Contemp Nurse
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Clinical Trial
Fall risk factors and the nature of falls in inpatient oncology and palliative care settings.
Using a prospective design, this study examined falls risk factors and the nature of patient falls in oncology and palliative care settings. Two hundred and twenty seven patients admitted to the oncology and palliative care units at a private hospital participated in this study. ⋯ Findings revealed that, when compared to patients who did not fall, fallers had a significantly higher mean age; were assessed as more physically dependent using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale; were less alert and more confused; were more likely to have responded incorrectly to orientation to person, time and place; were weaker pre-fall in arm muscle strength; and were more fatigued. These factors are worthy of further exploration to determine whether they are more sensitive than the currently used falls risk factors used in oncology and palliative care settIngs.
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This paper compares the attitudes and practices of health professionals to the provision of family-centred bereavement care in different Australian inpatient settings: palliative care services, acute care and long stay residential aged care settings. Semi-structured interviews (88) were conducted with doctors, nurses, pastoral carers and allied health staff. ⋯ Residential care provided continuity of care and good support for grieving relatives and other residents. A structured bereavement program is needed in all inpatient settings with palliative care patients, along with resource and education support for health professionals.
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This paper follows an earlier paper presented in this journal where the scope ofj practice of Enrolled Nurses (EN) was critically reviewed from the available literature on this topic. In this paper the authors (Milson-Hawke & Higgins, 2003) recommended the need for research into the scope of practice of ENs. The purpose of the paper presented here is to describe the outcomes of a grounded theory study that explored the nature of EN practice within an acute hospital setting and the processes that ENs used to guide their practice. ⋯ Essentially, the ENs in this study determined their own scope of practice as they undertook nursing activities beyond their level of preparation. The impact of the care provided by ENs, however, was not within the scope of this small study. This needs to be the focus of future studies along with the impact on health care of the changing roles of ENs.
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Research that informs nursing interventions across the care continuum is vital, especially with shortened hospital stays. Measuring Quality of Life (QOL) and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) helps identfy health status improvements, but fails to provide insight into the effectiveness of nursing interventions aimed at continuity of care. Four research examples illustrate the need for complementary, qualitative studies of what patients and their families think, feel, need and want. These indicate a need to reconceptualise the research agenda in terms of the complexity and settings of nursing practice, and the need for informational as well as statistical significance.