FIGURE
I am pleased to present with this issue the first installment of a new feature column written by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. This column will highlight some of the fine nursing research being done by the NCSBN regarding practice issues having legal impact on nursing and nurses, and will provide practical ways for readers to use this research to improve care at their facilities.
This issue also contains an interesting and thought-provoking assessment of the moral duty to report errors, especially timely in light of the JCAHO disclosure requirements that facilities are struggling with. Our last two feature articles deal with two other hot topics in healthcare: the use of e-mail and ways to improve patient satisfaction.
Having just returned from the annual AWHONN convention, I am putting together a special issue on ethical and legal issues surrounding obstetric care, and I would invite readers who have an interest in this area to consider submitting an article.
Rebecca F. Cady, JD, BSN, RNC