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the adult acute/long-term care setting. The authors address nursing interventions with regard to collaborative or interdependent status with medical interventions. Specific aspects of the care planning process also are addressed, including nursing diagnosis, client outcome, and nursing intervention.

The authors propose that new developments in the health care system (eg, prospective payment plans, movement from acute care [ie, hospital] to community settings, long-terdconvalescent, rehabilitation, home health services) have created the need for a common framework of communi- cation and documentation. Documentation tips are included to stress the importance and necessi- ty of recording the steps of the nursing process.

The book is easy to read and is presented in a clear and organized manner. The plastic card included on the inside front cover of the book lists 1990 NANDA nursing diagnoses and is helpful for daily nursing practice and documentation.

This book is available from F A Davis Co, 1915 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

PENNY KRUG, RN, BS, CNOR CLINICAL LASER NURSE

MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SOUTH BEND. IND

GENERAL INTEREST

Theatre Nursing By Ann Adams 1990,211 p p $29.95 paperback

An interesting book with an intriguing title, Theatre Nursing is written by an author whose expertise includes teaching and OR nursing. The author is known as a “theatre sister” because of her work as a theatre (ie, OR) nurse at a London hospital.

The book is basic and informative. It includes general information that is accurate, but in some instances it could be more extensive. For exam- ple, the “Ethical Dilemmas” section contains only five limited informational sentences.

The book does have a glossary of terms, a detailed and organized index, and a list of sug-

gested readings at the end of each chapter, but many of the suggested readings are published in other countries and may be difficult to find in the United States.

English spellings, such as “manoeuvre” and “anaesthetics,” and terms like “theatre,” “trol- leys” (ie, gurneys), “lotions and sachets” (ie, skin preps), “running the lists” (ie, case assign- ments), and “transfer bay” (ie, recovery room) add a definite cultural flavor and quaintness. Some statements, however, may leave the read- er wondering or chuckling. Examples include “It is fairly common for staff to faint in the OR,” or “Commands which may sound very abrupt, even rude . . . are usually made out of necessity.” A reference to lifting patients and heavy equipment states, “. . . you are female, make use of the men available.”

This candid and curious style is readable, clear, and well organized, and it exhibits the author’s obvious love for her topic and her pro- fession. If the reader can bypass some apparent lapses in author objectivity, he or she will find a charming, if not polished, basic review of the- atre nursing that primarily targets student nurs- es, beginning OR nurses, and OR technicians.

This book is available from Butterworth’s and Co Ltd, 80 Montvale Ave, Stoneham, MA 02 180.

CHARLOTTE ABBOUD, RN, MA

ST JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER PHOENIX

EDUCATOR CONSULTANT

COMMUNICATION

Therapeutic Communication: A Guide to Effective Interpersonal Skills for Health Care Professionals By Tova Navarra, Myron A. Lipkowitz, John G. Navarra, Jr 1990, 154 pp $20 paperback

This is a good, straightforward review of basic communication principles. The authors are a diverse group including a registered nurselwrit- erhllustrator, a physician with a pharmaceutical

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background, and a lawyer with a teaching back- ground. Their collective years of experience give them practical knowledge but not neces- sarily communication expertise.

The book is well organized, and the introduc- tion is particularly well done. Chapter two con- tains the most important information in the book, including conversational examples (eg, introduc- ing yourself to your patient, pursuing issues, showing acceptance, clarifying meaning, reflec- tive listening, interpreting body language). The section on colleague interaction is very good. Each chapter contains gray boxes to emphasize important points, and each chapter ends with ref- erences, exercises, and study questions. The book does not provide answers for the study questions or exercises, however. This is not a problem if this book is used in a classroom setting, but it can be frustrating for the individual reader.

The book has three major drawbacks. First, the authors use several “catchy” names for techniques, like “the informer,” “you are there,” “deep sea diver,” and “comparison shopping.” The summary of valid, successful techniques is excellent. but the extra labeling is confusing. Second, the authors exclusively use examples of the physical/occupational thera- pist. They specifically state that their target audience is all health professionals, but the restricted examples make it hard for other pro- fessionals to relate to the information. Finally, the sections titled “Building and Keeping a Therapy Practice,” ‘Getting Through to Your Patients,” and “A Lawyer’s Approach” do not deal with communication at all.

If the reader is conducting research on com- munication techniques, chapter two provides good reference material, but the reader should borrow the book from the library. It could have limited use in some classroom settings, but I do not recommend it as general reading for anyone except physical or occupational therapists.

This book is available from Slack, Inc, 6900 Grove Rd, Thorofare, NJ 08086.

MARLA PATTERSON, RN, MA, CNOR COMMANDER, NURSE CORPS

NAVAL HOSPITAL TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIF

Physicians, Nurses Favor Mandatory Testing According to study results published in the June 1991 issue of Research Activities, a majority of physicians (57%) and nurses (63%) favor mandatory testing of health care workers for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

This study, sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, is the first comprehensive national survey of the knowl- edge, attitudes, and practices of physicians and nurses on acquired immune deficiency syn- drome (AIDS)-related issues. Study results also show that the majority of physicians and nurses (ie, nearly 75%) favor mandatory AIDS testing of surgical patients and pregnant women, and 60% of physicians and nurses believe that physicians should be able to order the AIDS test for a patient without his or her informed consent, according to the article.

The study sampled 958 physicians practic- ing in family and general practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and obstetrics- gynecology and 1,520 registered nurses. Eighty percent of physicians and 73% of nurs- es responded, and physicians and nurses in New York City and San Francisco were over- sampled.

Although the majority of nurses and physi- cians surveyed support mandatory testing, par- ticularly for patients, two thirds of the nurses and one third of the physicians incorrectly believe that HIV and the hepatitis B virus are equally transmissible, the article states.

In spite of this concern, physicians and nurs- es indicated that they are much less likely to use precautions when performing venipuncture on patients whose HIV status is not known, according to the article.

Most physicians and nurses acknowledge their ethical and professional obligation to care for HIV-infected patients; however, physicians objected to being forced by law to do so, the article states.

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