This market-leading textbook offers an engaging format and clear writing style that make it easy to master the basic nursing concepts and skills you need to practice in a variety of care settings. Its nursing process framework, health promotion focus, emphasis on critical thinking, and thorough coverage of communication and patient teaching provide a strong foundation for your nursing education. Full-color illustrations, critical thinking exercises, and practical examples help you strengthen and apply your knowledge of essential nursing concepts. More than 500 full-color illustrations - including 50 new to this edition - highlight and explain key concepts presented in the text. Concepts and skills are presented from simplest to most complex to help you gradually build your knowledge and learn more easily. A Companion CD-ROM includes audio clips, an audio glossary, video clips, 3-D animations, English-Spanish phrases, NCLEX®-PN Examination-style review questions, and more. Theory and Clinical Practice Objectives introduce you to the concepts you'll learn in each chapter. Key Terms with phonetic pronunciations familiarize you with the language of nursing and health care. Overview of Structure and Function provides a brief review of essential anatomy and physiology related to specific body systems, with a special section on aging. The nursing process is emphasized throughout in Application of the Nursing Process sections and serves as the framework for Skills and Nursing Care Plans. Think Critically About. boxes encourage you to synthesize information and apply concepts beyond the scope of the chapter. Approximately 80 Skills provide illustrated step-by-step instructions for performing key nursing procedures, with clear actions and rationales and Critical Thinking Questions. Approximately 50 Steps present abbreviated versions of additional skills in a quick-reference action/rationale format. Approximately 20 Nursing Care Plans provide examples for planning care and encourage you to think critically and follow the nursing process. Critical Thinking Activities at the end of each chapter allow you to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to specific clinical scenarios. Elder Care Points introduce you to the unique care issues that affect older adults. Health Promotion Points address wellness and disease prevention, including diet, infection control, and more. Communication Cues feature sample dialogues and therapeutic communication techniques to help you build a positive rapport with patients. Concept Maps help you visualize how the multiple nursing diagnoses, treatments, and side effects for specific disorders relate to each other. Home Care boxes provide guidelines for adapting nursing skills and techniques for use in the home setting. Patient Teaching boxes offer step-by-step instructions for patients and their families regarding proper post-hospital care. NCLEX-PN® Exam Style Review Questions at the end of each chapter include alternate item-format questions to prepare you for the exam. Helpful appendixes offer quick access to essential facts and information in the clinical setting. Assignment Considerations boxes will cover situations in which the RN delegates to the LPN/LVN or when the LPN/LVN assigns tasks to nurse assistants, patient care techs, and other unlicensed assistive personnel Clinical Cues provide guidance and advice related to the nursing care under discussion Safety Alert boxes highlight specific danger or dangers to patients related to clinical care 50 new illustrations and photos have been added to this edition to aid visual learners 5 Skills have been added to this edition, giving deWit a total of 80 skills covered 5 Steps have be