Provocative cover art?
Although I’m impressed with the overall quality of your publication, the cover of your February issue (“Heart disease: A woman’s worst enemy”) surprised me. Was a topless woman the best image you could come up with to depict the importance of monitoring women for heart disease? I am a male nurse and have seen gender discrimination firsthand. But I don’t think I’m the only reader who found this cover sexist, mildly titillating (no pun intended), and inappropriate. Please don’t continue to use provocative images like this; it will undermine nurses’ professional image.
John R., BSN, RN
Editor’s note:
We appreciate your feedback. Our intent is never to be provocative but to present vital information in a compelling format. We believe this image is appropriate and nonprovocative and that it conveys the essence of the accompanying article—that heart disease in women is underrecognized.
Where can I get a reprint?
I love American Nurse Today and read the February issue cover to cover. In that issue, one of the letters to the editor concerned an article in the October issue, “Calculating I.V. drip rates with confidence.” Where can I get a copy of that article for my students?
Carla Kirkland
I commend you for publishing a journal with interesting, easy-to-read articles. How can I obtain back issues? I’m particularly interested in the October article on calculating I.V. drips. As a clinical instructor, I’m eager to find anything that helps students understand drug calculation.
Janice Bottoms, BNS, RN
Summertown, TN
Editor’s note:
For reprints and back issues (when available), contact Jennifer Kenny at 215-489-7000 or jkenny@healthcommedia.com.
Clarification on hormone replacement therapy
In the February issue, the sidebar on page 28 (“The debate about hormone replacement therapy”) was somewhat ambiguous on several important points. I believe the latest studies indicate the following:
- For healthy women near menopause, the risk of cardiovascular complications from HRT is very small.
- Health experts now believe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should not be prescribed for a woman for the first time if she’s 10 years or more past menopause.
- If a woman has been on HRT for 2 years or longer and wishes to keep taking it for quality-of-life reasons, data suggest she’s beyond the risk period for an HRT-related cardiovascular event. However, she may still be at risk for venous thrombosis and with long-term use, she still has a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.
- At any age, women who take estrogen are at increased risk for deep-vein thrombosis.
- Most experts agree HRT should not be prescribed for CVD prevention.
Susan Wysocki, RNC, NP, FAANP
President and CEO
National Association of Nurse Practitioners In Women’s Health
Washington, D.C.
Concise case studies can benefit all nurses
I want you to know how much I appreciate American Nurse Today. I taught nursing to LPNs, RNs, and cadet nurses for 32 years and would gladly have subscribed each of them to your journal. Your case study articles are concise and to the point; I hope every nurse benefits from them. Keep up the good work. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Theresa Thomas (Sister St. Thomas, RHSJ), RN, EdD
Burlington, VT O
We welcome your comments. You may submit letters to the editor electronically at www.AmericanNurseToday.com by clicking on the “Letters to the Editor” link on the top menu. Or you may send them by regular mail to: Letters to the Editor, American Nurse Today, c/o HealthCom Media, 259 Veterans Lane, 3rd Floor, Doylestown, PA 18901. Please include your full name, credentials, city, state, and daytime phone number or e-mail address. Letters should contain no more than 250 words and will be edited for grammar, length, content, and clarity. All letters are considered American Nurse Today property and therefore unconditionally assigned to American Nurse Today.
