bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coping in Later Years: The Reconciliation of Opposites
Authors: Putnam Phyllis A.
Published: October 2007

A developmental approach to mobilizing the energies of the elderly is presented. The confrontation of opposites—the aging self versus the social valuation of aging—is discussed as a means of freeing unused energies. Varying combinations and intermixtures of opposite values are hypothesized. Clinical and preventive applications are suggested.
Handling Antineoplastic Agents: Urine Mutagenicity in Nurses
Authors: Rogers Bonnie , Emmett Edward A.
Published: October 2007

Recent investigations have suggested that handling antineoplastic agents may be associated with potential health hazards. Interviews and urine samples were collected from 59 exposed nurses and 64 nonexposed nurses. Urine assays were compared from exposed and nonexposed nurses after working usually 3 to 5 working days, and a period of nonexposure. Demographic characteristics, occupational history, health status, medications, pregnancy history, smoking history, use of protective work practices and number, type and duration of exposures to antineoplastic agents were collected. The results showed that nurses exposed to antineoplastic agents at work were significantly more likely to have urinary mutagenicity, as compared to nonexposed nurses. Those at greatest risk were nurses working in private oncology practices and clinics. A significantly higher proportion of untoward pregnancy outcomes occurred in pregnancies with exposure to antineoplastic agents.
Experience of Meaning in Suffering
Authors: Steeves Richard H. , Kahn David L.
Published: October 2007

Occasionally one observes a phenomenon in the clinical setting that appears to be unique and important enough to warrant exploration. The first stages of that exploration are the transformation of the phenomenon into a concept through the assignment of meaning to it and the listing of what is known or believed about the concept in the form of assumptions. Later stages of exploration might include developing descriptive research questions and perhaps at some point propositions and hypotheses. However, the first stages of the process—from observation of the phenomenon to the list of assumptions—are sufficient to create scholarly discussion and debate that will serve to guide the later stages of inquiry.
Unmet Needs of the Chronically Mentally Ill: Will Nursing Respond?
Authors: Aiken Linda H.
Published: October 2007

The chronically mentally ill remain a neglected and incapacitated group despite a number of model programs that demonstrate the potential effectiveness of comprehensive, community‐based, health and social services. This is the result of a number of factors including the fragmentation of services and the lack of training of health professionals including nurses to care for patients in such diverse new settings as group homes, jails, city streets and homeless shelters, and acute psychiatric emergency centers. This paper reviews the status of public mental health services and suggests some promising strategies to improve the effectiveness of care for the chronically mentally ill.
Policy and Research in End‐Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Jones Katherine R.
Published: October 2007

Public policy should be designed to obtain maximum benefits for the dollars expended. Because funding for end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) is in the public domain, it is appropriate to determine whether or not policy changes might result in more cost‐effective care. Policy‐oriented research therefore will be increasingly useful in identifying potential areas of improved efficiency in the delivery of health care services as well as in evaluating the effectiveness of innovations in the health care financial reimbursement system.
Teaching and Learning: Essential Components of the Nurse Executive Role
Authors: Pfoutz Susan K. , Simms Lillian M. , Price Sylvia A.
Published: October 2007

Administrative leadership inspires, encourages innovation, assists staff to grow and promotes and facilitates excellent nursing. Although one might argue that these activities are administrative, data collected in research at the University of Michigan suggest that they have a strong educational tone. Analysis of the data resulting from in‐depth interviews in practice and education indicates that the role of the executive is on a trajectory of intrapersonal integration of the professional components of practice. The education component is vital to integrating the role and is the linchpin in linking the components of professional practice.
Congruence Between Intershift Reports and Patients' Actual Conditions
Authors: Richard Judith A.
Published: October 2007

After listening to 57 intershift reports on adult medical‐surgical units of an 800‐bed metropolitan hospital, distributed over day, evening and night shifts, this investigator verified the reports by checking each patient. Predetermined pertinent items were analyzed for congruence, omissions and omissions resulting in incongruence. Since discrepancies occurred, a means for verifying the intershift report may need to be addressed as a standard of care for the profession of nursing.
Long‐Term Care Resource Requirements Before and After the Prospective Payment System
Authors: Gamroth Sister Lucia
Published: October 2007

This study was a retrospective comparison of Medicare patients admitted to long‐term care facilities following hospitalization under two different hospital reimbursement systems‐cost based and prospective payment. The sample included 120 Medicare patient records from each of 2 long‐term care facilities randomly selected from 3 categories: 40 hip fractures, 40 cerebrovascular accidents and 40 “all others” over 4 time periods. Resource requirements (length of stay in the hospital and long‐term care requirements) were measured using the Patient Profile Instrument. The length of stay in the hospital was significantly shorter and long‐term care nursing requirements were significantly greater under the prospective payment system than it was under the cost‐based system. The length of stay in long‐term care remained constant under both reimbursement systems.
Spouses' Body Image Changes During and After Pregnancy: A Replication in Canada
Authors: Drake Mary Louise , Verhulst Dianna , Fawcett Jacqueline , Barger Diane Fager
Published: October 2007

