Search

Access to urban green space has been linked to positive health outcomes including enhanced perinatal health. The purpose of this article was to review, summarize, and synthesize what is known about the relationship between urban green space and perinatal health and outline implications for practice, policy, education, and research. Nineteen articles were included in this state-of-the-science review. Overall, it was found that limited access to green space is significantly related to adverse birth outcomes. These findings present an important opportunity for childbirth educators and other clinicians involved in the provision of prenatal and reproductive health care. Through education and intervention, poor perinatal outcomes may be mitigated. Clinical screening and education about the importance of access to and use of urban green space during pregnancy should be an essential component of preconception counseling and antenatal screening for at-risk populations. Policy makers should be made aware of these findings so that impactful change can be made in order to reduce disparities and promote health equity.

A 61-year-old man, who had recently emigrated from the Ukraine, presented to his primary care provider with a chief complaint of painful oral lesions and weight loss. The patient described [...]

The United States healthcare system underperforms in healthcare access, quality, and cost resulting in some of the poorest health outcomes among comparable countries, despite spending more of its gross national product on healthcare than any other country in the world. Within the United States, there are significant healthcare disparities based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education level, sexual orientation, gender identity, and geographic location. COVID-19 has illuminated the racial disparities in health outcomes.This article provides an overview of some of the main concepts related to health disparities generally, and in orthopaedics specifically. It provides an introduction to health equity terminology, issues of bias and equity, and potential interventions to achieve equity and social justice by addressing commonly asked questions and then introduces the reader to persistent orthopaedic health disparities specific to total hip and total knee arthroplasty.

Qualitative research is critical for studies about regulatory issues in nursing and across all health professions. When in-depth stakeholder perspectives are needed, qualitative approaches are often the best methodological choice to ensure their viewpoints and experiences are captured when evaluating the consequences of policy implementation or when informing regulation design. Unlike traditional qualitative health care studies that involve patients or providers in single settings, regulatory studies often have complex challenges related to the available sample sizes, sampling strategies, and data collection approaches. Reporting qualitative findings in ways that are informative, useful, and dialogue provoking about regulatory issues must go beyond inserting long quotes with a single sentence explanation. Artfully capturing the participants’ stories within the regulatory matter under study is vital for understanding potential and actual consequences of regulations. This article provides an overview of common methodological challenges researchers encounter when conducting qualitative research on professional regulation issues and offers solutions to enhance the quality, rigor, and trustworthiness of the findings. The recommendations may prove useful to researchers examining regulatory issues in nursing and other health professions.

Hyponatremia is a common, potentially serious problem encountered in primary, acute, and critical care settings. Proper treatment requires an understanding of the multiple possible causes of hyponatremia. This case report presents an unusual cause of hyponatremia—3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; “Ecstasy” or “Molly”) use. With encouraging research emerging on the use of psychedelic drugs to treat depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and addiction, nurse practitioners should increase their knowledge about the evolution of MDMA from a recreational drug to a potential medicine for the care of people with serious and persistent mental health concerns.