bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Economic Impact of Manufacturing Extension Centers
Authors: Ehlen Mark A.
Published: June 2007

A recent U.S. Census survey indicates that two Illinois manufacturing extension centers affiliated with the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership have improved the performance of small Illinois firms and the Illinois state economy. During a 2-year period, the centers directly helped client firms create $22.5 million in sales and create or retain 483 jobs. These benefits, through their direct and indirect effects on the state economy, generated an estimated $119 million in new state output and 450 new state jobs during a 4-year period. State and local tax revenues increased by $9.5 million during the same period, comparing favorably with the $6 million 2-year funding for the two centers. These client-firm impacts occurred in industries important to state economic growth, high-wage employment, and competitiveness relative to the rest of the nation.
Using Program Attributes to Measure and Evaluate State Economic Development Strategies
Authors: Saiz Martin
Published: June 2007

In this article, the author analyzes the substance of state-level economic development programs and distills their essential attributes to create measures that distinguish locational from entrepreneurial economic development strategies. After assessing the validity and reliability of the measures, the author assesses whether these strategies are associated with economic growth. Findings indicate that entrepreneurial economic development strategies increase manufacturing employment but have no effect on changes in total state product or aggregate employment. Industrial recruitment strategies are found to have a negative effect on employment growth in the finance, insurance, and real estate sectors. No positive “spinoff” effects to secondary or tertiary economic sectors are associated with either strategy.
State-Level Determinants of Entrepreneurship and a Preliminary Measure of Entrepreneurial Climate
Authors: Goetz Stephan J. , Freshwater David
Published: June 2007

State and local governments increasingly look to entrepreneurship as a means of stimulating economic growth. However, can the public sector play a role in promoting entrepreneurial activity—and if so, what should that role be? The authors investigate independent effects of financial and human entrepreneurial capital and ideas on entrepreneurial activity in the 50 states. Financial entrepreneurial capital has an inverse U-shaped relationship with entrepreneurial activity, suggesting there are limits to using increasing amounts of financial capital to stimulate entrepreneurship, all else being equal. The authors rank each state in terms of predicted and actual entrepreneurial activity scores and propose a preliminary measure of the entrepreneurial “climate” of each state. Although most states are ranked near where casual analysis might place them, the authors find that others have predicted values that differ significantly from actual values. This suggests that climate may be an important factor in stimulating entrepreneurial activity.
A National Longitudinal Analysis of Women’s Representation in Private-Sector Economic Development Organizations
Authors: André Rae , Weisinger Judith Y.
Published: June 2007

This national study analyzes changes in women’s representation in economic development organizations (EDOs) at the state level between 1988 and 1998. Although in 1998, the number of women in EDOs was still small (11.9% of all memberships), the increase in women’s representation during the decade was 56.6%. These figures parallel other research reports that note women’s increased representation as corporate officers and board members. Future research should focus on the extent to which women’s agendas for economic development differ and whether women’s influence is sufficient to advance an agenda.
The Impact of Industrial Relocation on Displaced Workers: A Case Study of Cortland, New York
Authors: Benería Lourdes , Santiago Luis E.
Published: June 2007

The increasing globalization of production and its intensification through trade liberalization schemes create challenges for local economic development. On July 21, 1992, the Smith-Corona Corporation announced its decision to transfer its manufacturing operations from Cortland, New York, to Tijuana, Mexico. The resulting worker dislocation led to a more flexible labor market, but at the expense of workers’ (particularly women’s) security. In addition, dislocated workers experienced significant income losses and increasing wage inequality, even after receiving additional training. Finally, programs functioning at the state level were useful for workers, but the article shows that a greater awareness of the gender dimensions of training is necessary.
Women’s Carework in Low-Income Households
Authors: Litt Jacquelyn
Published: June 2007

This article presents qualitative interview data to explore the health-related carework of low-income women caregivers with special-needs children and the implications of carework for women’s financial security. The author documents “direct” and “advocacy” carework as two types of caregiving that low-income women carry out in the context of declining government resources for poor disabled children. The author shows that the unique demands of carework responsibilities and the conditions of low-wage work combine to limit caregivers’ employment and education options as well as their long-term prospects for financial stability.
Struggles of the Novice Counselor and Therapist
Authors: Skovholt Thomas M. , Rønnestad Michael H.
Published: June 2007

The novice journey can be arduous. This article draws from empirical and conceptual literature on counselor and therapist development to describe seven stressors of the novice practitioner. The ambiguity of professional work is the major catalyst for novice stress. The elements are: acute performance anxiety, the illuminated scrutiny of professional gatekeepers, porous or rigid emotional boundaries, the fragile and incomplete practitioner-self, inadequate conceptual maps, glamorized expectations, and an acute need for positive mentors.
Career Choices, Job Selection Criteria, and Leadership Preferences in a Transitional Nation: The Case of Turkey
Authors: Aycan Zeynep , Fikret-Pasa Selda
Published: June 2007

