The Australian journal of advanced nursing : a quarterly publication of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation
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Two focus group interviews with 15 relatives, investigated family caregivers' perceptions of having a relative in a dementia care unit. Data analysis revealed the significant theme of living with loss. ⋯ The findings suggest that health professionals must be prepared to assist family members with the anticipatory grieving of losses that accrue with the changing relationship with the relative and health care staff. Furthermore, there is a need to look for a means of helping and supporting family caregivers so that they can develop a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in their care giving role.
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A survey of 172 Australian triage nurses was undertaken to describe their scope of practice, educational background and to explore the self-reported influences perceived to impact on their decision-making. The survey results reveal variability in the educational requirements for nurses to triage. ⋯ Analysis revealed significant associations between demographic characteristics of the triage service, levels of nurse' autonomy and the nurses' self-reported participation in a number of triage decisions. The findings of this study have implications for emergency nurse education and the development and evaluation of triage practice guidelines.
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Comparative Study
Nurses' knowledge and attitudes concerning pain management in an Australian hospital.
Pain management is widely acknowledged as being a significant concern for many health professionals. Effective management of patients' pain is a crucial nursing activity dependent on accurate pain knowledge, attitudes, and assessment. ⋯ When this questionnaire was applied to registered nurses working in four different hospital departments within an Australian hospital, the results showed that many nurses have inadequate knowledge and attitudinal barriers that may hamper effective pain management decisions. These results demonstrate that Australian registered nurses may have knowledge deficiencies and attitudinal barriers similar to their overseas counterparts.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Venepuncture versus heel prick for the collection of the Newborn Screening Test.
This study compared the heel prick with venepuncture of a superficial vein on the dorsum of the hand to collect the Newborn Screening Test. Midwives at two different maternity centres collected the blood samples, with midwives at each centre using only one of the two blood collecting approaches being studied. ⋯ Analysis of the results found a shorter sample collection time, length of crying, duration of the first cry, a lower percentage of crying, and increased cry latency for the venepuncture group; all significant at the P < 0.05 level. These findings suggest that venepuncture should be the preferred technique for midwives to collect the Newborn Screening Test.
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Handover is seen as an important part of each nurse's shift, not only for information sharing, but from the resource management aspect of both the time and the subsequent financial cost of nurses being involved. This article discusses the four main styles of handover reported in the nursing literature over the past 15 years. ⋯ This review highlights three recommendations that could aid in maintaining an efficient process. These are: regular reviews of the handover process; written guidelines for the content of handover; and the use of a pre-prepared handover sheet.