Metabolic syndrome.

This article discusses metabolic syndrome, which has recently been defined by the National Institutes of Health (2001) and affects approximately 47 million Americans. Suggestions have been included for risk factor identification, prevention measures, and intervention guidelines for the components of metabolic syndrome. Many Americans with metabolic syndrome will be in the workplace. Thus, the role of the occupational health nurse in the prevention of metabolic syndrome is vital. Prevention measures for metabolic syndrome focus on the education and encouragement of employees to attain or maintain healthy lifestyles. For employees with identified risk factors, collaboration between the occupational health nurse and the employee provide an avenue for healthy employee outcomes.     

Occupational safety and health objectives of Healthy People 2010: a systematic approach for occupational health nurses--Part II.

Occupational safety and health objectives 20.6 through 20.11 focus on reducing work-related assaults, lead exposure, skin diseases and disorders, needlestick injuries, and work-related, noise-induced hearing loss and promoting worksite stress reduction programs. Using the intervention strategies provided, occupational health nurses can play a key role in reducing workplace-related injury, disease, disability, and death. variety of resources pertaining to occupational health and safety from the federal, national, health care, nursing, and environmental realms can assist occupational health nurses in developing and implementing programs appropriate for their workplaces. Through the Healthy People 2010 occupational health and safety objectives, occupational health nurses have the opportunity to develop and implement workplace policies and programs promoting not only a safe and healthy work environment but also improved health and disease prevention. Occupational health nurses can implement strategies to increase quality and years of life and eliminate health disparities in the American work force.     

A multidisciplinary fall prevention program for elderly persons: a feasibility study

Falling is a common problem among elderly people and has many negative consequences. In the Netherlands, there is a need for effective fall prevention interventions aimed at elderly persons with an increased risk of falling. For this reason, we adapted a successful British fall prevention program comprising a medical occupational therapy assessment to the Dutch health care setting. This article describes the adaptation of this program and a pilot study to assess its feasibility in Dutch health care according to the implementers of the intervention as well as the participants (n = 21). This study showed that the Dutch intervention protocol is feasible in Dutch health care for both participants and implementers of the program. However, minor refinement of the intervention is warranted to improve its feasibility. The structured approach to adapt and pretest an intervention protocol appeared to be essential when aiming to implement a complex intervention program in a different health care setting.     

Cardiovascular disease prevention and lifestyle interventions: effectiveness and efficacy

Over the past half century scientific data support the strong relationship between the way a person or population lives and their risk for developing or dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD). While heredity can be a major factor for some people, their personal health habits and environmental/cultural exposure are more important factors. CVD is a multifactor process that is contributed to by a variety of biological and behavioral characteristics of the person including a number of well-established and emerging risk factors. Not smoking, being physically active, eating a heart healthy diet, staying reasonably lean, and avoiding major stress and depression are the major components of an effective CVD prevention program. For people at high risk of CVD, medications frequently need to be added to a healthy lifestyle to minimize their risk of a heart attack or stroke, particularly in persons with conditions such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or hyperglycemia. Maintaining an effective CVD prevention program in technologically advanced societies cannot be achieved by many high-risk persons without effective and sustained support from a well-organized health care system. Nurse-provided or nurse-coordinated care management programs using an integrated or multifactor approach have been highly effective in reducing CVD morbidity and mortality of high-risk persons.     

Occupational health surveillance, screening, and prevention activities in occupational health nursing practice.

Occupational health nursing practice is broad and encompasses surveillance, screening, and prevention activities as part of the scope of practice. While there has been some controversy about who is responsible for these activities, it is clear occupational health nurses play a pivotal role in overseeing, managing, implementing, and evaluating these programs. In fact, recent OSHA standards have included broad language that permits licensed health care professionals acting within their legal scope of practice to conduct medical and health surveillance activities. While the contributions of occupational health nurses are well documented, little is known about the degree and emphasis in practice related to surveillance, screening, and prevention programs. This study examined the scope of independent and interdependent practice by occupational health nurses related to these activities and found 71% of occupational health nurses had overall responsibility for program management, and the majority performed surveillance, screening, and prevention functions as independent practice. Physician supervision for any of these activities ranged from only 0% to 8% in reporting. The results of this study validate the independent functioning in scope of occupational health nursing practice related to surveillance, screening, and prevention activities while recognizing the contributions all providers make to a healthy work force.     