This study explored the factors that influenced Turkish university students' career choices, job selection criteria, and leadership preferences. Participated in this study were 1,213 senior and junior management students from 17 universities across 6 regions of Turkey. Data collection was accomplished through a self-administered four-part questionnaire. Findings revealed that for the entire sample, having power and authority, peaceful work environment, opportunity for career advancement, and pay were the most motivating factors in job selection, whereas close supervision and guidance, praise from supervisor, feedback on performance, and sense of belonging were the least motivating ones. Charismatic leadership was found to be the most preferred style followed by participative, paternalistic, and bureaucratic styles. Finally, career choices were mostly affected by intrinsic factors (i.e., self aspirations), whereas interpersonal factors (i.e., significant others' expectations) were least influential. Findings were discussed in light of dynamic and changing cultural characteristics of the Turkish society.
Rethinking Retirement in the Context of an Aging Workforce
Authors: Collins Gerald A.
Published: June 2007

As the baby boomers begin to retire in great numbers later this decade, there will not be enough workers in younger age categories to replace them. In this review, an attempt is made to integrate the demographics of an aging workforce with the projected economic revitalization. Implications are discussed regarding the concept of retirement and the paradox of an oversized generation preparing to retire in the context of extended life expectancies and projected worker shortages.
A Longitudinal Study of the Talent Search Program
Authors: Brewer Ernest W. , McMahan Landers Jama
Published: June 2007

This longitudinal study examined the impact of participation in the federally funded Talent Search program at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Talent Search program provides career exploration and counseling services to low-income students with the potential to be first-generation college graduates. Postsecondary education enrollment rates of 758 Talent Search participants were compared with enrollment rates of a control group of 450 individuals who were eligible for Talent Search services but did not participate. Chi-square analysis revealed that Talent Search participants were significantly more likely to enroll in postsecondary education than were members of the control group (p < .001). These results have implications for career development services provided to low-income, potential first-generation college graduates.
Spiritual Journeying
Authors: Keegan Lynn
Published: June 2007

Spiritual journeying is a process of unfoldment, a journey of discovering the light within. It is ongoing and continuous and is a part of the life of every evolving nurse healer. Spiritual journeying involves a conscious decision to explore ones own inner self in relation to a larger cosmic consciousness. There is an awareness, gradual or abrupt, of the paradigm shift originating from sorting new and conflicting sets of information. The sorting of the new information and experience affords the awakened individual the opportunity to enter through an entry portal to begin what can be a transformational process. The journeying process is done through inner work, often in solitude, with or without group support. Physical travel is often a part of the journey but not requisite to it. One who is engaged in spiritual journeying often emerges as a spiritual activist who convertly or overtly assists others in the healing process.
Psychosynthesis: An Integrated Theoretical Base for Holistic Healing Practice
Authors: Freeman Karen Catterton
Published: June 2007

Two different orientations exist in life: the personal, or practical, and the transpersonal, or spiritual. The personal experience emphasizes an outward orientation to the mastery of the self through the mastery of some part of the world. The transpersonal experience emphasizes an inward orientation to the mastery of self through the mastery of one's inner world. Traditionally, world cultures have favored one orientation over the other as though they were antithetical approaches to living. Actually, these two dimensions are complimentary perspectives which can be brought together in a healing synthesis.

A world trend is developing in our time toward the synthesis of the practical and the spiritual as demonstrated by the development of the f ield of holistic nursing and in the emergence of the human potential movement. Two versions of synthesis exist, the Eastern and the Western, each with its own cultural emphasis. These two systems are merged in a multidimensional process called Psychosynthesis which supports the potential development of the individual from the level of the personal to that of the global. As such, this holistic system of human development may offer the nurse an integrated, theoretical framework from which to practice the art of holistic healing.
Traditional Crow Indian Health Beliefs and Practices
Authors: Buehler Janice A.
Published: June 2007

An important element in American Indian cultures is a holistic view of wellness. Nurses attempting to provide holistic, culturally sensitive health services to American Indian clients must assess the cultural orientation of their clients and have culture-specific knowledge. A pilot qualitative study was conducted at the Crow Indian Reservation in south central Montana. Qualitative analysis of data identified categories of traditional contemporary health practices of Crow Indians. These categories are use of rituals/ceremonies, indigenous healers, and sacred objects. Five patterns of use of traditional health practices were also discovered. These are (a) initial use of traditional practices followed by modern health services, (b) initial use of modern health services followed by traditional practices, (c) simultaneous bicultural use, (d) traditional use only, and (e) modern use only.
Improving Organ Donation Rates in the Black Community
Authors: Plawecki Henry M. , Plawecki Judith A.
Published: June 2007

