bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Examining the effects that manipulating information given in the change of shift report has on nurses’ care planning ability
Authors: Dowding Dawn 
Published: March 2003

Examining the effects that manipulating information given in the change of shift report has on nurses’ care planning ability Aim of the study. To investigate the effect that manipulating the style and content of the nurse change of shift report had on an individual’s ability to plan patient care. Background. The nurse change of shift report occurs on most hospital wards at least two if not three times a day. However, little research exists examining how changing the style and information content of the shift report may affect an individual’s ability to process the information they hear. It is suggested that how individuals structure their knowledge, in the form of schema, is an important consideration when examining how they process information. Design. This was an experimental study where two independent variables, report style (retrospective vs. prospective) and schema information (schema consistent vs. schema inconsistent) were compared in a factorial design. A convenience sample of 48 registered nurses from acute medical and acute surgical wards were randomly allocated to one of the four experimental conditions. Outcome measures included the amount of information that subjects accurately recorded and recalled from the shift report, together with their ability to plan patient care. Results. Results indicated that the type of report had a significant effect on an individual’s ability to plan patient care, and type of information content on their ability to accurately record and recall the information they heard. Conclusions. The implications of the results, both for schema theory as an explanation of nursing knowledge, and for the type of report which should be used in acute medical and acute surgical wards are discussed, together with the implications of the study for further research.
The role of tacit knowledge in the work context of nursing
Authors: Herbig Britta , Büssing André , Ewert Thomas 
Published: March 2003

The role of tacit knowledge in the work context of nursing Aims of the study. Previous research on the role of tacit knowledge is ambiguous. Some studies show the superiority of expertise, while other studies found experts would not be better than laymen. This paper aims at clarifying the contribution of tacit knowledge to expertise in the domain of nursing. Background. Two important concepts for dealing with critical situations are outlined – tacit knowledge and experience‐guided working. The framework of tacit knowledge and experience‐guided working can contribute to an explanation of the ambiguous results. Tacit knowledge is acquired implicitly in the course of working and is therefore not subject to reflection. For this reason it can contain erroneous or problematic contents. Methods. A method for the explication of tacit knowledge was developed and a laboratory study with 16 experienced nurses conducted. In the laboratory study the nurses had to deal with a critical nursing situation that was developed in co‐operation with nursing experts. The explicit knowledge of the nurses was tested before the laboratory study. Results. No systematic differences in explicit knowledge could be observed, i.e. differences in performance could not be attributed to this knowledge mode. Results from multidimensional scaling procedures illustrate differences in the tacit knowledge of nurses who successfully accomplished the critical situation and those who did not. Conclusions. The findings are in line with the assumption that experience‐guided working is of the utmost importance for dealing with critical situations. Consequences of these results for nursing and person‐related services in general are discussed and the aim of future research is outlined.
The adrenaline rush: nursing students’ experiences with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
Authors: Melby Vidar 
Published: March 2003

The adrenaline rush: nursing students’ experiences with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Aim.  The aim of this project was to explore nursing students’ experiences whilst on placement with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Background.  The literature suggests that experiential learning can enhance understanding, knowledge and skills and has the potential for reducing the theory–practice gap. Design.  A qualitative approach was utilized, employing diaries and focus group interviews to gather data. One hundred and fifty‐four nursing students submitted diaries, producing a response rate of 69%, while 190 students partook in interviews (86%). Findings.  Content analysis indicated that the students gained a new appreciation of the concept of holistic care, and that increased interprofessional understanding provides the foundation for improved quality of patient care.
Health‐related quality of life after myocardial infarction: an interview study
Authors: Roebuck Alun , Furze Gill , Thompson David R. 
Published: March 2003

Health‐related quality of life after myocardial infarction: an interview study Aim.  The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and gain insights into the effects of myocardial infarction on health‐related quality of life. Background.  The study was undertaken as part of a larger on‐going project to develop and validate a disease‐specific health‐related quality of life instrument suitable for use with patients after myocardial infarction. Methods.  A consecutive sample of 31 patients admitted to a district general hospital in the North of England was recruited and interviewed at home. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted based on a guide developed from a review of the literature pertaining to quality of life and expert opinion. Interviews were audio‐taperecorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were subjected to latent and manifest content analysis and inter‐rater reliability was confirmed by a researcher not involved with the interview process. Findings.  Analysis of the data revealed seven major categories: physical activity/symptoms; insecurity; emotional reactions; dependency; lifestyle modification; concern over medication; and side‐effects. Breathlessness, insecurity and feelings of over‐protection were major problems, as was dissatisfaction with information and support. Conclusion.  Myocardial infarction resulted in a variety of health‐related problems which affected quality of life. Systematic monitoring and evaluation of health status should be performed routinely. This is likely to be aided by the development and use of a health‐related quality of life instrument for this patient group.
The effects of unit morale and interpersonal relations on conflict in the nursing unit
Authors: Cox Kathleen B. 
Published: March 2003

