Nursing leadership (Toronto, Ont.)
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Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont) · Jan 2003
ReviewAn examination of the self-care concept uncovers a new direction for healthcare reform.
The concept of self-care is multidimensional, with many defining elements. This paper describes the origin of this comprehensive concept. It examines the response of the nursing discipline to citizen self-care initiatives and the subsequent effects this response has had on the development of nursing knowledge. ⋯ The paper concludes with a proposed self-care approach to healthcare reform in Canada and the subsequent influence this approach may have on the discipline of nursing. The congruency between a self-care healthcare delivery system and the theoretical foundations and perspective of healthcare delivery held by the nursing discipline is discussed. The role nurses might assume in shaping a self-care healthcare delivery system is delineated.
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Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont) · Jan 2003
Exploring an alternative metaphor for nursing: relinquishing military images and language.
The language used to describe nursing practice and nursing leadership has a profound influence on how nurses think about themselves, their work relationships, and indeed the very essence of their reason for being. Language often includes metaphor in order to help capture the complexities and layers of meaning that establish contexts for action. Nurses and others have relied on various metaphors to describe nursing work. ⋯ The privileged one is the military metaphor. This article explores the notion of metaphor, and its usefulness and potential to help nurses change their work patterns. The traditions and history of the military metaphor are examined and an alternative notion of the "frontier" is proposed in order to enhance understanding of the potential for change.
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Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont) · Jan 2003
Nurses and workplace violence: nurses' experiences of verbal and physical abuse at work.
This paper describes nurses' experiences of violence and abuse in the workplace and the ways in which those experiences influence their abilities to care for patients. The original purpose of the research from which these findings derive was to explore nurses' work with abused women. The qualitative study utilizing a Social Constructivism approach was conducted in two countries: Canada and the United Kingdom. ⋯ It also became clear that abuse against nurses is an important issue that has a significant impact on nurses' abilities to offer effective care. Findings indicated that nurses experience significant threat, frequently in the context of their work, at the hands of patients and their relatives; that verbal abuse is an almost daily occurrence; and that support from other healthcare professionals or from administration in addressing the issue, while improving somewhat, is inadequate. This work has implications not only for nurses' health and safety but also, in the broader sense, for the profession's ability to attract and retain nurses within the healthcare system.