Associate Dean Of Academic Affairs Research Articles

Patient-Physician Relationship and the Role of Clinical Decision Support Systems

1. Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm[⇑][1] 1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha – Qatar 2. Rebecca L. Bearden 1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha – Qatar 3. Asha Elmi, MS 1. Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Doha – Qatar 1. Address for Correspondence: Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director and Associate Professor of Biomedical Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha – Qatar, 00974-4403-4783, Hassan.Aziz{at}qu.edu.qa 1. Describe the patient-physician relationship. 2. Assess the current challenges of a healthy patient-physician relationship. 3. Evaluate the role of information technology in improving the relationship between patients and physicians. 4. Define the term clinical decision support system. 5. Discuss the benefits and challenges of clinical decision support systems. INTRODUCTION In the last quarter of the twentieth century rapid development in the biological, medical, and pharmaceutical sciences has taken place and is continually developing causing a considerable broadening and deepening in the medical knowledge and thus the emergence of new methods of examination and treatment of patients. There is high importance in the development of medical and technical sciences and as a result the amount of information needed by physicians in their practice for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases has significantly increased. Using new and emerging drugs, diagnostics, and data from evidence-based medicine should help improve the clinical and cost effectiveness of care. Definition of Patient-Physician Relationship Physician-patient effective relationship is the main key to deliver good therapy and high quality healthcare in the medical field. Physicians and their communication, social and relational skills are the main pillars that help in collecting information and data from patients to facilitate precise and accurate diagnosis, and deliver effective care and therapy.1 These skills are the most important practices in the medical and clinical field that will help reach the best healthcare outcome and patient gratification.2 Furthermore, the physician-patient relationship has two main components: emotional and informational. Delivering successful medical care and intervention require strong physician-patient communication by establishing a partnership. Also, a patient has a great view about his or her medical situation or problem that will help him or her to be part of the decision making process.3 Therefore, creating a good social and personal relationship, facilitating sharing… ABBREVIATIONS: CDSS - Clinical Decision Support System, ICD - International Classification of Diseases, CPT - Current Procedural Terminology, SNOMED - Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine, HER - Electronic Health Records 1. Describe the patient-physician relationship. 2. Assess the current challenges of a healthy patient-physician relationship. 3. Evaluate the role of information technology in improving the relationship between patients and physicians. 4. Define the term clinical decision support system. 5. Discuss the benefits and challenges of clinical decision support systems. [1]: #corresp-1

Electronic Health Records Uses and Malpractice Risks

1. Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm[⇑][1] 1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha – Qatar 2. Ola Asaad Alsharabasi 1. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha – Qatar 1. Address for Correspondence: Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director and Associate Professor of Biomedical Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha – Qatar, 00974-4403-4783, Hassan.Aziz{at}qu.edu.qa 1. Define the term Electronic Health Record (EHR). 2. Describe the ARRA-HITECH programs to support electronic health records. 3. Identify the benefits of electronic health records. 4. Describe the benefits and challenges of EHR applications in healthcare. 5. Summarize and differentiate the three groups of EHR malpractice risks. INTRODUCTION Our world has been radically transformed by digital technology – smart phones, tablets, and web-enabled devices have transformed our daily lives and the way we communicate. A greater and more seamless flow of information within a digital healthcare infrastructure, created by electronic health records (EHRs), encompasses and leverages digital progress and can transform the way care is delivered and compensated. An EHR is a digital version of a patient's paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. While an EHR does contain the medical and treatment histories of patients, an EHR system is built to go beyond standard clinical data collected in a provider's office and can be inclusive of a broader view of a patient's care.1 One of the key features of an EHR is that health information can be created and managed by authorized providers in a digital format capable of being shared with other providers across more than one healthcare organization. EHRs are built to share information with other healthcare providers and organizations – such as laboratories – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient's care. The EHR is composed of components such as clinical decision support systems (CDSS) that include information about relevant clinical practice guidelines and clinical reminders, and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) of medications that check orders against patient information to flag potential drug interactions, allergic reactions, and errors.2 The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH)… ABBREVIATIONS: HER - Electronic Health Records, ARRA - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, HITECH - Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health, CDSS - Clinical Decision Support System, CPOE - Computerized Physician Order Entry, IOM - Institute of Medicine's, HIT - Health Information Technology, CRICO - Controlled Risk Insurance Company 1. Define the term Electronic Health Record (EHR). 2. Describe the ARRA-HITECH programs to support electronic health records. 3. Identify the benefits of electronic health records. 4. Describe the benefits and challenges of EHR applications in healthcare. 5. Summarize and differentiate the three groups of EHR malpractice risks. [1]: #corresp-1

