bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A study of work stress, patient handling activities and the risk of low back pain among nurses in Hong Kong
Authors: Yip Yin bing 
Published: March 2003

A study of work stress, patient handling activities and the risk of low back pain among nurses in Hong Kong Rationale. Low back pain (LBP) remains a common and costly problem among the nursing profession. Several studies have indicated that LBP is attributed to mentally straining or demanding work, fatigue or exhaustion or general work satisfaction. Aims. This study aims to measure the magnitude of LBP among Hong Kong nurses and its association with the work‐related psychological strain and patients handling activities. Research methods and measures. A cross‐sectional study of Hong Kong hospital nurses was conducted. Three hundred and seventy‐seven nurses were recruited from six district hospitals. They were registered nurses or enrolled nurses working full‐time for at least 1 month in the current ward. One hundred and seventy‐eight (47·2%) study subjects were randomly selected from two district hospitals and 199 (52·8%) study nurses made up the convenience sample. Possible bias from psychological distress, socio‐demographics and lifestyle factors was controlled for. Data were collected by face‐to‐face interviews. The data included work factors (both psychological stress and patient handling activities related to work), demographics, psychological distress and lifestyle factors and the occurrence of LBP. Results. Of the 377 nurses interviewed, 153 (40·6%) reported having LBP within the last 12 months. With symptoms of LBP as the outcome, risks were increased where nurses self‐reported that they only occasionally or never enjoyed their work [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2·07], where frequent manual repositioning of patients on the bed was required (adjusted OR 1·84) and where they were required to assist patients while walking (adjusted OR 2·11) after adjustment for other potential confounders. Conclusion. The results indicate that an association exists between work stress, manual lifting and LBP prevalence. The main route to prevention of LBP among nurses is likely to lie in improved ergonomics and psychological health in their work place. Good posture and correct transferring techniques in ward situations should be reinforced with hands‐on practice performed on nurses’ common types of clients.
You can do it if you set your mind to it: a qualitative study of patients with coronary artery disease
Authors: Bergman Eva , Berterö Carina 
Published: March 2003

You can do it if you set your mind to it: a qualitative study of patients with coronary artery disease Aims of the study. To gain increased knowledge and understanding of what it means to be afflicted with coronary artery disease (CAD) and how it affects the life/lifestyle of the individual. Background. Research has documented that education, counselling and behavioural interventions are important elements of cardiac rehabilitation and compliance with treatment. Compliance is generally better with medical treatment than with recommended lifestyle changes. Another influencing aspect is locus of control, i.e. people’s own understanding of control is the foundation for the decisions patients make more or less consciously regarding compliance with caring/nursing, treatment and lifestyle changes. Methods. Eight individuals with diagnosed coronary artery disease were interviewed about their life situation, and the opportunities and obstacles they encountered in making lifestyle changes. These interviews were transcribed and then analysed using a hermeneutic approach. Findings. The findings included three areas: (1) The causes of coronary artery disease describing different factors, such as heredity, lifestyle and demands. (2) Difficulties in the work of rehabilitation, which was explained in terms of informants’ feelings of confusion, uncertainty and sadness. (3) Successful rehabilitation consisted of two factors: the personality of the individual patient and external support. Conclusions. Patients may comply well with follow‐up visits but less with lifestyle changes. By identifying different ‘characteristics’, ‘prerequisites’ and ‘difficulties’ that describe patients’ compliance, it should be possible to make treatment more individual. Nurses have a significant role in supporting these patients since they are more accessible than physicians. Nurses also have a responsibility to work together with patients to empower them, in order to make their lifestyle changes and self‐care activities manageable.
Living with post‐traumatic stress disorder: the wives’/female partners’ perspective
Authors: Lyons Margaret A. 
Published: March 2003

Living with post‐traumatic stress disorder: the wives’/female partners’ perspective Aim of the study. This phenomenological study examined what it was like for the wives/female partners to live with a Vietnam veteran who suffers from post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Procedure. Audio‐taped interviews were conducted with 10 women and data were examined from three overlapping phases of the veteran/partner relationship: the early phase, the middle phase and the later phase. Findings. The early phase was conceptualized as a period of adjustment in which three themes were identified: (1) attractors, (2) feelings and (3) communication. The middle phase, one of enmeshment, was characterized by six themes: (1) dealing with veteran PTSD symptoms, (2) substance abuse, (3) physical and/or emotional abuse, (4) roles, (5) feelings and (6) coping techniques. Three themes depicted the later phase of resolution/healing: (1) stress related symptoms, (2) staying or leaving and (3) activities that promoted an ongoing process of resolution/healing. Conclusions. The central meaning statement that best described the experience of wives/female partners who live with a Vietnam veteran with PTSD is that the experience is a gradual process of becoming enmeshed in the veteran’s pathology, with all energies being directed at minimizing the effect on self and family, culminating in intermittent movement towards resolution/healing. This study has implications for practitioners who treat Vietnam PTSD veterans and their wives or female partners.
The personal and professional impact of undertaking an educational module on human caring
Authors: Hoover Janice 
Published: March 2003

