Nursing students' willingness to use complementary and alternative therapies for cancer patients: Istanbul survey. (9/34)

It is important for student nurses to be knowledgeable of the complementary and alternative therapies and to provide accurate information to both cancer patients and other health care professionals. This study examined the nursing students' willingness to use these therapies, availability of sources of information, use of the therapies for self care, opinions about the integration of these therapies into nursing curriculum, and analyzed the differences among the responses. A self-administered questionnaire was offered to 640 nursing students in Istanbul, descriptive statistics were used, and comparisons among responses were made with chi-square test. Willingness to use for cancer patients was highest for nutritional therapy (76.1%), breathing therapies (74.5%), and massage and manipulation-Tui Na, in which pressure and touch are applied to the body (71.9%). Use of information sources was highest for nutritional therapy (75.6%), breathing therapies (71.9%), and massage and manipulation-Tui Na (62.3%). Over half of the nursing students used music therapy (54.2%), and massage and manipulation-Tui Na (53.6%) for self-care. Breathing therapies (87.2%) were the most desired therapy chosen to be included in nursing curriculum. The statistically significant differences were found among the responses related to use five therapies for care and related to desired three therapies to be included in nursing curriculum. Although students had not previously been exposed to these therapies use with oncology patients, many of students expressed a desire to integrate therapies learning into nursing curriculum. The more student nurses document high risk patients, the more effective strategies will be developed by other health care professionals.  (+info)

Recognizing delirium superimposed on dementia: assessing nurses' knowledge using case vignettes. (10/34)

Delirium is a serious and prevalent problem that occurs in many hospitalized older adults. Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) occurs when a delirium occurs concurrently with a pre-existing dementia. DSD is typically underrecognized by medical and nursing staff. The current study measured nursing identification of DSD using standardized case vignettes, and the Mary Starke Harper Aging Knowledge Exam (MSHAKE). Results revealed that the nurses in this study had a high level of general geropsychiatric nursing knowledge as measured by the MSHAKE, yet had difficulty recognizing DSD compared to dementia alone and delirium alone. Only 21% were able to correctly identify the hypoactive form of DSD, and 41% correctly identified hypoactive delirium alone in the case vignettes. Interventions and educational programs designed to increase nursing awareness of DSD symptoms could help to decrease this gap in nursing knowledge.  (+info)

Studying nursing in a rural setting: are students adequately supported and prepared for rural practice? A pilot study. (11/34)

INTRODUCTION: A rural nursing program has a vital role in improving the recruitment and retention of nurses in rural and remote settings. A small pilot study was conducted to explore the views and experiences of the first cohort of undergraduate nursing students who completed a rurally based bachelor of nursing program which commenced in 2002 in Renmark, South Australia. The participants were eight current undergraduate nursing students who were part of the first cohort of nursing students nearing completion of the program. The pilot study set out to explore support provided to rural nursing students studying in a rural setting; to investigate whether rural nursing students feel adequately prepared for rural clinical practice near completion of the nursing program; to identify the challenges and highlights of studying rurally; and to explore the probability of retention and recruitment of future nursing graduates in a rural setting. METHODS: The method used was a descriptive, exploratory, web-based survey. Quantitative data were limited to descriptive statistics of demographic characteristics, career goals, graduate nurse program and future employment intentions, level of support, preparation for practice, challenges and highlights of rural study and clinical placements. Qualitative responses to open-ended questions were content analysed to identify common themes. FINDINGS: This study found between two and four participants indicated they received no support from academic, administrative staff and clinical facilitators from the city campus. Five participants (63%) indicated they received no financial support during their studies. Seven of the participants (88%) surveyed, indicated an intention to undertake a graduate nurse program and the same number indicated they would be living in a rural or remote area in 5 years time. Six participants (75%) indicated they were prepared with regard to their 'attitude' towards their future practice as a registered nurse. The study identified some of the challenging issues of a rurally based program, such as 'realising that if you miss a day you are actually missing a whole week's worth of lectures', as well as the positive and unique aspects of rural study, 'not having to leave the family to travel to the city'. CONCLUSION: This study indicates the rural placement of the bachelor of nursing program has been of benefit to this particular community and is a positive outcome for the South Australian rural nursing workforce. The study shows that students actively sought nursing employment in a rural setting, and identifies highlights experienced by students and the advantages associated with remaining at home (as opposed to relocating) while enjoying the benefits of smaller class sizes. The challenges of rural study were issues such as limited lecture times, compared with the city campus, which often caused a disproportionate workload for rural students on alternate weeks during the study term. The quality of the delivery of some lectures was also an issue for some students. This study determined that a lack of support was encountered by students, and that further investigation is warranted. Greater consideration will be required to address the delivery of the program together with the future availability and accessibility of further university rurally based nursing programs.  (+info)

