Nursing Diagnoses in Psychiatric Nursing

Carol Ren Kneisl

This is the fourth edition of a spiral-bound pocket guide written mainly in list form except for brief, capsulized discussions of theory and specific clinical cases. The previous edition was published in 1994. This book is intended to be used as a guide in the construction of care plans for psychiatric clients. The target audience is the psychiatric-mental health nurse. The author identified the audience generally as the nurse. Any nursing student or nurse caring for someone with a psychiatric diagnosis would find this guide helpful. The author is a well-known expert in the field. This spiral-bound book is a handy size to put in a pocket or purse and take on a clinical unit. It has 11 very valuable appendixes that contain theory that enhance the value of the guide. The index consists only of nursing diagnoses; therefore, the reader needs to use the table of contents to locate content on psychiatric diagnoses. This is a little less convenient, but manageable. Most references are current. There are no illustrations, but there are useful tables. This appears to be a very valuable book for the practicing nurse. Students can use it as an adjunct to a psychiatric nursing textbook. Although it does include some theoretical underpinnings, they are insufficient to substitute for a textbook. Bookstores and individuals are the likely purchasers. Nursing students would probably appreciate having a copy in the library.

From The Critics

Reviewer: Carol Ren Kneisl, MS, RN, CS (Nursing Transitions, Inc.)
Description:This is the fourth edition of a spiral-bound pocket guide written mainly in list form except for brief, capsulized discussions of theory and specific clinical cases. The previous edition was published in 1994.
Purpose:This book is intended to be used as a guide in the construction of care plans for psychiatric clients.
Audience:The target audience is the psychiatric-mental health nurse. The author identified the audience generally as the nurse. Any nursing student or nurse caring for someone with a psychiatric diagnosis would find this guide helpful. The author is a well-known expert in the field.
Features:This spiral-bound book is a handy size to put in a pocket or purse and take on a clinical unit. It has 11 very valuable appendixes that contain theory that enhance the value of the guide. The index consists only of nursing diagnoses; therefore, the reader needs to use the table of contents to locate content on psychiatric diagnoses. This is a little less convenient, but manageable. Most references are current. There are no illustrations, but there are useful tables.
Assessment:This appears to be a very valuable book for the practicing nurse. Students can use it as an adjunct to a psychiatric nursing textbook. Although it does include some theoretical underpinnings, they are insufficient to substitute for a textbook. Bookstores and individuals are the likely purchasers. Nursing students would probably appreciate having a copy in the library.

3 Stars from Doody