This longitudinal study replicated an investigation of the relationship between wives' and husbands' strength of identification and similarities in their patterns of change in perceived body space and global body attitude during pregnancy and the postpartum. The sample included 20 married Canadian couples. The results replicate a U. S. study that found no similarities in wives' and husbands' changes in perceived body space or global body attitude and no relationship between strength of identification and similarities in perceived body space and global body attitude changes. As in the U.S. study, there were statistically significant changes in the wives' perceived body space and global body attitude from the third month of pregnancy to the second postpartal month but no changes in the husbands' perceived body space or global body attitude.
Faith and Finance
Authors: Hamilton Diane
Published: October 2007

This paper uses the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Visiting Nurse Service (1909‐1953) as a case study to illustrate that the balance of cost and care issues is a recurring theme in nursing. Hoping to decrease mortality rates, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company joined with trained nurses from the Henry Street Settlement House to provide home care and health teaching to industrial insurance policyholders. From the onset in 1909, nursing and business shared a faith in the humanitarian spirit of the project. Despite this mutuality of good intentions, the values of nursing and business differed. When values and priorities clashed, conflict erupted over patient care policy.
Intuition in Decision‐making
Authors: Rew Lynn
Published: October 2007

The purpose of this research was to explore intuitive experiences of nurses in critical care and home care settings. Fifty‐six nurses were interviewed and transcriptions of interviews were analyzed for emergent themes. Nurses described their experiences in terms of feeling and knowledge and gave examples of types of intuition. Further analysis showed themes consistent with three attributes of intuition found in the nursing literature. Recognition of intuitive experiences has consequences for communication and decision making in clinical practice.
The Promise and the Reality of Certification
Authors: Bueno Dorothy del
Published: October 2007

This article describes the state of the certification process for health professionals in relation to the intended objectives and current outcomes or results. Also outlined are the logistical and legal issues associated with the certification process. Although the developers, promoters, and implementers of certification intended desirable outcomes there is little evidence to support that promises made have been realized. Certification appears to be popular and perceived positively. However, it is not clear whether it is only a passing fad or a lasting trend with practical utility for both consumers and promoters.
Nursing Epistemology: Traditions, Insights, Questions
Authors: Schultz Phyllis R. , Meleis Afaf I.
Published: October 2007

Epistemology is the study of what human beings know, how they come to know what they think they know and what the criteria are for evaluating knowledge claims. Nursing epistemology is the study of knowledge shared among the members of the discipline, the patterns of knowing and knowledge that develops from them, and the criteria for accepting knowledge claims. Three types of knowledge specific to nursing as a discipline are described here: clinical knowledge, conceptual knowledge and empirical knowledge. Different criteria for evaluating each type are suggested.
The Progression of Knowledge in Nursing: A Search for Meaning
Authors: Kidd Pamela , Morrison Eileen F.
Published: October 2007

This paper explores the process of knowledge acquisition in nursing and discusses the ways the process is reflected in the development and use of nursing theory and the conduct of nursing research. The authors' argument is that multiple theories are necessary for the scholarly development of the profession and for individual nurses practicing in clinical settings. The use of all types of knowledge in nursing will promote creative, scholarly endeavors, and the ultimate meaning of clinical situations will be realized.
Uncertainty in Illness
Authors: Mishel Merle H.
Published: October 2007

The middle‐range nursing theory of uncertainty in illness is presented from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. The theory explains how persons construct meaning for illness events, with uncertainty indicating the absence of meaning. A model of the uncertainty theory displaying the concepts and their relationships forms the basis for the theoretical and empirical material. Discussion of the theory is organized around three major themes: the antecedents of uncertainty, the process of uncertainty appraisal and coping with uncertainty.
Sexual Victimization of Child and Adolescent Patients
Authors: Newbern Virginia B.
Published: October 2007

Extrafamilial abuse of hospitalized or institutionalized patients has not often been studied. Five categories of caregivers (N = 272) reported physical, psychological and “socially acceptable” instances of abuse, with most incidents occurring one or more times per week. Abuse of children, especially sexual abuse, was singled out for further study. Case reports supplement the presentation. Implications for understanding abuse, for practice and for research are presented.
Access to Nursing Information Resources
Authors: Kilby Sally A. , Fishel Carolyn C. , Gupta Ann D.
Published: October 2007

