Chapter 6. Nursing [homepage on the Internet]. [cited 2005 Jan
19]. Available from: www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=bpc&codebody=&hits=20.
Allison
Waczek, MSN, FNP, graduated from the
San Diego State University School of Nursing and from the nurse practitioner
program at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
She has worked for Kaiser Permanente for 16 years and currently works
in the Department of Preventive Medicine at KP San Diego. E-mail: allison.d.waczek@kp.org
