Ritual and nursing

The literature reveals that much of nursing comprises ritualized activity and behaviour and that these rituals have a significant impact on nursing practice. This study uses an ethnographic approach to uncover the meaning of ritual and its impact on nursing practice by examining the rituals embedded in Intravenous therapy management of four registered nurses working in two surgical wards in South Australia.

Exploration of the current scope and future direction of perioperative nursing practice in Victoria

The study was descriptive and exploratory utilising survey methodology. The major outcome was a list of recommendations encompassing educational, professional, and management issues.

The learning experience of nursing students in a clinical setting

Analysed the experiences of nine baccalaureate degree nursing students in their final year of a School of Nursing in a small provincial acute hospital setting in New Zealand. The findings draw attention to the factors influencing the nursing student's learning experience, and create an awareness for favourable change.

Nursing care of clients treated with atypical antipsychotics who have a risk of developing metabolic instability and/or type 2 diabetes

Objective : The aim of this article is to present a current discussion related to the nursing care of clients treated with atypical antipsychotic medicines and who have a risk of developing metabolic instability and/or Type 2 diabetes. The importance of such a discussion is to provide both the novice and the experienced nurse with additional knowledge of this current health issue with which to inform their nursing practice.

Discussion : The potential for psychosis to be a chronic condition is very high, and often people require antipsychotic medicine for lengthy periods throughout their lives. Sometimes, treatment is for life. The second generation of antipsychotic medicines was greeted with much enthusiasm since it was better tolerated than the first generation. However, each medication has desired and adverse effects and, when taken for lengthy periods, these effects may produce physical illness. Studies show that the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in clients with a chronic psychiatric disorder, particularly schizophrenia.

Conclusions : Metabolic instability, especially weight gain, is associated with some psychotropic medicines. Nursing interventions need to include care assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation for clients treated with antipsychotic medicines in terms of risk minimization strategies in routine nursing care.

Nursing ethics and the new millennium

This article discusses the added stress that nursing ethics will face in the future because of climate change, peak petroleum production, and solar storm scenarios. These developing problems have the ability to overwhelm and destroy countries and peoples with severe heat waves, frequent catastrophic storms, and vector-born diseases. Such catastrophic events will provide severe tests for nursing ethics and the author recommends that planning must begin for the centuries ahead.

Nursing and justice as a basic human need

This paper explores the idea that justice is a basic human need akin to those famously depicted in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs and, as such, warrants recognition as a core element in representative ideas about nursing. Early nurse theorists positioned the principles and practice of nursing as having their origins in ‘universal human needs’. The principle of deriving nursing care from human needs was thought to provide a guide not only for promoting health, but for preventing disease and illness. The nursing profession has had a longstanding commitment to social justice as a core professional value and ideal, obligating nurses to address the social conditions that undermine people’s health.The idea of justice as a universal human need per se and its possible relationship to people’s health outcomes has, however, not been considered. One reason for this is that justice in nursing discourse has more commonly been associated with law and ethics, and the legal and ethical responsibilities of nurses in relation to individualized patient care and, more recently, changing systems of care to improve health and health outcomes. Although this association is not incorrect, it is incomplete.A key aim of this paper is to redress this oversight and to encourage a broader conceptualization of justice as necessary for human survival, health and development, not merely as a professional value, or legal or ethical principle for guiding human conduct.

Students' perceptions of the value of the elements of an online learning environment : an investigation of discipline differences

This paper presents a large scale, quantitative investigation of the impact of discipline differences on the student experience of using an online learning environment (OLE). Based on a representative sample of 2526 respondents, a number of significant differences in the mean rating by broad discipline area of the importance of, and satisfaction with, a range of elements of an OLE were found. Broadly speaking, the Arts and Science and Technology discipline areas reported the lowest importance and satisfaction ratings for the OLE, while the Health and Behavioural Sciences area was the most satisfied with the OLE. A number of specific, systematic discipline differences are reported and discussed. Compared to the observed significant differences in mean importance ratings, there were fewer significant differences in mean satisfaction ratings, and those that were observed were less systematic than for importance ratings.

Cruelty to animals and psychosocial adjustment among Chinese children

Childhood cruelty to animals is associated with interpersonal violence in later life. The study for this thesis investigated risk factors for childhood cruelty to animals in China. For both boys and girls externalising problems, poor communication within families, and harsh parental discipline predicted animal cruelty, providing targets for intervention to prevent later violence. The portfolio presents four clinical case studies which demonstrate the complex and varied impact that intimate partner violence has on women, and the importance of psychological intervention in assisting women to manage their physical and mental health and well-being.

An evaluation of a mental health screening and referral pathway for community nursing care : nurses' and general practitioners' perspectives

Aims and objectives. To evaluate a feasible, best practice mental health screening and referral clinical pathway for generalist community nursing care of war veterans and war widow(er)s in Australia.
Background. War veterans commonly experience mental health difficulties and do not always receive required treatment, as can also occur for war widow(er)s. Whenever opportunity arises, such as during community nursing care, it is vital to identify mental health problems in a health promotion framework.
Design. A clinical pathway was developed by literature review and consultation and then trialled and evaluated using mixed methods – quantitative and qualitative.
Methods. Community nurses who trialled the pathway completed an evaluation survey and attended focus groups. General practitioners responded to an evaluation survey.
Results. Most nurses found the pathway clear and easy to understand but not always easy to use. They emphasised the need to establish trust and rapport with clients prior to implementing the pathway. It was sometimes difficult to ensure effective referral to general practitioners for clients who screened positive for a mental health problem. When referral was accomplished, general practitioners reported adequate and useful information was provided. Some general practitioners also commented on the difficulty of achieving effective communication between general practitioners and nurses.
Conclusions. Nurses and some general practitioners found the pathway useful for their practice. They offered several suggestions for improvement by simplifying the trialled pathway and accompanying guidelines and strategies to improve communication between nurses and general practitioners. This study adds understanding of how community nurses might productively screen for mental health difficulties.
Relevance to clinical practice. The trialled pathway, which was modified and refined following the study, is an evidence-based
resource for community nurses in Australia and similar contexts to guide practise and maximise holistic care for war veterans and war widow(er)s and possibly other client groups.