| Home | [1–10] << 11 >> |
|
Radka, I. M. (2003). Handover and the consumer voice: The importance of knowing the whole, full story. Ph.D. thesis, , .
Abstract: In the acute hospital setting, nurses provide care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Due to the ever-changing nature of the patient's situation, nurses need quality information at the beginning of each eight-hour shift to plan and implement patient care effectively. It is claimed that handover is central for maintaining the continuity and the quality of patient care. This qualitative descriptive study was undertaken to identify what core information needs to be exchanged at nursing handover to ensure quality and continuity of patient care. Five consumers who had experience of recurrent hospital admissions shared their perceptions of handover practice through individual interviews. Three focus group meetings of seven nurses from a secondary care setting discussed handover practice from their professional perspectives. Both nursing and consumer voices are integral to the overall understanding of this study but the consumer voice is the privileged and dominant voice. Through the process of thematic content analysis the central themes of communication, continuity and competence emerged for the consumers. Consumers expect to be kept informed and involved in their healthcare. They want continuity of nurse, information and care and expect that nurses involved in the delivery of healthcare are competent to manage their situation. The 'importance of knowing' is the overarching construct generated in this research. Knowing is identified as the foundation on which quality and continuity of care is built and is discussed under the subheadings of: not knowing, knowing the patient as a person, knowing takes time, hidden knowing, knowing consumers' rights, oral knowing, knowing involves more than handing over patient care and knowing the economics. Recommendations have been developed for future research, nursing practice, education and management. These centre on ways to develop a more consumer-focused approach to contemporary healthcare.
Keywords: Communication; Patient satisfaction; Nurse-patient relations
|
|
Stuart, J. (2003). How can nurses address generalist/specialist/nursing requirements of the urban/rural population of Southland.
Abstract: This study, which is undertaken in the Southland area, explores the effect of the increasing specialisation of nursing services in what is a rural/urban environment. It is indicated in the literature that systemic changes in health, such as the health reforms, and the increase in the use of technology have meant that nurses are required to function in disease oriented roles rather than according to their more traditional generalist roots. A significant event, which also affected nursing scope of practice, was the transfer of nurse education to the tertiary education institutions environment from the hospitals in the mid 1970s. The traditional nursing hierarchy and its nurse leadership role disappeared and the adoption of specialist nurse titles increased, and identified with a disease or disorder, for example 'diabetes' nurse. The increase in specialist categories for patients contributed to the nurse shortage by reducing the available numbers of nurses in the generalist nursing pool. The nurses in this rural/urban environment require generalist nurse skills to deliver their nursing services because of the geographical vastness of the area being a barrier to specialist nurses. Workforce planning for nurses in the rural/urban then must focus on how to reshape the nursing scope of practice to utilise the existing resources. This study explores how key areas of health services could be enhanced by reclaiming the nurse role in its holistic approach, in mental health, public health, geriatric services and psychiatric services.
|
|
Kapoor, S. D. (1980). Smoking and health: an analysis of policymaking structure and process within the Department of Health concerned with the issue of smoking and health. Ph.D. thesis, , .
Abstract: An analysis of policy making structure and process within the department of Health concerned with the issue of smoking and health. This paper deals with an important area of public policy both in terms of process and substance. It attempts to identify how policy is made in New Zealand. How policy is determined by the elected representative of the people and how far policy is made by the permanent state employees. The way political power is brought to bear in policy implementation is examined, as is the question: What level of policy research and analysis on smoking and health is affected in New Zealand? Attention is directed towards complex ideas of participation, representation and minority rights as well as to democratic theory in relation to cause and influence of conflict, public opinion formation, interest group influence and public policy making
|
|
Cleaver, H. (2005). Reflections on knowing, not knowing and being in palliative care nursing. Master's thesis, , .
Abstract: Responses to questions from dying people and their families are as individual as each nurse, patient, family member or situation. This is well recognised and an unspoken truth in palliative care practice
This paper explores the subjective nature of knowledge in palliative care generated through capturing moments of practice and subsequent reflections. This demonstrates how the author uses her model of care to open a space that enables the person and their family to find meaning from their experience and articulate what they need at the time. The author identifies her interest in the paradoxical reality of knowing and not knowing and describes how that paradox contributes to her role in supporting individual?s needs within their realities |