Health Informatics – Introduction

1. Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm[⇑][1] 1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha – Qatar <!-- --> 1. Address for Correspondence: Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director and Associate Professor of Biomedical Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha – Qatar, 00974-4403-4783, Hassan.Aziz{at}qu.edu.qa INTRODUCTION Health informatics is a wide-ranging science incorporating the complex mixture of people, organizations, illnesses, patient care and treatment. It is a scientific field that deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and optimal use of biomedical information, data, and knowledge for problem solving and decision making. The field touches on all basic and applied fields in biomedical science and is closely tied to modern information technologies, notably in the areas of computing and communication. Health informatics looks into ways to optimize clinical knowledge creation, sharing and application to deliver better healthcare and to promote health. The emergence of medical informatics as a new discipline is due in large part to the rapid advances in computing and communications technologies, an increasing awareness that the knowledge base of biomedicine is essentially unmanageable by traditional paper-based methods, and a growing conviction that the process of informed decision making is as important to modern biomedicine as is the collection of facts on which clinical decisions or research plans are made. A term is currently used is Big Data. The term describes large and exponential growth and availability of data. These data could be structured or unstructured data. This is well defined as data that adhere to the following four articulated criteria. The first criteria is volume, which is considered to be an ever-increasing amount. With the emergence of various storage devices and the reduction of the storage cost it is made increasingly possible to manage this large volume of data. However, strict evaluation of… [1]: #corresp-1

Evolution of the Web and its Uses in Healthcare

1. Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm[⇑][1] 1. College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha – Qatar 2. Aisha Madani 1. Weill Cornell Medical College – Qatar, Doha – Qatar 1. Address for Correspondence: Hassan A. Aziz, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm , Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director and Associate Professor of Biomedical Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha – Qatar, 00974-4403-4783, Hassan.Aziz{at}qu.edu.qa 1. Define the term “world wide web”. 2. Identify and describe the roles of the pioneers responsible for the development of the world wide web. 3. Describe the evolution of the generations of the web. 4. Compare and contrast the four generations of the web. 5. Discuss the current and potential applications of the web in healthcare. INTRODUCTION Before the Internet, people obtained health information from consulting a healthcare provider, books, magazines and newspapers or simply by asking family and friends. Nowadays, the internet has become a major source of information for those who have access to it. Large numbers of patients rely on the internet as a source for their queries regarding medical information including diagnosis, control, treatment and prognosis of either their own health or relatives and loved ones. The world wide web is not identical to the internet but it is the most prominent part of it. The “web” is defined as a techno-social system that allows individuals to interact on technological networks, thus improving individual's cognition, communication and cooperation.1 The revolutionary idea of the web was introduced by Tim Burners Lee. The web and its related technologies have progressed tremendously in the past two decades. Four generations have risen since the launch of the web. The web of cognition was known as “Web 1.0”, which was considered as the first generation and a read-only format of the web. Although revolutionary, it provided limited user interaction especially for commercial businesses to share information with customers. It was basically used to search for information and read it. Second came “Web 2.0” with the ability to read and write. It allowed managing significant crowds with common interests in social interactions as defined by Dale Dougherty in 2004. The semantic web, “Web 3.0”, provided machine-readable content on the web. It is made up of two main platforms,… ABBREVIATIONS: UDI - Universal Document Identifier, HTML - Hypertext Markup Language, HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol, URI - Universal Resource Identifier, GWT - Google Web Toolkit, RSS - Really Simple Syndication, W3C - World Wide Web consortium, EHR - Electronic Health Record, HIS - Hospital Information System, LIS - Laboratory Information System, PACS - Picture Archive and Communication System 1. Define the term “world wide web”. 2. Identify and describe the roles of the pioneers responsible for the development of the world wide web. 3. Describe the evolution of the generations of the web. 4. Compare and contrast the four generations of the web. 5. Discuss the current and potential applications of the web in healthcare. [1]: #corresp-1

In memoriam, Dr. E. Chester Ridgway, 1942-2014.