There is a wealth of nursing information available in multiple formats (journal articles, books, audiovisuals, computer software, pamphlets, dissertations, etc.). But the resources are not readily available to help the nurse identify needed materials quickly and easily. Current access to nursing journal articles and books is evaluated in detail; the need to collect and organize other types of nursing information is outlined. Better control of nursing information is a must if nurses are to take their place alongside other health care professionals.
Feminist Friendship: Isabel Hampton Robb, Lavinia Lloyd Dock and Mary Adelaide Nutting
Authors: Poslusny Susan M.
Published: October 2007

Three nurses who met at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing were the architects of professional nursing education and the founders of the major professional organizations in nursing: Isabel Hampton Robb, Lavinia Lloyd Dock and Mary Adelaide Nutting. Their relationship was an important part of the context in which feminism, social reform and nursing came together at the turn of the century. This paper explores the social context that structured their professional interests as well as their personal relationships.
Effect of Personal Pain Experience on Pain Assessment
Authors: Holm Karyn , Cohen Felissa , Dudas Susan , Medema Pamela G. , Allen Bonnie Lee
Published: October 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nurses' personal pain experiences on the assessment of their patients' pain. The sample consisted of 134 registered nurses employed in three Midwestern hospitals. In response to a personal pain history questionnaire, pain with headache, menstrual distress and dental events were cited most frequently. Most also reported that a family member had experienced pain in their presence (cancer, surgery, orthopedic injuries). Responses to the Standard Measure of Inferences of Suffering (Davitz & Davitz, 1981) showed significant differences between intensity of pain experienced by the nurse and overall perceived patient psychological distress. Furthermore, the intensity of pain experienced by the nurse was the only variable that predicted significantly perceptions of patients' physical suffering and psychological distress. While additional study is warranted, the findings support the notion that nurses who have experienced intense pain are more sympathetic to the patient in pain.
Nursing Shortage, Circa 1915
Authors: King Marilyn Givens
Published: October 2007

Nursing shortages have plagued the occupation from its infamy. Analysis of works by M. Adelaide Nutting and Isabel Stewart reveals factors that early leaders identified as concerns or causes of past shortages. Although both Stewart and Nutting identified serious problems in the nature of nursing work, both recommended improvements in nursings educational programs along with publicity campaigns as possible solutions. A case study of the Peter Bent Brigham School in Boston suggests that early leaders focussed on these strategies for change because the position of nursing in the hospital left them powerless to initiate meaningful change in the nature of nursing work.
The Study of Nursing Informatics
Authors: Graves Judith R. , Corcoran Sheila
Published: October 2007

A framework for organizing the study of nursing informatics is presented. The management and processing of nursing data, information science and nursing science is proposed as an area for study. The premises for such study and the key concepts and relationships are discussed. Nursing informatics would support the practice of nursing and delivery of nursing care.
The Influence of Logical Positivism on Nursing Practice
Authors: Whall Ann L.
Published: October 2007

While logical positivism has been said to have had major influence on the development of nursing theory, whether this influence pervades other aspects of the discipline has not been discussed. One central aspect of logical positivism, the verificationist perspective, was used to examine texts, curricular guides and standards of practice that guided nursing practice in the decades in which logical positivism had influence on nursing theory construction. This review of the literature does not support the influence of logical positivism, as exemplified by the verificationist perspective, on nursing practice guidelines.
A Nursing Model For Addressing The Health Needs Of Homeless Families
Authors: Berne Andrea S. , Dato Candy , Mason Diana J. , Rafferty Margaret
Published: October 2007

Homelessness in the United States continues to be a major social problem directly affecting an estimated three million persons, of whom nearly 30 percent belong to families without permanent shelter. This paper reviews recent research concerning homeless families and the conditions in which they live and outlines the significant health and mental health problems that these families experience. Effective nursing interventions for homeless families using Peszneckers' Model of Poverty are proposed. Nurses must advocate for changes in the social and political conditions that bring about homelessness since the resources to meet the needs of these families are either nonexistent or woefully inadequate.
Perceptions of Body Image and Health Status in Persons with Mitral Valve Prolapse
Authors: Utz Sharon Williams , Hammer Joyce , Whitmire Virginia Miller , Grass Susan
Published: October 2007

Twenty subjects with diagnosed Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) were interviewed regarding self‐care needs. Transcripts were analyzed for evidence of perceived health state and altered body image. The majority of subjects described experiences indicating that their perceptions of body image and health state were affected by the diagnosis of MVP. Using Smith's (1981) four categories of health perceptions, most subjects were judged to perceive their health state from a combination of clinical, role‐performance and adaptive perspectives.
Seeking Safe Passage: Utilizing Health Care During Pregnancy
Authors: Patterson Ellen Tate , Freese Margaret P. , Goldenberg Robert L.
Published: October 2007

