This new edition of HOME HEALTH CARE NURSING is a comprehensive and authoritative text for nurses working in the dynamic field of home health. Both administrative and clinical content is included, providing all the essential, detailed material that today's home health care nurse needs. It places home health nursing in the context of the health care system, discussing such administrative issues as the continuum of care, discharge planning, managed care, and reimbursement. It also presents the basic competencies of home health: assessment, nursing diagnosis, symptom control, nutritional support, and rehabilitation. Caring for clients throughout the lifespan and in a family context is emphasized, as well as the specialized care of clients with specific disorders most commonly seen in the home such as pulmonary disease, cancer, AIDS, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, heart failure, and renal and genitourinary disorders. Finally, it identifies and discusses the professional challenges of ethics, stress, and research in home health nursing.