Fast Facts for Health Promotion in Nursing
Promoting Wellness in a Nutshell
Miller, C. A., (editor) & Zuccarini, M. (2013). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Paperbound, ISBN: 978-0-8261-1053-4, 242 pages, US $30.00.
Reviewed by:
Clinical Practice and Education Specialist
and New Graduate Nurse Residency
Program Coordinator
University of Maryland
Baltimore
The purpose of this book is to provide an easy-to-use clinical health promotion reference guide with numerous tools for nursing assessments and interventions that can be used to promote wellness as an "essential nursing action." It is intended that the reader will be able to incorporate wellness into the usual care of any patient and within his or her own personal daily activities. This book serves to help improve patient outcomes and to reduce personal and professional stress while promoting overall wellness.
The author of this book, Carol A. Miller, is an independent care manager who focuses on promoting wellness for clients and their families. The credentials of the author are quite extensive in the field of health promotion and wellness. She is the primary author of other wellness books and has published over 100 nursing articles and textbook chapters.
The content of the "Fast Facts" book is organized into three parts:
1. concepts of health promotion and wellness,
2. promoting wellness for all patients, and
3. health promotion toolkits.
The book includes 17 easy-to-read chapters with complete and accurate headings, comprising of teaching strategies, stress management techniques, and body systems wellness. Every chapter achieves its objectives. The chapters are organized in a similar fashion so the reader can quickly find information on key concepts, wellness tools, or specific topics on health promotion.
The book is infused with evidence-based information about nonmainstream healthcare approaches (complementary and alternative practices) the nurse may encounter during the treatment and health promotion of the patient. Unique features of the book include "Fast Facts in a Nutshell" feature boxes, risk assessment tools, wellness activity tools, assessment questionnaires, patient education key points, bulleted actions for health promotion, self-wellness tips, and a reference section called "Resources in a Nutshell." The "Fast Facts in a Nutshell" feature boxes include a variation of facts, helpful tips, and case examples a nurse may apply in practice. An example of a "Fast Facts in a Nutshell" feature box is from Chapter 13 regarding urinary wellness, where the author instructs the RN to be mindful of negative terminology and focus on the use of positive phrases such as "maintaining control" rather than "accidents." Additional features of each chapter include easy-to-use practical wellness tools for nurses, both novice and experts, in various healthcare settings. For example, in Chapter 10 regarding weight management and digestive wellness, the "Self-Wellness Activity" refers the reader to use the tool within the chapter to identify personal body mass index and encourages the reader to identify his or her own goals.
I appreciate how the author refers to tools discussed within other chapters of the book. An example in Chapter 11 includes a discussion about detrimental effects of nicotine. The author refers to tips discussed in Chapter 12 to assist the patient in smoking cessation.
My only criticism of this book involves the inconsistent details in the "Fast Facts in a Nutshell" feature boxes. The feature boxes are a combination of tips, case examples, or a reiteration of the previous section "in a nutshell." So, if the reader quickly flips to a feature box for quick reference, he or she may not find the actual fact they are hoping to find. This minor discrepancy, however, does not take away from the intent of the book.
This book is truly a quick reference tool, combining the facts from many chapters in nursing textbooks and applying a holistic approach to care and promotion. The author scales down the "need to know" of patient care while integrating health promotion opportunities within multiple nursing assessments and interventions. I would recommend this book to a nurse or nursing student for its practicality for any clinical specialty and level of experience.
Disclaimer: The author has disclosed that she has no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this review.