432 The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing · September 2008 · Vol 39, No 9
resource reviews
Susan C. Haussler, EdD, RN, CNE
Associate Editor
Stressed Out About
Communication Skills
by Kathleen Bartholomew; 2007;
Marblehead, MA: HCPro, Inc.; 153
pages; $29.95; softcover.
This timely book is written for
entry-level students in nursing
and health-related disciplines and
novice nurses. Communication encounters
(nurse to patient, nurse to
nurse, nurse to physician, and nurse
to manager) are clearly presented
in an easy to follow format. Practical
tips and strategies for effective
communication are provided. Visual
symbols are consistently used
throughout the book to orient the
reader to particular passages. The
final chapters outline excellent strategies
for developing and exploring
communication techniques in
a variety of settings and personal
encounters. The final page encourages
the reader to develop his or her
voice within the discipline of nursing.
Often humorous, Bartholomew
shares her nursing experiences and
encounters over the years in the
hope of facilitating the communication
process across the health care
continuum.
Stressed Out About Communication
Skills clearly orients the reader
to effective communication skills
and strategies. These skills and strategies
are applied to a variety of settings
and encounters that nursing
students and novice nurses will face.
I fully recommend this book for its
content, style, and importance.

Thomas W. Connelly, Jr., PhD, RN
Director, ASN Program
Anna Maria College
Paxton, Massachusetts

The Johns Hopkins
Nursing Evidence-Based
Practice Model and
Guidelines
by Robin P. Newhouse, Sandra L.
Dearholt, Stephanie S. Poe, Linda C.
Pugh, and Kathleen M. White; 2007;
Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau
International; $29.95; 224 pages;
softcover.

Health care today exemplifies a
culture of improving quality,
promoting patient safety, supporting
practice with evidence, and closing
the traditional gap between research
and practice with knowledge. Regarding
this culture, “nursing interventions
and processes informed by
the best evidence are critical to realizing
healthcare improvements” (p. 3).
The Johns Hopkins Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice Model and
Guidelines demystifies evidencebased
practice. This book describes
the model and its guidelines in a practical,
reader-friendly manner that the
student, the new nurse beginning
his or her career, and the extremely
experienced practitioner would find
useful. This book goes beyond the
discussion of the model—it provides
health care organizations with key
strategies for implementing model
concepts, effective tools to define
nursing problems or issues, and
sample forms to test the model. Its
well-structured index helps readers
quickly locate key sections of the
text.
The Johns Hopkins Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice Model and
Guidelines would be an extremely
valuable addition to any nursing
library, education department, or
nursing practice or research council.
Linda J. Curtin, RN, PhD, CCRN
Director, Nursing Practice, Education and
Research
Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center
Brockton, Massachusetts