The risk of developing end-stage renal disease is four times higher in the Black than in the White population. The number of Blacks on dialysis or on the waiting list for transplantation continues to grow due to an insufficient number of suitable organ donors. Same-race transplants have been shown to be more successful when blood types and human leucocyte antigens are used as the matching criteria. The low levels of organ donation by Blacks has been attributed to a number of factors. This article reviews some of the more complex factors (e.g., social practices, religious beliefs, and cultural expectations) affecting the organ donation decision. In addition, some implications and strategies are suggested that may increase the rate of organ donation in the Black community.
The "Big Three" Cardiovascular Risk Factors among American Blacks and Hispanics
Authors: Gregory S. Joan , Clark Pamela I.
Published: June 2007

Today's chronic diseases require "treatment" by shifting control of the outcome from the provider back to the individual and the environment in which one functions. There is a strong need to consider the individual in the context of ethnicity and culture, which express themselves in the prevalence and magnitude of risk factors, the biological impact of risk factors and expression of disease, and the potential for control of unhealthy behaviors. Educational and screening programs related to the risk factors of cigarette smoking, hypertension, and cholesterol must be structured so that recommended life-style changes are compatible with the individual's cultural values and beliefs.
Effects of Music Preference and Selection on Stress Reduction
Authors: Mornhinweg Gail C.
Published: June 2007

The use of music for therapeutic value has been documented throughout history. Modern research has identified specific types of music that seem to produce physiological benefits more consistently than others. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of three types of music on perceived stress levels and to see if a correlation existed between music preference, music played, and stress reduction. Music preference was identified, stress level assessed, music played, and stress level was reassessed with 58 subjects. Paired t tests were statistically significant with two of the three musical styles.
Innovative Imagery
Authors: Manhart Barrett Elizabeth Ann
Published: June 2007

Innovative imagery is a health-patterning modality viewed from the perspective of Rogers's science of unitary human beings and Barrett's theory of power derived from the Rogerian paradigm. A health-patterning modality is a specific approach to enhancing power by assisting clients with their knowing participation in change. Innovative imagery is described as a unitary, nonlinear practice approach whereby clients are helped to go beyond the given to realize freedom and experience imaginative creativity. The science-base for innovative imagery as an active method for participation in the creation of one's reality including health and healing is presented. A case study from the author's private practice illustrates the application of innovative imagery as a health-patterning modality.
The Future of Nursing in a Technological Age
Authors: Peck Mary Lou
Published: June 2007

The computer has become a major tool in the medical treatment of disease. Computers can record vital signs, keep records, and provide central networks for interactive diagnosis. Individual medical histories can be contained in an optical card the size of a credit card. Advances in technology just over the horizon will permit an individual to consult a computer much as one now consults a physician for diagnosis, recommendations, instructions, and treatment. Surgery can be conducted in "virtual space," with the physician operating inside the body (via computer) as if he or she were present at the site of the surgery. Only a step beyond this is the development of robots who can do a better surgical job than a human being. What is missing from this scenario? Tender loving care. That is the nurse's job, and it is something that computers cannot do because it involves feelings and human communication that are beyond mere technology. Consequently, nurses will be needed long after physicians have passed into limbo. The practical lesson of this look into the future is that, although nurses certainly must remain in touch with the cutting edge of technology, their primary purpose will be to retain and sharpen the skills that Florence Nightingale introduced. Human response will never be replaced by technology, and the unchanging need for the nurses' caring function will assure their future.
Presence
Authors: Hines Doris R.
Published: June 2007

Through the substantive practice experience of relating to patients, the author has identified provisional attributes associated with presence. Concept analysis was used to systematically illustrate the uses of presence identified by other authors and disciplines. A model case with the attributes of presence as described by the author is presented. The provisional attributes proposed by the author are (a) time with another (T), (b) unconditional positive regard (UPR), (c) transactional speaking with, being with, doing with (TR), (d) encounter that is valued (EV), (e) connectedness (essence linking) (C), and (9) sustaining memory (SM). The definition of presence as a nursing intervention is included.
A Clinical Research Perspective
Authors: Wardell Diane , Engebretson Joan
Published: June 2007

