Continuing Education (CE) Articles

Pathophysiology Reviews

Research Reviews

Research Briefs

Continuing Education (CE) Articles

Educational manuscripts accepted for publication may be published as continuing education offerings in the Nephrology Nursing Journal.

ANNA is accredited as an approver and provider of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation (ANCC-COA). ANNA is recognized as a provider of continuing education by the California Board of Registered Nursing, the Florida Board of Nursing, the Alabama Board of Nursing, and the Kansas Board of Nursing.

A. CE Author Item Requirements

• Complete biographical statement form provided upon manuscript submission (not CV). 
• Provide detailed outline (examples below). 
• Include one goal statement and three learner operational/behavioral objectives that define expected outcomes for the learner (examples below). 
• Follow suggested manuscript format (detailed description below). 
• Develop a posttest with answer key on a separate page. The number of questions is not limited. However, 10-20 questions per 4 journal pages or 16-18 typed pages (3,000 words) is recommended. 
• Length of the manuscript should be sufficient to comprehensively cover the topic – minimum of 10 typed pages, maximum of 20 typed pages (3-5 journal pages). 
• Follow APA editorial style for manuscript preparation. 

B. CE Procedure

• The number of contact hours is assigned by the provider unit for continuing education of ANNA. 
• Six persons not associated with the Journal or continuing education, who match the profile of the average Journal reader are asked to review the article (independent study offering [ISO]) according to the ANCC-COA criteria. An average of the time it takes them to read the article, find the answers in the text, think about the questions, and complete the posttest will determine the number of contact hour(s) assigned. 
• One contact hour equals 50 minutes. 
• ISOs are approved for 2 years. At the discretion of the provider unit, approval time may be shortened depending on the stability of the article content. 
• Readers complete the posttest and return it to the ANNA National Office with the correct fee. A passing grade is 70%. A signed contact hour certificate is returned to the reader. 

C. Goal, Objectives, and Outline Examples 

Goal:

To understand all relative medical, social, family, and economic issues regarding continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in patients with diabetes.

Objectives:

1. Describe the medical, social, family, and economic issues that are relevant for the nephrology team to assess prior to implementing CRRT in patients with diabetes. 
2. List the absolute and relative indicators for CRRT in patients with diabetes. 
3. Discuss clinical management issues, prognosis and treatment outcomes, and family/patient education issues regarding peritoneal dialysis in patients with diabetes. 

CRRT in Patients with Diabetes

1. Patient Assessment - Team Approach 
   1. Medical Issues - Comorbid Risks 
      1. Cardiovascular disease 
      2. Retinopathy 
      3. Peripheral and autonomic neuropathy 
   2. Social and Family Issues 
   3. Economics 
   4. Absolute and Relative Indicators for CRRT 
2. Peritoneal Dialysis 
   1. Clinical Management Issues 
      1. Peritoneal access 
      2. Glycemic control 
      3. Prescription 
         1. CAPD 
         2. CCPD 
         3. Advantages and disadvantages 
   2. Prognosis and Treatment Outcomes 
   3. Family/Patient Education Issues 

D. Posttest Question Construction

Questions should be based on the goal and objectives and the salient issues covered in the article. Ideally, the majority of questions should be designed for the reader to apply the knowledge learned from reading the article (application of material) as opposed to simple recall of information. Case study questions provide the opportunity to identify application of information and should be used when possible.

• Multiple choice with only 4 options. 
• Make sure there is only one correct or best answer. 
• Make all the options plausible and attractive (see posttest examples below). 
• Incorrect answers cannot be partially correct. 
• Keep the options approximately equal in length (see posttest examples below). 
• Develop case studies or describe patient situations in order to develop application questions. 
• All answers should be found in the text. 
• No true/false questions. 
• No multiple/multiples (all of the above, A and B only, etc.). 
• Avoid negative stems (all of the following except...). 
• The answer to one question should not depend on the answer to another. 
• Check that the stem or options of one question do not give away (clue) the correct response to another question. 

Posttest Examples

1. The conductivity monitor on the machine alarms, indicating low conductivity. A hypotonic dialysate can result in hemolysis, causing the following: 

(Unbalanced wording of options)

1. cherry red blood. 
2. dark black blood in venous line and increased serum sodium. 
3. decreased serum potassium. 
4. cramps. 

(Balanced wording of options)

1. cherry red blood in venous line, and increased serum potassium. 
2. dark black blood in venous line, and increased serum sodium. 
3. cherry red blood in arterial line, and decreased serum potassium. 
4. dark black blood in arterial line, and decreased serum sodium. 

