Conducting Research in Long-Term Care Settings, Brenda Lewis Cleary. New York, NY, Springer Publishing Company, 2003. 136 pages, hardcover, $32.95.

This book is designed to help nurses in their understanding of patients in nursing home environments and the physical and emotional problems inherent in populations of this category. There are 7 chapters to enable the reader to conceptualize the needed approach to this growing entity of care. These are (1) long-term care in the United States, (2) the state of science of long-term care research, (3) ethical issues in long-term care research, (4) issues of research design in long-term care, (5) gaining access for research, and (7) dissemination of thefindings. A substantial section on references is also included to enable the readers to explore this entity in a helpful way.

The successful prolongation of life that is occurring because of steady scientific research into health, better living and working conditions, and the steady attention of the media to enhance the awareness of this concept are all tending to increase the population of aging citizens who are requiring long-term care. This situation raises the need for more nurses to be competent in clinical research, and to steadily investigate as to whether all the new clinical knowledge being developed is steadily applied to individuals in need of long-term care. This text raises the questions of this type of care clearly and should stimulate nurses to aspire to increase the care of this enlarging group of patients. Nurses have a key role in enabling these patients to have richer outcomes in their care and to lessen the stress of coping with the aging process.