Central obesity and the metabolic syndrome: implications for primary care providers

PURPOSE: To describe screening measures that will determine which clients are at risk for the metabolic syndrome, common manifestations of the syndrome, preventive diagnostic considerations, and management and treatment options that primary care providers can implement. DATA SOURCES: Review of the clinical and research literature, supplemented with specific diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity is the cornerstone of the metabolic syndrome, which may lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Generalized obesity is defined as body weight that is considerably greater than the ideal weight and that is distributed on all parts of the body. Generalized obesity has long been considered a significant risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Those clients of ideal body weight have been considered at less risk for developing these conditions. However, this perception may not always be accurate. Weight distribution plays a major role in acquiring the metabolic syndrome. Because waist circumference is as important as overall body weight, central obesity is key to determining the risk. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The metabolic syndrome has now been given a CPT code (277.7). It is more likely that clients at risk for or with the metabolic syndrome may first be seen by a primary care provider. Primary care providers need to be able to diagnose, treat, and provide preventive interventions for the metabolic syndrome. Clients at risk will likely be identified during routine health screening. Early detection of and interventions focused on the metabolic syndrome may reduce the occurrence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Use of a tape measure to determine waist circumference may help the provider to identify at-risk clients who are of normal weight, and thus not previously believed to be at risk, as well as those more obviously at risk. It is necessary to determine not only patients' overall body weight but also their waist circumference. A measuring tape may be the key tool for establishing a patient's early risk for the metabolic syndrome and, ultimately, for prevention of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.     

A Coaching by Telephone Intervention for Veterans and Care Team Engagement (ACTIVATE): A study protocol for a Hybrid Type I effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial

IntroductionA large proportion of deaths and many illnesses can be attributed to three modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity. Health risk assessments (HRAs) are widely available online but have not been consistently used in healthcare systems to activate patients to participate in prevention programs aimed at improving lifestyle behaviors.ObjectivesThe goal of this study is to test whether adding telephone-based coaching to use of a comprehensive HRA increases at-risk patients' activation and enrollment into a prevention program compared to HRA use alone.MethodsParticipants were randomized to either complete an HRA alone or in conjunction with a telephone coaching intervention. To be eligible Veterans had to have at least one modifiable risk factor (current smoker, overweight/obese, or physically inactive). The primary outcome is enrollment and participation in a prevention program by 6 months. Secondary outcomes include change in a Patient Activation Measure and Framingham Risk Score.DiscussionThis study is the first to test a web-based health risk assessment coupled with a health coaching intervention within a large healthcare system. Results from this study will help the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implement its national plan to include comprehensive health risk assessments as a tool to engage Veterans in prevention. The results will also inform health systems outside VHA who seek to implement Medicare's advisement that health risk assessment become a mandatory component of care under the Affordable Care Act.     

Primary prevention of agricultural injuries. Use of standardized nursing diagnosis, interventions, and outcomes.

1. The use of standardized nursing language is important to the advancement of nursing knowledge and practice. The standardization of nursing diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes provides a means for collecting and analyzing large clinical databases. 2. The occupational health nurse has a clear role in developing health and safety programs. Standardized language using North American Nursing Diagnosis Association diagnoses, nursing outcomes classification, and nursing intervention classification can be incorporated into these programs. 3. The use of standardized taxonomies in the primary prevention of cumulative trauma disorders demonstrates how these systems are integrated into the documentation of the nursing process in a nursing care plan.     

