International journal of nursing studies
-
Following their introduction in the United States in the 1970s various forms of compulsory treatment in the community have been introduced internationally. Compulsory treatment in the community involves a statutory framework that mandates enforceable treatment in a community setting. Such frameworks can be categorized as preventative, least restrictive, or as having both preventative and least restrictive features. ⋯ The issue of compulsory community treatment is an important one for nurses, who are often at the forefront of clinical service provision, in some cases in statutory roles. Critical reflection on the issue of compulsory community treatment requires understanding of the limitations of empirical investigations and of the various ethical and social policy issues involved. There is a need for further research into compulsory community treatment and possible alternatives.
-
Nurses have an important role in caring for terminally ill patients. They are also often involved in euthanasia. However, little is known about their attitudes towards it. ⋯ There is broad support among nurses for euthanasia for terminally ill patients and for their involvement in consultancy in case of euthanasia requests. There is, however, uncertainty about their role in the performance of euthanasia. Guidelines could help to make their role more transparent, taking into account the differences between health care settings.
-
The recent emergence of the Systems Approach to the safety and quality of surgical care has triggered individual and team skills training modules for surgeons and anaesthetists and relevant observational assessment tools have been developed. ⋯ Assessment of OR nurses' technical skill is becoming a training priority. The present evidence suggests that the ICATS-N could be considered for use as an assessment/training tool for junior OR nurses.
-
The importance of transformational leadership for the health and well-being of staff in the healthcare sector is increasingly acknowledged, however, there is less knowledge about the mechanisms that may explain the links between transformational leaders and employee health and well-being. ⋯ Within the pressurised environment faced by employees in the healthcare sector today transformational leaders may help ensure employees' job satisfaction and psychological well-being. They do so through the establishment of a sense of being in control as individuals but also as being part of a competent group.
-
The literature reports inconsistent evidence of the effects of nurse staffing on mortality despite continuing examination of this association. ⋯ The findings provide evidence that nurse staffing may impact provision of basic care and patient mortality and suggest the need for policies for providing adequate nurse staffing.