This grounded theory study was conducted to explore how women utilize health care during pregnancy. The 27 women who were interviewed had sought prenatal care early, late or not at all. Transcriptions from the interviews were subjected to constant comparative analysis. The major concern of the women was seeking safe passage through pregnancy and childbirth. Processes used to achieve safe passage were searching for care, consulting, transferring, waiting, contingency planning and self‐care. Discussed in this paper is the role that choice plays in utilizing care and transferring some elements of prenatal care to women to manage themselves.
How to Write a Research Grant Proposal
Authors: Tornquist Elizabeth M. , Funk Sandra G.
Published: October 2007

Good writing will not of itself produce a good research grant proposal. Nevertheless, a well‐organized, well‐written proposal can help you get funded, so it's worth some effort. This article provides guidelines for writing all the standard parts of a proposal.
Influence of Age and Parity on the Emotional Care Given to Women Experiencing Miscarriages
Authors: Reed Karen
Published: October 2007

Obstetrical nurses (N = 309) participated in a study of the hypothetical influence of patients' age and parity status on nurses' emotional care for women who had experienced miscarriage. Vignettes in which age and parity were varied were mailed to the sample along with a questionnaire. After factor analysis, three measures of emotional care were used as the dependent variables: emotional seriousness, priority of care, and emotional support. Analysis of variance showed that the parity status of the woman was a significant variable in the nurses' perceptions of emotional seriousness and priority of care, but did not affect the nurses' perceptions of the need for emotional support. Age was not a significant variable in the three measures of emotional care.
A Unified Nursing Diagnostic Model
Authors: Vincent Karen G. , Coler Marga S.
Published: October 2007

The diagnostic model proposed in this article seeks to connect the taxonomic systems of the North American Diagnosis Association (NANDA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA). Pictured as an actual tree, the NANDA taxonomic labels are the roots; the ANA psychiatricmental health taxa, the supporting branches; the fruit, the NANDA diagnostic labels. A patient case vignette illustrates how the paradigm may be used as a clinical and research tool to validate each taxonomy, with the goal of creating a unified classification system for nursing phenomena.
Nursing Values and Science: Toward a Science Philosophy
Authors: Gortner Susan R.
Published: October 2007

Several premises are proposed for nursing science philosophy in contrast to nursing practice philosophy. These include human understanding, a critical tradition that views science as public knowledge, and use of observation, rationality, explanation, and prediction as a guide to therapy. No argument is made for or against a particular philosophy of science (e.g., positivist, historicist, critical theorist). The debates on the fit of philosophic paradigms with research strategies may soon run their course on the North American continent, as they appear to have done in Scandinavia.
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Experience
Authors: Lev Elise , Souder Elaine , Topp Robert
Published: October 2007

This paper describes postdoctoral fellowships, commonalities among programs, advantages and disadvantages of postdoctoral training, and issues to be considered when contemplating postdoctoral education. How to find a fellowship, questions that one should ask when considering a specific program, and criteria used to select potential candidates are also discussed.
Increasing the Validity of Research Results with a Blend of Laboratory and Clinical Strategies
Authors: Topf Margaret
Published: October 2007

Some nursing research problems may benefit from studies that combine laboratory and clinical research settings. Examples of studies that use a blend of laboratory and clinical components are provided. Traditional laboratory, clinical, and combined laboratory‐clinical research settings are discussed in terms of their relative potential for yielding valid results.
Choose Your Method
Authors: Sutherland Suzanne
Published: October 2007

Choosing a research methodology used to be so easy. One just used an experimental design because nothing eke would be Nowadays, as journals recognize the legitimacy of various methods and philosophical frameworks, choice of method is challenging. The accompanying decision tree simplifies the choice for the nurse researcher
Passage Through Infertility Treatment: A Stage Theory
Authors: Blenner Janet L.
Published: October 2007

This grounded theory study explored the perceptions of 25 couples as they underwent infertility assessment and treatment. A substantive theory of passage through infertility treatment explains the psychosocial responses of couples to their infertilityfromprediagnosis to posttreatment. The theory consists of three concepts—engagement, immersion and disengagement. Eight stages were identified within these concepts: experiencing a dawning of awareness, facing a new reality, having hope and determination, intensifying treatment, spiralling down, letting go, quitting and moving out, and shifting the focus.
Preventive Intervention Following Accidental Death of a Child
Authors: Murphy Shirley A.
Published: October 2007

This paper describes the development and pilot testing of an empirically and theoretically based preventive intervention program for bereaved parents whose adolescent and young adult children died suddenly folloxving an accident. The parents were assigned to either an early (2‐6 months postloss) or a later (7‐13 months postloss) transition group (N=15) in which they received two‐dimensional preventive intervention: informational support and emotional support. A comparison group (N=l 9) received no intervention. Weekly and summative evaluations completed by bereaved parents and group leaders showed the therapeutic benefits of the preventive intervention for both treated groups. However, the two groups responded differently to the interventions, suggesting that timing and type of support might both be important factors to consider.
The Long Haul: The Effects of Home Care on Caregivers
Authors: Gaynor Sandra E.
Published: October 2007