The effects of unit morale and interpersonal relations on conflict in the nursing unit Background. Health care organizations face major changes, and these changes are likely to increase conflict in organizations. Although numerous studies have focused on conflict management, few have considered causes and effect of conflict in nursing units. Methods. The investigation tested a structural equation that examined the relationships among individual and contextual variables and intragroup conflict, job satisfaction, team performance effectiveness, and anticipated turnover. The nonrandom sample consisted of 141 nurses employed on 13 inpatient units at a state‐supported, 597‐bed academic medical centre in a southeastern city. Results. Intragroup conflict was higher on smaller units with a higher ratio of RNs to total staff. Intragroup conflict was not associated with satisfaction with pay or anticipated turnover. In the final model, the unit morale and interpersonal relations dimension of team performance effectiveness was negatively associated with intragroup conflict and anticipated turnover, and positively associated with satisfaction with pay. High perceptions of unit morale and interpersonal relations buffered the effect of unit size and skill mix on intragroup conflict. Goodness of fit statistics indicated a good fit of the model to data. Conclusion. The findings have implications for nursing educators and administrators, and provide direction for future research.
Decision making for health care professionals: use of decision trees within the community mental health setting
Authors: Bonner Gwen 
Published: March 2003

Decision making for health care professionals: use of decision trees within the community mental health setting Aim of the paper. To examine the application of the decision tree approach to collaborative clinical decision‐making in mental health care in the United Kingdom (UK). Background. While this approach to decision‐making has been examined in the acute care setting, there is little published evidence of its use in clinical decision‐making within the mental health setting. The complexities of dual diagnosis (schizophrenia and substance misuse in this case example) and the varied viewpoints of different professionals often hamper the decision‐making process. This paper highlights how the approach was used successfully as a multiprofessional collaborative approach to decision‐making in the context of British community mental health care. Design. A selective review of the relevant literature and a case study application of the decision tree framework. Conclusions. The process of applying the decision tree framework to clinical decision‐making in mental health practice can be time consuming and client inclusion within the process is not always appropriate. The approach offers a method of assigning numerical values to support complex multiprofessional decision‐making as well as considering underpinning literature to inform the final decision. Use of the decision tree offers a common framework that can assist professionals to examine the options available to them in depth, while considering the complex variables that influence decision‐making in collaborative mental health practice. Use of the decision tree warrants further consideration in mental health care in terms of practice and education.
Triangulation using a meta‐matrix1
Authors: Wendler M. Cecilia 
Published: March 2003

Triangulation using a meta‐matrix Background and significance.  Quantitative and qualitative data analysis are often undertaken as separate enterprises, as they emerge from differing philosophies of science and methodologies for data collection, management and analysis. Quantitative data analysis is sometimes seen in philosophic and methodologic conflict with a naturalistic, human science perspective of science. Researchers interested in data from both realms often rely on triangulation procedures, in which each is considered from its representative lens. Results are then projected out into a common area where data are melded and discussed. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the meta‐matrix as a tool for triangulation in nursing research and to demonstrate its usefulness in an exemplar case. Design/methods.  The exploratory nature of a recent study led to the decision to manage triangulation using an emerging methodology, thereby allowing consideration of all data simultaneously through the use of a meta‐matrix. Discussion of the meta‐matrix as a method is presented. Findings.  Use of the meta‐matrix facilitated data analysis and allowed pattern recognition across data sets. Discovery of several unexpected relationships deepened understanding of the results and assisted in identifying questions for further research. Conclusions/implications.  The meta‐matrix method provides a useful alternative approach for secondary‐level data analysis in mixed‐methods research.
Midwives’ attitudes to the use of the cardiotocograph machine
Authors: Sinclair Marlene 
Published: March 2003

