About the Book

This well respected, comprehensive textbook presents the complete diagnosis and treatment of the most common conditions encountered in the care of adults, and written for easier understanding of the subject matter. Known for its solid, balanced presentation of medical and nursing management, it also features in-depth coverage of pathophysiology. The eighth edition brings together a superior new author team and includes outstanding content and features for today's medical-surgical nursing

• Solid presentation of pathophysiology and medical, surgical, and nursing management.
• More than 70 Patient/Family Teaching boxes underscore the text's comprehensive treatment approach.
• Content on collaborative management highlights the necessity of cooperation and teamwork in patient care.
• Health promotion and prevention concepts are integrated throughout to stress the importance of ongoing care.
• More than 150 Guidelines for Safe Practice boxes give step-by-step instructions for providing safe, effective care.
• Common Medications tables outline nursing considerations and information on key drug groups.
• Clinical Manifestations boxes summarize important indications related to specific conditions.
• Gerontologic Assessment boxes and Gerontologic Considerations sections remind students of unique considerations in the care of older adults.
• Risk Factors boxes alert the reader to characteristics of disease etiology to consider when assessing and caring for patients.
• Research boxes show how significant research studies apply to daily nursing practice.
• Healthy People 2010 boxes identify national health objectives relevant to the topic of discussion.
• Future Watch boxes alert readers to topics on the horizon, such as developments in genetics and in gender-based medicine.
• Complementary & Alternative Therapies boxes discuss the increasing popularity and significance of complementary and alternative therapies in relation to traditional treatments.
• Nursing Care Plans cover more than 30 patient situations, illustrating the use of NANDA diagnoses, outcome criteria, NIC priority interventions, NOC suggested outcomes, and specific nursing interventions with rationales.
• Evidence-Based Practice boxes identify the Topic Question, Evidence Base, Findings, and Conclusions of research studies pertinent to current medical and nursing practice.
• The concept of community-based care is introduced in a new chapter and incorporated into other chapters as appropriate.

Nursing Management sections have been reorganised for clearer correlation of nursing diagnoses, appropriate patient goals and outcomes, and associated interventions.
Preparing for Practice boxes in select chapters are linked to a new interactive clinical setting on the Companion CD. Students have the opportunity to use critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to care for patients within a simulated hospital setting.
New and expanded chapters related to genetics and disease, emerging infections and bioterrorism, palliative care, and rehabilitation.
Are You Ready? boxes sprinkled throughout the text test students' mastery of content just covered, building a knowledge base.
Ethical Alert boxes discuss current ethical issues that nurses face in clinical practice including decision-making, genetic testing and therapy, and forced immunization.
Legal Alert boxes discuss critical legal considerations including protocol for medical and nursing interventions, patient consent for treatment or testing, and duty to warn.
Key terms with page number references are listed at the beginning of each chapter and marked with bold in the text narrative.