The effects and implications of caring for a spouse with a long‐term physical or cognitive disability is a developing topic in the field of women's health. In the present study, women with longer caregiving experience had more physical health problems than did those with less time caregiving, while younger women found caregiving more psychologically burdensome than did older women. Nursing interventions must be directed toward preventing a decline in the caregiver's health and development of a second patient who herself needs a caregiver.
Measuring Nurses' Moral Judgments
Authors: Parker Randy Spreen
Published: October 2007

Studies of the moral reasoning of nurses yield inconsistent findings. Using Cronbach and Meehl's interpretive framework, the author demonstrates the lack of construct validity for Kohlberg's theory of moral development and related measures of moral reasoning. Gilligan's relational theory of moral orientations is proposed as an alternative theory worth testing in nurse samples.
Organ Donation as Gift Exchange
Authors: Vernale Garla , Packard Sheila A.
Published: October 2007

Organ donation, considered by sociologists as a type of gift exchange, involves moral, social, psychological, religious and legal issues. This gift exchange paradigm can be used as a framework to understand donor and recipient issues, cadaveric organ donation and the importance of the role of nurses during organ procurement.
The Influence of Feminist Philosophy on Nursing Practice
Authors: Sampselle Carolyn M.
Published: October 2007

This paper describes how feminist beliefs and values should influence nursing practice. Traditionally held patriarchal values are challenged, and the feminist tenets of gender equity, the basis for value to society and personal sovereignty are discussed. Drawing on experience as a nurse practitioner this writer gives examples of nursing practice that are grounded in feminist philosophy.
Future Data Needs for Quality of Care Monitoring, DRG Considerations, Reimbursement and Outcome Measurement
Authors: McCormick Kathleen A.
Published: October 2007

For nurses and vendors, the challenge to achieve a useful automated record involves becoming participants in the organizations defining the nursing component of the medical record. The development of systems that monitor costs, quality and access are means to better support nurses and other health professionals.
Hazardous Secrets and Reluctantly Taking Charge: Parenting a Child with Repeated Hospitalizations
Authors: Burke Sharon Ogden , Kauffmann Elizabeth , Costello Edith A. , Dillon Mary C.
Published: October 2007

This study developed a grounded theory of the stresses and coping responses of parents to the repeated hospitalization of chronically ill and disabled children. The theoretical sampling spanned four years and included 30 mothers of children who have a chronic illness or disability and 30 mothers of healthy children; 100 parents of disabled children who attended a weekend retreat; six community health nurses; nine mothers of chronically ill and disabled children before, during and after a hospitalization. The resulting mid‐range theory identifies the most stressful aspect as “hazardous secrets” which force the parent to “reluctantly take charge” of the situation. “Vigilance”, “calling a halt”, “exhaustion” and “taking a break” are key constructs in the process. “Trusting parent and professional relationships” emerged only when a Professional assisted in revealing secrets.
Nursing Diagnosis vs Goal‐oriented Treatment Planning in Inpatient Child Psychiatry
Authors: Scahill Lawrence
Published: October 2007

The sharp rise in acute psychiatric beds for children and youth has opened up practice opportunities for child psychiatric nurses. But there is pressure from third party payers to reduce the length of stay on these services which increases demand for effective and efficient care. Timely evaluation, stabilization and discharge of children requires multidisciplinary teamwork. This paper considers the merit of nursing diagnosis in this setting and compares it to a method of multidisciplinary goal setting. The use of nursing diagnoses in child inpatient psychiatry carries some risk of creating parallel systems of care and isolating nurses from the treatment team.
The Effect of Education on the Practice of Nursing
Authors: Young Wendy B. , Lehrer Evelyn L. , White William D.
Published: October 2007

This study examines the influence of investments in education on the nature of activities performed on the job. Specifically, attention is focused on whether registered nurses (RNs) with a baccalaureate degree differ from graduates of other programs entailing less schooling in the frequency with which they perform various nursing functions. Results of an ordered probit model using data from the 1986 Biennial Survey of Illinois RNs show that baccalaureate nurses perform high skill functions more often, indicating that education does influence the nature of work activities. Combined with the finding in previous studies that baccalaureate nurses earn significantly higher wages, these results suggest that the labar market differentiates among nurses by education, raising questions about the need to change current licensure laws on informational grounds.
Reflexivity in Fieldwork: Toward a Ferninist Epistemology
Authors: Anderson Joan M.
Published: October 2007

