Karen Reuter-Rice has published four articles between January and March of 2017.

"Rethinking Recovery: Incorporating Holistic Nursing Perspectives in Poststroke Care" in the January/February issue of Holistic Nursing Practice. Co-authors include experts from West Virginia University School of Nursing.

Abstract: Stroke is a life-changing experience. Current treatments focus on treating the condition, rather than the whole person. The goal of this report was to communicate the benefits of a holistic approach to the treatment and recovery of stroke. Our intent was to begin a conversation to transform our approach to stroke care to focus on the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. Wellness approaches are fiscally responsible ways of providing holistic care for patients and their family members to help them achieve optimal individualized recovery. Very few multidimensional programs for wellness exist for patients with stroke and brain injury. Given the changes in health care and the Call to Action set forth in the Institute of Medicine's 2010 report, it would behoove us to consider holistic approaches to stroke care and research programs. Nurses are uniquely positioned to implement multidisciplinary, innovative holistic approaches to address solutions for issues in stroke care. Wellness is a critically important area of stroke care and an opportunity for research. As advocates for patients, and nurses with personal experiences, we hope this commentary stimulates conversation around developing and testing multidimensional holistic programs of wellness for stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery.

"Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound Use in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury" in the February issue of the Journal of Radiology Nursing.

Abstract: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound is an inexpensive portable diagnostic tool commonly available within most health care systems. A team of trained individuals perform and interpret the test to inform patient care management. The benefit of TCD is well established in adult patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, in children with TBI, it is still considered exploratory, and its use is not a part of the standard of care. This article describes what TCD is, its use in children, and how TCD measurements apply to children and adolescents in an effort to establish criteria for the use of TCD for children with TBI. The benefit of TCD in pediatric TBI is illustrated by two cases of children who participated in a TBI research study. Early indications are that the use of TCD in pediatric cases of TBI may produce unexpected real-time data about the cerebral vasculature and circulation characteristics in children with TBI. TCD ultrasound has the potential for playing an informative diagnostic role in future pediatric TBI management. Ultimately, the goal to promote best outcomes after a TBI requires insights into the multidynamic nature of the injury, and TCD has the ability to support these efforts.

"Improving Utilization of the Family History in the Electronic Health Record" in the January issue of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Co-authors include experts from Columbia University School of Nursing in New York, the University of Basel Institute of Nursing Science in Switzerland, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Calif, and the University of Connecticut School of Nursing.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of Family History in the Electronic Health Record and to identify opportunities to advance the contributions of nurses in obtaining, updating and assessing family history in order to improve the health of all individuals and populations. The article presents an overview of the obstacles to charting Family History within the Electronic Health Record and recommendations for using specific Family History tools and core Family History data sets. Opportunities to advance nursing contributions in obtaining, updating, and assessing family history in order to improve the health of all individuals were identified. These opportunities are focused within the area of promoting the importance of communication within families and between healthcare providers to obtain, document, and update family histories. Nurses can increase awareness of existing resources that can guide collection of a comprehensive and accurate family history and facilitate family discussions. In this paper, opportunities to advance nursing contributions in obtaining, updating, and assessing family history in order to improve the health of all individuals were identified. Aligned with the clinical preparation of nurses, family health should be used routinely by nurses for risk assessment and to help inform patient and family members on screening, health promotion, and disease prevention. The quality of family health information is critical in order to leverage the use of genomic healthcare information and derive new knowledge about disease biology, treatment efficacy, and drug safety. These actionable steps need to be performed in the context of promoting evidence-based applications of family history that will be essential for implementing personalized genomic healthcare approaches and disease prevention efforts. Family health history is one of the most important tools for identifying the risk of developing rare and chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, and represents an integration of disease risk from genetic, environmental, and behavioral/lifestyle factors. In fact, family history has long been recognized as a strong independent risk factor for disease and is the current best practice used in clinical practice to guide risk assessment.

"Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Families and Healthcare Team Interaction Trajectories During Acute Hospitalization" in the January issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Co-authors include experts from Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and Duke University Health System.

Abstract: Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is leading cause of death and disability worldwide. TBI in a child can have life-long consequences. Life course trajectory approach provides a method to identify family and patient interactions with the healthcare team. Three interaction phases emerged and they were: (1) information seeking, (2) watchful waiting and (3) decision making. Being aware of the 3 phases can assist the healthcare team in supporting patients and families.