Buchanan County Health Center

Female genital cutting (FGC) is a practice that affects millions of girls and women worldwide. This deeply rooted practice has cultural, religious, and psychosexual meaning to its practitioners, but it also carries long-term physical and mental complications. Decried as a human rights violation, nonetheless this practice is still carried out today. Nurses are in a unique position to contact and educate women who have been cut or are at risk for mutilation. To advocate for these women, a thorough understanding of the practice of FGC, its cultural overtones, religious implications, and psychosexual effects is needed.

The reporting and treatment of critical laboratory values are vital to the provision of quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to identify the percentage of critical laboratory values not being reported by the nurse to the physician or properly documented in a small community hospital. Results showed that 77% of critical laboratory values reported were not properly documented as communicated to the physician regardless of hospital unit, laboratory specialty, or test.