This discussion draws upon research conducted with women with diabetes. Issues pertaining to responding to the requests of informants for information about illness and balancing “taking action” with the researcher role are addressed. It is argued that while intervention by the researcher/clinician may be seen as a dilemma in fieldwork and as a threat to obtaining valid and reliable data, we need to take another tack—a feminist perspective—in examining this aspect of the fieldwork encounter. The dialogue between researcher and informant should be recognized as a resource available to informants and as one means of empowering the disadvantaged and oppressed.
Correlates of Successful Breastfeeding
Authors: Rentschler Dorothy Devine
Published: October 2007

This study of factors related to success in breastfeeding used achievement motivation and information theories to develop the hypotheses. The sample (N = 150) were married, primigravidas, planning to breastfed. Breastfeeding for at least six weeks was the criterion for success. Pregnant women's achievement motivation and level of information about breastfeeding were found to be positively related to success in breastfeeding.
Nutritional Support in HIV Infection: A Multilevel Analysis
Authors: Bradley‐Springer Lucy
Published: October 2007

Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the development of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a long‐term process in many individuals. The progression of HIV disease is beginning to demonstrate many commonalities with other chronic diseases. Although research has not yet shown clear‐cut evidence that diet can make a difference in the course of disease in HIV‐infected clients, nutrition should be viewed as an important component of holistic care for HIV‐infected clients because: 1) wasting and symptoms of malnutrition are common problems associated with these clients; and 2) nutrition has proven to be a beneficial component of care in other chronic conditions. This paper uses the model developed by Winett, King and Altman (1989) to review nutritional support in HIV infection from a multilevel perspective ranging from personal psychology to institutional/societal controls. The author concludes that there is a potential benefit from integrating nutritional assessment, diagnosis and education into the holistic care of HIV‐infected clients at the personal, interpersonal, organizational and societal levels.
Comparison of Two Schema for Classifying Nursing Research
Authors: Larson Elaine , Dear Margaret , Keitkemper Margaret M.
Published: October 2007

To examine trends in nursing research during the last five years of the 1980s and to test the reliability and validity of two taxonomic schemes to classify nursing research, 811 abstracts from three years of a national nursing research conference (Council of Nurse Researchers, 1983, 87, 89) were reviewed and classified independently by three investigators. Taxonomies were research topics as categorized in the Sigma Theta Tau International Directory of Nurse Researchers (STT) and the Classification of Nursing‐Related Dissertations (DISSER). More than half of abstracts addressed clinical topics, and clinical research topics increased significantly over time (p <.001). At least two of the three raters agreed on coding for 62.8 percent of abstracts with STT schemes, 70.9 percent with DISSER scheme (p <. 01). Additional testing and standardization of taxonomies for nursing research is needed to improve reliability and validity.
Women at Risk: An AIDS Educational Needs Assessment
Authors: Williams Ann B.
Published: October 2007

In order to acquire the information nurses need to develop education and support programs for women at risk for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a qualitative needs assessment of women at risk was conducted. Interviews were conducted with 21 women who were at risk for AIDS through their own injection drug use or as the heterosexual partners of injection drug users. Results were analyzed using the variables of the Health Belief Model including the concept of self‐efficacy. The perception of AIDS as a serious and a personal health threat motivated these women to practice both “safe sex” and “safe drug use.” However, they did not always believe that recommended health behaviors would be effective; and they noted significant costs associated with these behaviors. In addition, the impact of AIDS was seen to be a heightening of the isolation and mistrust which were characteristic of the injection drug using community befoe the epidemic. AIDS programs for women at risk should facilitate discussion of social and community issues and should emphasize hope rather than fear.
The Effects of Gestational Age and Pregnancy Planning Status on Obstetrical Nurses’Perceptions of Giving Emotional Care to Women Experiencing Miscarriage
Authors: Reed Karen S.
Published: October 2007

Obstetrical nurses (N=292) were surveyed regarding the influence of gestational age and pregnancy planning on nurses’emotional care for women who had experienced miscarriage. Three measures of emotional care were used as the dependent variables: emotional seriousness, priority of care and emotional support. Both gestational age and whether the pregnancy was planned or unplanned had a significant effect on the nurses’perceptions of emotional seriousness and priority of care. Planning status was significant in the nurses’perception of emotional support.
Nurses Who Violate the Nurse Practice Act: Transformation of Professional Identity
Authors: Hutchinson Sally A.
Published: October 2007

The purpose of this interpretive research was to explore and describe the experiences of nurses who had been accused of violating the Nurse Practice Act. These nurses were investigated by the Florida Department of Professional Regulation (DPR); “probable cause” that a violation of the Nurse Practice Act occurred was found; the nurses participated in a hearing and were required to comply with the Board of Nursing's (BON) order. In‐depth interviews with nurses, DPR and BON staff, participant observation at BON hearings and document analysis of BON files provided multiple slices of data. The grounded theory method was used for data analysis. These nurses experienced a transformation of professional identity. The transformation involved five phases ‐ being confronted, assuming a stance, going through it, living the consequences and re‐visioning.
Development of a Measure of Attitudes Toward Persons with AIDS
Authors: Froman Robin D. , Owen Steven V. , Daisy Carol
Published: October 2007

