NURSING LEADERSHIP: A CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA
Harriet R. Feldman (Editor); Marilyn Jaffe-Ruiz, Margaret McClure, Martha Greenberg, Thomas Smith (Associate editors), New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2008, hardbound, ISBN: 978-0-8261-0258-4, 578 pages, US$95.00.
* Reviewed by:
Neil Coogan, MSN, MBA, RN-BC, CEN
Nursing Education Department
Bay Pines VA Healthcare System
Bay Pines, Florida
The editor-in-chief engaged four associate editors and more than 100 contributing writers in producing Nursing Leadership: A Concise Encyclopedia. The purpose of this book is to encapsulate the "information about the range of knowledge and roles encompassed by the term nursing leadership." The reader will understand that the contents should be seen as a quick reference aid for nurses and nonnurses alike to review broad topics in nursing leadership. The text is organized around nine themes, some of which include characteristics of leadership, brief introductions to some major leaders in nursing, professional standards, healthcare delivery standards, quality outcomes, and informatics. More than 150 entries, with an average of two pages in length, give evidence and credence to the nine themes of nursing leadership.
The credentials of the editors are indeed impressive, and the contributors are nursing leaders, educators, authors, and researchers, all authorities in their own right. The ease of readability is assisted by the alphabetical listing of each entry and by a comprehensive index. Each entry includes a list of the most up-to-date references, thereby supporting the accuracy of data. Students, nurses, healthcare administrators, and even lay people can glean basic knowledge from the entries. The book would have been greatly enhanced with the addition of more creative formatting, photographs, illustrations, and charts.
Although this work is designed as an encyclopedia (which summarizes, defines, and describes all authoritative information), it really is a compendium or an abridgment about topics in nursing leadership, such as the following:
* Some of the important organizations that have influenced and continue to influence the profession, such as the American Nurses Association, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the Joint Commission.
* Selected historical human figures that have influenced nursing policy and practice and particularly education, including Margaret Mahoney, Adelaide Nutting, and Hildegard Peplau.
* Multiple evolving roles toward autonomy and ownership of nursing practice such as advanced practice, case management, and outcomes management.
* The current practices that safeguard the patient and public and move the profession toward greater accountability, positive outcomes, and quality.
The editors and contributors have ineffectively tried to capture the history, traits, practices, and regulations encompassing nursing leadership into a single volume. Even with entries ranging from "Academic Leadership" to "Zimmerman, Anne," many important concepts, terms, and people have been omitted. Each entry that is included is given only superficial treatment, as encyclopedias should be written, but without consistent substance. This text did provide some additional facts not previously known by the reviewer; however, my personal thoughts or ideas were not changed, abandoned, or reinforced as a result of this publication. It is a book that you do not necessarily read from cover to cover. Rather, it is an adjunct reference for nurse leaders seeking an excellent topical introduction to the complex and often overwhelming world of nursing leadership and could be an asset on a nurse leader's bookshelf or in an organization's library.