1. A renal biopsy provides information about 

(not plausible answers and unbalanced)

1. renal structure 
2. the bladder. 
3. the ureter. 
4. clearance. 

A renal biopsy provides information about renal

(plausible and balanced)

1. structure. 
2. function. 
3. clearance. 
4. metabolism. 

Example of a recall question:

1. Active transport of NaCl occurs in which section of the nephron? 
   1. Thin ascending Loop of Henle. 
   2. Thick ascending Loop of Henle. 
   3. Thin descending Loop of Henle. 
   4. Thick descending Loop of Henle. 

Example of an application question using the same information as question #3.

1. The thick ascending limb contributes to the generation of the hypertonic medullary interstitium by: 
   1. actively transporting urea into the interstitium. 
   2. actively transporting NaCl into the interstitium. 
   3. passively transporting urea into the interstitium. 
   4. passively transporting NaCl into the interstitium. 

The editor reserves the right to edit questions submitted for purposes of clarity and accuracy. The editors acknowledge the challenge of constructing a posttest that is accurate and clear. The Journal CE Coordinator welcomes authors to develop a posttest and is willing to work with the author to develop the posttest into the finished product.

For additional information, contact Patricia McCarley, CE Coordinator, Nephrology Nursing Journal; East Holly Avenue/Box 56; Pitman, NJ 08071-0056; (856) 256-2320.

The Nephrology Nursing Journal is interested in publishing articles that review the pathophysiology of conditions associated with kidney disease. Many topics appropriate for such an article are also appropriate for CE credit.

The format for the Pathophysiology Reviews is the same as for any manuscript submitted for publication to the Nephrology Nursing Journal. The average length of a manuscript is 14-18 double-spaced, typewritten pages. Schematic diagrams and figures should be used as appropriate to demonstrate the pathophysiologic concepts being explained.

As a guideline, the manuscript should be divided into four sections. The first should describe the condition and its symptoms, including the major complaints and symptoms experienced by patients with renal insufficiency or renal failure (2-4 pages). The second section should describe what is known about the pathophysiology of the condition. This section should be referenced appropriately, but need not be a full literature review; cite the best and most complete references on the subject (6-8 pages). The next section should describe the current treatments for the condition and should relate the treatment to the pathophysiology, that is, explain why the treatment should alleviate the symptoms/condition (2-3 pages). The last section should describe any nursing interventions that are key to alleviating the symptoms/condition (2-3 pages). These page suggestions are to be used as rough guidelines; manuscript length will be dictated by the topic.

The manuscript should provide the reader with an up-to-date review of the pathophysiology of some aspects of kidney disease; it is not designed to be an all-inclusive review of medical and nursing management of the condition. Thus, the bulk of the manuscript should focus on the pathophysiology.

The list of possible topics is almost endless!! If you are interested in writing such an article, but do not have a topic in mind, please contact us for help in finding a topic that is of interest to you and your nephrology nursing colleagues.

The purpose of a research review article is to provide nephrology nurses with information regarding a specific area of research that could be applied by nurses to his/her nursing practice. Objectives include summarizing the research literature in a particular area and identifying possible clinical applications as well as limitations of the research.

The manuscripts should follow the Nephrology Nursing Journal's Guidelines for Authors and should be approximately 12-14 double-spaced, typewritten pages. Summary tables highlighting relevant research studies should be included.

Brief reports on studies will be accepted when findings are preliminary but of interest to the nephrology nursing community (i.e., pilots, instrument testing, or small sample size).

Manuscripts will be peer-reviewed in the usual manner. Authors should follow the standard author guidelines for the Nephrology Nursing Journal with the following exceptions:

• Maximum length is 1,500 words, including a concise narrative abstract including the research question(s), design, sample/setting, methods, results, and conclusion(s) 
• One to two paragraph introduction 
• One to two paragraph methods section 
• Results with one to two graphics or figures 
• Discussion ending with recommendations 
• References, limited to no more than 15 

Include a cover letter with a statement on the importance of sharing the work as a brief. Verify that the study was approved by an ethical review board and that informed consent was given by the subjects (if applicable).

Address all inquiries to editor, Nephrology Nursing Journal; East Holly Avenue/Box 56; Pitman, NJ 08071-0056; (856) 256-2320; (856) 589-7463 Fax; nephrologynursing@ajj.com