Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications
By: Anne M. Van Leeuwen, Mickey Lynn Bladh
About This Book
"This book is written to help health-care providers in their understanding and interpretation of laboratory and diagnostic procedures and their outcomes. Just as important, it is dedicated to all health-care professionals who experience the wonders in the science of laboratory and diagnostic testing, performed and interpreted in a caring and efficient manner. The authors continue to enhance and update four main areas in this new edition: organization of the content, pathophysiology that affects test results, patient safety, and patient/family education with expected patient outcomes"--
AI Overview
Title: Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications
Authors: Anne M. Van Leeuwen, Mickey L. Bladh
Overview:
The "Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications" is a comprehensive guide designed to support nursing practice and enhance clinical judgment. The manual is written by a laboratory scientist and a nurse educator, making it a valuable resource for both students and practicing nurses.
Key Themes
Clinical Judgment: The manual places a unique focus on clinical judgment, providing interpretive guidance on the reasons for various studies and their importance in patient care. It includes sections on "Nursing Implications," "Nursing Process," and "Clinical Judgment" to emphasize the critical thinking aspect of care.
Organization and Content: The 11th edition has been organized to prioritize the most essential information, with closely related studies combined under a single title. This approach maintains a smaller book size without reducing the number of studies included. The manual also identifies core laboratory and diagnostic studies, which are highlighted with orange-shaded tabs to help students focus on frequently encountered tests.
Patient Safety and Education: The authors have enhanced the content by emphasizing patient safety and patient/family education with expected patient outcomes. This includes a new feature in the 11th edition where repetitive content from individual studies has been consolidated in a Laboratory/Diagnostic Procedural Checklist for Students and Appendix A: Patient Preparation and Specimen Collection.
Quick Reference: Tests and procedures are listed in alphabetical order by their complete name for quick reference. The integrated index allows fast searches by abbreviation, synonym, disease/disorder, specimen type, or test classification.
Plot Summary
The manual is structured to provide comprehensive information on laboratory and diagnostic tests. It includes detailed monographs that focus on what nurses need to do before, during, and after each test. Each monograph includes:
- Common Use: A description of the test in everyday language that patients can understand.
- Potential Nursing Problems: Tables presenting problems, signs and symptoms, and interventions related to the study.
- Student Decision-Making Model: A tool to help learners visualize critical thinking and clinical judgment.
Critical Reception
The manual has been well-received for its practical approach to supporting nursing practice. It is designed to be easy to read and understand, with full-color illustrations and clear explanations. The inclusion of clinical judgment icons and the student decision-making model have been particularly praised for their ability to enhance critical thinking skills.
Editions
The manual has been updated to the 11th edition, with the 10th edition also available. The 11th edition includes new features such as the identification of core laboratory and diagnostic studies, which are designated by orange-shaded tabs. The 10th edition emphasized the importance of clinical judgment and provided interpretive guidance on the reasons for various studies.
Availability
The manual is available in print and digital formats, with a 1-year online access option through the WebView platform. It supports nursing practice by providing all the necessary information to understand how tests work, interpret their results, and provide quality patient care.
In summary, "Davis's Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications" is a highly regarded resource in the field of nursing, known for its practical approach to enhancing clinical judgment and supporting patient care.