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Neonatal nurses are faced with a tremendous need for accurate, comprehensive information while in the clinical setting. Kenner and Lott's new book, Neonatal Nursing Handbook is designed to meet these needs by providing accessible information to assist these practitioners in their clinical decision-making and critical thinking. The new book also provides an excellent complementary reference to Kenner & Lott's Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing: A Physiologic Perspective, 3rd Edition. This handbook is organized primarily by body systems and includes a brief definition of the neonatal problem, followed by diagnostic tests and labs, differential diagnosis where appropriate, and then an algorithm to aid in the decision making process. The overall format is brief outlined and bulleted information wherever possible.

• An accessible, quick reference handbook to assist neonatal nurses in making sound clinical decisions and to think critically.
• Consistent format presentation that begins with a brief definition of the problem, diagnostic tests and labs, differential diagnosis where appropriate, and concludes with an algorithm to assist in the decision making process.
• Builds on the strength of content presented in Kenner & Lott's Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing: A Physiologic Perspective, 3e.
• Chapter 19 focuses on Discharge Planning / Coordination of Home Care to provide the nurse with important patient/family teaching and follow up care considerations for the neonate's condition.
• Chapter 20 End-of-Life or Palliative Care helps the nurse understand these important and sensitive care considerations.

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Univ. of Illinois, Chicago. Pocket-sized handbook includes accurate and comprehensive information for nurses in any clinical setting. Organized by body systems and features a consistent format consisting of a brief definition of the problem, diagnostic tests and labs, differential diagnosis, and an algorithm. Softcover.

Neonatal nurses care for babies that have been born prematurely or critically ill, unstable infants with medical and/or surgical conditions. Consequently neonatal nurses need accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information while in a clinical setting. The Neonatal Nursing Handbook written by Carole Kenner, Associate Dean for Academic Achievement, Professor, Clinical Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Judy Wright Lott, Dean and Associate Professor at the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Baylor University, is intended to meet the neonatal nurseÆs needs by providing an easy to use reference tool of facts and information. Some materials in this book were adapted from Kenner and LottÆs Comprehensive Neonatal Nursing: A Physiological Perspective, 3rd edition which makes this handbook an excellent compliment to it. The content addresses the most common neonatal nursing problems. The format is brief yet consistent and the book is organized primarily by body systems but there are also chapters on prenatal red flags, resuscitation, NICU admissions, neonatal transports, pain assessment, discharge planning, and palliative care. The body systems chapters begin with a brief description or definition of the neonatal problem, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, nursing management, and clinical care guidelines when available. The numerous charts, tables, and illustrations enhance the text. The flow charts provide a very good visual overview to help nurses in their decision-making. For example the flow chart dealing with acute diarrhea (p. 265) guides the nurse to do a complete history and physical and then depending on the outcome of the history and physical suggests what tests might be ordered and consequently, depending on the test results gives suggestions as to what may be causing the problem. These flow charts may be especially helpful to students when trying to identify what is happening with a patient. Chapter 20 "End of Life or Palliative Care" is a very important chapter which presents tools and guidelines to assist newborn and infant nurses to provide the best possible care to the infants, and support and comfort to the family whether it is in the hospital, community, or home setting. In this chapter there is a very practical and useful section which can help the nurse better understand the familyÆs religious needs, spirituality in nonreligious families, religious beliefs that influence health care, and cultural influences on health care. Chapter 23 includes some of the more common procedures done in neonatal intensive care units along with clinical care guidelines. The seven appendices include a quick reference to diagnostic tests and laboratory values, international conversion charts for clinical hematology and clinical chemistry, a temperature conversion chart, a neonatal weight conversion chart, an immunization schedule, a drug guide, and a section called critical pathways, which is a neonatal care map, which may be used for specific conditions. These appendices are great for a quick check of facts.Each article ends with a bibliography of references to current literature. The index is useful but unfortunately has several errors. The errors are found mainly in references to the "Religious Beliefs that Influence Health Care" section. For example, the index term Mormons refers the user to pages 488-489, but the actual text is found on page 487; the term Baptists refers the user to page 488 but the actual page is 486; the term Quaker refers the user to page 489 but the actual page is 488 etc. Some terms referring to cultures or religions are missing altogether such as Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and others of this like. Terms dealing with medical conditions and other matters seem to refer to the correct pages.The Neonatal Nursing Handbook is well-written, well-referenced, and timely and is recommended for medical and nursing libraries as well as academic libraries supporting nursing programs. Nurses, student nurses and midwives will all find this handbook useful.Reviewer: Lise L. Hackett, Electronic Serials Management Assistant, McGill University Libraries, lise.Hackett@mcgill.ca Copyright 2004 E-Streams Reviews.