The Endocrine Society, the world of endocrinology, and the family and innumerable friends and colleagues of Chip Ridgway were immensely saddened to learn of his very untimely death on July 31, 2014. Chip was a graduate of Dartmouth College and an AOA graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, magna cum laude. His internship, medicine residency, and endocrinology fellowship were all at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He served two years in the Navy as Chief of Endocrinology at San Diego prior to returning to Massachusetts General, where he served as Chief of the Thyroid Unit and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, until 1985. He moved back to the University of Colorado in 1985 to become the Frederic C. Hamilton Professor of Medicine and Division Head of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes. Chip received the high honor of Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado in 2011 and remained at the University until his death. Chip relinquished the role of Division Director in 2007 but continued to serve as interim Chair of Medicine and Executive Vice Chair of Medicine. He has been Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for nearly 20 years. Peer recognition of his stellar career led to early election to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and Mastership in the American College of Physicians. Chip generously shared his professional life as a physician-scientist between his associates at the University of Colorado, numerous international colleagues and collaborators, and his two favorite professional societies, the Endocrine Society and the American Thyroid Association (ATA). He served as member and chairman of many committees in both societies and on the Council of the Endocrine Society and on the Executive Board of the ATA. He was elected President of the ATA in 1996–1997 and President of the Endocrine Society in 2003–2004. His welldeserved honors and awards were many, including the Distinguished Service Award, Paul Starr Award, Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal, and Lewis Braverman Lectureship Award from the ATA, and the Robert H. Williams Distinguished Leadership Award from the Endocrine Society. Chip founded and directed a “Fellows Day” conference dedicated to thyroid disease at the ATA annual meeting for the past 20 years, touching the careers of over 100 fellows each year. Indeed, his dedication to both education and the growth, development, and mentorship of his fellows and junior colleagues was legend-

In memoriam, Dr. E. Chester Ridgway, 1942- 2014.

The Endocrine Society, the world of endocrinology, and the family and innumerable friends and colleagues of Chip Ridgway were immensely saddened to learn of his very untimely death on July 31, 2014. Chip was a graduate of Dartmouth College and an AOA graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, magna cum laude. His internship, medicine residency, and endocrinology fellowship were all at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He served two years in the Navy as Chief of Endocrinology at San Diego prior to returning to Massachusetts General, where he served as Chief of the Thyroid Unit and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, until 1985. He moved back to the University of Colorado in 1985 to become the Frederic C. Hamilton Professor of Medicine and Division Head of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes. Chip received the high honor of Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado in 2011 and remained at the University until his death. Chip relinquished the role of Division Director in 2007 but continued to serve as interim Chair of Medicine and Executive Vice Chair of Medicine. He has been Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for nearly 20 years. Peer recognition of his stellar career led to early election to membership in the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and Mastership in the American College of Physicians. Chip generously shared his professional life as a physician-scientist between his associates at the University of Colorado, numerous international colleagues and collaborators, and his two favorite professional societies, the Endocrine Society and the American Thyroid Association (ATA). He served as member and chairman of many committees in both societies and on the Council of the Endocrine Society and on the Executive Board of the ATA. He was elected President of the ATA in 1996–1997 and President of the Endocrine Society in 2003–2004. His welldeserved honors and awards were many, including the Distinguished Service Award, Paul Starr Award, Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal, and Lewis Braverman Lectureship Award from the ATA, and the Robert H. Williams Distinguished Leadership Award from the Endocrine Society. Chip founded and directed a “Fellows Day” conference dedicated to thyroid disease at the ATA annual meeting for the past 20 years, touching the careers of over 100 fellows each year. Indeed, his dedication to both education and the growth, development, and mentorship of his fellows and junior colleagues was legend-

