THE VALUING, EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION AND DIAGNOSTIC USE OF THE OLFACTORY SENSE IN NURSING PRACTICE.
Contributors: Adelphi University.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 140
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This was an exploratory study which investigated the incidence and distribution of the valuing, educational preparation for and diagnostic use of the olfactory sense in nursing practice within the framework of Polanyi's Personal Knowledge as a way of knowing. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

A 51 item questionnaire was designed and contained items relating to demographics, valuing, educational preparation for and diagnostic use of odors in practice. A pilot study of the tool for reliability demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha for the valuing of smell index =.86 and the diagnostic use of odors in practice =.749. Concurrent validity for the valuing of smell index was r =.59, p. 05. The valuing index contains 14 items, using a 5 point Likert-type scale. The diagnostic use of odors in practice index contains a list of 19 clinical odors, also using a 5 point Likert-type scale.

The sample consisted of 177 female R.N.'s between the ages of 20 and 65, and in clinical practice for a mean average of 13.29 years. The mean item score for the valuing index was 4.025 with a range of 1-5. Approximately 80% of the subjects reported being taught to use diagnostic odors while 20% were undecided or not taught this skill. The mean item score for the diagnostic use of odors index was 3.35 with a range of 1-5. The four diagnostic odors used most frequently were, odor of wounds/casts, fruity breath odor of diabetes, alcoholic breath odor and odor of urine. At least 30 subjects were undecided about their use of 13 out of 19 odors.

The knowing of clients' conditions, using odors, appeared to lack a focus and reflects the paucity of information on this topic in the nursing literature.

Implications include the need to establish a knowledge base for the use of the olfactory sense and a theoretical framework is suggested. Odors can contribute to the personal knowledge of nurses through such activities as the early detection of clinical problems, more comprehensive assessments, prevention of complications, and an increase in diagnostic skills.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-07, Section: B, page: 2846.

Thesis (PH.D.)--ADELPHI UNIVERSITY, 1989.

School code: 0001.