Journal of advanced nursing
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Nurse teachers can often find themselves in various situations where they resort to using humour. An exploration of the role of humour within the educational relationship between nurse teachers and nursing students is the focus of this paper. Consideration is given to the nurse teachers' requirement to develop self-awareness in their own understanding of humour in order to facilitate and recognize the reasons for the nursing students' use of humour. The development of the appropriate use of humour by nursing students may lead to enhanced nursing practice, thereby reinforcing the need for inclusion of the theory of humour in both teacher training and the nursing curriculum.
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This paper investigates the evidence presented in the literature concerning the use of ring cushions in nursing and midwifery practice, as a case study of the relationship between research-based knowledge and practice. It explains the origins of the claims that these aids cause pressure sores, urinary tract infection and expose postpartum mothers to the risk of thrombosis. It demonstrates that the empirical evidence on which these claims are based is very slight and that re-interpretation of the evidence by successive authors has raised its status considerably. Practical steps to avoid this type of occurrence are suggested.
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Caring has been cited by many authors as the core value of nurse educator-student relationships. Others have discussed the need for caring to be translated and transmitted in the practices of nursing education. However, a clear conceptualization of what caring in nursing education is and how it is transmitted to students does not yet exist. ⋯ The authors present a critical analysis of the definitions, objectives, attributes and constraints of caring in nursing education. What is currently known and perceived about caring in nursing education, as well as what is not known and what needs to be known, is highlighted. Imperatives for future research are identified.
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Visiting policies in acute care institutions affect patients and families. The study sought to answer these questions: What are current hospital visiting policies and accompanying provisions for families? How are nurses implementing these policies? A questionnaire was developed, and reliability and content validity were established. The questionnaire was mailed to a randomly selected, stratified sample of 125 approved hospitals in 10 US states, with a 40% return rate. ⋯ If the patient was in a private room, visiting hours and provisions for family members were extensive. Provisions for family members of intensive care patients were minimal. Nursing judgement significantly influenced implementation of visitation policies.
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A therapeutic group for clients with acute mental health problems is described using a case study research design. The setting of the group is a British community mental health centre. Theoretical and research approaches to brief therapeutic work with clients are discussed. ⋯ However, in practice many of the clients needed some degree of professional support after ceasing to attend the group. In this study, the establishment of a therapeutic group for clients with acute mental health problems improved inter-professional relations. The ability to facilitate therapeutic groups is an important competence for mental health nurses.