The solution to nursing problems can often be found by using a combination of a naturalistic approach and traditional scientific methods. To illustrate this link, the development of a pacifier for low birth weight infants is described. The observation of fetus' thumb sucking in utero led to a broadly based literature review that suggested the idea of the thumb as an appropriate model for nonnutritive sucking. An anthropometric study was conducted to determine if the size of the thumb correlated with the size of the mouth. The correlations between the mouth and thumb further strengthened the appropriateness of the thumb as a model for a low birth weight infant pacifier.
Healing Images
Authors: Salmon Patricia L.
Published: June 2007

This article discusses the therapeutic use of drawings, outlines a specific drawing technique, and describes two case illustrations. Emphasis is placed on the healing quality of the drawing experience, a creative process in and of itself. These case illustrations were derived from an interpretive study in which life history and drawing methods were used to gather a holistic description about the experiences of women living with HIV disease. By making drawings depicting their illness, the ten women were offered another way to express and communicate their experiences, revealing rich descriptions that may not have been obtained by interviews alone. The drawings allowed the women to explore feelings that are often difficult to verbalize, offering additional insights about their worldview. For the practitioner, the use of drawings can therefore be a valuable tool to further understand a client, assess needs, and formulate a more inclusive approach to care.
Coloring Outside the Lines
Authors: Oliver Nancy Rainville , Hill Lyda
Published: June 2007

Creativity facilitates the continuous expansion of nurses' interpretations of their nursing practice and is the essence of holistic care. In this study, the concept of creativity was explored by addressing the question, "When student nurses are given complete freedom to design nursing care for a patient, what types of activities will they include? " The students were provided with a case scenario involving a comatose Native American male patient and asked to complete an "Exercise to Stretch Your Mind." Forty-eight students completed the exercise for a total of 343 responses. Qualitative data analysis was completed, and the nursing process was used to conceptually link the patterns of interventions that emerged. These interventions involved using the sensory modalities of physical and emotional feeling, hearing, and smelling to provide contextual experiences for the patient to connect and reconnect with himself. The connecting context included six areas: the outside, his nurse, his family, his spirit, the familiar, and the future.
Caring
Authors: Gaut Delores Ann
Published: June 2007

Caring as a new paradigm for nursing is rapidly gaining ascendance. As nurse scholars and practitioners recognize the power of caring, they are joining together in a "conspiracy" of caring. The purpose of this article is to set the stage for creative visioning that might generate new ways of thinking about caring, nursing practice, and research. A very brief review of caring scholarship in nursing over the last 15 years sets the context for the discussion of caring research and practice. It is suggested that when the phenomenon of interest is human caring, the perspective or vision of the scientist must necessarily change from a traditional, empirical view of what is real to a holistic vision of nursing as a human, caringscience. The process for both personal and societal transformation is discussed.
Breast Health Promotion
Authors: Wehrwein Teresa C. , Eddy Mary E.
Published: June 2007

The breast is one of the leading sites of invasive cancer. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between health locus of control, perceived self-efficacy, demographic health characteristics, and the degree to which they explain the current and future practice of breast self-exam and mammography screening. Data were collected during 1992. Eighty-six women participating in a clinical breast exam and mammography screening program at an ambulatory women's center in a large metropolitan teaching hospital in the Midwest voluntarily completed four questionnaires. Hierarchical regression and discriminant analysis demonstrated that perceived self-efficacy was a significant predictor of health-promotion behavior, and health-promoting lifestyle and locus of control were the most influential predictors of intent for breast self-examination and ongoing mammography.
Health Promotion Practices of Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women
Authors: Telleen Tana M.
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this research was to study the health-promoting practices of pregnant and nonpregnant women and to examine the differences between the two groups. A descriptive correlational design was employed for this study. The Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile was used to measure health-promoting practices in the sample populations. Although there were no significant differences between health-promoting practices of pregnant and nonpregnant women in most areas, pregnant women scored significantly higher on the Nutrition subscale. This research suggests that all women need to increase the number of their health-promoting practices.
A Holistic Nursing Response to Mastectomy Trauma Syndrome
Authors: Pasquali Elaine Anne
Published: June 2007

As a consequence of mastectomy, women may experience disruptions in four domains of life: the physical, the psychological, the social, and the spiritual. Mastectomy trauma syndrome refers to these lifestyle disruptions. This ethnographic research study explores the major lifestyle disruptions associated with mastectomy. Holistic concepts and strategies are suggested to assist postmastectomy women toward self-actualization.
The Healing Process of Presence
Authors: McKivergin Maggie J. , Daubenmire M. Jean
Published: June 2007

