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Rolled into general health services, an invisible part of a hospital room rate, nursing is overdue for its own professional identity. One hallmark of a true profession is universal use of a specialized vocabulary by members. Standardized nursing terminologies provide a consistent basis for communicating the unique contributions of nursing to direct patient care and to research. Nursing has the dubious advantage of having seven recognized term sets serving numerous purposes but undermining the goal of consistency, key to widespread recognition and acceptance. Adoption of a single vocabulary appears doubtful, though two stand out for active support, currency and free availability. Widespread use of a standardized nursing terminology will come with time, consistent use, incorporation into nursing education and reference in professional health care and nursing journals. Cross mappings to important medical terminologies are necessary for interoperability and use in health and nursing informatics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-phase, experimental study tested the hypothesis that no significant association exists between direct sibling contact and the bacterial colonization rates of neonates during their initial hospital stay. In Phase I, 44 infants were randomly assigned to experimental (N= 23) and control (N= 21) groups. Infants in the experimental group had direct contact with an older sibling who had been screened for communicable diseases; infants in the control group did not. The dependent variable, bacterial colonization, was measured using cultures of nasal and umbilical swabs of all neonates in the study. Swabs were taken at admission and discharge. In Phase II, the same procedures were followed except that swabs were taken from the neonates (N= 33 in each group) at admission, before the sibling contact, and at discharge. Analysis of the data using the standard error of the difference between proportions showed no significant differences in the proportion of infants colonized by staphylococcal and streptococcal organisms. Thus, bacterial colonization rates and older sibling contact were not associated. Implications for care and further research are discussed.

The behavioral characteristics and drug-related attitudes of 66 methaqualone users in the Columbus, Ohio, area were determined on the basis of their responses to a questionnaire. Sixty percent reported at least weekly use of this drug. The mean duration of drug usage was one year, with an average daily dose of 724 mg. The self-description of the respondents on 17 behavioral descriptors was generally positive; neither the frequency nor the duration of methaqualone use was associated with differences in the derived multiitem scales of introversion, extroversion, or depression.Many aspects of methaqualone usage suggest that it is a sociable activity. In general, while expressing some doubts about the safety of methaqualone, the respondents did not believe that this drug's nonmedical use constituted a great health hazard.When compared with a sample of 279 nonmethaqualone-using university students, the respondents reported significantly greater involvement with other psychoactive drugs, even prior to their use of methaqualone. The persons in this study were definitely a drug-oriented, multidrug group, with only 6% reporting the use of no other drugs when not taking methaqualone.

This study was undertaken to compare the attitudes of nurses and nursing students toward computer use in nursing practice and to clarify factors that influence these attitudes. Three factors within the student sample were examined changes over time, prior experience with computers, and attitudes toward technology in general. Second, the attitudes of the nursing students were compared with those of a sample of practicing nurses. Finally, the multidimensional structure of Stronge's attitude scale was analyzed. A total of 353 sophomore nursing students and 358 staff nurses participated in the study. The analysis produced a refined 17-item attitude scale composed of three identifiable subscales computers and patient care, computers and personal security, and general attitude. It was found that students had less experience with computers than the investigators had anticipated, and there was little change over three successive cohorts of students. However, in general, students' attitudes toward computer use in nursing were positive, and the more computer experience students had, the more positive their attitudes. The attitudes of the practicing nurses also were generally positive, but differences between students and nurses were observed.

Inconsistent, incomplete reporting of computer applications in nursing is a barrier to building a knowledge base in the field. Progress in building this knowledge base might be accelerated if system developers could use the available literature to build upon work previously done and to profit from lessons already learned. This article presents guidelines for developing articles and reports on computer applications in nursing. Important topics include statement of the problem, proposed solution, description of the system, system impact, relationship to previous work, problems encountered, lessons learned, professional issues, transferability, and future plans. A checklist is provided. The authors welcome comments on these guidelines.

A two‐phase, experimental study tested the hypothesis that no significant association exists between direct sibling contact and the bacterial colonization rates of neonates during their initial hospital stay. In Phase I, 44 infants were randomly assigned to experimental (N= 23) and control (N= 21) groups. Infants in the experimental group had direct contact with an older sibling who had been screened for communicable diseases; infants in the control group did not. The dependent variable, bacterial colonization, was measured using cultures of nasal and umbilical swabs of all neonates in the study. Swabs were taken at admission and discharge. In Phase II, the same procedures were followed except that swabs were taken from the neonates (N= 33 in each group) at admission, before the sibling contact, and at discharge. Analysis of the data using the standard error of the difference between proportions showed no significant differences in the proportion of infants colonized by staphylococcal and streptococcal organisms. Thus, bacterial colonization rates and older sibling contact were not associated. Implications for care and further research are discussed.

The patterns and pharmacological effects of the nonmedical use of methaqualone (Sopors), a nonbarbiturate sedative-hypnotic, were determined in 66 respondents (median age 22 to 25) residing in Coumbus, Ohio. Sixty percent took this drug at least weekly, with 10% once or more daily. The mean duration of drug use was one year, with 20% in excess of two years. The average single and total daily doses, taken orally, were 530 and 724 mg, respectively; marihuana and alcohol were commonly used concurrently. The major effects of methaqualone use were euphoria, relaxation, and relief from anxieties: paresthesia was frequently reported. About one third of the subjects developed varying degrees of psychological and physical dependence after long-term drug administration. The abuse and complications of acute methaqualone toxicity are reviewed and the relative therapeutic utility of this drug is questioned in view of these major problems.