Book Review
Critical care nursing - Australian perspectives
Judith Romanini and John Daly
ISBN: 978-0-729512459; 1994; 1115 pages; WB Saunders, Bailliere Tindall Sydney;
Catherine A Andre
Lecturer in Nursing, University of South Australia, Underdale Campus, SA
The editors and authors of this text should be congratulated for they have clearly met their objective of creating a 'resource that would reflect the theory and practice of critical care in the Australian context' (p.XII). This book is perhaps best suited as an introductory text for the less experienced
Critical care nurse or undergraduate student with a particular interest in this area. The degree of assumed knowledge varies between chapters, but generally provides a sound introductory basis for a commencing registered nurse. Romanini and Daly successfully demonstrate the integration of theory and practice within critical care nursing with the inclusion of a variety of topics, beyond the clinical management of the critically ill person. The text is divided into three sections, these are: 1 Conceptual Dimensions; 2 Clinical Management; 3 Collaborative Practice and Technology.
The section entitled 'Conceptual Dimensions' includes chapters dealing with the nursing process, psychological, ethical and legal aspects of critical care, cultural and linguistic diversity and nursing theory. While the nursing process may be seen as basic information not suitable for a specialty text such as this, the inclusion of physical assessment and the relationship this establishes with latter chapters suitably justifies its presence. The chapters dealing with legal and ethical issues, provide a useful introduction to the major concepts which are then elaborated upon using a case study approach. These chapters have a strong Australian base and as a result contribute to the theory practice integration attempted within the text. Whilst the inclusion of a chapter dealing with nursing theory is to be commended, the dominance of a North American theory is disappointing, particularly as there was no critique regarding its use. The section entitled 'Clinical Management' comprises of a series of chapters addressing the pathophysiology and nursing care associated with the critically ill person.
These chapters are generally based on the body systems approach with chapter titles such as 'Cardiovascular problems', 'Respiratory Problems' etc. While there is some variation in chapter format, this should not be seen as a criticism, rather an opportunity for the individual authors to exploit their expertise. As is common with many nursing texts, there is a tendency for some authors to focus too heavily on particular aspects of pathophysiology at the expense of elucidating the nursing implications. However, this could only be considered a minor criticism as it is an infrequent occurrence. The inclusion of Australian-based epidemiological data is a pleasant and useful aspect to these chapters and provides a strong foundational basis.
A majority of the chapters within the section entitled 'Collaborative Practice and Technology', focus on the technological services utilised in the critical care environment, rather than on issues of collaboration as the title suggests. Whilst this omission is unfortunate, as the issue of the role of the registered nurse and collaborative practice is particularly relevant within the critical care environment, the coverage of practical technological information is most thorough. The final chapter dealing with the social implications of technology is to be commended and is likely to be a useful stimulus for graduate research. As previously stated, this publication will provide the newly, commensurate, critical care nurse with a sound Australian-based text.
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