Therapeutic relationships help provide the milieu for the nurse and the patient to gain insights into the essence of disease and the nature of healing. In building foundation on which to be in optimally responsive relationships, nurses at Riverside Methodist Hospitals in Columbus, Ohio, participate in a 2-day course that explores and names how we bring ourselves as gifts to others as well as to ourselves in the dynamic of therapeutic presence. The following article reviews the literature on presence, provides a course description and contents on presence, and assists nurses in incorporating principles of presence into nursing practice.
Consciousness
Authors: Burch Sharon
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept consciousness as it relates to human health and invite nurses to examine a variety of perspectives on the concept that may influence practice, education, and research. A review of American nursing, medical, psychological, and philosophical literature reveals a considerable range of theories that seem to connect forming a broad foundation for further study. Initial analysis of the concept yields a working definition that consciousness is the fundamental and thoroughly pervasive implicit field of all existence, both seen and unseen. Additionally, the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association human response patterns were found to provide a useful set of empirical referents. Further exploration and testing of these referents may stimulate important insights into the fundamental domains of nursing.
Caring Incidents
Authors: Moses Margaret M.
Published: June 2007

The quality of health care in the United States has become a topic of national debate in the 1990s. Efforts are under way to eliminate inequities by providing educational strategies to monitor the administration of health care activities. In this article the author links the current proposals in the administration of health care to organizational strategies and to the humanistic approach to caregiving in nursing. Specific examples demonstrate how first-year nursing students are encouraged to integrate structured caring incidents into their clinical experiences. The article relies on the philosophical base provided by nurse theorist, Joyce Travelbee. She expressed concern that nursing care in institutions lacked compassion and needed a "humanistic revolution with a focus on caring" (Travelbee, 1991, p. 2).
The Collision between Caring Theory and Caring Practice as a Collision between Feminine and Masculine Cognitive Style
Authors: Dahlberg Karin
Published: June 2007

In the Swedish education of nurses, teaching should be focused in a way that the students develop a holistic view of caring. Swedish health care and medical care should be carried out in a way that promotes a holistic view. It seems that the education of nurses has prerequisites to develop, and often does present, a holistic view to the students, but this view is not always carried over to practice. Student nurses think they have a theoretical understanding of a holistic view, but they cannot manage to transform their knowledge to practice. It is proposed that this failure to transfer knowledge of holistic care principles into practice is partly based on the fact that medical and technological thought dominate practice in the caring disciplines. This article explores some factors influencing caring theory and praxis and possible causes for the gap between these areas. The question of gender is proposed as a reason for the identified difference between theory and praxis. From a gender theoretical perspective, the difference can be understood as a collision between feminine and masculine cognitive styles. It is proposed that the caring ideals of holism are emphasized by the woman-dominated nursing schools, but these ideals are not able to influence practice of the caring professions, which are dominated by men.
A Delphi Study of the Basic Principles and Corresponding Care Goals of Holistic Nursing Practice
Authors: Estby Sara N. , Freel Mildred I. , Hart Laura K. , Reese Jean L. , Clow Toni J.
Published: June 2007

This descriptive, non-experimental study using the Delphi survey process identified basic holistic health principles for which holistic nurse practitioners agreed guide their healing practice. Seventeen expert holistic nurse practitioners (and AHNA leaders) comprised the respondent group. On the average these practitioners have been nurses for 25 years and holistic practitioners for 11 years. Seventy percent of the group completed all three Delphi rounds indicating their agreement regarding 25 principles of holistic health, their applicability to practice, and care goals related to each principle. A high level of consensus was reached regarding 17 principles. In addition to affirming principles related to unity, interdependence, evolution, energy fields, and interactions, the AHNA expert nurse practitioners strongly emphasized spirituality. The group addressed reality as a unified whole, not limited by the material universe, supporting a practice model based on holographic perspectives.
Living in Two Different Worlds or Living in the World Differently
Authors: Plumbo Margaret Anne
Published: June 2007

Nurses of American Indian heritage address unique challenges in their professional and personal lives. A qualitative study is described that investigates how such nurses bring unique qualities to nursing based on their spiritual beliefs, which stem from tradition and ritual, belief in the family, and harmony and oneness with the earth and with all creatures. The imperative to do cross-cultural research as well as the difficulties encountered in doing such research are discussed.
Toward an Understanding of Energetic Healing, Part 1
Authors: Slater Victoria E.
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this article is to describe one understanding of structures involved in energetic healing, which is defined as healing occurring at the quantum and electromagnetic levels of a person, plant, or animal. Characteristics of electromagnets, direct electric currents, Fourier analyzers, and L-C circuits are discussed and applied to the human being. Human electromagnetic characteristics are compared to descriptions of auras, meridians, and chakras. Quantum and chaos theories are presented and applied to the question of the mechanism of energetic healing.
The Gift of Healing in Chronic Illness/Disability
Authors: Lindsey Elizabeth
Published: June 2007