The personal and professional impact of undertaking an educational module on human caring Aim of the study. To evaluate the personal and professional impact of undertaking a 15‐week degree level module on nursing as human caring. Background. Little is known about how to teach and enhance caring practices. An innovative module was implemented on a 4‐year, postregistration nursing degree course in Wales to develop students’ capacity to be caring practitioners. An understanding of its impact was sought to facilitate better future preparation of students. Research methods. A full cohort of 25 part‐time students, divided into four groups, participated in audio‐taped focus groups before and after undertaking the module. Findings. From a personal perspective, the students experienced increased spiritual awareness characterized by: (1) enhanced connecting relationships with self and others, (2) finding purpose and meaning in life, and (3) clarification of values. Professionally, the module resulted in: (1) an increased knowledge and understanding of caring theory and related concepts, (2) a more holistic approach to care, and (3) enhanced caring practice. Conclusions. Education may enhance students’ capacity to be caring practitioners. Spirituality, in particular, was illuminated for the students as an important means of developing both themselves and their caring practices. They experienced transformative learning, and the focus groups, employed as the research method, served as a useful vehicle in this process. Reflective groups will be used as a teaching method on future modules.
A qualitative study of shift handover practice and function from a socio‐technical perspective
Authors: Kerr Micky P. 
Published: March 2003

A qualitative study of shift handover practice and function from a socio‐technical perspective Background. Shift handover plays a pivotal role in the continuity of patient care in 24‐hour nursing contexts. The critical nature of this communication system is recognized within the literature and by the nursing profession; however, there are few in‐depth studies. The rationale for this study is to gain a better understanding of handover practices and functions and their implications for effectiveness. Method. Handover systems on two very different paediatric wards were selected as case studies. In each case, 20 handovers were observed and audio‐taped and 12 individual and two‐group interviews with nursing staff about handover were also conducted. Analysis involved categorizing the data and characterizing handover practices and functions using an inductive approach to generate qualitative themes. The ethics committees of the hospital and the university approved the research. All involved were fully informed about the study, with confidentiality maintained throughout. Results. Handover practices are distributed over time, socially among the staff and technologically through a range of artifacts, while the system also accomplishes informational, social and educational functions. Handover effectiveness is characterized by flexibility in managing competing demands and tensions, such as maintaining confidentiality while practising family centred care. There are limitations in how far the findings can be generalized to other nursing contexts, and the possible effects of the researcher’s presence are also recognized. Conclusions. Handover is a complex system based on several sound socio‐technical principles and the value of this nurse‐to‐nurse communication should be acknowledged. The multiple functions highlight the knowledge and expertise currently hidden within handover, which could be promoted in terms of nursing professionalism.
Perceptions of sex‐role stereotypes, self‐concept, and nursing role ideal in Chinese nursing students
Authors: Holroyd E.A. , Bond M.H. , Chan H.Y. 
Published: March 2003

Perceptions of sex‐role stereotypes, self‐concept, and nursing role ideal in Chinese nursing students Aim. This study examined the relationship between sex‐role stereotypes, self‐concept and the requisite personality characteristics of an ideal nurse in a cohort of Hong Kong nursing students. Methods. To rate these concepts a measure of eight comprehensive dimensions of personality perception was administered to 177 nursing students, studying on preregistration and postregistration programs at a Hong Kong tertiary institution. Both male and female nursing students perceived an ideal nurse to possess a profile of traits including being high on the dimensions of emotional stability, application, intellect, helpfulness and restraint. Results. No significant difference between the self‐ratings of the male and female students was found, indicating that male students had undergone a highly self‐selective process when choosing nursing education under the influence of Chinese cultural stereotypical attitudes towards nursing. A typical Chinese nurse was rated as similar to the typical female in Chinese society by both male and female nursing students. A typical Chinese nurse was rated relatively low on the masculine dimensions of openness, extroversion and assertiveness. The self‐ratings of male nursing students more closely approximated the ideal nurse than did the self‐ratings of female nursing students. Conclusion. The conclusions highlight implications for the recruitment and education of both male and female nursing students in Hong Kong society.
The content of management of violence policy documents in United Kingdom acute inpatient mental health services
Authors: Noak James , Wright Steve , Sayer Jane , Parr Ann‐Marie , Gray Richard , Southern Dylan , Gournay Kevin 
Published: March 2003

