Nurs. Rep., Volume 1, Issue 1 (December 2011) – 9 articles

Maternal psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy is significant task for women during pregnancy. Antepartum hospitalization is often characterized by maternal anxiety, boredom, feelings of imprisonment, and loneliness. The purpose of this study was to explore maternal psychosocial adaptation during pregnancy for hospitalized pregnant women compared with such adaptation in low-risk pregnant women from a reference population. This was a cross-sectional study with convenience samples of high-risk hospitalized and low-risk mothers. This study was carried out in five hospitals and two clinics between March and December 2009 in several areas of Japan. Subjects were 189 hospitalized women diagnosed with premature labor who had received continuous 24-h treatment with intravenous ritodrine hydrochloride for more than 1 week. The Japanese version of Prenatal Self-Evaluation Questionnaire was administered to measure maternal psychosocial adaptation during pregnancy. Women in hospitalized group had significantly lower adaptation in acceptance of pregnancy and preparation for labor (P<.05-.001) and showed significantly higher adaptation in identification of a motherhood role and relationship with her husband. Moreover, in hospitalized group, relationship with her husband showed significantly higher adaptation (P<.05) in primipara, acceptance of pregnancy and preparation for labor were significantly lower adaptation score (P<.01-.001) in multipara. Hospitalized pre-term pregnant women should be assessed maternal psychosocial adaptation especially the domains of acceptance of pregnancy, preparation for labor, relationship with her husband, and identification of a motherhood role. Health care provider should know the character and background of those women as well as the character of primipara and multipara. Full article

There is a general perception held by health care practitioners based in hospices, palliative care services and general healthcare services that society is reluctant to talk about dying and death. This avoidance behaviour is observed, noted and expressed in national policy briefings as being detrimental to patient involvement in decision making, effective coping and preparation for death, organ donation, writing a will, and the process of bereavement. The aim of the pilot study was to explore the perceptions of a local community on the broad subject of Talking about Dying and Death. An interactive qualitative methodology using a constructivist approach enabled exploration of a wide range of views from a self-selected group resident within the local community (n=8). Data were collected from a focus group session facilitated by the researcher and an associate researcher. Systematic and analytical coding of transcripts was undertaken using Framework Analysis (Richie and Spencer 1994). Four overriding themes were identified: i) emotions, beliefs and behaviours; ii) coping with adversity; iii) difficulties, barriers and tensions, and iv) fostering a participative future. There were some notions of superstition amongst the participants, but little mention of formal religious beliefs. Within the themes, Coping with Adversity and Difficulties, Barriers and Tensions is the core of the community’s views and needs. The link to the local hospice service is significant for it is the place where practical help, spiritual care, and an appreciation for sensitivity, openness and honesty can be put into action. The importance of communication and language are critical above all else. Dying and death was articulated as an upsetting topic, and remains a taboo in this community in the United Kingdom, with a belief that talking will bring harm. Promotion of talking about dying and death was discussed in relation to the role of the local hospice and several suggestions were put forward. Full article

This study is an attempt to investigate by means of a curriculum how nurses are trained theoretically and practically throughout their specialist education to communicate competently and professionally in interaction with colleagues and patients. Research today shows that there are many different approaches to develop professionally skilled communication in nurse-patient interaction. It indicates that this aspect of nurse education is regarded as an important feature by educators. It is therefore of interest to study, by means of analysing a curriculum, how nurses’ communicative competence is developed. To this purpose a curriculum was presented related to nursing communication skills training, selected from a University College of Health Care Sciences in Sweden. Both students and teachers need clearly defined curricula to structure their studies and to evaluate communication skills. The investigated curriculum could be further developed to direct students and teachers in effective communication skills. It is of importance to have a curriculum that could be interpreted in the same way by teachers and students. Full article

It is a challenge to accept oddities to one’s own training and customs when in community clinics but as nurses we are trained to assess the value and impact of cultural differences in care by patients and their families. If no harm or mental discomfort will result from a séance or an ointment of religious significance applied to the forehead we go about our business and welcome patients to do as they see fit, according to their own culture and belief system. But how about if someone is applying a traditional cultural healing originating from your own culture to your own child which results in breaking the skin and results in bleeding? Full article