This paper describes the development of a brief scale to measure attitudes toward persons with AIDS. Results from content validation, factor analysis, classical reliability estimation and generalizability analysis show the measure to have strong psychometric properties.
Balancing Engagement/Detachment in AIDS‐related Multiple Losses
Authors: Carmack Betty J.
Published: October 2007

The process gay persons use to manage the multiple losses and cumulative grief from losing lovers, friends, colleagues and clients to AIDS was explored. Interviews with gay individuals (n=19) in a large urban area in the West provided data for conceptual coding and comparative analysis. Balancing engagement and detachment was identified as the basic social‐psychological process that described how gay individuals struggled to reach an optimal balance in their involvement in the needs of individuals and the community. Four conceptual categories were identified: dysfunctional engagement, functional engagement, functional detachment and dysfunctional detachment. These four categories occur within the contexts of previous life style and redefinition of personal values.
Examining the Process and Dilemmas of Reality Negotiation
Authors: Ersek Mary
Published: October 2007

Reality negotiation is the process people use to examine information from their environment and make judgments about the accuracy and importance of that information. Although this process has been found to be inaccurate, nurses often express discomfort when clients hold perceptions of reality that run counter to their own views. Nurses in these circumstances see the client as denying or as having unrealistic hopes. This article examines reality negotiation in light of this clinical dilemma, focusing on three areas: 1) the assumptions made regarding the nature of reality; 2) the potential and real outcomes of different types of reality negotiation; and 3) the process by which reality is redefined and how unrealistic perceptions are threatened and/or abandoned. These issues are explored as they relate to nursing research and practice.
Reliving Birth: Maternal Responses to Viewing Videotape of Their Second Stage Labors
Authors: McKay Susan , Barrows Teri Lund
Published: October 2007

To learn about women's responses to their second stage labors and the care they received, women (N = 20) whose second stage labors had been videotaped were interviewed postpartally and shown their videotapes. Often women found the videotape viewing to be intensely emotional, especially when they heard noises they made. Women frequently commented upon details they hadn't remembered, their reactivated memory for labor pain, and the “weird” experience of watching themselves in labor. The authors recommend that women who watch their labor videotapes do so with a caregiver or supportive companion. They should be forewarned that the experience may be intense; details of their labors may be vividly recalled or women may see labor events on the videotape of which they were previously unaware.
On The Other Side of the Battle: Russian Nurses in the Crimean War
Authors: Benson Evelyn R.
Published: October 2007

One redeeming feature that emerged from the horrors of the Crimean War was the skilled and compassionate nursing care provided by women. The work of Florence Nightingale and her nurses with the Britishforces is a familiar story. What is less well‐known is that the fighting forces on the other side of the battle lines also had their contingent of nurses who helped to alleviate the suffering of their sick and wounded. This paper discusses the events leading up to the organization of Russia's volunteer nurses who provided care on their side of the battle.
Men's Views About Hysterectomies and Women Who Have Them
Authors: Bernhard Linda A.
Published: October 2007

Men's (N=25) views about the effects of hysterectomy on women and on their relationships with women they knew who had experienced hysterectomies were solicited by interviews. Many men were not knowledgeable about hysterectomy. They perceived negative psychological, social and sexual effects of hysterectomy on women; but they did not think hysterectomy affected their relationships with women. However, they also communicate very little with women or health care professionals about hysterectomy.
Health Policy Dilemmas Related to High Technology Infertility Services
Authors: Gennaro Susan , Klein Audrey , Miranda Linda
Published: October 2007

As cost containment in health care becomes an important concern, the costs and benefits of specific health care services will be more closely examined. The costs and benefits of one type of health care, high technology infertility services, are explored in this paper. These services may be particularly susceptible to cost containment since they are costly, raise ethical issues, and because they currently are provided to healthy individuals not experiencing life‐threatening illnesses who can afford them.
The Application of Motivational Theory to Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
Authors: Fleury Julie
Published: October 2007

The level of motivation sustained by an individual has been identified as a primary predictor of success in sustained cardiovascular risk factor modification efforts. This article reviews the primary motivational theories that have been used to explain and predict cardiovascular risk reduction. Specifically, the application of the Health Belief Model, Health Promotion Model, Theory of Reasoned Action, Theory of Planned Behavior and Self‐efficacy Theory to the initiation and maintenance of cardiovascular health behavior is addressed. The implication of these theories for the development of nursing interventions as well as new directions for nursing research and practice in the study of individual motivation in health behavior change are discussed.
Exploring Empathy: A Conceptual Fit for Nursing Practice?
Authors: Morse Janice M. , Anderson Gwen , Bottorff Joan L. , Yonge Olive , O'Brien Beverley , Solberg Shirley M. , McIlveen Kathleen Hunter
Published: October 2007

