Written by two expert authors, this trend-setting textbook of medical-surgical nursing offers cutting-edge content that's easy to understand. The sixth edition includes a new emphasis on clinical decision-making for patient-centered collaborative care and more streamlined and balanced coverage of the core body of knowledge needed for safe clinical practice. There is also expanded coverage of emergency and disaster preparedness along with an enhanced "Get Ready for the NCLEX Examination" feature that includes the addition of new NCLEX Challenge questions. UNIQUE! A collaborative approach that presents all medical, surgical, nursing, and other interventions through the lens of the nursing process. A reader-friendly, direct writing style makes this one of the most readable medical-surgical textbooks on the market. Chapter-opening Learning Outcomes are linked to Self-Assessment Questions for the NCLEX Examination on the companion CD and EVOLVE website. Unique chapter-ending Get Ready for the NCLEX Examination! sections include Key Points lists organized by NCLEX Client Needs Categories. Evidence-Based Practice boxes now include highlighted Levels of Evidence to teach you how to appraise the level of validity of research and provide synopses of recent nursing research articles and other scientific articles applicable to nursing. Considerations boxes highlight important nursing considerations to help you better understand how to care for older adults, women, and patients from various cultural and genetic backgrounds. Streamlined Concept Maps now emphasize information on what is critical for you to know for patient rescue by providing the links among pathophysiology, assessment, and intervention. UNIQUE! New Human Needs focus and features help you learn to think clinically and be prepared to make sound clinical decisions at the bedside. UNIQUE! Seven richly illustrated Human Needs Overviews relate concepts learned in Nursing Fundamentals to disorders that you will study in Medical-Surgical Nursing. UNIQUE! Chapter-ending Human Needs Assessment Reviews and Human Needs Nursing Care Reviews demonstrate application of these Fundamentals concepts to specific disorders. UNIQUE! New Decision-Making Challenges throughout the book teach you to apply concepts to true-to-life clinical situations. UNIQUE! NCLEX Examination Challenge questions throughout the chapters are now organized by NCLEX Client Needs Category and apply chapter content to the categories and subcategories of the NCLEX test plan. Increased emphasis on prioritization, delegation to equip you with these increasingly important skills, which continue to be a major focus of the NCLEX Examination. Expanded coverage of emergency and disaster preparedness prepares you to deal not only with common environmental emergencies but also with the consequences of bioterrorism and mass-casualty events. New Patient Safety icons highlight content reflecting The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals initiative and the National Patient Safety Goals. Companion CD-ROM features more than 1,000 interactive questions, an audio glossary, 35 animations, more than 40 Health Assessment video clips, 20 audio clips of key heart and lung sounds, and 45 Health Assessment images of key health assessment findings.