The content of management of violence policy documents in United Kingdom acute inpatient mental health services Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to examine the content of Trust policies concerning the prevention and management of violence in acute in‐patient settings in order to establish their usefulness as guidance for staff in this difficult, complex, and controversial aspect of inpatient psychiatric care. Background. Violence is a commonly encountered problem in inpatient psychiatric settings. There are legal requirements for workplaces in general and mental health care facilities in particular to develop safe systems of work based upon the findings of assessments of this risk. Policies have a key role to play in making explicit the responsibilities of both employer and employees, and specifying standards of acceptable practice. Design. A cross‐sectional survey methodology was used, which entailed examination of the content of management of violence policies that had been forwarded to the authors from 40 Trusts providing acute inpatient psychiatric care throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Findings. Policies were found to vary widely in their content, and serious shortcomings were noted in the extent to which policies included information regarding their status and review, advice on the prevention of violence, the management of violent incidents, and postincident action. Conclusions. Further research is needed to tease out the extent to policies which are lacking in content, reflect shortcomings in the organizational approach to the prevention and management of violence by Trusts, and the extent to which such shortcomings result in harm being suffered by staff and/or patients. An alternative format for the presentation of management of violence policies is discussed, and items that should be included in inpatient units' management of violence policies are suggested.
Illness attributions and myocardial infarction: the influence of gender and socio‐economic circumstances on illness beliefs
Authors: King Rosemary 
Published: March 2003

Illness attributions and myocardial infarction: the influence of gender and socio‐economic circumstances on illness beliefs Aim. To present findings from a study conducted between 1996 and 1998 to investigate participants' perceptions of illness causation following a myocardial infarction. Rationale. The underlying assumption of many practitioners is that perceptions of illness causation will influence emotions and adjustment to illness. Design. Phenomenology was the research methodology used to examine perceptions of illness causation. A convenience sample was taken of 24 men and women who were admitted to a regional hospital in Victoria, Australia, with a provisional diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Participants were interviewed shortly after hospitalization, and interviews were taped, transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings. Stress was the most commonly cited cause of illness. Men and women demonstrated distinct differences in illness attribution. Participants who verbalized concerns about their loss of autonomy and their subsequent ability for self‐management were predominantly female and uniformly members of the lowest socio‐economic group Conclusion. The article concludes with a discussion of implications of the findings for practice.
Caring science and the science of unitary human beings: a trans‐theoretical discourse for nursing knowledge development
Authors: Watson Jean , Smith Marlaine C. 
Published: March 2003

Caring science and the science of unitary human beings: a trans‐theoretical discourse for nursing knowledge development Background. Two dominant discourses in contemporary nursing theory and knowledge development have evolved over the past few decades, in part by unitary science views and caring theories. Rogers' science of unitary human beings (SUHB) represents the unitary directions in nursing. Caring theories and related caring science (CS) scholarship represent the other. These two contemporary initiatives have generated two parallel, often controversial, seemingly separate and unrelated, trees of knowledge for nursing science. Aim. This paper explores the evolution of CS and its intersection with SUHB that have emerged in contemporary nursing literature. We present a case for integration, convergence, and creative synthesis of CS with SUHB. A trans‐theoretical, trans‐disciplinary context emerges, allowing nursing to sustain its caring ethic and ontology, within a unitary science. Methods. The authors critique and review the seminal, critical issues that have separated contemporary knowledge developments in CS and SUHB. Foundational issues of CS, and Watson's theory of transpersonal caring science (TCS), as a specific exemplar, are analysed, alongside parallel themes in SUHB. By examining hidden ethical–ontological and paradigmatic commonalities, trans‐theoretical themes and connections are explored and revealed between TCS and SUHB. Conclusions. Through a creative synthesis of TCS and SUHB we explicate a distinct unitary view of human with a relational caring ontology and ethic that informs nursing as well as other sciences. The result: is a trans‐theoretical, trans‐disciplinary view for nursing knowledge development. Nursing's history has been to examine theoretical differences rather than commonalities. This trans‐theoretical position moves nursing toward theoretical integration and creative synthesis, vs. separation, away from the `Balkanization' of different theories. This initiative still maintains the integrity of different theories, while facilitating and inviting a new discourse for nursing science. The result: Unitary Caring Science that evokes both science and spirit.”…While from the bounded level of our mind Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind; But more advanced, behold with strange surprise New distant scenes of endless science rise!„ Alexander Pope
Chinese women's perceptions of the effectiveness of antenatal education in the preparation for motherhood
Authors: Ho Irene , Holroyd Eleanor 
Published: March 2003

