It is amazing to us that this is already the Fourth Edition of Nurses and Families.
It attests and gives credence to the ongoing evolution and development in the
field of family nursing. The publication of this Fourth Edition is also evidence
of our own continuing evolution as family nurse clinicians, teachers,
researchers, and authors. We consider it a great privilege to collaborate and
consult with families, whether for health promotion and/or to diminish or alleviate
emotional, physical, or spiritual suffering from illness. We are also grateful
for opportunities to teach professional nurses and undergraduate and
graduate nursing students about involving, caring for, and learning from families
in health care. Through our own clinical practice and teaching of health
professionals for over 35 years and personal family experiences with illness, we
recognize the extreme importance of nurses’ possessing sound family assessment
and intervention knowledge and skills in order to assist families. We also
acknowledge the profound influence that families have upon our own lives and
relationships.