With patient education achieving a position of prominence in today’s healthcare industry, tools to make the process easier and more effective are necessary. Printed educational materials are the most common form of instructional materials used, and the most economical. Obese patients participating in the Fen/Phen Weight Management Program, require detailed instruction in three major areas, proper usage of the anorexiant drugs dl fenfluramine and phentermine, a healthy eating plan, and an exercise program.

A patient education manual was constructed following the Evaluating Printed Education Materials (EPEM) Model developed by Bernier and Yasko (1991). The manual discusses medication administration and side effects, a healthy eating plan, and an exercise program. The SMOG formula, developed by McLaughlin (1969), was used to place the manual at the eighth grade readability level.

Footage of the 44th Homecoming celebration at Bloomsburg State College that took place on October 9, 1971.

The methods used to assess edema, an excessive amount of fluid in the body tissues, are varied. This descriptive, exploratory study used a researcher developed questionnaire to determine the assessment methods used by registered nurses providing bedside care in small to moderate sized Western Pennsylvania hospitals. The information obtained will be utilized to encourage the establishment of nursing protocols for edema assessment in medical care facilities in order to achieve consistency and accuracy in assessment of edema.

Socialization is a difficult process in most professions. The movement from outsider to insider can be made more or less stressful depending on co-workers. Nursing is a particular field that tends to make it difficult for newcomers to "fit in" (Meissner, 1986). Therefore, the question arises, do co-workers affect the socialization process of new nurses in the hospital setting with respect to task performance, social support, sponsorship, and coaching factors? In this study three hospitals were utilized in the Erie, PA area. The criteria for this study specified nurses who have been in the hospital setting between 3 months and 2 years. A total of 29 surveys were entered into the study. A self administered survey was employed and developed from material found in the literature review and was modeled after the Mentoring and Communication Support Scale (Hell et. al., 1989). The survey consisted of 24 quantitative questions, 3 qualitative questions, and an optional space for name and phone number. Respondents were grouped based on a mean split, with Group 1 above the mean, and Group 2 below the mean. Each group was analyzed using a t-test comparing them to each of the 4 dimensions and to each individual question. The analysis found a significant probability (p<=.005) in 3 of the 4 dimensions (task, sponsorship and coaching). The qualitative answers supported this finding. In addition, mentoring was found to be an important element in those nurses who were more highly socialized.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the direction and strength of the relationship between the personality trait of hardiness and the practice of health-promoting behaviors. The literature review covers the background of definitive research dealing with the concepts of hardiness and health promotion. A sample population (n=66) was drawn from teachers of a local school district. The volunteer subjects were asked to complete the Health-Related Hardiness Scale and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile. Paired scores from these instruments were then analyzed using the Pearson r correlation technique. The result of this correlation (r= 0.481) is significant at the .05 level.

This research discovered the relationship between Suzanne Kobasa’s concept of personality hardiness and cumulative grade point average in diploma nursing students. Hardiness, a stress mediating trait, consists of the personality characteristics commitment, control and challenge. A convenience sample of 36 first year students in a diploma nursing program participated in the study. Each student's level of personality hardiness was determined, along with subscores of commitment, control and challenge, using a 50 item questionnaire. The cumulative grade point average was obtained from each student's academic record at the completion of the first year of study.
The Pearson's r Product Moment Correlation was used to correlate hardiness score and cumulative grade point average. The correlation between hardiness and cumulative grade
point average in this sample was not significant. The results did not support the theory derived from the literature that high levels of hardiness would be positively correlated to high
grade point average.
Further exploration of the concept of hardiness and its relationship to stress mediation and academic performance in nursing students is needed. Implications for further research in this area are offered.

A sample survey of nurses practicing in rural psychiatric settings was conducted to examine their perceptions of preparation for the family educator role. A self-rating tool was sent to nurses practicing on inpatient units of rural hospitals in southeastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Nurses were asked to rate themselves in response to questions pertaining to teaching set and preparation for teaching. The conceptual framework of Megenity and Megenity was used as the basis for the study and the rating tool which was developed by the investigator. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The results of the survey showed that while nurses felt adequate in the family teaching role, their formal educational preparation stopped at the entry level of associate degree; that they value basic education and experience equally as the most helpful preparation; and that they did not plan for the teaching event. These findings were inconsistent with the literature, which supports an advanced credential for practitioners teaching families, and the model which supports grounding in educational and teaching-learning theories, as well as planning for the teaching event.

The purpose of this study was to identify battered women in a health setting. The sample studied were 100 women in a local family planning clinic. 50 who reported themselves as having been battered within the last year and 50 who did not. Data was obtained by using a copywritten tool, the Abuse Risk Inventory (ARI). The tool included two parts: demographic data in which the client identified herself as having been battered and a survey entitled Interpersonal Relationships. The questionnaire was distributed to the sample population at a family planning clinic.
The researcher compared the means of the ARI of the two groups. The difference between the means analyzed was using a t TEST. Findings were significant at the p<.01 level. Several demographics were observed; among them Length of Relationship, Annual Income, and Physical Abuse for both the Respondent and Partner. Observations of the ARI means were made in each category.