Occupational therapy in the Department of Veterans Affairs: focus on health care of the elderly veteran

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) operates the largest integrated health care system in the world (VA, 1989), with designated departments and programs designed to meet the long-term care needs of the aging veteran. Occupational therapy is an important intervention to maximize the quality of life of older persons. Because of the increasing number of aging veterans and the national shortage of occupational therapists, the VA has been devising programs to recruit and retain occupational therapists in VA medical centers. The combination of long-term care programs and the VA's commitment to ongoing research, education, and occupational therapy services points to a promising outlook for care of our aging veterans.     

重症监护后综合征的研究进展

随着医学技术的进步、重症医学科（ICU）的普及、先进监测治疗仪器在临床上的广泛应用，重症医学学科的发展日新月异，得益于此，ICU的转出患者人数与日俱增。然而，由于转出ICU后患者及家属身心健康被忽视等原因，患者会出现生理、认知、心理障碍，这个庞大群体的后续康复状况及生活水平并没有我们想象的那么顺利。在2010年的全球危重症会议上，美国危重症学会提出的新名词概念，"重症监护后综合征（PICS）"引起了世界范围内学者的广泛关注。本综述将从ICU后综合征的概念、临床表现、影响因素、评估工具、干预措施五方面展开，为科研工作者对PICS的学习研究提供参考，为医护人员对PICS的预防治疗扩展思路。     

Alternative models in the delivery of primary and secondary prevention programs

Despite the strong scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of cardiovascular risk reduction interventions, their application is inconsistent across medical care settings and patient groups. Traditional approaches have been largely ineffective. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop and implement innovative approaches that provide persons with or at risk for coronary heart disease effective risk reduction interventions that are accessible and affordable. Advanced practice nurses and community health workers providing care as members of multidisciplinary teams have been successful strategies for improving outcomes. This paper describes the evidence supporting these alternative models and suggests strategies for the delivery of such programs for the primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.     

Impacting health through the worksite

The achievement of the Healthy People 2010 objectives will require community involvement of health care providers. The worksite remains the best place to access the adult population for health promotion and disease prevention. In addition, it is essential that non-worksite primary care services be attuned to the effects of work on health and illness. Given the frequency and duration of exposure, the significance of a worksite health history for the primary care provider cannot be overstated. To effectively serve clients, health histories should include assessment for the presence of hazardous worksite exposures and consideration of organizational climate. Further, when considering the provision of health promotion programs in the community, offering programs at the worksites within the community can be particularly effective. There should be increased efforts by health care providers to promote lifestyle modification through client and community interventions. The worksite offers an excellent setting as well as an opportunity to collaborate with employers to facilitate health promotion programs. Recognizing the significance of the occupational environment, an increasing number of worksite intervention studies have been reported. However, continued growth in this area is still needed. Research on worksite health promotion and disease prevention intervention is still in its infancy. Nurses can make a unique contribution to research on worksite lifestyle modification programs, and in enhancing the health status of the nation.     

HIV infection and AIDS during adolescence

It is clear from the evidence that a growing number of adolescents are acquiring HIV infection and developing AIDS. The impact this epidemic will have on all teenagers is overwhelming. Given the high prevalence of risk-related sexual behaviors, many adolescents are likely to become HIV infected, thus requiring extensive medical and psychosocial services. Other adolescents will lose a parent, relative, or friend to AIDS, and these adolescents will similarly require special services and psychological counseling. Thus, there is an immediate need for the development of methods for (1) providing all adolescents with age-appropriate and culturally relevant interventions for prevention and risk reduction, (2) identifying high-risk adolescents and triaging them to different levels of care and risk reduction counseling, and (3) providing ongoing medical and psychosocial treatments. Accessing adolescents at risk for HIV infection will require networking between the health care system and youth-serving and community-based agencies, particularly agencies servicing high-risk adolescents. We must begin addressing these needs now, in order to prevent further infection and to provide appropriate care for those adolescents who are or will become infected with HIV.     