Midwives’ attitudes to the use of the cardiotocograph machine Background. The literature would suggest that midwives’ attitudes towards the use of birth technology are mainly focused around issues of ‘trust and dependence’ yet there has been no published research to refute or substantiate these beliefs. Aim. This paper reports on an empirical study that aimed to identify midwives’ attitudes to technology usage in the labour ward and specifically the use of the cardiotocograph machine (CTG) for electronic foetal monitoring. Design. A postal survey was conducted and the questionnaire included a 25‐item attitude scale, which was designed to assess attitudes towards the use of the CTG machine. All midwives (1086) on the United Kingdom Central Council register for Northern Ireland were surveyed. The data were factor analysed and compared using several categorical groupings including age, perceived skill, prior training with computers and trust in the machines. Results. The results indicate that midwives reject any notion of them being, or becoming, dependent on machines in their practice. However, midwives who trust machines are more disposed to their use and trust is affected by perceived competence. Conclusion. The paper concludes with a recommendation for the future education of midwives to develop and maintain competence based craft skills in natural birth as well as high‐tech birth.
Psychiatric nurses’ attitudes towards patient autonomy in depot clinics
Authors: Svedberg Bodil , Lützén Kim 
Published: March 2003

Psychiatric nurses’ attitudes towards patient autonomy in depot clinics Aim. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how psychiatric nurses experience patient autonomy in relation to their professional role in depot clinics. Background. The administration of depot neuroleptics at outpatient clinics is a common task for psychiatric nurses in many countries. The procedure is characterized by brief contacts often allowing little opportunity for adequate monitoring of the treatment and a dialog between nurses and patients. As nurses have an important role in involving patients in decision‐making, there is a need to analyse the nurses’ attitudes towards giving depot neuroleptics from the perspective of autonomy. Method. Nine experienced psychiatric nurses were interviewed using open‐ended questions. The steps of a phenomenological descriptive method guided the data analysis. Findings. The structure describes how benevolent attitudes towards patient autonomy motivated the nurses’ interventions in relation to how they experienced their own professional authority. The structure consists of four variations: (1) Beneficent interventions used with patients perceived as co‐operative when the nurses experienced a high degree of professional authority. (2) Paternalistic interventions used with patients perceived as ambiguous towards medication when the nurses experienced an arbitrary professional authority in collaboration with team members. (3) Weak paternalistic interventions used with patients perceived as unwilling when the nurses experienced having sufficient professional authority in the treatment situation. (4) Nonmaleficent interventions used with patients perceived as being resigned when the nurses experienced a low degree of professional authority within the team. Conclusions. The findings indicate that psychiatric nurses’ experience of their professional authority is closely related to the organization of the depot treatment and that brief contacts do not favour the establishment of collaborative relationships with patients. When injection‐giving nurses, as patients’ key workers, have overall responsibility for co‐ordinating the patients’ treatment they can encourage patient autonomy by helping patients understand the meaning of depot medication and its benefits. Further clinical research regarding the involvement of nurses in the treatment as well as patients’ experiences of treatment with depot neuroleptics is needed to allow suggestions about improvements of the organization of the treatment.
Identification of priorities for nursing research in Spain: a Delphi study*
Authors: Moreno‐Casbas Teresa , Martín‐Arribas Concepción , Orts‐Cortés Isabel , Comet‐Cortés Pilar 
Published: March 2003

Identification of priorities for nursing research in Spain: a Delphi study Aim. The aim of this work was to identify priorities for nursing research in Spain. The Co‐ordination and Development of Nursing Research Centre (Investén‐isciii group) carried out the study using the Delphi technique during the period April 1998 to January 1999. Methods. Study subjects were professionals involved in different nursing activities. From 1250 eligible professionals initially contacted, 452 (38%) responded in round 1 and 258 (57%) in round 2. But only 189 filled out correctly the questionnaires from both rounds of data collection (overall response rate was 21·6%). Results. The participants identified priorities related to continuity and co‐ordination of nursing care, quality of nursing care, impact of invasive techniques and treatments on the quality of life of patients, needs of the primary care givers, quality of life among elders, satisfaction of customers and needs of terminal patients and their families.
Chronic illness: reflections on a community‐based action research programme
Authors: Koch Tina , Kralik Debbie 
Published: March 2003

