bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) of Mexican terrestrial mammals at different area units: when size matters
Authors: Morrone Juan J. , Escalante T. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractAimParsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) is a biogeographical method that uses a parsimony algorithm to obtain an area cladogram, based on taxa inhabiting the study areas. We compare its performance at different geographical units (½° and 1° quadrats, ecoregions and biogeographical provinces) to analyse distributional patterns of Mexican terrestrial mammals, in order to assess the importance of the size of area units.LocationThe area analysed corresponds to Mexico.MethodsParsimony analyses were based on 56,859 collection records, corresponding to 703 genera, species and subspecies. Four data matrices were constructed for: (1) 716 quadrats of ½° latitude × ½° longitude, (2) 230 quadrats of 1° latitude × 1° longitude, (3) forty‐five ecoregions and (4) fourteen biogeographical provinces.ResultsFor the ½° quadrat matrix, we obtained six cladograms of 17,138 steps. For the 1° quadrat matrix, we obtained five cladograms (strict consensus with 9394 steps). For the matrix of ecoregions, we obtained twelve cladograms (strict consensus cladogram with 3009 steps). For the provinces, we obtained a single cladogram with 1603 steps.Main conclusionsThe best results were obtained with natural areas instead of quadrats. There seems to exist a trend to decrease the absolute number of steps and an increase in the absolute and relative number of synapomorphies as the size of the area units decreases, although this does not necessarily occur for the number of cladograms.
Legacies of the agricultural past in the forested present: an assessment of historical land‐use effects on rich mesic forests
Authors: Bellemare Jesse , Motzkin Glenn , Foster David R. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Aim and location  The research investigated the long‐term effects of human disturbance, namely nineteenth century agricultural land‐use, on the modern species composition, structure and distribution of Rich Mesic Forests (RMF) in western Massachusetts, USA. RMF are a species‐rich north‐eastern variant of the Mixed Mesophytic Forest Type of eastern North America.Methods  Land‐use history patterns were reconstructed for two towns (c. 16,000 ha) from the onset of widespread European settlement and agricultural land‐use in the late eighteenth century until present. Vegetation and a range of environmental variables were sampled in sixty‐one 10 × 10 m plots in thirty‐four forest stands with varying histories of human disturbance. Vegetation data were ordinated (DCA) to identify patterns of variation and related environmental and historical factors. The distribution patterns of individual taxa in relation to historical land‐use and environmental factors were analysed using G‐tests of independence and logistic regression. Associations between species secondary forest colonization ability and life history characteristics (e.g. diaspore dispersal mode, degree of vegetative spread) were assessed.Results  Persistent compositional differences were documented between the vegetation of primary forests and post‐agricultural, secondary forests indicating that distribution patterns for many plant species still reflect the open, agricultural environment of the nineteenth century, despite the current predominance of forest cover in the study area. A major factor driving modern vegetation patterns in RMF is the ability and rate of colonization by forest herbs. In particular, species with seeds lacking morphological adaptations for dispersal (barochores) and those which produce seeds with elaiosomes to encourage ant dispersal (myrmecochores) are less frequent in secondary forests. Environmental differences between primary and secondary forests, although present, appear to be less important in influencing species distribution patterns.Main conclusions  Widespread agricultural land‐use represents a novel disturbance in the naturally forested ecosystems of eastern North America with long‐term impacts on plant community composition and structure. Many secondary forest sites that are environmentally suitable for RMF vegetation do not support the suite of plant species typical of this community type, apparently because of the dispersal limitations of certain forest herbs. These poorly dispersed herb taxa are well adapted for growth in stable forest ecosystems characterized by local, small‐scale disturbance (e.g. gap‐phase dynamics), yet are maladapted for rapid population recovery and recolonization following severe disturbance (e.g. agricultural land‐use).
Evolution of the species ‘expert nurse’. An examination of the practical knowledge held by expert nurses
Authors: Conway Jane E. 
Published: March 2003

• The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge that expert nurses use in practice and the factors that influence knowledge use and development.• A combined ethnographic and phenomenological methodology was used. Data were collected by questionnaires, interviews, workshops, observation visits and critical incident technique.• Knowledge and expertise were found to have developed in response to the ‘world view’ held by expert nurses. Four distinct types of experts holding different knowledge bases emerged from the data.
Consumer‐orientated outcomes in discharge planning: a pilot study
Authors: Armitage Sue K. , Kavanagh Kay M. 
Published: March 2003

