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Biomedical subjects

S E Thornton

Publications and source records attributed to S E Thornton.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Differential diagnosis of infective endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a deadly disease if left untreated. Early detection and treatment of IE reduces the high mortality rate. Mitral valve prolapse is now the leading risk factor for development of IE. The Duke (1994) criteria includes echocardiography as a diagnostic tool. Outclient i.v. therapy is increasing due to once-daily dosing regimens, which reduces the cost of treatment. Identifying at risk clients and educating them is vital to the prevention of IE. This article familiarizes the primary care provider with the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic testing, complications, medical treatment, prophylactic management, and client education of IE.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thinking about thinking.

BACKGROUND: The nursing leadership at a 900-bed tertiary-care facility in the southeast believed an opportunity existed to improve the critical thinking abilities of the professional nursing staff. METHOD: A team, consisting of a diversified group of nurse educators and managers, had the opportunity to gain understanding of the critical thinking process of the nursing staff as well as to develop a plan designed to improve critical thinking skills. RESULTS: Outputs of the team included development of a critical thinking model and process as well as an action plan that specifically outlined how it would implement the model within the organization using a preceptor-based educational process. CONCLUSION: Nursing leadership within this facility believes that nurturing critical thinking in the staff will have a positive impact on care delivery outcomes. Creating shared visions through the assumptions that the staff and organization hold is important to improving care provided. Assisting staff with using a critical thinking process in order to construct, tear down, and then reconstruct clinical incidents as encouraged by this model is one key to problem-solving.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