Chronic illness: reflections on a community‐based action research programme Aim. The purpose of this paper is to describe the birth of a research culture in a community nursing service, and the development and implementation of an action research programme that focuses on understanding the experiences of living with chronic illness. Background. Approximately 70% of the clients of our community nursing practice in South Australia live with chronic illness. Our research interest has focused on how community nurses can assist people living with chronic conditions to live ‘well’. In this paper we describe the way in which we have applied the principles of participatory action research (PAR) when working with women who live with multiple sclerosis (MS) and urinary incontinence. We then draw on elements of PAR research with men who live with MS and men and women who live with type 2 diabetes. In total, we have convened eight PAR groups researching with people who live in the community with chronic illness and this work constitutes our chronic illness research programme. Design. The PAR philosophy is based on the principles of democratic, equitable, liberating and life enhancing relations within a research process, and is operationalized in cycles of: look, think and act. In these collaborative inquiries the researchers have facilitated participants to reflect on how illness affects their lives, to tell their own story, make connections, plan action and help them negotiate the rites of passage. We select two areas for discussion: methodological issues in the application of PAR principles and our tentative findings from the chronic illness research programme. Findings. We assert that the facilitator’s skill in managing group dynamics is crucial to the life and outcome of the project. Change can occur as a result of action at an individual level, with improved self‐management of chronic illness, or at a collective level where the PAR group instigates larger reform strategies. In terms of tentative findings, men and women living with a chronic illness appear to be involved in an ongoing process of transition toward incorporating the illness into their lives. Although we have not yet identified specific events, we have noted that there are critical turning points in the illness transition experience. Participants feel validated in telling their story of living with a chronic illness. Story telling may be the turning point that enhances the lives of all those who participate. Conclusion. If health care professionals can understand the process that facilitates people to move toward incorporating chronic illness into their lives, we can make a substantial contribution to enhance their chronic disease self care management.
Recruitment of frail older people to research: lessons learnt through experience
Authors: Harris Ruth , Dyson Elizabeth 
Published: March 2003

Recruitment of frail older people to research: lessons learnt through experience Background. With the emphasis on the need for clinical governance and evidence‐based practice in the healthcare industry there is increasing pressure on researchers to provide tangible research evidence of the effectiveness of new treatments, interventions and services. Recruiting an adequate size of sample is an important factor in the success or otherwise of a study to answer the research question. Difficulty in the recruitment of older people to research is widely acknowledged. However, much can be achieved to maximize the success of this process. Aims of the paper. This paper describes and explores our experience of recruiting frail, older people to research, with particular emphasis on ensuring quality in the process of research related to ethical practice. Conclusions. Recruitment of frail older people to research can be a complex process in which the awareness and integrity of the researcher is key in upholding the principle of nonexploitation. It is important not to underestimate this difficulty and to ensure that the data collection period is sufficient to recruit adequate numbers. There is a need to continue to develop and refine recruitment skills and strategies to maximize the involvement of frail older people to research while protecting their right to refuse.
Professional and organizational obstacles to establishing a new specialist service in primary care: case study of an epilepsy specialist nurse
Authors: Mills Nicola , Campbell Rona , Bachmann Max O. 
Published: March 2003

Professional and organizational obstacles to establishing a new specialist service in primary care: case study of an epilepsy specialist nurse Background. Few evaluations of the effectiveness of specialist nurse‐led services explore the nurse’s experiences, attitudes and qualities. This can help us to understand why a service has the effects it does and to inform new specialist nurses of potential difficulties. Aim. To explore the experiences, feelings and perceived problems of providing a new specialist nurse service from the nurse’s perspective. Methods. This was a case study nested within a controlled trial that assessed the effectiveness of an epilepsy specialist nurse‐led service on the quality of patient care. In‐depth interviews were conducted with the specialist nurse at the end of the first and second year of the new service. Interviews were audio‐tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed text was methodically coded and themes were identified. A descriptive account, summarizing the findings of both interviews, was written based on the thematic coding of text. Results. Overall, the epilepsy nurse felt a sense of achievement and believed that the service had had a beneficial impact on both patients and health care professionals in the locality. However, she experienced many operational problems, especially adapting to a primary care setting, difficulties in meeting practice staff and in motivating them, and contending with a heavy workload. These problems were partly attributable to her lack of community work experience and more generally to the structure of the service. Conclusions. Findings indicate that specialist nurses responsible for providing primary care services would benefit from having theoretical knowledge and practical experience of working in the community prior to starting in post. The aims of a service need to be consistent with the available resources. Accounts of other specialist nurse’s experiences of providing a primary care service could help to reduce set up time. Finally, support in the form of a coherent team is important to avoid feelings of professional isolation and to maximize effective use of specialist skills.