Professor publishes in Nephrology magazine

[cougarnurse]

Congratulations! Professor publishes :: The SouthtownStar :: Lifestyles

St. Xavier University professor nurse Mary S. Haras recently co-authored an article about nurses' level of involvement with kidney disease patients. The article was published in in Nephrology Nursing Journal.

Haras, an assistant professorial lecturer at SXU's School of Nursing, co-authored the article "Advance Care Planning for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease - Why Aren't Nurses More Involved?" in the November-December 2008 edition of the journal.

Haras and her co-authors, Christine M. Ceccarelli and Debra Castner, examine the reasons why 65 percent of dialysis patients do not have end-of-life care plans in place.

The article also explores the nurse's role in ensuring optimum planning in this area.

The article cites several studies that indicate nurses fear patient and family reactions to the topic, lack confidence in starting end-of-life conversations, feel uncertain their supervisors will support their efforts and are unsure how to handle patients' religious and cultural beliefs

Haras previously published an article in the September-October 2008 edition of Nephrology Nursing Journal. She was the sole author of "Planning for a Good Death: A Neglected but Essential part of ESRD Care." This article reviews the need for practice improvement in end-of-life care and a review of the current literature.

Haras' most recent article can be viewed at www.nephrologynursing.net.