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Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) affects 3.39 in every 1,000 live births. A literature review was conducted to determine the varying types of nonpharmacologic management being used currently and its effect on the treatment of NAS symptoms. Fourteen articles were found that used nonpharmacologic management in the treatment of NAS. Therapies included breastfeeding, positioning, rooming-in, acupuncture/acupressure, and beds. Each of the nonpharmacologic therapies in these articles, with the exception of rocking beds, was shown to have a positive effect on the newborn with NAS. These effects include a shorter length of stay, a decrease in NAS scores, a decrease need for pharmacologic treatment, less agitation, a better quality' of sleep, and a decrease in the severity of NAS symptoms. This review article shows that nonpharmacologic management is an effective tool for NAS symptom treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure (HF) is a significant health problem in the United States. It is estimated that 5.8 million Americans currently live with a diagnosis of HF (American Heart Association, 2010). Despite the fact that daily weight monitoring of patients with HF in the hospital has long been a standard part of monitoring effectiveness of treatment, the literature is lacking recommendations based on evidence specific to the optimal time of day for weighing inpatients. The clinical question under consideration is the following: In hospitalized patients with HF, does consistently measuring weights in the evening compared to early morning accurately reflect differences in net weight gain or loss? In this quasi-experimental, prospective cohort pilot study, 29 patients who met inclusion criteria were weighed in the morning and again in the evening. Results of this study revealed predictable differences for morning (M = 3.09, SD = 2.06) and evening weights (M = 2.47, SD = 1.80); t(28) = -2.602, p = .015. For study patients with three consecutive days of weights (N = 24), Pearson product-moment correlations revealed a statistically significant correlation between individual differences/changes in a.m. and p.m. weights, r.22) = .752,p < .001. The implication for clinical practice is that weights should be measured at a consistent time of day. This may be the morning or evening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For 20 years environment-behavior researchers have developed guidelines to meet the needs of people living with Alzheimer's in assisted living residences. Designers seem to have paid attention to these directives and incorporated the information into evidence-based environments. What appears to have been overlooked is the general purpose of such environments--to create a unified, socially supportive, home-like setting in which hands-on care and treatment can be delivered. When this is achieved, a new type of Alzheimer's treatment emerges--coordinated nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment The future of this movement lies in understanding the neuroscience implications of design and using these to plan truly supportive environments. This article describes these points with examples drawn from both research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pain is a common and potentially debilitating condition. Whereas there is vast literature on developmentally appropriate behavioral techniques for pain management, results of curriculum evaluations and knowledge surveys reveal a dearth of awareness of these strategies in healthcare professionals. As a result, the development and evaluation of pain management training programs are important endeavors. Results of studies evaluating such programs are promising and suggest that training might be an effective means of impacting healthcare professionals'' knowledge, attitudes, and even patient care. These results must be interpreted with caution, however, because the literature contains several conceptual and methodologic limitations. These limitations, in combination with the wide diversity in program components, format of delivery, and research methods, preclude definitive conclusions on the most practical and effective means to provide training. To address this question, further systematic work on the development and evaluation of pain management training programs is warranted. Perspective: To address the problems of dissemination of behavioral pain management techniques, the development and evaluation of pain management training programs are important endeavors. The current article presents a systematic review of studies evaluating such programs and provides recommendations for future systematic work in this area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]