Journal of advanced nursing
-
This paper presents a survey of evidence-based practice among cardiac nurses exploring nurses' attitudes towards evidence-based practice and the types of knowledge they employ in clinical practice. ⋯ Barriers to evidence-based practice are inadequate education, unfamiliarity with English, and low organizational position. Facilitators include the implementation of guidelines, provision of continuing education, and an increase in the accountability of bedside nurses.
-
This paper reports a study exploring parents' experiences of caring for a child who is dependent on medical technology, and in particular of performing clinical procedures on their own children. ⋯ Parenting a technology-dependent child alters the meaning of parenting. Professionals need to recognize that providing care has a substantial emotional dimension for parents, and that they need opportunities to discuss their feelings about caregiving and what it means for their parenting identity and their relationship with their child. A key professional nursing role will be giving emotional support and supporting parents' coping strategies. Parents' perceptions of nurses raise questions about whether nurses' caregiving is individualized to the needs of the child and family, and whether parental expertise is recognized.
-
This paper presents a study exploring Accident and Emergency nurses' attitudes towards health promotion. ⋯ It is not possible to generalize the findings of this study due to the small number of participants. However, their knowledge of, and commitment to, health promotion is encouraging. Recommendations for practice are that there is continued and increased post-registration education in health promotion for nurses and continuing exploration of the hospital nurses' health promotion role. Further research is needed to explore nurses' perceptions of barriers to effective health promotion and nurses' health promotion activities in Accident and Emergency environments.
-
This paper reports a literature review examining factors that enhance retention of knowledge and skills during and after resuscitation training, in order to identify educational strategies that will optimize survival for victims of cardiopulmonary arrest. ⋯ Resuscitation training should be based on in-hospital scenarios and current evidence-based guidelines, including recognition of sick patients, and should be taught using simulations of a variety of cardiac arrest scenarios. This will ensure that the training reflects the potential situations that nurses may face in practice. Nurses in clinical areas, who rarely see cardiac arrests, should receive automated external defibrillation training and have access to defibrillators to prevent delays in resuscitation. Staff should be formally assessed using a manikin with a feedback mechanism or an expert instructor to ensure that chest compressions and ventilations are adequate at the time of training. Remedial training must be provided as often as required. Resuscitation training equipment should be made available at ward/unit level to allow self-study and practice to prevent deterioration between updates. Video self-instruction has been shown to improve competence in resuscitation. An in-hospital scenario-based video should be devised and tested to assess the efficacy of this medium in resuscitation training for nurses.
-
The aim of this paper is to consider alternative approaches to service delivery for patients with chronic life-limiting illnesses other than cancer. It will also discuss the issues that arise when considering specialist palliative care services within a broader public health context in the United Kingdom. ⋯ Reframing the approach to specialist palliative care in the United Kingdom will require great effort on the part of all health and social care professionals, not least nurses. Critical and creative thinking are prerequisites to the development of new models of working. We suggest that a more coherent approach to research and education is required, in particular strategies that explore how patients and nurses can work together in exploring experiences of illness in order to develop more proactive approaches to care.