The proportion of breast cancer articles to all cancer articles in these magazines (34.9%) was similar to breast cancer incidence (32.2%) but was higher than its contribution to either female cancer mortality (17.2%) or overall female mortality (4.0%). Magazines that targeted the African-American audience had fewer breast cancer articles than the other four magazines. Risk factors for breast cancer were not discussed in proportion to their impact on risk. The popular lifetime risk statistic was not explained in the majority of cases where it was presented. The average age of diagnosis for the women featured in these articles was far below the median age of diagnosis of 65. Thus, magazine reports may be contributing to women's misunderstanding of their true breast cancer risk.

Women's magazines are an important source of health information. To evaluate the relevancy of articles in these publications to known disease risks, seven women's magazines were reviewed to assess their coverage of colon cancer, the third leading cause of cancer mortality in U.S. women. Specifically, the amount of coverage devoted to colon cancer as well as the presentation of issues in the prevention, risks, treatment, diagnosis and genetics of colon cancer were recorded. Twenty articles were published on colon cancer in these magazines during the years 1987-1995. Compared to five other cancers that also affect women, colon cancer was the focus of the fewest articles in the seven magazines analyzed.

The first report of occupational acquisition of HIV appeared in 1984, and, by June, 1997, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported 52 documented cases of seroconversion following occupational exposure to HIV-1 by health care workers of those cases. 47 (90.3%) were exposed to blood. The most frequent type of accident reported was percutaneous needlestick injury. Prospective studies have estimated that the risk of HIV transmission following percutaneous exposure to infected blood is 0.3% (Confidence Interval 95% = 0.2% to 0.5%). Following a mucous membrane exposure, the risk is 0.09% (CI 95% = 0.006% to 0.5%). The risk of hepatitis B acquisition ranges from 6% to 30%, and hepatitis C acquisition, 3% to 10%. Since 1992, the São Paulo Hospitals Hospital Infection Prevention and Control Service (SPCIH) has notified and treated all workers exposed to accidents involving biological materials. In the last six years, we have handled approximately 1,300 cases of reported accidents, of which 90% were percutaneous, most involving needlesticks. Such cases were frequently caused by the inadequate disposal and recapping of needles. In these accidents, 20% of the source patients were HIV positive, 10% were hepatitis C positive, and 7.6% were hepatitis B positive. This review summarizes the guidelines for a standardized response when dealing with accidents involving health care workers. Transmission of hepatitis B and HIV can be reduced if adequate preventive measures are taken in advance. If proper prophylaxis is not being done, it should be initiated immediately.

The ALIC study would seem to indicate that community-based coalitions with paid coordinators and formal structures are capable of generating significantly higher levels of activity than those without either a paid coordinator or formal structure.

In the practice of nursing, organizations with progressive evidence-based practice programs implement structures and processes whereby nurses are engaged in the review of existing research and in the development of clinical practice documents to better align nursing practices with the best available scientific knowledge. At our academic hospital system, clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) took the lead to help transform a traditional nursing policy and procedure committee into a hospital-wide, staff-represented Clinical Practice Council (CPC) that ensures evidence-based nursing practices are reflected in the organization's nursing practice documents for the provision of patient care. Clinical nurse specialists function as mentors and cochairs who are dedicated to ensuring that nursing practice is supported by the latest evidence and committed to guiding staff nurses to continually move their practice forward. The success of the CPC is due to the leadership and commitment of the CNSs. This article describes the structure, process, and outcomes of an effective CPC where CNSs successfully engage frontline clinicians in promoting nursing care that is evidence based. Clinical nurse specialist leadership is increasingly made visible as CNSs effectively involve staff nurses in practice reforms to improve patient outcomes.