Passing the Torch

It my sincere pleasure to welcome Dr. Gayle A. Brazeau, Dean at the University of New England College of Pharmacy, as the 7th Editor of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Gayle has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal for over 9 years and has a wealth of experience in pharmacy education and an outstanding record of leadership in the profession. She is well known to many in pharmacy education. She has led Journal efforts in the pharmaceutical sciences and played a major role in quality improvement efforts of the Journal, including the peer review process. Dr. Brazeau has had appointments as Professor of Pharmacy Practice and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Before then, she was a faculty member at the University of Houston and the University of Florida. She is a product of the University of Toledo with a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy, and of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, with a PhD in pharmaceutics. She has been very active in the Association, having served as an elected officer, committee member and committee chair including the Chair of the Council of Faculties. She has been recognized many times for her teaching at the University at Buffalo, University of Florida, and the University of Houston. She has served on Food and Drug Administration, the United States Pharmacopeia, and National Institutes of Health panels and committees, and has a consistent record of peer review publications, book chapters, and books throughout her academic career She describes her pedagogical research interests as focusing on curricular assessment strategies and design and assessment of student learning, and her laboratory research interests on investigating the biochemical and toxicological interactions of drugs or excipients with skeletal muscle and other disease effects on skeletal muscle. The Journal concluded its 77th year of publication in 2013. The mission of the Journal has remained the same over the past 10 years: “to document and advance pharmaceutical education in the United States and internationally.” The Journal has been advantaged by the growth in pharmacy education. Pharmacy educators throughout the United States and the world have had phenomenal success in designing and implementing better approaches for teaching and learning. Many of these efforts find their way into the Journal. The success of the Journal can be attributed to the foundation that was established from the first year of publication in 1937 by previous editors, editorial board members, authors, and reviewers. The Journal has benefited from our exceptional Associate Editors: Jack Fincham, Claire Anderson and Frank Romanelli (as well as Dr. Brazeau). Dr. Fincham has been our expert in many areas including social and administrative sciences, health economics, health behavior, and public health topics. Dr. Anderson is our International Associate Editor who has increased the international visibility of the Journal. Dr. Romanelli brings expertise in pharmacy practice and pharmacotherapy, public health, and curriculum development. The Journal has been fortunate to have Senior Assistant Editor Karen Shipp and other Journal staff members who have done the critical day-to-day work of publishing, the Editorial Board members and peer reviewers who have provided expert guidance and feedback, and our authors whose research and insights have had a positive impact on academic pharmacy. The Journal is a result of the excellent scholarship that has come from the pharmacy education academy and from all of our authors and manuscript reviewers who work hard to assure the high quality of what is published. The South Carolina College of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina and the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy have provided a home for the Journal editorial office since 2002. The AACP Board of Directors and staff have played a critical role in the Journal’s success. AACP Executive Vice President and CEO Lucinda Maine and Senior Director of Academic Affairs Cecilia Plaza have always provided valuable support and guidance. Looking back over the past decade there were important Board decisions that led to significant Journal progress: to convert from print to online publication, to allow open-access publication, to appoint associate editors, to increase to 10 issues per year, to fund a full-time assistant editor position, and to provide support for state-of-the-art website. It has been a great privilege of my career to have served as Editor the past 12 years. As Editor, I have learned much from all the great work of the Journal authors, and I highly valued the opportunity to meet many colleagues in pharmacy education. I have enjoyed every minute being editor and will certainly miss it in the years ahead.