Chronic illness and disabilities are the leading health problems in North America and represent the major health challenges of this era. The traditional Western illness care model that has profoundly influenced health care and nursing practice is oppressive, inappropriate, and inadequate to meet the needs of people living with chronic conditions. What is needed is fundamental shift in perspective, one that abandons the objective stance of the cure paradigm of Western medicine and embraces the care paradigm where the subjective experience of the person is of central concern. Such a perspective allows for the potential for healing to occur, regardless of the person's physical condition. This article presents the results of a recent study investigating the healing experience of people with chronic health challenges. An interpretive phenomenological investigation was undertaken with 8 participants, each participant living with different chronic conditions. The results of this study describe the participants' healing journey. Seven essential themes emerged to describe this experience. These themes include (a) In the Beginning, (b) Hitting the Wall, (c) Turning Around, (d) Letting Go, (e) Opening Up, (f) Letting In, and (g) the Gift. The results demonstrate a need to reconsider nursing education and practice, which shifts from the mandate of cure to a mandate of care and to one that emphasizes the promotion of health and healing.
Worksite Wellness Programs and Lifestyle Behaviors
Authors: O'Quinn Josie Lu
Published: June 2007

Do employees who participate in worksite wellness programs differ from those who do not? What health-related lifestyle behaviors are practiced most frequently by which employees? A descriptive, correlational, comparative design was used to investigate these questions. Four hundred employees at a large public university were selected through stratified random sampling to complete a demographic sheet and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Study findings revealed that men used self actualization and exercise behaviors more frequently than women. Women practiced more health responsibility behaviors than men. Employees who were members of the wellness program more frequently practiced health responsibility and exercise behaviors than nonmembers. Overall, wellness program members used a greater number of the total health-related behaviors than other employees. Membership in the wellness program and the number of times per week a person exercised explained 21% of the variance in the HPLP scores.
Menstrual Synchronization
Authors: Klebanoff Nina A. , Keyser Patsy K.
Published: June 2007

Previous scientific studies documenting the objective existence of a coming together of the onset of menstrual cycles between or among women do not discuss the subjective meaning of the experience of menstrual synchronization from the perspective of women studied. This article discusses a phenomenologic study, based on 13 taped interviews and 2 written follow-up interviews, with women aged 25 to 46. Data were analyzed using a qualitative, naturalistic method along with a computer program. The analysis focused on the lived experience of menstrual synchronization. Four themes with respective subthemes emerged, producing descriptions of menstrual synchronization. The descriptions discovered can assist nurses to understand the holistic aspects of this everyday experience of women and to design effective strategies and techniques to help women gain knowledge about their cycle functions, promote healthy attitudes toward menstruation as a process, and acknowledge and honor this natural, healthy aspect of their menstrual cycle.
A Review of Physician-Assisted Suicide
Authors: Billings Janet
Published: June 2007

This article is intended to promote thought and discussion among nurses on the issue of physician-assisted suicide. A case study is presented to highlight some of the issues involved. A review of the literature presents medical and nursing views. The Netherlands' experience is summarized, with attention to the historical development and acceptance of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Dutch society. A review of current U.S. legal challenges follows, including decisions in Washington and New York in March and April 1996. The reader is asked to consider the ramifications of physician-assisted suicide and whether it should be an end-of-life choice.
Toward a Framework for Patient Education
Authors: Stamler Lynnette Leeseberg
Published: June 2007

Patient education is an activity that nurses engage in on a regular basis, yet in the literature it is seldom examined as a patient-centered process. The desire to describe the process of patient education in terms that were not content-driven was the guiding force for an examination of the concept of enablement. The purpose of this article is to describe an analysis that resulted in a definition of enablement and the identification of three components: means, abilities, and opportunities. Model, related, and contrary cases are provided. The findings of this examination are used to propose a potential framework for designing, implementing, and evaluating patient education across content areas.
A Phenomenological Interpretation of Holistic Nursing
Authors: Bishop Anne H. , Scudder John R.
Published: June 2007

Phenomenology contributes to holistic nursing by interpreting the first-person encounter with the lived world. Holistic nursing care integrates biopsychosociological knowledge with the practical care that is the legacy of generations of practicing nurses. A practice, when interpreted phenomenologically, is a historically developed way of fostering human well-being. Nursing is the practice of caring. Because nursing care concerns helping persons to live better in their world, it includes the moral, esthetic, and interpersonal aspects of care. These spiritual aspects are integrally enmeshed in holistic nursing. The spiritual in holistic nursing also designates the value dimension of meaning that gives life its worth and patients and nurses the courage to be. Interpreted phenomenologically, holistic nursing integrally relates scientific meaning with the meanings of nursing practice, the lived world of patients, and the meaning that gives patients and nurses the courage to seek well-being in a world altered by illness and debilitation.
Guided Imagery
Authors: Giedt Jane F.
Published: June 2007

