Search

If you've been to a grocery or pharmacy, read any women's magazines, or even watched the briefest amount of television, chances are you've come face to face with messages advocating the use of herbs for everything from improving memory to restoring balance in your life. Now, more often now then ever, women are taking herbs without counsel and direction from practitioners (Eisenberg et al., 1993). Ever since the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994, the U.S., herbal market has boomed‐with estimated 1999 sales of $5 billion in products found in almost every conceivable retail venue: pharmacies, discount retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores, and the World Wide Web, to name a few. And growth within this dynamic market is at a projected annual 30 percent (Foster & Tyler, 1999). Estimates and survey data show that approximately one in three U.S. adults reaches for alternative therapies, from time to time, to manage health and well‐being. Bottom line: nurses are going to see women who are taking herbs, and who may or may not tell their practitioners about their herbal practices. But practitioners must at least ask women and chart the information they receive in medical records. As the Baby Boomer generation enters midlife, the symptoms and treatments related to menopause are increasingly discussed and debated—including the use of herbs for relief from the many symptoms often associated with perimenopause.

If you've been to a grocery or pharmacy, read any women's magazines, or even watched the briefest amount of television, chances are you've come face to face with messages advocating the use of herbs for everything from improving memory to restoring balance in your life.

Shoulder dystocia-when the fetal head retracts or recoils against the maternal perineum ('turtle sign') and external rotation is not accomplished-occurs in approximately 1 of every 200 deliveries. It's often diagnosed after the emergence of the fetal head when delivery is prevented by impaction of the fetal shoulders within or above the maternal pelvis. When it occurs, shoulder dystocia is an obstetric emergency.

Shoulder dystocia–when the fetal head retracts or recoils against the maternal perineum (“turtle sign”) and external rotation is not accomplished–occurs in approximately 1 of every 200 deliveries. It's often diagnosed after the emergence of the fetal head when delivery is prevented by impaction of the fetal shoulders within or above the maternal pelvis. When it occurs, shoulder dystocia is an obstetric emergency.

Health care reform has moved postbirth care into the community without assessment of how this may change parents’ needs. Mother–father pairs (n = 117) in six sites in four countries were interviewed at 5 to 10 days postbirth and again between 6 and 8 weeks postbirth to determine their needs. Content analysis revealed both parents in all sites had a strong focus on self-needs throughout the postbirth period. Postpartum programs oriented solely to family–centered care may not meet the specific needs of contemporary parents.

Coitus during pregnancy is a crucial factor in the health maintenance of pregnant women. Fifty-two women were surveyed regarding the information they received concerning sexual intercourse during and following pregnancy. This study showed that, overall, health professionals were not providing information to pregnant women about sexual intercourse and pregnancy. The health professionals who provided sexual information to pregnant women were shown to be inadequate in their efforts. Nurses need to take a more active role in the education of women and their partners about coitus during pregnancy and postpartum.

A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine why women received no prenatal care during pregnancy and their subsequent maternal and neonatal outcomes. Five hundred and eighty medical records from 1990 through 1993 that were labeled as no care were reviewed. Actually, only 270 records had no care and of these, 92 had 156 recorded reasons as to why women did not receive prenatal care. These reasons were categorized into three types of barriers: attitudinal, sociodemographic, and system-related. The majority of the women were young, Hispanic, unmarried, between 20 and 29 years of age, and uninsured, and had one to three children. Overall, the women did not smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or use drugs during pregnancy. Overall, the women had good maternal and newborn outcomes. Results suggest a need to reevaluate the effect of prenatal care use on young Hispanic women.

A descriptive survey was conducted with 31 pregnant women who were substance users enrolled in a perinatal treatment program. The purpose of the study was to determine the women's health behaviors by using open-ended questions. Most of the women were between 20 and 29 years of age, Hispanic, not married, unemployed, and had partial or completed high-school education. The women had multiple pregnancies with few living children. The majority of the women were 4 to 6 months pregnant and all had received prenatal care. The women made health behavior changes during pregnancy related to nutrition, substance use, self-care, exercise, lifestyle, and seeking counseling. Over 52% of the women reported they made these behavioral changes because they wanted a healthy baby.

Solution‐focused therapy is a fairly new idea in nursing. It began in the mid‐70s with a group of family therapists working in Milwaukee, S WI. The therapists adapted this brief therapy model, which originated at the Mental Research Institute in Palto Alto, CA. The solution‐focused therapy centers more on solutions rather than on problems and on the “then and there.” It is goal‐driven, individual based, and focuses on strengths (what is good that is happening) rather than on weaknesses, such as problems. This premise and philosophy are now being applied in employee assistance programs, parenting techniques, pediatric applications, and schools.

Solution‐focused therapy is a fairly new idea in nursing. It began in the mid‐70s with a group of family therapists working in Milwaukee, S WI. The therapists adapted this brief therapy model, which originated at the Mental Research Institute in Palto Alto, CA. The solution‐focused therapy centers more on solutions rather than on problems and on the “then and there.” It is goal‐driven, individual based, and focuses on strengths (what is good that is happening) rather than on weaknesses, such as problems. This premise and philosophy are now being applied in employee assistance programs, parenting techniques, pediatric applications, and schools.