The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
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This descriptive study evaluated concepts relating to end-of-life care addressed in Journal of Neuroscience Nursing during a 10-year period. An analysis of 377 articles published from 1993 to 2002 found 40 articles addressing some area of end-of-life content. ⋯ The most common diseases and disorders addressed were epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. To increase overall content in the field of palliative and end-of-life care, authors can include end-of-life content in articles submitted for publication.
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Review Case Reports
Gizmos and gadgets for the neuroscience intensive care unit.
Managing the critical neuroscience patient population challenges practitioners because of both the devastating injury involved and the complexity of care required. Emerging technology provides the neuroscience intensive care unit team with better information on the intricate physiology and dynamics inside the cranium. In particular, the team is better able to detect changes in pressure, oxygen, and blood flow. With improved data in hand, the team can intervene to optimize intracranial dynamics, possibly reducing disability and death among such patients.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Efficacy of EMLA cream to reduce fear and pain associated with interferon beta-1a injection in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Fear of pain from injections may affect adherence to needed drug therapy. A single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of EMLA cream in reducing the fear and pain associated with intramuscular (IM) injection during administration of interferon beta-1a to patients with multiple sclerosis. ⋯ The 18 patients who completed the study experienced a statistically significant decrease in both scores. This study suggests that the use of EMLA cream may reduce the pain and fear associated with IM injections.
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Hypertonic saline (HTS) is an osmotic agent that can help patients in the acute phase of severe traumatic brain injury. HTS extracts fluid from swollen cerebral tissue to both control intracranial pressure and diminish the deleterious effects of secondary brain injury. Neuroscience nurses in intensive care and acute care units, who may administer HTS as resuscitation fluid, continuous infusion, or bolus dose, need to be familiar with physiologic actions, potential side effects, and appropriate HTS administration techniques. Neuroscience nurses collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary team to ensure that HTS is administered safely.
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Chronic pain conditions are increasingly prevalent. However, very little is known about the relationship between pain and gender. The purposes of this study were to determine gender differences in pain threshold and tolerance among Chinese adults in Hong Kong and to examine the role of anxiety in pain perception. ⋯ Higher trait anxiety scores were associated with higher pain report in men only (r [89] = .22, p = .04). The study indicated that gender differences in pain perception exist among the Chinese population in Hong Kong. A better understanding of the factors that contribute to gender differences in pain perception could reduce gender bias in pain management.