Guided imagery is an independent nursing intervention that uses psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) principles to assist an individual in the management of distressing symptoms. The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of guided imagery in holistic nursing practice. The concepts of PNI are described and the basic steps of guided imagery are presented. PNI research and nursing research on guided imagery as an intervention are reviewed. The principles of guided imagery and PNI are applied to holistic nursing practice. Suggestions for future research methodologies, including psychological, neuroendocrine, and immunological measurements to evaluate the effectiveness of guided imagery, are offered. Rationale for using human immunodeficiency virus infection as a disease model to study the effectiveness of guided imagery is provided.
Expanding Self-Awareness through Exploration of Meaningful Experience
Authors: Drew Nancy
Published: June 2007

In a phenomenological investigation of nurses' meaningful experiences with patients, the author continued investigation of caregiver/patient interaction reported in two previous studies of confirmation and exclusion. Exploration of meaningful experience is presented as an avenue for greater self-awareness for the caregiver. Findings include description of study participants' lived meaningful experiences and the essential structures of experiencing meaningfulness. The lived meaningful experiences were characterized by intense emotion, implicit experiencing, and relating. The essential structures of experiencing meaningfulness were found to be a temporal process of reflecting and articulating the discovery of self and the function of meaningful experience as a template for both future and past experiences. Expanded self-understanding through exploration of meaningful experience is discussed for its significance in nursing practice and education.
Writing for Publication
Authors: Plawecki Henry M. , Plawecki Judith A.
Published: June 2007

The overall goal of the editors of the Journal of Holistic Nursing was to enhance the link between the professional literature and holistic nursing practice. To accomplish this goal, strategies were developed/refined that would increase the journal's acceptance into the clinical/academic marketplace. The purpose of this article is to produce a concise document that describes the publication process. The following topics are addressed: (a) the rationale for writing, (b) the publication requirements, (c) selecting a journal, (d) the peer review/evaluation process, and (e) the essential components of an article. The purpose of this editorial effort was to assist manuscript writers to become published authors. Hopefully, the activities of the editors and the contents of this article will facilitate the efforts of many aspiring authors.
Professional Evolution
Authors: Wardell Diane Wind , Engebretson Joan
Published: June 2007

Technological advances and economic, social, and cultural conditions have created a climate of change in health care. New roles and approaches are developing in relation to the holistic health movement. Within the holistic nursing community, three concepts of holistic practice have emerged. Differentiations among (a) certified holistic nurses, (b) practitioners of a healing modality, and (c) healers are presented to promote future discussion. As new roles must match a social need and become institutionalized to secure a professional role, speculations on possible directions for the certification in holistic nursing are presented.
Humor and Pain Management
Authors: Matz Anita , Brown Sylvia T.
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of current literature related to humor and pain management. A brief review of the benefits of humor on the body is followed by a literature review of articles on humor and pain management, including research articles and scholarly articles on the topic. Research studies on the use of humor with both acute and chronic pain will be reported. The review of scholarly unresearched articles will include articles giving guidelines for humor use, suggested humor assessment guidelines, discussion of the nurse's role with humor use, and implementation strategies via humor carts and rooms.
Florence Nightingale
Authors: Dossey Barbara M.
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this article is to cast new and refreshing light on Florence Nightingale's life and work by examining her personality type. Using the theory-based Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the author examines Nightingale's personality type and reveals that she was an introverted-intuitive-thinking-judging (INTJ) type. The merit of using the MBTI is that it allows us to more clearly understand three major areas of Nightingale's life that have been partially unacknowledged or misunderstood: her spiritual development as a practicing mystic, her management of her chronic illness to maintain her prodigious work output, and her chosen strategies to transform her visionary ideas into new health care and social realities.
Florence Nightingale
Authors: Selanders Louise C.
Published: June 2007

Although generally recognized as the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale has been criticized for her apparent lack of support of women's issues, including suffrage. This article examines the primary and supporting literature surrounding this topic. Findings indicate that Nightingale developed a complex set of beliefs that supported women as individuals rather than from a gender perspective. She did, in fact, support the concept of women's suffrage but did not give it priority. Victorian women suffered from lack of legal status, education financial independence, and support from either the family or church as social institutions. Therefore, Nightingale's conception of nursing as a secular, educated profession cannot be overemphasized as a benchmark in the developing importance of women in the social system.
Spiritual Nursing Interventions
Authors: Sellers Sandra Courtney , Haag Barbara A.
Published: June 2007

