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Mail-out Questionnaire (mail-out + questionnaire)
Selected AbstractsDo maternity care provider groups have different attitudes towards birth?BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 12 2004Birgit Reime Objective To compare family physicians', obstetricians' and midwives' self-reported practices, attitudes and beliefs about central issues in childbirth. Design Mail-out questionnaire. Setting/Population All registered midwives in the province, and a sample of family physicians and obstetricians in a maternity care teaching hospital. Response rates: 91% (n= 50), 69% (n= 97) and 89% (n= 34), respectively. Methods A postal survey. Main outcome measures Twenty-three five-point Likert scale items (strongly agree to strongly disagree) addressing attitudes toward routine electronic fetal monitoring, induction of labour, epidural analgesia, episiotomy, doulas, vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBACs), birth centres, provision educational material, birth plans and caesarean section. Results Cluster analysis identified three distinct clusters based on similar response to the questions. The ,MW' cluster consisted of 100% of midwives and 26% of the family physicians. The ,OB' cluster was composed of 79% of the obstetricians and 16% of the family physicians. The ,FP' cluster was composed of 58% the family physicians and 21% the obstetricians. Members of the ,OB' cluster more strongly believed that women had the right to request a caesarean section without maternal/fetal indications (P < 0.001), that epidurals early in labour were not associated with development of fetal malpositions (P < 0.001) and that increasing caesarean rates were a sign of improvement in obstetrics (P < 0.001). The ,OB' cluster members were more likely to say they would induce women as soon as possible after 41 3/7 weeks of gestation (P < 0.001) and were least likely to encourage the use of birth plans (P < 0.001). The ,MW' cluster's views were the opposite of the ,OBs' while the ,FP' cluster's views fell between the ,MW' and ,OB' clusters. Conclusions In our environment, obstetricians were the most attached to technology and interventions including caesarean section and inductions, midwives the least, while family physicians fell in the middle. While generalisations can be problematic, obstetricians and midwives generally follow a defined and different approach to maternity care. Family physicians are heterogeneous, sometimes practising more like midwives and sometimes more like obstetricians. [source] Relationship of illness perceptions with depression among individuals diagnosed with lupus,DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 6 2009Errol J. Philip M.A Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of illness perceptions, as outlined in the Self-Regulatory Model of illness, with depression among individuals diagnosed with lupus. Methods: A mail-out questionnaire was completed by 154 members of the Australia Lupus Foundation and Lupus Foundation of New South Wales. Each questionnaire consisted of a Lupus Medical and Symptoms Questionnaire, the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised and the Cardiac Depression Scale. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that individuals who reported a perception of their illness as having negative life consequences, an unpredictable nature and themselves possessing little understanding of lupus, reported high levels of depression. Conclusions: This study indicated the existence of a high level of depressive symptoms among individuals diagnosed with lupus, and reinforces the need for screening procedures in chronic illness, and treatment interventions that target maladaptive illness perceptions. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Are nurses prepared for retirement?JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2008JUDITH BLAKELEY BScN Aim, This study explored various factors and income sources that registered nurses believe are important in retirement planning. Background, In many countries worldwide, many registered nurses are approaching retirement age. This raises concerns related to the level of preparedness of retiring nurses. Methods, A mail-out questionnaire was sent to 200 randomly selected nurses aged 45 and older. SPSS descriptors were used to outline the data. Multiple t -tests were conducted to test for significant differences between selected responses by staff nurses and a group of nurse managers, educators and researchers. Results, Of 124 respondents, 71% planned to retire by age 60. Only 24% had done a large amount of planning. The top four planning strategies identified were related to keeping healthy and active, both physically and mentally; a major financial planning strategy ranked fifth. Work pensions, a government pension and a personal savings plan were ranked as the top three retirement income sources. No significant differences were found between the staff nurse and manager groups on any of the items. Implications for nursing managers/conclusions, The results of this study suggest that managers' preparation for retirement is no different from that of staff nurses. All nurses may need to focus more on financial preparation, and begin the process early in their careers if they are to have a comfortable and healthy retirement. Nurse managers are in a position to advocate with senior management for early and comprehensive pre-retirement education for all nurses and to promote educational sessions among their staff. Managers may find the content of this paper helpful as they work with nurses to help them better prepare for retirement. This exploratory study adds to the limited amount of research available on the topic. [source] Addressing elder abuse: Western Australian case studyAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 1 2005Duncan Boldy Objective:,To explore the extent of elder abuse in Western Australia and associated aspects, such as the relationship of the abuser to the victim, risk factors and desirable interventions, and current knowledge and use of relevant protocols. Methods:,A mail-out questionnaire was sent to over 1000 organisations and 129 general practitioners (GPs). Recipients were asked to identify any known or suspected cases of elder abuse encountered during the previous 6 months. Results:,The estimated prevalence of elder abuse was 0.58% (in individuals 60+ years). Females and those 75 years and older were more at risk than males or those younger. Financial abuse was the most common, and frequently more than one type of abuse was suffered by the same person. The main abusers were adult children or other relatives. Conclusion:,The importance of education targeted at professionals, the general public and older people themselves was evident. Important direct interventions identified included respite care, advocacy and counselling. [source] | ||||||||||