The human sexuality team: An ideal role for rehabilitation nurses

Reprinted from Sexuality Update, a publication of The National Task Force On Sexuality and Disability of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, Vol 2, No. 1, 1989.     

Outcome Following Bariatric Surgery in Super versus Morbidly Obese Patients: Does Weight Matter?

Background: Numerous investigators have attempted to identify prognostic indicators for successful outcome following bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether degree of obesity affects outcome in super obese [>225% ideal body weight (IBW)] versus morbidly obese patients (160-225% IBW) undergoing gastric restrictive/bypass procedures. Methods: Since 1984, 157 patients underwent either gastric bypass or vertical banded gastroplasty. Super obese (78) and morbidly obese (79) patients were followed prospectively, documenting outcome and complications. Results: Super obese patients reached maximum weight loss 3 years following bariatric surgery, exhibiting a decrease in body mass index (BMI) from 61 to 39 kg/m² and an average loss of 42% excess body weight (EBW). Morbidly obese patients had a decrease in BMI from 44 to 31 kg/m² and carried 39% EBW at 1 year. After their respective nadirs, each group began to regain the lost weight with the super obese exhibiting a current BMI of 45 kg/m² (61% EBW) versus 34 kg/m² (52% EBW) in the morbidly obese at 72 months cumulative follow-up. Currently, loss of 50% or more of EBW occurred in 53% of super obese patients versus 72% of morbidly obese (P < 0.01). Twenty-six percent of super obese patients returned to within 50% of ideal body weight (IBW) while 71% of morbidly obese were able to reach this goal (P < 0.01). Co-morbidities and complications related to surgery were similar in each group. Conclusions: Super obese patients have a greater absolute weight loss after bariatric surgery than do morbidly obese patients. Using commonly utilized measures of success based on weight, morbidly obese patients tend to have better outcomes following bariatric surgery.     

Psychiatric mental health nursing: challenge and change

. We invited Dr Peplau to provide a personal reflection on the recent history of psychiatric nursing and her thoughts on immediate challenges facing the profession. The paper is an individual scholar's commentary on the way that psychiatry has waxed and waned over the years, in relation to nursing. This historical review discovers and reports a challenge to current practice. Dr Peplau describes a professional shift that is pulling nurses toward the subordinate role observed earlier this century. The paper draws attention to how contemporary practice can be positively influenced, e.g., by giving a structure to the allocation and conduct of nurse–patient time.     

Calming an Escalated Psychiatric Milieu

On inpatient psychiatric units, nurses control the tone, pace, and activity level of the environment. But under the influence of factors such as high patient acuity and negative group contagion, a milieu can become unacceptably loud and chaotic. A volatile milieu is a potentially dangerous environment because patients' anxiety and agitation can quickly lead to acting out and aggression. This article focuses on how nurses can regain control of a milieu spiralling into chaos by tightening the structure of the routine, anticipating potential problems, and maintaining a confident calm manner. The charge nurse orchestrates the staff group's response to escalation through detailed planning, decisive interventions, and strategic use of every available resource.     

Ictal Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging in Extra Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Using Statistical Parametric Mapping

PURPOSE: To examine the application of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) to analyze ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans in surgical candidates with extratemporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: The authors selected patients who underwent successful ictal SPECT acquisition in the process of surgical treatment of intractable partial epilepsy. Thirteen patients were identified who met inclusion criteria for confident seizure localization from either intracranial electroencephalogram recordings or epilepsy surgery outcome. In these cases, ictal scans were registered to an in-house-developed normal SPECT atlas composed of 14 spatially normalized brains of normal subjects. SPM96 was used to test on a voxel-by-voxel basis for statistically significant increases in blood flow associated with each patient's ictal scan. The results were then mapped back onto the patient's magnetic resonance image (MRI) for final interpretation. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis of ictal SPECT scans was compared to both conventional visual interpretation and the analysis of subtraction ictal SPECT co-registered to MRI (SISCOM). RESULTS: Ten of 13 patient scans showed localizing focal ictal increases in regional cerebral blood flow, all of which were concordant with ultimate epilepsy localization. Of the 3 cases not localized with SPM, 1 was localized by conventional visual interpretation and another, not localized by visual interpretation, was correctly localized with SISCOM. Two cases not localized by SISCOM were localized by both visual and SPM analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This work provides supportive evidence for proof of principle that SPM can be used to provide objective, accurate analysis of ictal SPECT scans in patients with extratemporal lobe epilepsy.     

The nurse''s decision-making process and the implementation of psychogeriatric nursing in a mental hospital

This study looks at the psychogeriatric nurse's decision-making process and on this basis seeks to describe the implementation of psychogeriatric nursing in a mental hospital. The subjects consist of 26 nurses working on the psychogeriatric wards of one hospital. The data were collected using a questionnaire (n = 26), a 1-week time-usage analysis, content analysis of nursing plans (n = 56), and observation of planning meetings (n = 15). The results for different phases of the decision-making process suggested that nurses had little difficulty with the identification of problems. Data collection tended to concentrate on the physical side of nursing work. The setting of explicit targets for nursing care proved to be difficult. The vast majority of the nurses (85%) felt that decision-making on different nursing alternatives was only moderately or not at all successful. Over half of the nurses felt that their ability to evaluate the outcome of treatment and nursing was either satisfactory or poor. Time-usage analysis indicated that the nurses had frequent interaction with their patients in connection with basic care, although the nurses themselves did not regard this part of their work as active interaction with the patient.