Abstract: This phenomenological study describes the lived experience of mothering a child hospitalised with acute illness or injury. Seven mothers who had experienced this crisis within twelve months of our first interview agreed to share their stories with me. The resulting data were analysed and interpreted using van Manen's interpretation of Heideggerian phenomenology.Four phenomenological themes emerged from this study. Mothers have a special kind of knowing. They have a need to do with and for their child. Handing over to or leaving their child in the care of strangers and waiting for their child to be returned to their care are very difficult things for mothers to do. Their constant vigilance is enabled by their special kind of knowing and their need to do. The difficulty of handing over, leaving and waiting is emphasised by mothers' constant vigilance.Personal experiences during the course of my study presented significant challenges to my ability to offer an effective phenomenological description of the phenomenon under study. Continuous reflection aided by dialogue with fellow phenomenological researchers has resulted in a meaningful narrative.This description of mothering in a context of crisis is useful in the potential contribution it makes to nurses' understanding of mothers' experience of the hospitalisation of their children. It supports the philosophy of family-centered care and highlights the ability of individual nurses to make a positive difference to a very stressful experience

Abstract: The ICN International classification for nursing practice project.Terms used by Community-based Mental Health Nurses to describe their practice.In December 1995 a team of advisors from throughout the Asia and pacific region gathered in Taipei, Republic of China, for the International Council of Nurses (ICN) International Classification of Nursing Practice (ICNP) project. During the week long workshop the early draft Classification architecture was presented and exercises were undertaken to test the relevance and accuracy of selected Terms and associated characteristics from the classification. The team of Consultants, who have been working on the Classification since 1990, identified that the most underdeveloped aspects of the hierarchy were community health and mental health nursing. They encouraged the team of Advisors to conduct research with nurses to add to these areas of the Classification in particular.The purpose of the ICP is to make nursing visible through an internationally accepted language which represents nursing diagnoses, interventions and outcomes. The classification is sponsored by ICN and follows a format similar to the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD) which is used extensively throughout the world to statistically record work completed by medical practitioners.The research undertaken at Lakeland Health with five Community-based Mental Health Nurses used the retrospective method of nursing diagnosis validation tool and field exercise method provided by the ICNP Consultant team. These were underpinned by participatory action research methodology. Over four sessions the participants identified six Terms and then field tested each to assess the relevance of that Term in practice. At the weekly sessions the participants shared their reflections on the validity of each Term and discussed other outcomes resulting from their involvement in the research process.The research report outlines the ICNP project and associated literature, explains the research methodology, identifies the resulting Terms and characteristics ready for submission to the ICNP Consultant team and examines outcomes from involvement in the participatory process

Abstract: This thesis presents a study of the every-day moral decision making of experienced nurses. Eight experienced registered nurses participated in the completed research that is based on data gathered through interviews, document audit and literature review. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the extensive data gathered for the study. This methodology generated a theoretical description involving the antecedents, processes and consequences of nursing moral decision making.Nursing practice has moral content, if not an entirely moral purpose, and moral decision making is the central component of this practice, yet the ethical aspects of nursing practice remain a comparatively recent field of study. It is therefore essential to nurses and their patients that this process is adequately studied and theorised. To date, very few studies have been undertaken in this area in New Zealand. This study aims to at least partially redress this situation by offering insights through conceptualisation and theoretical description of nursing moral decision making.The findings of the study reveal that antecedents such as personal moral development, upbringing and social experiences, contribute to a 'nursing ethic' in the moral decision making of experienced nurses. Furthermore, the study shows that the context and individual and shared perceptions of moral events influence the degree of nursing involvement in ethical situations. Finally, the study maintains that an intrinsic and persistent nursing ethic guides ethical decision making in nursing. This ethic is an undeniable phenomenon of considerable significance to nursing practice and education