A health services perspective on delivery of psychiatric services in primary care including internal medicine

Serious problems persist in the recognition and treatment of psychiatric problems in primary care despite multiple interventions directed at correcting these problems. Improved outcomes depend on improved recognition, and screening instruments need to be streamlined tremendously to be accepted by primary care providers. Publication of guidelines and physician education, although essential for improved care, are probably insufficient to implement guidelines-based care. Improvements in psychiatric outcome appear to depend on the level of intensity of the intervention employed. Continued research is needed to determine the most effective type of educational intervention and more widely applicable quality improvement processes. Broad-based changes in health service delivery focusing on the true integration of mental health services with general medical care are required to bring about meaningful, effective change. Ongoing changes in physician training programs (combined primary care/psychiatry programs) may facilitate implementation of guideline-based psychiatric care in medical settings, but the full impact of these changes is not likely to be felt for several years.     

“The Future of Nursing: Accelerating gains made to address the continuum of substance use”

PurposeGuided by four key messages from the decade-old Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, “The Future of Nursing,” this paper highlights the progress made by the nursing profession in addressing substance use and its related disorders and offers recommendations to sustain and advance efforts to enhance care for persons who use substances, one of the most stigmatized and vulnerable populations.ResultsPatterns of substance use have shifted over the past 10 years, but the associated harms remain consequential. As awareness of the continuum of substance use has expanded, the care of persons with substance use has also expanded, from the domains of psychiatric-mental health and addictions nursing specialties to the mainstream of nursing. Now, greater efforts are being undertaken to identify and intervene with persons at risk for and experiencing substance use disorders. Nurses have advanced the knowledge and skills necessary for substance-related nursing care including education and training, leadership, care innovations, and workforce expansion and can drive efforts to increase public knowledge about the health risks associated with substance use. Recommendations aligned with each of the four IOM key messages are offered.ConclusionsAs a profession, nursing has a responsibility to expand the progress made in addressing substance use – from prevention and early intervention to tertiary care. Nurses at all levels of education and practice are in key positions to carry out the recommendations herein to accelerate the changes needed to provide high quality care for persons impacted by substance use.     

社区艾滋病防治的重要作用与相关策略

充分发掘和利用社区资源优势及功能,利用社区文化和环境影响进行艾滋病健康教育、行为干预可增强干预的深度、广度及持续性和实效性。社区卫生服务急需将不同人群艾滋病教育和行为干预纳入日常工作计划。开展社区艾滋病防治的重要策略包括:发挥政府主导和协调作用,建立社区艾滋病防治网络;开展广泛社区动员,共同参与艾滋病防治活动;加强医护人员自身队伍建设,发挥社区卫生服务功能;从伦理角度探讨艾滋病防治,形成良好的社区人文环境。     

Reducing percutaneous injuries in the OR by educational methods

Exposure to bloodborne pathogens (e.g., HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C) through percutaneous injuries is an occupational risk for health care workers, especially those in the OR. The incidence of disease continues to rise, although occupational exposures often go unreported. Percutaneous injury prevention methods have included use of safety devices, practice changes, and educational programs. An educational intervention to increase awareness of risk, provide suggestions for injury reduction, and encourage reporting of exposures was performed at a university teaching hospital. Preliminary qualitative results show increased exposure reporting, increased use of personal protective equipment, and increased awareness of disease exposure risk among OR personnel.     

Current and future applications of genetics in primary care medicine

Individualized medical treatment and prevention based on one's genetic makeup are promises likely to be fulfilled over decades.Already family history is taking a more prominent role in preventive care. Primary care clinicians and geneticists will increasingly collaborate to diagnose and manage genetic conditions: both single-gene disorders and multifactorial diseases such as infections,cancers, cardiovascular disease and mental illness. This will require society, with primary care clinicians in the forefront, to implement means for efficient family history-taking; maintaining private, personally accessible genetic health records; safeguarding people from genetic discrimination; distributing access to scarce genetic specialists and expensive technologies; rectifying lay misconceptions about inheritance; managing emotional responses and family dynamics related to genetic diagnosis; and motivating people at increased familial risk to take preventive action.