Making decisions about medical therapy is increasingly challenging as new medications arrive on the market and new scientific research outdates previously accepted therapeutic standards. This challenge is especially difficult when a treatment decision must be made urgently due to the high morbidity or mortality associated with a suspected diagnosis. In these situations, information must be quic...

Kathleen M. Davidson, MN, BSN Edited by Deborah Perry Schoenfelder, PhD, RN The death of a family member is a moment that matters. Family members of nursing home residents have reported difficulty recognizing the dying trajectory and being unprepared when death occurred (Forbes, Bern-Klug, & Gessert, 2000). Length of time as a family caregiver did not predict preparedness for the death. Researc...

Suzanne Fitzsimmons, MSN, ARNP Edited By Deborah Perry Schoenfelder, PhD, RN It is estimated that the incidence of depression in older adults living in long-term care facilities can be as high as 77% and is the most common mood disorder of late life (Steinberg et al., 2008). Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, since older adults may exhibit nonspecific som...

Evidence-based medicine has created a paradigm shift in medicine, away from authoritybased decision making and toward decision making that is informed by research and considers patient values and preferences. Evidence-based clinical practice requires accessing and evaluating the highest-quality information that is relevant to the patient problem at hand. In light of the best evidence, clinician...

● Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) uses a standardized method to minimize bias and review studies that evaluate effects of specific health care practices. This Cochrane Collaboration product is a leading source of high-quality reviews. ● Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) is a compilation of structured abstracts of quality-assessed systematic reviews. Staff at the ...