Chinese women's perceptions of the effectiveness of antenatal education in the preparation for motherhood Aim of the Study. This was an exploratory descriptive study using mixed methodology to investigate Hong Kong Chinese women's perceptions of the effectiveness of antenatal education in their preparation for motherhood. Design. In the first phase, the structure and process of five antenatal classes on the topic of motherhood were observed using an observation guide. In the second phase 11 women who had attended the antenatal classes were interviewed in two focus groups, using a semi‐structured interview guide. Findings. In respect to the structure of the classes women revealed that large class sizes and the didactic mode of teaching inhibited learning. While they were satisfied with the date and time of antenatal classes, and the information about self and baby care being provided, they felt unprepared for the demands of motherhood. Further themes identified from the analysis were: anticipating personal needs for antenatal preparation for motherhood, unrealistic preparation for breastfeeding problems, inadequate preparation for baby care, unfulfilled informational needs and conflicting advice from antenatal educators. Conclusion. The conclusion highlights Chinese culturally specific changes needed in the content and mode of antenatal education. In addition, recommendations are made for antenatal educators to work within a framework of adult Chinese learning styles in order to meet the educational needs of Chinese women.
Analysis of the relationship between nurse influences over flexible working and commitment to nursing
Authors: Brooks Ian , Swailes Stephen 
Published: March 2003

Analysis of the relationship between nurse influences over flexible working and commitment to nursing Background. The paper explores the theoretical and practical bases of both commitment and control within the context of temporal aspects of flexible working in nursing. Aim. The aims of the paper are to examine the relationships between nurses' shift patterns, influence over shift pattern and realization of shift preference and commitment to nursing. Methods. Data were collected through a postal questionnaire completed by 2987 British nurses employed in hospitals, care homes and hospices. Principal components analysis was used to identify common factors among responses to a series of 33 statements about working life. Data were analysed using ANOVA and multiple regression techniques. Results. Permanent night shift nurses reported lower levels of commitment to nursing. As predicted, influence over shift patterns and realization of preferred shift pattern were positively associated with commitment to nursing, although the relationship was weak. Positive perceptions of career development opportunities were a stronger predictor of commitment to nursing. Results are discussed in light of previous ethnographic research on nurses' shift patterns. Conclusion. The opportunity to explore quantitatively the effects of shift‐related decisions on commitment using a large sample is useful. While influence and shift type were predictors of commitment, the positive impact they were expected to have was smaller than expected. Similarly, the negative effects of not having influence or of working permanent night shifts were smaller than expected and the statistical significance of such small effects relies heavily on the large sample obtained. Other variables, particularly career development prospects, outweigh the influence of shift‐related variables on commitment. The research gives a clear message to human resource managers involved with nurse management: so long as nurses have a strong perception of career development potential the otherwise negative influences of shift impact can be minimized.
Online learning: enhancing nurse education?
Authors: Kenny Amanda 
Published: March 2003

Online learning: enhancing nurse education? Aims of the study. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nursing students with `online' learning. Background. The need to integrate information technology into nursing education has been recognized and well documented. In spite of this, information technology remains a neglected subject in many nursing programmes. Strategies have been considered for increasing the integration of information technology in nursing education. One of the key issues identified is the need for research into the factors that contribute to optimal learning with information technology, specifically the need to explore issues that contribute to student frustration and satisfaction with learning. Within Australia, the incorporation of information technology as a core subject in nursing education is still relatively new. This article describes how one university used `online' learning to expose students to conceptual and experiential opportunities that enabled them to develop skills in the management of information technology. Methods. Twenty‐one students participated in this qualitative study. Individual interviews were used to develop insights into student perceptions. Thematic analysis enabled refined themes to emerge. These themes formed the basis of focus group discussions. Focus groups were used to enhance and validate the information from one‐to‐one interviews by using group dynamics to add experiential richness to the data. Findings. Four major themes emerged: computer confidence, flexibility, active learning and practicalities of teaching. Conclusions. The integration of information technology into nursing education requires a dramatic change in thinking. The `learning curve' is steep for both student and educator and there are many issues that need to be considered. This research does not aim to provide solutions to the issues highlighted but rather offers recommendations for enhancing the teaching and learning experience.