Comprehensive, logically-organized, and easy to read, this market-leading fundamentals text provides students with a solid base for their nursing education. Encompassing principles, concepts, and skills, it offers thorough coverage, a nursing process framework, an emphasis on critical thinking, and a focus on care in all settings. This new edition addresses a number of key issues, including evidence-based practice, safety concerns, and end-of-life care. To better meet the needs of beginning students, care plans have been expanded to more clearly explain assessment findings leading to nursing diagnoses, as well as evaluation of outcomes. The 5-step nursing process provides a consistent framework for clinical chapters. The unique Critical Thinking Model visually demonstrates the application of the nursing process and critical thinking in each clinical chapter to help students understand the ongoing assimilation of knowledge and information that comprises critical thinking and its relationship to the nursing process. More than 65 skills, in a 2-column format, include rationales for each step and clearly explain both how and why nursing skills are performed. Procedural Guidelines boxes provide streamlined, step-by-step instructions for performing basic skills. The 3-tiered approach in implementation sections includes health promotion, acute care, and continuing care to address the diverse focus of today's care, as well as the various practice settings. Care Plans demonstrate the application of the 5-step nursing process to individual patient problems to help students understand how a plan is developed and how to evaluate care. Focus on Older Adults boxes, Research Highlight boxes, and Client Teaching boxes highlight key aspects of nursing care. The Caring in Nursing Practice chapter addresses the compassion nurses must incorporate with clinical competence to deliver comprehensive care. A CD-ROM companion, packaged with every text, includes a searchable audio glossary, Butterfield's Fluid and Electrolytes tutorial, NCLEX-style review questions, test taking tips, concept map situations, critical thinking model application, video clips, animations, and Spanish phrases. Unexpected Outcomes and Related Interventions for skills alert students to possible problems and help them determine the best nursing action. 18 Concept Maps more than any other fundamentals text visually demonstrate the association of multiple nursing diagnoses. Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines boxes review research that identifies best practices. The Care Plan format has been expanded to more clearly present assessment, defining characteristics, and evaluation of outcomes. Planning discussions include sections on Goals and Outcomes, Setting Priorities, and Continuity of Care to help beginning students plan and prioritize comprehensive client care. Safety Alerts provide information and techniques to ensure client and nurse safety. Cultural Aspects of Care boxes provide practical guidelines for how to meet the various cultural needs/preferences of clients and their communities. Rationales in care plans and procedures include references whenever possible to highlight evidence-based "best practice." NOC outcomes as well as NIC interventions are incorporated in Care Plans as appropriate. New 2002 CDC Hand Hygiene Guidelines are incorporated throughout. A new chapter on Nursing Today addresses emerging issues, including the nursing shortage. New coverage of bioterrorism has been added to the chapter on Safety. New content on end-of-life and palliative care has been added. The Spiritual Health chapter now offers expanded information to help students identify and meet their clients' spiritual needs. The Skin Integrity and Wound Care chapter has been revised