The Description of Health Among Iraqi Refugee Women in the United States

The purpose of this study was to understand the description of health among Iraqi women refugees, their health status, and health experiences during resettlement in the United States. Twelve women, ages 21-67 years old, who resettled in the United States during or after 2003 where interviewed. The women described health as a gift determined by God, the ability to function, the absence of physical symptoms, and the need to feel safe and secure in the context of resettlement. Although the Iraqi women valued health, during the resettlement process, seeking safety and feeling secure were the foremost priorities. Findings revealed that this is a vulnerable population which has experienced the violence of war and, as a result, have unique physical, mental, economic, and social concerns related to health. Implications are for a multidisciplinary approach to best meet the unique individual health needs of this vulnerable population.

Wise Choices: Nutrition and Exercise for Older Adults: A Community-Based Health Promotion Intervention

Effective interventions for older adults are needed to address lifestyle behaviors linked to chronic illnesses. We implemented a 12-week group behavioral intervention for 118 racially diverse older adults at 6 community-based senior centers to improve eating and physical activity. Assessments were completed pre- and postintervention, with 85.6% retention. We documented increases in fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake; pace of walking; number of city blocks walked; daily steps walked; functional mobility; and self-rated general health (P < .05). Findings indicate that a relatively low-intensity lifestyle intervention can effectively be implemented for community-dwelling older adults. Further development of this approach is warranted.

Challenges in Measuring Outcomes in Two Community-Based Nurse-Managed Wellness Clinics: The Development of a Chart Auditing Tool

Since the inception of the first nurse-managed wellness clinic (NMWC) in 1994 by the school of nursing faculty, the NMWCs have served the older residents of 2 high-rise apartment buildings. In addition, students have experienced the challenges of application of theory to practice. One such challenge is measuring outcomes. This paper describes both the process and outcome of developing a chart audit tool that was adapted from the Omaha System and Focus Charting®. The author hopes that a dialogue of common concerns and challenges will be initiated and creative solutions will be generated.

A Collaborative Teaching and Learning Experience in Moscow

Russian nurse leaders are reaching out to the international nursing community for ways to modernize Russian nursing practice. As a part of this process, United States nurses are being invited to participate in collaborative relationships with Russian nursing educators. The identified collaborative process needs to be culturally sensitive to meet the needs of the inviting nurses. Nursing collaboration involves the mutual sharing of knowledge about nursing related issues concerning health and health care systems with other nurses. International nursing collaboration is complex because sharing takes place in a multi-cultural context. The purpose of this article is to describe how the process of international nursing collaboration evolved among members of three educational institutions and one professional nursing organization. The evolution of the international team’s collaborative experience is discussed including the initial preparation, the actual implementation, and evaluation. This article concludes with recommendations for future international nursing collaborative projects.

Russia through the Eyes of an American Nurse

This article describes the author’s preliminary fieldworkin the Russian culture, which tookplace during 10 days in November 1998 and 10 days in April 2000. During the time she spent in Russia, the author had two major goals. The first goal was to participate as part of a team of four American nursing faculty invited to teach at the Moscow Medical Academy, and her second goal was to learn about the culture of origin of the Russian immigrants who have migrated to the United States. With the aid of interpreters, the author participated in the culture, observed the activities around her, and learned from her Russian colleagues. This second goal reflected the author’s preparation as a nurse-researcher to study the experiences of Russian immigrants. The article includes reflections and general impressions of the overall experience.

The Nurse-Managed Wellness Clinic Model Developed by Duquesne University School of Nursing

The residents of senior-focused housing typify the phenomenon of aging-in-place. Older people are living longer than expected with a subsequent increase in health problems. However, with accessible health promotion and wellness services, these individuals are able to live independently for a longer period of time. This article will describe the background and implementation of the nurse-managed wellness clinic model developed by the faculty of the Duquesne University School of Nursing.

Parish nurse-initiated interdisciplinary mobile health care delivery project

Parish nurses and a school of pharmacy faculty collaborated on a mobile health project to bring screening and preventive services to low-income neighborhoods. Outcome measures indicated that older women were most likely to use these services. This project fostered a positive, trusting client-provider relationship that formed the basis of clients' motivation to make lifestyle changes. Future direction includes collaboration with an academic nursing center to expand services in chronic care management.

The Retired Nurses Working in Neighborhoods (RN+WIN) Program: An Approach Toward Sustainability of an Academic Nurse—Managed Wellness Center

Obtaining resources for sustainability of academic nursing centers is an ongoing challenge. Academic wellness centers face challenges related to the limited availability of insurance to meet demand and resources for state and local contracts or fee for service. Traditionally, state and local contracts and fee-for-service insurance plans do not cover preventive or wellness-related health services. In addition, third party reimbursement for wellness, disease prevention and health promotion, and health education services may be limited because of Current Procedural Terminology codes. An approach toward sustainability of the Duquesne University School of Nursing Nurse-Managed Wellness Center was to build on the human resources of volunteer retired nurses residing in the neighboring communities of the university.This article describes the RN+WIN program as a creative approach toward sustainability of an academic nurse—managed wellness center.

Establishing a nurse-managed wellness clinic in a predominantly older African American inner-city high rise: an advanced practice nursing project

With funding from a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development contract awarded to a private university, advanced practice nurse faculty established a nurse-managed wellness clinic in an apartment building populated by predominantly African American older people. Ethnographic methods were used to ensure culturally competent care. The clinic provided nursing, pharmacy, and health sciences faculty and students with community-focused clinical experiences as interdisciplinary team members.

Teaching cultural competence. The value of experiential learning and community resources

Nurse educators are responsible for developing graduates who are culturally competent care givers and marketable as culturally sensitive coworkers. An undergraduate course in transcultural nursing is described that relies heavily on experiential learning activities and local community resources. Student evaluations reveal both immediate and long-term effects of this course on graduates' clinical practice.

Vaginal birth after cesarean: issues and implications

Vaginal birth after cesarean is still an uncommon practice in the United States despite fewer contraindications to it. This article examines issues related to cesarean section practice patterns, malpractice, rising health care costs, changing childbearing patterns, and risks and benefits to mother and baby. Implications for nurses are discussed as they relate to nursing education, practice, and research.