Improving research supervision in nursing

In this paper, four experienced researchers from the UK, China and Australia offer guidance in research supervision based on their experiences and the recent document, Improving standards in postgraduate research degree programmes [Higher Education Funding Council for England, 2003. Improving standards in postgraduate research degree programmes. Formal consultation. Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, HEFCE, London]. Supervision is an important aspect of not only the development of the neophyte researcher, but of academic staff and research activity in general. With increased academic accountability, good supervision should be an integral component of a quality research governance framework and resourced as such. Recommendations include: adoption of these standards; rigorous selection of research students and supervisors and development of projects; development of departmental procedures for monitoring, feedback and intellectual property; and transparency, rigour and fairness in examination procedures. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applying for ethics committee approval

Provides information on ethics committee approval. Importance of research ethics committee; Application to the relevant local research ethics committee; Information on obtaining ethical approval.

A randomised controlled study of the efficacy of hypromellose and Lacri-Lube combination versus polyethylene/Cling wrap to prevent corneal epithelial breakdown in the semiconscious intensive care patient

Objective. To compare the efficacy of two forms of eye care (hypromellose and Lacri-Lube combination vs polyethylene/Cling wrap covers) for intensive care patients. Design. Randomised-controlled trial. Setting. University affiliated, tertiary referral hospital. Patients and participants. One hundred ten patients with a reduced or absent blink reflex were followed through until they regained consciousness, were discharged from the facility during study enrolment, died or developed a positive corneal ulcer or eye infection. Interventions. All patients received standard eye cleansing every 2 h. In addition to this, group one (n=60) received a treatment combining hypromellose drops and Lacri-Lube (HL) to each eye every 2 h. Group two (n=50) had polyethylene covers only placed over the eye to create a moisture chamber. Measurements and results. Corneal ulceration was determined using corneal fluorescein stains and mobile slit lamp evaluation, performed daily. No patients had corneal ulceration in the polyethylene cover group, but 4 patients had corneal ulceration in the HL group. Conclusions. Polyethylene covers are as effective as HL in reducing the incidence of corneal damage in intensive care patients.

The impact of residential respite care on the behavior of older people

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of residential respite care on disruptive behavior displayed by older people, particularly those with dementia. Methods: A quasi-experimental, repeated-measures, single-group design was used. The participants were a consecutive series of 100 older people with a mean age of 81.8 years (range 66-96 years) who had been booked for a respite admission to one of several residential aged care facilities in a provincial Australian city. A diagnosis of dementia was reported for 29% of the sample. Disruptive behaviors were rated before and after the period of respite by home caregivers (N = 100) and during the period of respite by nurses (N= 25) using the Dementia Behavior Disturbance Scale (DBDS). Results: Age, male gender and the presence of dementia were all significantly related to the frequency of reported disruptive behaviors. Residential respite care was associated with a significant reduction in the frequency of reported disruptive behaviors in older people (Wald chi(2) = 28.28, P < 0.0001). However, this improvement in behavior did not persist into the post-respite period. The deteriorating behavioral trajectory that was evident prior to respite care continued following the period of respite care. Conclusions: Residential respite care was associated with a temporary diminution in the frequency of reported disruptive behaviors in older people. This finding should be reassuring both for family carets considering placing a relative in residential respite care and for health workers considering whether to recommend such a course of action.

Impact of an intensive nursing education course on nurses' knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and perceived skills in the care of patients with cancer

Purpose/Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a cancer nursing education course on RNs. Design: Quasi-experimental, longitudinal, pretest/post-test design, with a follow-up assessment six weeks after the completion of the nursing education course. Setting: Urban, nongovernment, cancer control agency in Australia. Sample: 53 RNs, of whom 93% were female, with a mean age of 44.6 years and a mean of 16.8 years of experience in nursing; 86% of the nurses resided and worked in regional areas outside of the state capital. Methods: Scales included the Intervention With Psychosocial Needs: Perceived Importance and Skill Level Scale, Palliative Care Quiz for Nurses, Breast Cancer Knowledge, Preparedness for Cancer Nursing, and Satisfaction With Learning. Data were analyzed using multiple analysis of variance and paired t tests. Main Research Variables: Cancer nursing-related knowledge, preparedness for cancer nursing, and attitudes toward and perceived skills in the psychosocial care of patients with cancer and their families. Findings: Compared to nurses in the control group, nurses who attended the nursing education course improved in their cancer nursing-related knowledge, preparedness for cancer nursing, and attitudes toward and perceived skills in the psychosocial care of patients with cancer and their families. Improvements were evident at course completion and were maintained at the six-week follow-up assessment. Conclusions: The nursing education course was effective in improving nurses' scores on all outcome variables. Implications for Nursing: Continuing nursing education courses that use intensive mode timetabling, small group learning, and a mix of teaching methods, including didactic and interactive approaches and clinical placements, are effective and have the potential to improve nursing practice in oncology.

OHS in the nursing workplace: accountability and the management of stress

There has been growing interest in occupational stress in the nursing context, both in New Zealand and internationally. This article takes a critical approach to the literature on nursing stress by examining the implications of a body of research largely informed by a theoretical approach which highlights the individual. In spite of evidence that the main sources of stress for nurses are related to workplace conditions, the focus is on the individual nurse and his/her personal response to stress. This approach encourages the development of interventions where the objectives are the individual management of stress, and thereby consolidates nurses' perceptions of powerlessness. Alternatives to these palliative measures, such as highlighting the legal obligations for employers to provide a safe workplace or collective industrial action for change, are glaringly absent in the literature. The importance of such an approach is supported by recent findings from the United States on the advantages of hospitals which promote nurses' autonomy and control.