• The desired outcome of health care provision can only be known by evaluating care from the perspective of the consumer.• An exploratory study was undertaken to develop and evaluate a research instrument (a semistructured telephone interview guide) as a measure of patient outcomes in discharge planning.• A sample of 29 patients was recruited from three medical wards of a large tertiary referral teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia.• Participants were contacted at home after discharge from hospital and interviewed by telephone. Their perceptions of hospital discharge and continuing care needs were investigated.• Preliminary analysis of the data obtained in the pilot study demonstrated that there were deficiencies in hospital discharge procedures which impacted on continuing care and that patients can contribute useful information for evaluating and improving discharge planning.
Female nurses' perceptions of acceptable female body size: an exploratory study
Authors: Wright Jane 
Published: March 2003

• A review of the literature indicated that women are often dissatisfied with their body size and weight. Feminist research has suggested that the images of the ‘perfect’ female body are socially constructed.• The research conducted was exploratory in nature and aimed to focus on female nurses' perceptions of acceptable female body size. The choice of female nurses was deliberate in order to explore if they experienced dual pressures as health care workers and women.• The study consisted of semistructured interviews which were conducted with a convenience sample of 10 nurses drawn from several specialities and hospitals throughout the Southern Health and Social Services Board (Northern Ireland). The research sample was small and therefore the findings cannot be generalized to the nursing profession as a whole.• Many interesting questions were raised, which suggest that this topic is fertile ground for further research.• The research findings indicate that assessment of female patients body size is arbitrary in nature and advice given to patients judged to be overweight is less than empirically based.• Several of the nurses displayed discomfort with their role as intermediaries between patients and doctors when advising on weight control behaviours.• In addition, there was strong evidence to suggest that there are discriminatory practices towards overweight female patients by doctors.• The study concludes with recommendations for future practice and research in this area.
The health promoting nurse
Authors: Robinson Sally , Hill Yvonne 
Published: March 2003

• This paper suggests that (i) the dominance of an individualistic philosophy of nursing, (ii) nurses' own perceptions of their role and (iii) the hospital:community divide are all obstacles to health promotion being well integrated into nursing practice.• It explores how these obstacles need to be overcome in order for the new health promoting nurse to emerge in practice.• This is an attempt to clearly demonstrate ‘who’ the health promoting nurse is, ‘what’ she/he does, ‘how’ she/he works and ‘where’ she/he works.
Developing the nursing care of breast cancer patients: an action research approach
Authors: LAURI SIRKKA , SAINIO CARITA 
Published: March 2003

• This study set out to develop the nursing care of breast cancer patients at the Central University Hospital in Turku, Finland, using the methods of action research and to evaluate the results of the development effort from the point of view of both patients and nursing staff.• A theoretical model of the care of cancer patients was constructed on the basis of existing knowledge of how people react in stress and crisis situations or at different stages of a difficult illness.• A specific care programme for breast cancer patients was also planned for the hospital's oncology and surgical units.• Data were collected using questionnaires.• Results indicated that our theoretical model of the care of cancer patients worked reasonably well. They also clearly highlighted the areas in which there is room for further improvement.• Patients' experiences of the nursing staff were generally positive and the majority of the nursing staff also regarded the development project as a success.
Pain and the administration of analgesia: what nurses say
Authors: NASH ROBYN , YATES PATRICIA , EDWARDS HELEN , FENTIMAN BELINDA , DEWAR ANNE , MCDOWELL JAN , CLARK ROBERTA 
Published: March 2003

• Pain of moderate to severe intensity continues to be an important problem for many hospitalized patients.• Nurses spend more time with patients than any other health professional group and have a key role to play in the management of patients' pain.• This paper reports the findings from a series of focus group interviews which were undertaken to explore nurses' perceptions regarding pain and the administration of narcotic analgesia.• Themes identified from participants' comments related to (1) the pivotal role of nurses in pain management; (2) nursing assessment and pain management decisions (3) individual factors influencing nurses' pain management decisions and (4) the influence of others on nurses' pain management decisions.• These findings have implications for further research and the development of innovative educational strategies.
Factors contributing to medication errors: a literature review
Authors: O’Shea Ellen 
Published: March 2003

• Drug administration is an integral part of the nurse’s role. Responsibility for correct administration of medication rests with the nurse, yet medication errors are a persistent problem associated with nursing practice.• This review examines what constitutes a medication error and documents contributory factors in medication errors. These factors have been derived from reported medication errors and opinions of nurses as to factors which predispose to errors.• A number of definitions exist as to what constitutes a medication error. The definition used should facilitate interpretation and comparison of a wide range of research reports.• Medication errors are a multidisciplinary problem and a multidisciplinary approach is required in order to reduce the incidence of errors.
Life course of people with coronary artery disease
Authors: Lukkarinen Hannele 
Published: March 2003