A model for understanding regulatory control of plasma volume and osmolality (720.5)

A sound understanding of mechanisms controlling plasma volume & osmolality is fundamental to interpreting disease pathogenesis & making clinical decisions that impact life & death. Faulty reasoning can be attributed to the many mechanisms that sense & respond to abnormalities of volume & osmolality. Sensors are located in different organs, detect abnormalities by different mechanisms & under different circumstances. Responses are multiple, occur in different anatomical locales & can work independently or overlap. The processes are difficult to mentally organize in a way that is useful for clinical problem-solving. The objective of this teaching innovation was to create a simplified, interactive, FLASH animated model that provides students with a platform for conceptualizing how plasma volume & osmolality are controlled. In the model, changes in volume of a container of extracellular fluid (ECF) results in movement of a “float” that represents atrial stretch when overfilled and baroreceptor/JG activation when underfilled. Movement of a needle indicates the mediator released. Responses to the mediators occur at the bottom where a “pipe” representing a renal tubule responds by saving (AGII/aldo) or wasting (ANP) Na+ & H2O resulting in preservation or loss of ECF from the tank. Changes in ECF osmolality results in movement of a “plunger” inside a chamber of intracellular fluid (ICF). The plunger represents shrinkage or swelling of hypothalamic osmoreceptors. Hypertonicity of the ECF causes H2O to exit the ICF resulting in lowering of the plunger. Hypotonicity of the ECF causes H2O to enter the ICF resulting in lifting of the plunger. The plunger controls release of ADH. Responses to ADH occur at the H2O faucet (representing thirst) and renal tubule which results in addition or loss of free H2O to the tank. This model may improve learning outcomes & clinical problem-solving. Grant Funding Source: Supported by funds from the Office of the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, NC State University

Nominations Sought for the 2014 FAER Mentoring Excellence in Research Award

The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research is accepting nominations for the 2014 FAER Mentoring Excellence in Research Award. The award recognizes an outstanding mentor in anesthesiology and the value of mentorship in the specialty. Each year, the FAER Academy of Research Mentors in Anesthesiology presents the award at the ASA annual meeting during the Celebration of Research.The nomination deadline for the FAER Mentoring Excellence in Research Award is March 31, 2014.Anesthesiologists who are actively engaged in anesthesiology mentorship and have a sustained record of mentoring anesthesiologists over time are eligible for the award. The award is based on the training experiences and successes of the nominee’s mentees, not on the mentor’s personal career achievements.Anyone who is a mentee or a colleague of a successful anesthesiology mentor may submit a nomination. Nominators must have personal knowledge of the nominee’s mentoring efforts. Mentees should be actively involved in research, teaching, mentoring, or other leadership activities.The recipient of the 2013 FAER Mentoring Excellence in Research award was Harriet W. Hopf, M.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Anesthesiology, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Utah.Please submit a nomination form, three letters of recommendation, the nominee’s curriculum vitae, and a completed mentor table. Nomination forms and more information about the nomination process are available at FAER.org/mentor-award.If you have questions about award nominations, contact Jody Clikeman, Program Coordinator, at 507-538-7884 or JodyClikeman@faer.org.

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

2014 Annual Journal Symposium

Be a ‘star’: Get older patients off high-risk meds

Be a ‘star’: Get older patients off high-risk meds

Pediatric News

Pediatric News

People

Wake Forest has appointed Rogan Kersh as the University's new provost and professor of political science. A Wake Forest alumnus, Kersh currently serves as the associate dean of academic affairs and professor of public policy at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Hazel Beh Retires from the Editorial Board

Having served the Journal admirably, Dr. Hazel Beh expressed a desire to retire from the Editorial Board. She has been with the Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction since 2003, when it began at ASCE as a legal affairs section in the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. We have depended on her to set standards for the review process and to impart a character to the Journal. Indeed, she has helped pave the road to our current status. In addition to a law degree, Dr. Beh holds a Ph.D. in American studies and an M.S. in social work. She is professor of law at the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law, where she teaches contracts, advanced torts, insurance, higher education, and legal writing. She received the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents’ Excellence in Teaching Award, the university’s highest honor for professors. Recently, she stepped down as associate dean for academic affairs. In other service, she was section chair both for contracts and for education law at the American Association of Law Schools. Before joining the faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi, Dr. Beh clerked for Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Herman Lum and City and County of Honolulu Corporation Counsel. At its most recent meeting, the Editorial Board of the Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction passed a unanimous vote expressing appreciation for her services to the Journal. We wish her the best!