Oncology, parish, and hospice nurses in the Midwest were surveyed to explore what nursing interventions they implement to enhance the spirituality of clients and how they learned about these interventions. Some 95 spiritual nursing interventions were identified and ranked according to frequency of implementation. The most frequently identified nursing interventions were referral, prayer, active listening, facilitation and validation of clients' feelings and thoughts, conveying acceptance, and instilling hope. The most frequently ranked implemented interventions were communication and religious nursing interventions. Only 15% of the participants indicated that they learned the most about spirituality and spiritual nursing interventions from basic and advanced nursing education combined. Findings support the need for increased emphasis of theoretical and clinical spiritual knowledge in nursing education and the development of a typology of spiritual nursing interventions to direct nurses in enhancing the spirituality of clients and implementing holistic nursing care.
Effect of Therapeutic Touch on the Well-Being of Persons with Terminal Cancer
Authors: Giasson Marie , Bouchard Louise
Published: June 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of three Therapeutic Touch treatments on the well-being of 20 persons with terminal cancer in palliative care. Participants in the experimental group (n = 10) received three noncontact Therapeutic Touch treatments, the duration of which varied between 15 to 20 minutes. Participants in the control group (n = 10) participated in three rest periods. Well-being was measured at preintervention time and immediately postintervention time using the Well-Being Scale, a visual analogue scale measuring pain, nausea, depression, anxiety, shortness of breath, activity, appetite, relaxation, and inner peace. The results of the study support the hypothesis that three noncontact Therapeutic Touch treatments increase sensation of well-being in persons with terminal cancer.
Imaging Ourselves
Authors: Hartrick Gwen , Schreiber Rita
Published: June 2007

Metaphors are vivid, expressive tools popularly used in everyday conversations. The familiarity of metaphors combined with their capacity for generating meaning make the metaphor a powerful heuristic device for effecting nursing discoveries and pedagogical shifts. Exploring nursing metaphors can provide opportunities to develop new understandings of nursing and challenge metaphorical images that may be constraining and/or obscuring significant elements of holistic nursing practice. A research study that examined the metaphorical images of practicing nurses uncovered a wide variety of images. The thematic analysis of the metaphorical descriptions illuminated four major themes: (a) the character of nursing work, (b) power and empowerment, (c) nursing as a growth process, and (d) the relational nature of nursing. Nurses' metaphorical images provide a window into the complexities and ambiguities within nursing practice. The images highlight the significance of social and organizational constraints that influence how nurses take up their practice, the ways in which nurses feel unable to practice holistically, and the struggles nurses encounter when they try.
The Use of the Qualitative Research Interview to Uncover the Essence of Community Psychiatric Nursing
Authors: Hummelvoll Jan Kåre , da Silva António Barbosa
Published: June 2007

During the last decade in the Nordic countries, the qualitative research interview (QRI) has become a fruitful method for the study of how people experience their life-world, especially in social and professional contexts. The essential features and structural components of the QRI have been well developed, and various aspects of the interpretation of interview texts have been analyzed and theoretically assessed from the hermeneutic-phenomenological point of view. The validity, reliability, and fruitfulness of the method also have been constructively scrutinized. The present study, which examines the choice of appropriate QRI strategy and technique as illustrated with concrete examples, focuses on the specific area of psychiatric nurses' professional thoughts and experiences in community psychiatric nursing. This scientific article seeks to stimulate and illuminate the right use of QRI.
The Danish 1905 Cohort
Authors: Nybo Hanne , Gaist David , Jeune Bernard , Bathum Lise , Mcgue Matt , Vaupel James W. , Christensen Kaare
Published: June 2007

Objectives: The authors studied nonagenarians, a rapidly growing age group whose cognitive and physical abilities have yet to be investigated systematically. Methods: All Danes born in 1905 were invited to participate in a home-based 2-hour multidimensional interview, including cognitive and physical performance tests and collection of DNA, carried out by lay interviewers. Population-based registers were used to evaluate representativeness. Results: There were 2,262 participants. A total of 1,632 (72%) gave a DNA sample. Participants and nonparticipants were highly comparable with regard to marital status, institutionalization, and hospitalization patterns, but men and rural area residents were more likely to participate. Six months after the survey began, 7.2% of the participants and 11.8% of the nonparticipants had died. Discussion: Despite the known difficulties of conducting surveys among the extremely old, it was possible to conduct a nationwide survey, including collection of DNA, among more than 2,000 fairly nonselected nonagenarians using lay interviewers.