International journal of nursing studies
-
Although nurses worldwide are confronted with euthanasia requests, how nurses experience their involvement in euthanasia remains unclear. ⋯ Hospital nurses are confronted with patients' euthanasia requests. Each stage of this process requires that the nurses possess specific competencies. Their willingness to personally care for these patients, in addition to their specific care expertise, allows them to be skilled companions.
-
Nursing profession has intensified education and training of nurse researchers who could enhance the health of people through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge. This resulted in rapid increase in the number of doctoral programs in nursing in many countries in recent decades, but the guidelines for quality programs are lacking. ⋯ Global criteria, standards, and indicators for doctoral programs in nursing presented in this article may serve as guidelines for most doctoral programs in the world as these were developed by experienced nurse scholars representing eight countries from five continents. The degree of detail in these parameters is sufficient to enhance the utility of the QCSI for all doctoral programs worldwide.
-
Over the past 10 years hospital at home schemes for the treatment of an acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease have proliferated throughout developed countries. For selected patients treatment at home is no less advantageous in terms of readmission rates and length of stay than treatment in hospital. Although care at home might seem to be a more desirable option than admission to hospital, little is known about care preferences and how people exercise service choice. ⋯ A range of factors combined to influence service use at a particular point in time, implying a need for increased self-management support from nurses and increased service provision.
-
The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is a systematic, 15-point evaluation tool, designed to assess neurological deficit in acute stroke patients and written in English. It is used to support important medical and nursing decisions. ⋯ The C-NIHSS is a reliable and valid scale for the clinical assessment of neurological deficit in acute stroke patients.