Journal of advanced nursing
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This small-scale study carried out in a Melbourne metropolitan hospital explored patients' and their carers' perceptions of information, adequacy of information, and their utilization of information concerning post-discharge care received from health professionals during their stay in hospital. The research design consisted of two stages. Stage one involved a qualitative approach using focused interviews of five pairs of patients and their carers, 2 weeks after discharge from hospital. ⋯ The carers' health and employment states were often not considered in their patients' discharge plan. Carers who were present with their patients when they received information concerning post-discharge care experienced a decrease in anxiety during their patients' convalescence at home, greater satisfaction with the information they received, and their patients experienced fewer medical problems post-discharge. The implications for nursing practice and research include recommendations for a more effective system of discharge planning, and further research to include a larger population with a more varied group of participants.
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Community mental health nurses have been criticized for failing to prioritize work with people with a severe or enduring mental illness, many of whom have no contact with specialist mental health services and rely entirely on their general practitioner and primary care team. It is important to ensure that those in contact with specialist services actually need this level of input but, conversely, that those in contact with only primary care receive a service that is equipped to meet their needs. This study examines the differences between these two groups of patients. ⋯ However, patients' levels of need, unmet need and quality of life did not differ in relation to their service contact. Whilst the study provides limited evidence that community mental health nurses are targeting people with the most serious disorders, questions remain about the large proportion not receiving specialist care. Because primary care plays a significant role in the care of severely mentally ill people living in the community, the further mental health training of general practitioners and practice nurses is becoming increasingly important.
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Fracture of the neck of femur, or hip, has become common in older females and the resulting pain is often a factor in inhibiting early mobilization following surgical repair. Since the administration of analgesia is dependant upon decision-making of the nurse, this study concentrated on what influences nurses in the administration of analgesia to patients following surgical repair of a fractured hip. A review of the literature identifies the main influencing factors as nurses' lack of knowledge and the drug prescription, and suggests that education is the key enabler. ⋯ The study findings suggest that education alone will not improve the administration of analgesia. It recommends that the voice of patients is heard more clearly, that the administration of analgesia is separated from the routine drug round, that attention is paid to how decision-making by nurses is supported in clinical settings, and that education be organized on a multidisciplinary basis. In addition, further research should be carried out in the clinical setting.
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Comparative Study
Examining the correspondence of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding couples' infant feeding attitudes.
Examining the correspondence of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding couples' infant feeding attitudes This report focuses on the comparison of infant feeding attitudes within breastfeeding (n = 126) and bottle-feeding (n = 101) couples and their socio-demographic details. The findings from this study reinforce the view that socio-demographic factors are associated with the mothers' choice of feeding method. However, this study highlights the influence of maternal and of paternal knowledge and attitudes which distinguish between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding couples. ⋯ Furthermore, breastfeeding mothers when compared with their partners were more supportive towards breastfeeding. Fathers of both bottle and breast feeding babies were also found to be more embarrassed than their partners about mothers in general breastfeeding in front of nonfamily members. It seems that bottle-feeding mothers and all fathers could be better prepared in many aspects of breastfeeding by the nursing professions to allay the many misconceptions and the social embarrassment associated with breastfeeding, by providing appropriate information and support.
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Cultural challenges in end-of-life care: reflections from focus groups' interviews with hospice staff in Stockholm During the past few decades, Swedish society has changed from a society with a few ethnic groups to one with over a hundred groups of different ethnic backgrounds, languages and religions. As society is becoming increasingly multicultural, cultural issues are also becoming an important feature in health care, particularly in end-of-life care where the questions of existential nature are of great importance. However, cultural issues in health care, especially at hospices, have not been studied sufficiently in Sweden. ⋯ A discussion guide was developed with the following themes: 1) post-training experiences of working with patients with multicultural background; 2) experiences gained by participating in the course of multicultural end-of-life care; 3) post-training reflections about one's own culture; 4) ideas or thoughts regarding work with patients from other cultures arising from the training; and 5) the need for further training in multicultural end-of-life care. One of the study's main findings was that to better understand other cultures it is important to raise awareness about the staff's own culture and to pay attention to culture especially in the context of the individual. The findings from focus groups provide insight regarding the need for planning flexible training in cultural issues to match the needs of the staff at the hospice units studied.