After three decades, the efficacy of empathy in the clinical setting remains undocumented. Recently, concerns have been raised that the concept may be inappropriate and even harmful to the nurse‐patient relationship. An analysis of the concept indicates that empathy consists of moral, emotive, cognitive and behavioral components. By tracing the integration of this concept into nursing, we suggest that empathy was uncritically adopted from psychology and is actually a poor fit for the clinical reality of nursing practice. Other communication strategies presently devalued, such as sympathy, pity, consolation, compassion and commiseration, need to be reexamined and may be more appropriate than empathy during certain phases of the illness experience. Directions for future research are suggested.
Attitudes of Nurse Managers and Assistant Nurse Managers Toward Chemically Impaired Colleagues
Authors: Smith George Byron
Published: October 2007

The purpose of this research was to determine attitudes among nurse managers and assistant nurse managers toward impaired colleagues in a descriptive correlational study method, using the Perceptions of Nursing Impairment Inventory. The study revealed no significant differences in attitudes between groups; assistant nurse managers demonstrated a more disciplinary orientation toward impairment within nursing. Both groups tended to have supportive attitudes toward impaired colleagues. Racial/ethnic origin had the most influence on nurse managers' attitudes toward chemically impaired colleagues. The Philippine/Oriental group demonstrated a stronger need to know when a colleague is impaired or receiving treatment, exhibited less belief in the treatability of impairment and displayed a stronger belief in impairment as a personality weakness.
Esther Lucile Brown ‐ A Memorial
Authors: Lipson Juliene G.
Published: October 2007

Esther Lucile Brown, who died in 1990 at the age of 92, was a social anthropologist at the Russell Sage Foundation for more than 30 years. Among her contributions were ground‐breaking studies of the professions and stimulation of the development of medical social science. Her research on nursing stimulated professionalization and nursing education's move into the university. The accuracy of her research findings on nursing and psychosocial aspects of patient care led many to assume that she was a nurse. This memorial focuses on her contributions and personal impact on friends and colleagues.
Temperament Theory and Research
Authors: McClowry Sandra Graham
Published: October 2007

Astute nurse clinicians are constantly assessing the responses of their patients and then using that information to plan their subsequent interactions and interventions. Nurses who adjust the manner in which they deal with patients recognize that individual characteristics need to be respected if the desired effects of intervention are to be achieved. However, unless nurses can articulate how those assessments and adjustments in their care are determined, their wisdom and experience cannot be communicated to other care providers, nor can they participate with their colleagues in a formalized evaluation of the effectiveness of their approach.
Tertiary Nurse Practitioners
Authors: Keane Anne , Richmond Therese
Published: October 2007

Tertiary nurse practitioners are proposed to meet the specialized health care needs of complex patients. Societal changes, increasing numbers of medically vulnerable people and increased costs of health care demand innovative responses to health care delivery. Nurse practitioners' effectiveness in primary care settings supports their introduction into acute care settings. Nurse practitioners are involved in tertiary care in response to a need for the delivery of care to patients with specialized needs. The evolution of the tertiary nurse practitioner role pre‐dated the response of educational institutions to provide appropriate preparation for practitioners in tertiary care. Curricular imperatives and policy issues that will influence professional practice of the tertiary nurse practitioner are discussed.
An Emerging Theory of Human Relatedness
Authors: Hagerty Bonnie M.K. , Lynch‐Sauer Judith , Patusky Kathleen L. , Bouwsema Maria
Published: October 2007

Theory of human relatedness addresses a pervasive human concern, establishing and maintaining relatedness to others, objects, environments, society and self. This theory, derived from a series of inductive and deductive strategies, views relatedness as a functional, behavioral system rooted in early attachment behaviors. individuals move through different states of relatedness including connectedness, disconnectedness, parallelism and enmeshment. Social processes that contribute to this movement are sense of belonging, reciprocity, mutuality and synchrony. Disruptions in clients' relatedness contribute to biological, psychological, and social disturbances.
Public Health Nurses' Vision of their Future Reflects Changing Paradigms
Authors: Clarke Heather F. , Beddome Gail , Whyte Nora B.
Published: October 2007

Health care over the past decade has undergone important changes that have implications for public health nursing. The focus of public health has expanded, as a result of the World Health Organization establishing the goal of “Health for All by the Year 2000,” with its strategy of primary health care. To be active participants in this expansion, public health nurses must be more explicit about their current contributions to health care systems; develop nursing frameworks consistent with the systems' changing goals; and articulate their visions of the future. It is clear that the medical paradigm of health care services needs to change to one of primary health care. Based on results of a recent public health nursing research study, a conceptual framework for the future practice of public health nursing was developed.