Issues and Strategies for Nurse Leaders: Meeting Hospital Challenges Today

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Oak-brook Terrace, IL: Joint Commission Resources, 2005. 181 pp; $75.00; 877-223-6866;http://www.jcrinc.com

This new book explores some of the challenges hospital nurses currently face and how patient safety can be affected. It delves into the reasons behind the challenges, including staffing shortages, work overload, and inadequate training. Most of the book focuses on proven strategies to meet these issues, including creating a retentive work environment, using workload measurement systems, and bettering nurse competency through training. Key to Issues and Strategies for Nurse Leaders are frequent references to applicable Joint Commission standards and initiatives, and numerous case studies and sidebars amplify key concepts.

Special features include:

* Detailed guidance on incorporating the Joint Commission's priority focus areas and National Patient Safety Goals into nursing practice;

* "Standards Connection" side-bars linking the book's content to specific Joint Commission hospital standards;

* "Facts and Figures" providing dozens of provocative statistics and insightful data related to the nursing industry;

* Numerous case studies, models, checklists, and other examples offering a variety of real-life solutions, proven procedures, and sound recommendations.