• The purpose of this study was to describe the life course of coronary artery disease patients from their own perspective at the onset of coronary artery disease and during both the in‐patient period and the one‐year period of aftercare.• Nineteen people selected from a population of 200 patients who had undergone either coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty were available for thematic interviews. Interviews were conducted one year after the treatment in the subject’s homes.• Analyses revealed two distinct types of life course; accepting and progressive, as opposed to non‐accepting and regressive. Participants who represented an accepting and progressive life course achieved a better level of rehabilitation than those with a non‐accepting and regressive life course. If health care personnel are able to identify the problems related to a non‐accepting, regressive life course, they will be better able to support patients’ individual life course planning.• According to the present findings, a rehabilitation programme is particularly needed for patients with acute onset of coronary artery disease at a relatively early age, disruption of an active working career, financial problems, dissatisfaction with outcome of treatment, family problems and a dismal view of the future.• The findings challenge health care personnel to listen to coronary patients’ own experiences.
Strategies used in post‐operative pain assessment and their clinical accuracy
Authors: Sjöström Björn , Dahlgren Lars Owe , Haljamäe Hengo 
Published: March 2003

• Our knowledge about the content of strategies used by staff members in a surgical recovery unit for assessment of post‐operative pain is fairly limited.• The aim of the present study was to describe variations in the content of strategies used by nurses and physicians in practical clinical pain assessments and to evaluate the clinical accuracy of the strategies used.• Critical care nurses (n=30), physicians (n=30) and postsurgical patients (n=180) comprise the respondents.• Applying a phenomenographical approach, interview data were tape‐recorded during 180 clinical pain assessments. The pain assessments were related to comparative bedside pain ratings (Visual analogue Scale, VAS), both by staff members and post‐operative patients. The recorded interviews were analysed to describe variations in ways of assessing pain.• Pain assessment strategies were established by combining categories describing the impact of experience and categories of assessment criteria.• The present observations, if included in the education of clinical staff members, could increase the understanding and thereby the quality of the pain assessment process.
From simplicity to complexity: developing a model of practical skill performance in nursing
Authors: Bjørk Ida Torunn , Kirkevold Marit 
Published: March 2003

• The purpose of this article is to present and discuss a new model of practical skill performance in nursing. The model is conceptualized as having five components: substance and sequence; accuracy; fluency; integration; and caring conduct.• The model challenges the truism of ‘simple’ nursing procedures. It is argued that performance of practical skills in nursing is characterized by complexity on many levels.• Complexity lies within and between the components of the performance model and in the interaction between the nurse and the clinical context where practical nursing actions are performed.• These complexities are described. Examples that illustrate the complex and reciprocal nature of these components are drawn from an empirical study of graduate nurses’ development of practical skill in surgical hospital units.• Implications of the model for education, practice and research are discussed.
Relationships between partner’s support during labour and maternal outcomes
Authors: Ip Wan Yim 
Published: March 2003

• The objective of this study was to measure the relationship between women’s ratings of partners’ participation during labour and maternal outcomes as measured by anxiety level, pain perception, dosage of pain‐relieving drug used and length of labour.• A convenience sample of 45 primigravid women was selected from the postpartum unit of a public hospital in Hong Kong. They were all first‐time Chinese mothers, aged 18 or over, who had attended antenatal classes and had their partners present during labour.• The State Scale of the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure maternal anxiety during labour. Labour pain was measured by the Visual Analogue Scale. A series of scales were developed to measure partners’ participation during labour.• Women’s ratings of partners’ practical support were significantly lower than their ratings of partners’ emotional support. There were no significant associations between level of emotional support and maternal outcome measures. However, perceived practical support was positively related to the dosage of pain‐relieving drug used and total length of labour. Positive relationships between the duration of partners’ presence and women’s ratings of perceived support provided by partners during labour were also found.
A formula for diversity: a review of critical care curricula
Authors: Scholes Julie , Endacott Ruth , Chellel Annie 
Published: March 2003

• This paper is based on a documentary analysis and literature review of critical care nursing commissioned by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.• Five critical care programmes were included in the analysis: ENB 100, 124, 199, 176/183, and 415. In total, 105 curricula were reviewed from 30 institutions.• Data were extracted and analysed using an adapted grounded theory approach. The documentary analysis was supplemented by two telephone surveys with lecturers (n=84) and clinical managers (n=81).• There was great diversity in the programmes in terms of the academic level at which the courses were set, module configuration, approaches to practice assessment and the amount of student effort for the same professional award.• Diversity arose because of different university module formulae, different methods to differentiate level 2 and level 3 practice, different views about the purpose of the course, and an attempt to make the programmes increasingly flexible to accommodate a heterogeneous student population.• Documentary analysis has its limitations, and although the research team were able to check out issues with lecturers throughout the analysis, they were unable to capture the lived experience of the curriculum. A second study has been commissioned by the ENB to explore how these issues influence practice.
Health interventions and satisfaction with services: a comparative study of urinary incontinence sufferers living in two health authorities in England
Authors: Roe Brenda , Wilson Kate , Doll Helen 
Published: March 2003

