The first and second editions of this book were conceived to provide distilled, up-to-date information to nursing students and staff nurses about many conditions and diagnoses encountered in nursing practice. With the third edition, we have responded to the ever-changing health care environment as well as to the recommendations of our readers and editors. We have held true to our initial purpose in this third edition: to provide a ready source of information for nurses in a time of short staffing, brief lengths of stay, and increasing patient acuity in the hospital, in nursing homes, in rehabilitation centers, and in the home. We have also responded.
