Patient participation in symptom management in an acute oncology setting

Cancer and cancer treatments are associated with high symptom burden. Effective, safe and quality symptom management requires patient participation in symptom identification and treatment. This mixed methods, in depth investigation of symptom management practices uncovered patient, clinician and symptom factors that play a role in patients’ ability and willingness to participate.

Hope through the viewfinder : patients with cancer and their clinicians

Hope-work is a viatl part of palliative care and this thesis aimed to increase understanding of the concept of hope, from the patients' and clinicians' points of view. Findings from descriptive and interpretative phenomenology revealed much about the way people consider hope, and maintain positivity when facing death.

National nursing registration in Australia : a way forward for nurse practitioner endorsement

Purpose : The move to national registration of health professionals and the creation of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) provides both challenges and opportunities for the regulation of nurse practitioners (NPs) in Australia.

Data sources : National and state health policy documents, accessible on the Internet, concerning the regulation and endorsement processes for NPs in Australia were examined.

Conclusions : The similarities between two of the previous jurisdictional NP endorsement processes in New South Wales and Victoria provide a common ground on which to build a robust national system. However, there are also key differences between these two states. These differences were mainly in the evidence required to assess competency of NP applicants and the authority to prescribe medications. All Victorian NP applicants were required to complete an approved medication subject at a master's level.

Implications for practice : A consistent endorsement process that delivers NPs of the highest standard and allows for efficient use of their skills and expertise is vital. This needs to be performed with the aim of providing high-quality care in a regulatory environment that protects the public and clearly articulates the level of competence expected of all NPs.