The majority of older people wish to continue to live at home for as long as possible. As a consequence, the healthcare system, including cancer care, is located in urban areas and people living in rural areas must commute to gain access to the services offered. The aim of this study was to investigate how older people, who live on their own, experience living with incurable cancer and commuting for palliative care in rural Norway. A case study was designed and informants were recruited not because they were typical but because they were deemed to have the potential to contribute to knowledge about the phenomenon of being an older person who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer and lives alone in a rural area.Three major categories were identified: “Hovering between hope and fear, Stressful commuting to palliative care, and Being exhausted. The findings indicated that older people who have been stricken with incurable cancer and who live alone in rural areas have to walk the palliative path alone. A common feature of all the informants is that they do not speak out and they do not complain. Even though the trend in healthcare is towards centralized treatment, shorter and more effective stays in hospital, and policlinic (policlinic services are a place where healthcare services can be accessed without the need for an overnight stay in hospital, usually such clinics are located close to a hospital) treatment and care, not all older persons manage to take care of themselves. The findings suggest that nurses should pay more attention to these patients’ needs for care at different levels of the healthcare service. Full article

To be high quality and international recognized scientific journal for health care professions, such as medical and nursing disciplines, a well-structured and effective peer review system is of an utmost importance. Beckstead (2009) in his guest editorial published in the September issue of International Journal of Nursing Studies suggested that it was important for authors, as well as editors and publishers, to have a clear understanding of whom the intended readers of the journal are; and for the peer reviewers, to answer a key question: whom are we writing to? and more importantly, to assure a transparent, rigorous and quality peer-review. Their questions and declarations stimulated us to think about two important issues: first, the importance of a high quality and effective peer-review in a scientific nursing journal and second, the peer-review system, its monitoring and contribution to quality improvement. Full article

The number of persons with dementia (PWD) is increasing rapidly worldwide. Cognitive impairments and communication difficulties are common among PWD. Therefore, gaining mutual togetherness in caring relation between PWD and their caregivers is important. This study was to investigate the effects of music therapeutic care (MTC) during morning care situations on improving verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors in people with dementia. An observation study with 10 PWD participating. Videotaped interactions (VIO) between PWD and their caregivers were conducted during eight weekly sessions, four recordings consisted of usual morning care and four recordings were of morning care with MTC intervention. The Verbal and Nonverbal Interaction Scale was used to analyze the recorded interactions at a later time. The unsociable verbal variable Cursing decreased significantly (P=.037) during MTC when compared with the baseline measurement. A significant (P=.000) reduction was observed for the unsociable nonverbal variable Does not respond to question. MTC significantly (P=.01) increased the mean score for the sociable nonverbal variable – Calm – relaxed. For sociable verbal communication, significant differences were observed for the variables Use coherent communication (P=.012), Use relevant communication (P=.009), Responds to questions (P=.000), Humming (P=.004), Singing (P=.000). MTC during morning care situations can be an effective non-pharmacological treatment, as well as nursing intervention in order to improve sociable communication behaviors, as well as reduce unsociable communication behaviors of PWDs. Full article

The proportion of older people in the general population has increased and will continue to increase during the coming decade. Therefore, a positive attitude towards older people is important. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge about attitudes towards older people among health care students and health care staff in Swedish elder care settings. The study includes a convenience sample of 928 respondents comprised of health care students and three groups of professional caregivers [registered nurses (RNs) with university degrees, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), nurses] in a variety of health care settings in Sweden. The participants completed the Kogan’s Old People (KOPS) Scale with 17 positive (OP+) and 17 negative (OP–) statements. The statements score ranged from 17 to 85 respectively. A significant (P<0.05) difference in both positive and negative scores was observed among the three professional caregiver groups. RNs had the highest positive score (OP+:64) as well as the lowest negative score (OP–:36). Health care students in semester one had the most unfavourable attitude toward older people (OP–:41) while students in semester two had the most favourable attitude toward older people (OP+:62). RNs reported both a higher positive score as well as lower negative score compared to nurses without an academic degree and CNAs. In addition, we found that progression in one’s health care education contributes to reduce unfavourable attitudes toward older people. Health care professionals need to have the right skills to manage a more demanding role in the future in order to offer effective services for older people. A skilled workforce of health professionals is therefore very necessary. Full article