Journal of advanced nursing
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To describe the experiences of registered nurses (RNs) who enrolled in a web-based course from either their home or the workplace. ⋯ Web-based learning can be an effective mode of delivery for nursing education. Advance preparation by educational institutions, employers and prospective students is essential. Teachers, peers, technology, course design and the learning environment are key variables that influence the learners' experience and success.
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Despite a plethora of information on the prevention of pressure sores, they remain a significant problem in both hospital and community settings. The need to reduce the incidence of pressure sores has been well documented; unfortunately there is little evidence to suggest improvement. The reasons for this lack of improvement have been explored, but the picture remains unclear. While some studies have suggested that nurses have the appropriate knowledge to prevent pressure sores developing (but do not use their knowledge), others suggest that nurses' knowledge of preventive strategies is deficient. In Greece, similarly to the United Kingdom (UK), the incidence of pressure sores is high. There is currently no evidence on Greek nurses' knowledge and practice and therefore no baseline on which to build, in terms of improving practice. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that the knowledge and practice of participants could be improved. It is of particular concern that methods known to be detrimental were in common use. Finally, there is a need to improve the research skills of Greek nurses in order to provide them with the appropriate knowledge to use research findings.
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To provide the reader with a basic understanding of the elements of poetry and to review poetry's contribution to nursing. The review will examine the poetry written by nurses, poetry's effect on the profession, and its use in education, patient care, and research. ⋯ The use of poetry in the nursing profession provides us with the opportunity to gain new meaning and understanding about the profession and the clientele served. Poetry is a rich textual medium that can assist in illuminating nursing's core belief about the uniqueness of the nurse-patient relationship, and enhance the 'art' of nursing and 'ways of knowing'.
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Qualitative research plays an important part in providing evidence for practice in nursing, and is gaining greater acceptance within medicine. However, questions remain about what criteria are most appropriate for evaluating qualitative research. To date, little systematic evaluation of qualitative research in palliative care has been conducted. ⋯ Nearly half the nursing papers reviewed were judged to be well written or to have a well-chosen topic. However, more than 40% of papers drew negative comments about key methods-related issues. Arguably therefore efforts to improve the quality of research evidence should focus on this area.
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Stress-related outcomes of job satisfaction and absenteeism among nurses should receive more attention in Hong Kong because absenteeism is costly. Many nurses' complaints are due to organizational change in privatization since the establishment of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority in 1991. Organizational climate is found to be an antecedent of job dissatisfaction and absenteeism in many studies in western societies. ⋯ The empirical findings provide support for the climate-job satisfaction and climate-absenteeism relationships. Psychological distress could be an antecedent of job satisfaction; and job satisfaction could be an antecedent of absenteeism. Certain climate dimensions should be improved to enhance job satisfaction and reduce distress, which in turn will reduce absenteeism.