A Cross-Sectional Survey on the Inclusion of Tobacco Prevention/Cessation, Nutrition/ Diet, and Exercise Physiology/Fitness Education in Medical School Curricula

Chronic diseases are currently the major cause of death and disability worldwide. Addressing the main causes of chronic diseases from a preventive perspective is imperative for half ing a continual increase in premature deaths. Physicians occupy a unique position to assist individuals with chronic disease prevention. Hence, medical school is an opportunity to prepare physicians for preventive interventions with patients at risk for developing chronic diseases. This study asserts that education on chronic disease prevention that targets tobacco cessation/prevention, nutrition/ diet, and exercise physiology/fitness is a key aspect of medical school curricula. However, many US medical schools do not include all 3 components in their curricula. This study investigates the extent to which medical school curricula include the above 3 areas. Two methods were utilized for the study: (1) a cross-sectional survey was given to the associate dean of academic affairs of 129 US medical schools and (2) relevant data were retrieved from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Findings support the notion that medical schools are in need of increased curricula covering tobacco prevention/cessation, nutrition/diet, and exercise physiology/fitness. Results indicate that exercise physiology/fitness was the area receiving the least attention in medical schools. Ultimately, this study's purpose was to provide a basis for determining whether inclusion of these 3 subjects in medical school curricula has any significant effect on training future doctors to meet the needs of growing numbers of individuals with chronic disease.

Prescription Medication Abuse: What Do We Do?

1Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

The Case Against Preemption: Vaccines &amp; Uncertainty

Mary J. Davis is the Stites & Harbison Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Kentucky College of Law. She joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky in 1991 after six years of a litigation defense practice, predominantly in products liability. She writes in the products liability field and is co-author of the textbook, Products Liability and Safety: Cases & Materials (6th ed. 2010) (with Owen and Montgomery). She is currently working on a multi-volume products liability treatise, Owen and Davis, The Law of Products Liability (forthcoming 2012). Her articles on federal preemption have contributed extensively to the drug preemption debate, including articles published in the Hastings Law Journal, Boston College Law Review, University of Pittsburgh Law Review, among others.

The Art and Science of Palliative Nursing

As noted by the editors of this comprehensive textbook, this edition “comes at a time when palliative nursing has truly come of age” (p. ix). This textbook, which now carries the official designation of the Oxford University Press, is the definitive treatise on palliative nursing. The textbook contains a total of 78 chapters that are written by teams of interdisciplinary experts, which exemplifies the collaboration that is needed to achieve both compassionate and competent palliative care. The scope and breadth of the content of the chapters are far reaching and highly relevant to all aspects of pain and symptom management for palliative care patients. Part I provides an excellent introduction to the general principles of palliative nursing. Part II, which appropriately so, is one of the largest portions of the textbook, focuses on the assessment and management of symptoms in palliative care patients. Part III focuses on psychosocial support of patients and family caregivers. Part IV provides information on spiritual care. The fifth section of the textbook discusses the palliative care needs of special patient populations, including the poor, homeless and underserved, as well as elderly patients and patients with substance abuse disorders. Additional sections of the textbook are devoted to end-of-life issues across settings, pediatric palliative care, special issues for the nurse in end-of-life care, and international models of palliative care. The final chapter is entitled “A Good Death,” which is the ultimate goal that all palliative care nurses strive to ensure for all patients. One of the most attractive features of this textbook is its “user-friendly” format. Each chapter contains a set of key points that summarize the major conclusions in each chapter. Each chapter contains the perfect balance of science and art. The theoretical and scientific underpinnings of each chapter are clearly articulated. These provide the foundation on which is built the assessment and management principles that can be integrated into routine care of palliative care patients. Each chapter is filled with tables and figures that enhance the content of the chapter. This textbook is designed to provide clinicians and educators with the information that they need to provide care to patients across the continuum of palliative care. The writing style is clear and concise. In my opinion, this textbook should be on the bookshelf of every palliative care clinician. Christine Miaskowski, RN, PhD, FAAN, is Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor, and Sharon A. Lamb Endowed Chair in Symptom Management Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.