• This comparative study found that significantly more people with severe incontinence had contacted a health professional than had those with slight to moderate incontinence (P=0.00008). There was a significant linear trend towards people with severe incontinence seeing a health professional (P=0.00007).• The majority of people who were incontinent had not been asked to complete a bladder chart, which is an essential requirement for assessment and diagnosis of the type of incontinence and the subsequent health interventions that are offered.• Significantly more people in the health authority with an established continence advisory service had completed a bladder chart, had received physiotherapy and currently undertook pelvic floor muscle exercises than did those in the health authority without a continence service.• The majority of sufferers did not use any aids or appliances. Of those who did use incontinence aids, a majority bought their own. There was a significant linear trend for increased pad usage with increasing severity of incontinence (P=0.0003).• Significantly more people in the health authority with the continence service were satisfied with their healthcare and services, while more of those in the health authority without a service were unsatisfied (P=0.005). Significantly more people in the health authority without a service felt that healthcare and services could be improved (P=0.00001).• Significantly more people with severe incontinence were dissatisfied with services than were those with slight to moderate incontinence (P=0.01).
Accident and emergency nurses’ perceptions and experiences of caring for families
Authors: Hallgrimsdottir Elin M. 
Published: March 2003

• This study is an exploration of accident and emergency (A & E) nurses’ perceptions and experiences of caring for families of critically ill/injured patients and suddenly bereaved families.• In this study a non‐probability convenience sample of 54 nurses working in three A & E departments in Glasgow was studied.• A descriptive study design was used and data were collected by use of a questionnaire.• Closed questions were statistically analysed using SPSS and open questions were content‐analysed into themes and items.• Results from the study confirm that participants’ perceive of their responsibility to include taking care of patients’ families. Participants were familiar with study findings on families’ needs and felt that it was important to meet their needs.
The ‘invisible assessment’: the role of the staff nurse in the community setting
Authors: Hallett Christine E. , Pateman Brian D. 
Published: March 2003

• The number of community staff nurses working in district nursing teams in the UK has increased in recent years as a result of organizational and educational initiatives such as skill mix and the Diploma in Professional Studies in Nursing (Project 2000).• Although the wider economic, philosophical and educational arguments for the role creation has been discussed in the literature, little has been written on the reality of the role from the viewpoint of the staff nurse or the relationship between the role and service requirements. The researchers conducted 16 interviews with district staff nurses from two NHS Trusts. The interpretation was guided by phenomenology and focused on the subjective perceptions of the nurses.• The data revealed dissatisfaction with their role among this group of staff nurses. Having been given a considerable degree of autonomy and responsibility as staff nurses in the hospital setting, they found that their role was limited and their skills ‘suppressed’ in the community.• They recognized that nurses in ‘F’, ‘G’ and ‘H’ Grades had greater experience and more education than they, yet they believed that they had the ability to participate more in the assessment and planning of care than was currently permitted.• They saw two factors as being mainly implicated in limiting their role: the tendency of district nurses to want to retain their ‘authority’ as assessors of care; and the Trust policy guidelines, which were somewhat inflexible on this issue. D Grade nurses also expressed their need for continuing education and support and for clearer career opportunities.• Although these data cannot be generalized to the population of staff nurses as a whole, the authors make tentative suggestions relating to the insights which may be taken from them.
Information needs of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at a day‐case unit in Northern Ireland
Authors: Mccaughan Eilis M. , Thompson Kate A. 
Published: March 2003

•  Recent restructuring of cancer services in the United Kingdom and advances in cancer chemotherapy have resulted in the majority of chemotherapy being delivered on an outpatient basis.•  Patients receiving chemotherapy are at risk of developing multiple problems and increased anxiety levels and are now more likely to encounter these problems outside the hospital setting. Therefore, providing all the necessary information at chemotherapy sessions is crucial to self‐care activities and coping.•  A study was carried out to investigate the information needs of patients at various stages of chemotherapy treatment and this article reports these needs at the beginning of treatment.•  Most patients wanted to receive all possible information about their condition and reported satisfaction with the information provided.•  The overwhelming finding was lack of information given to patients regarding family relationships. Whilst almost all patients wanted this information, more than half reported that it had not been given.