Journal of advanced nursing
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The 'information explosion' presents a significant challenge to the nursing profession. One way to assist access to information is to provide electronic information resources at the point of care. A large-scale survey of nurses working in the public health system in New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken as part of a 2-year evaluation of the Clinical Information Access Program (CIAP). This is a website which provides 24 hour, online access to a range of evidence sources at the point of care. ⋯ Use of online evidence was associated with nursing role, and with managerial and organizational support. Diffusion of innovation theory can help to explain some of the patterns observed. The use and impact of online evidence should be interpreted in the context of nursing practice and culture.
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The Index of Nausea and Vomiting (INV), developed by Rhodes and others in 1984, measures three dimensions of upper gastrointestinal distress: nausea, vomiting and retching (NVR). While the revised version has been tested with a variety of high-risk populations, there are no data suggesting that it can be used to assess upper gastrointestinal distress among the growing numbers of ambulatory or day surgery patients. ⋯ Upper gastrointestinal distress following ambulatory surgery discharge comprises a different symptom mix than during other high-risk events such as pregnancy or chemotherapy. Further research on the differences in assessing NVR among different populations is indicated.
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Previous research has shown that patients' reported memories of intensive care are often of unpleasant events which are described as frightening and persecutory in nature. Currently, there is no standardized way of assessing perceptions of such an experience or relating it to long-term outcome. ⋯ The intensive care experience questionnaire identified four dimensions of experience and performed satisfactorily in these developmental analyses. Further study of an independent intensive care unit data set is necessary to confirm these findings, including the four-component structure. Development of a standardized measure provides the opportunity to increase our understanding of the intensive care experience. The questionnaire may be useful to inform the development of effective interventions to improve subsequent outcomes for these patients.
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Self-assessment assists nurses to maintain and improve their practice by identifying their strengths and areas that may need to be further developed. Professional competence profiles encourage them to take an active part in the learning process of continuing education. Although competence recognition offers a way to motivate practising nurses to produce quality care, few measuring tools are available for this purpose. ⋯ The results provide strong evidence of the reliability and validity of the Nurse Competence Scale.