Implementing a wound care resource nurse program. (12/34)

Nurses are leaders in implementing innovations that can create positive outcomes in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers in patients admitted to acute care hospitals. Believing that nurses knowledgeable in best practices could impact prevalence, incidence, and care of pressure ulcers, an educational program was developed in a Canadian healthcare system to inform and empower nurses providing skin and wound care. The program afforded participants the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skill to recognize patients at risk for developing pressure ulcers and to independently treat Stage I and Stage II pressure ulcers and skin breakdown related to moisture, friction, and shear. The program includes evidence-based practice recommendations and highlights the Best Practice Guidelines developed by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, a provincial body taking an active role in the development, implementation, and evaluation of published guidelines derived from global research literature synthesis. Pre- and post participation assessment of 65 nurse participants from three hospitals deemed the program successful in terms of knowledge and fulfillment of their educational expectations. Organizational support to implement the skin and wound care resource nurse role was encouraging and medical directives for Stage I and Stage II pressure ulcers by nurses were implemented. Evaluation and monitoring of program outcomes, including pressure ulcer incidence rates, continue.  (+info)

Access to and use of research by rural nurses. (13/34)

INTRODUCTION: The use of relevant research findings to inform clinical practice is important for nurses, regardless of setting. Although there have been studies addressing the use of research among various practitioners, little is known about how nurses in rural areas access health information (specifically research findings), nor how such findings are incorporated into daily practice. The purpose of this study was to explore rural nurses' access, use and perceived usefulness of research for rural practice. METHODS: The study was conducted in a sparsely populated state located in the western part of the USA. An ethnographic method was chosen to answer the research questions for this descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 rural nurses from nine communities by graduate nursing students enrolled in a rural nursing course following in-class instruction and practice. Field notes taken by the students supplemented the interview data. The students' notes included a windshield survey or description of the context and location within which the participants lived and/or practiced as well as the interviewers' observations, thoughts and impressions about the research project. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Once transcribed, the interview narratives, windshield data and field notes were analyzed by the students for common themes; the students then wrote and submitted papers to the faculty addressing the themes that emerged from their interviews. The analysis conducted by the faculty members included four sources of data: transcriptions of interviews; field notes; windshield data; and students' papers. The process of identifying themes was facilitated by using the software program NUD*IST (QSR International; Melbourne, VIC, Australia). Demographic information was entered into the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS Inc; Chicago, IL, USA) to compile descriptive information about the sample. FINDINGS: Twenty-seven female and two male nurses participated in the study. The nurses' ages ranged from 31-72 years and their experience in nursing spanned 3-50 years with a range of 1 to 35 years in rural nursing. The interviews revealed that most of the nurses used the term 'research' to mean 'gathering information'. When asked how often they used 'research' the responses ranged from 2-3 times per day to 2-3 times per month. The preferred means of obtaining information was asking a colleague. Additional resources included work-place journals, books, in-services, conferences and the internet. Twenty-three of the nurses reported having internet access at work; 25 had internet access at home. Supportive supervisors and articles in general nursing journals were identified as helpful. Barriers to using research included: lack of knowledge of research methods; lack of time at work or at home to look up information; and the lack of computers and internet access on the nursing units. When computers were available, the nurses reported that poor computer literacy decreased their ability to quickly find and evaluate information. Additional barriers included diminishing financial support from employers and the long travel distances required to attend conferences. The nurses reported finding little clinical research specifically related to rural practice. CONCLUSIONS: Education and mentorship is needed about how to evaluate the types and strength of evidence, access research using the internet, interpret findings, and incorporate evidence in clinical practice. Interventions that foster the appreciation and use of research by staff nurses and managers are needed in order to build an evidence based culture. Research is needed, specifically as related to rural clinical practice.  (+info)

A transdisciplinary training program for behavioral oncology and cancer control scientists. (14/34)

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Evaluation of an online graduate nursing curriculum: examining standards of quality. (15/34)

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Developing a blended course on dying, loss, and grief. (16/34)

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