Journal of advanced nursing
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Review Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA): does time saved by PCA improve patient satisfaction with nursing care?
This quasi-experimental study compared the degree of satisfaction with nursing care among patients receiving post-operative pain relief via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) and those receiving traditional intramuscular injection (IMI) regimes. This study, which involved a total of 79 adult patients (mainly female) undergoing major abdominal surgery, was comprised of two main parts. First, the amount of time taken by nurses to carry out pain control procedures on 11 matched pairs of PCA and traditional patients was recorded. ⋯ The findings indicated that PCA did save time and this time saving could improve the nursing care quality of the whole ward, though not necessarily resulting in higher satisfaction amongst those patients who used PCA. Interestingly, younger and the more highly educated patients were found to be especially critical and be less satisfied with care. The implications for nursing practice and management are addressed, with special emphasis placed on the notion that time saved with PCA should be used to increase patient-nurse contact and should not be used to compensate for a reduction in nursing staff.
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Humour is an integral part of everyday life and therefore also a component of the care and treatment of patients in the modern health care system. This paper looks at the role of humour in practical nursing in the light of earlier research literature on the subject. It also describes some preliminary results of our studies on the meaning of humour to professional nurses. ⋯ Humour is a meaningful factor, both with regard to the patient's well-being and to coping, and also with regard to the interaction of nurse and patient. Humour also allows for more job satisfaction and better motivation. Research should be continued and intensified into the role and use of humour in everyday life and particularly in nursing care.