Support for the family of a patient in crisis
Your article "Managing Alcoholic Liver Disease" (November 2014),* couldn't have come at a better time in my life. In the same month, a close friend with a long history of alcohol abuse was hospitalized and diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis. As an RN and the patient's and family's advocate, I really relied on the excellent information in the article to help educate the family about this disease. He passed away on Christmas Eve day, with home hospice care and his family and friends at the bedside. I want to thank the authors of this article for its comprehensive information.
The spirit of nursing
"Going the Extra Mile"(Editorial, February 2015)* made me reflect on all I've accomplished by "going the extra mile" during my 30-plus- year nursing career. Even when my "real life" was busy, I too have volunteered for many activities that have introduced me to some of the most wonderful nurses I've had the privilege to know and work beside. These have also provided a way for me to teach, inform, guide, and encourage other nurses in their careers.
I've always encouraged other nurses to teach, publish, and share information to expand their professional development and, more important, obtain the personal feeling of accomplishment within the profession. Many people have said to me, "I don't know how you do all that you do." My response is, "I just want to help others," which I feel is the true spirit of nursing.
Preventing skin damage
"Skin Tears: Best Practices for Care and Prevention" (May 2014)* was very thorough regarding assessment, treatment, and prevention of skin tears. I'd like to add that in order to prevent damage to surrounding healthy skin during dressing removal, any dressing type is best secured by wrapping a stretch gauze bandage around the extremity and securing the bandage with tape.
-CAROL LEE, RN
San Antonio, Tex.
-SUSAN LAFFAN, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-ADVANCED
Toms River, N.J.
-MARIJANA BANKOVIC, RN
New York, NY
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