The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmières
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The Penn Nursing Network Information System Project is a collaborative effort of practitioners, academic researchers, and a health-care software developer. The Penn Nursing Network, a group of nurse-managed practices owned and operated by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has taken a leadership role in the project. PNN is developing an information system specific to the needs of nurse-managed care and creating a data warehouse for nursing centres in the Philadelphia region. ⋯ However, additional data were needed. In addition, attention was paid to the development of a software program that would complement the workflow of the practitioner while capturing data efficiently. The main goal of the project is development of a longitudinal database reflective of clinical practice, to be used for both research and evaluation.
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Research findings have been contradictory regarding risk factors for falls in the acute-care setting. Identification of factors that place individuals at risk of falling in this setting are a priority because falls result in high morbidity and mortality and thus increased healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to extend knowledge beyond the known risk factors of age and medical diagnosis by comparing the characteristics of 301 adults who fell while hospitalized with a matched sample of adults who did not fall while hospitalized. ⋯ These findings suggest that ongoing assessment may be more important than the admission assessment in identifying risk factors for falls in the acute-care setting. No 2 studies have found exactly the same set of risk factors, although some findings are consistent across studies. This suggests that those risk factors that are consistent across studies may identify persons who are at the greatest risk for falls and that other risk factors for falls are specific to a patient population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
[Effects of a preoperative educational intervention on the behavior of parents of three to six-year old children having day surgery].
This quasi-experimental study assessed the effects of an intervention with the parents of children aged 3-6 at 2 weeks before the child's admission for day surgery. It entailed providing the parents with an educational booklet embodying the learning theories of Gagné and of Bandura. The 150-parent sampling was randomized into 2 experimental groups (receiving the educational booklet) and 1 control group (receiving only an information leaflet). ⋯ The study underscores the effectiveness of an educational approach favouring the use of family-targeted instructional material. It also shows that parents are able to use the information they receive to effectively prepare their tots for day surgery. The implications for research and clinical practice are examined from the vantage points of benefits to parents, child, and nursing staff and implementation of new ambulatory-care strategies.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive grounded theory of courage among middle-aged adults with long-term health concerns. Twenty-five persons from rural and non-metropolitan areas of Central Illinois were selected to participate in this study based on theoretical sampling procedures. Interviews of 1 to 2 hours using openended questions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. ⋯ Courage is not limitless, and the process of becoming and being courageous is dependent on intrapersonal and interpersonal factors. Health-care providers facilitate this process by demonstrating competence and communicating effectively. Outcomes of being courageous include personal integrity and thriving in the midst of normality.
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A total of 184 Canadian nurses who were expected to publish scholarly and/or scientific work or whose roles provide for socialization of nurses in academic endeavours, research, and publication were asked to respond to 42 scenarios. This study replicated, with some modifications, surveys conducted in 1981, 1985, and 1987 to determine the views of American nurses on assignment of publication credit. The scenarios in the present survey required judgements about how authorship and footnote credit should be allocated among groups involved in research and academic writing; in some scenarios all the individuals were nurses (in both clinical and academic settings), while other scenarios featured collaboration between nurses and other health-care professionals or focused on interactions between nursing professors and students. ⋯ There was widespread agreement on these 2 principles. However, there was disagreement concerning collaborative academic work, particularly concerning the forms of collaboration that merit authorship credit and the forms that are sufficiently acknowledged through footnoting. Both the model responses and the areas of disagreement are discussed.