Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Patient's Situation (patient + situation)
Selected AbstractsNurses' decision-making in collecting information for the assessment of patients' nursing problemsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 2 2002TARJA JUNNOLA MNSc ,,The paper addresses two questions: Firstly, what kind of information do nurses acquire from cancer patients for purposes of judging their patients' problems and preparing a care plan? Secondly, how systematically do nurses proceed in the decision-making process from the formulation of initial assumptions about the patient's situation to the final definition of problems? ,,The instrument used for data collection was a computer-simulated case description compiled by a team of four nursing researchers and one medical researcher. The case description was based on a real patient history. ,,The sample consisted of 107 Registered Nurses on four oncology, two internal medicine and five surgical wards of two central university hospitals in Finland. Data were collected in autumn 1998 and spring 1999 using a laptop computer and a tape recorder. ,,The four most important problems identified by nurses at baseline were pain (85%), pain medication (59%), family situation (66%) and spread of cancer (49%). Presented with a list of 23 options, they obtained additional information on average on 13 areas. Almost one-third collected information from 16 to 22 areas. On average nurses identified 12 of the 28 nursing problems specified. A statistically significant association was observed between information acquisition and problem definition in seven different variables. These had to do with pain, general condition and prognosis. ,,Nurses adequately prioritized their patients' problems and systematically collected data on those problems. On the other hand they also identified a number of problems that were not relevant to the situation. [source] Value choices and considerations when limiting intensive care treatment: a qualitative studyACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009K. HALVORSEN Background: To shed light on the values and considerations that affect the decision-making processes and the decisions to limit intensive care treatment. Method: Qualitative methodology with participant observation and in-depth interviews, with an emphasis on eliciting the underlying rationale of the clinicians' actions and choices when limiting treatment. Results: Informants perceived over-treatment in intensive care medicine as a dilemma. One explanation was that the decision-making base was somewhat uncertain, complex and difficult. The informants claimed that those responsible for taking decisions from the admitting ward prolonged futile treatment because they may bear guilt or responsibility for something that had gone wrong during the course of treatment. The assessments of the patient's situation made by physicians from the admitting ward were often more organ-oriented and the expectations were less realistic than those of clinicians in the intensive care unit who frequently had a more balanced and overall perspective. Aspects such as the personality and the speciality of those involved, the culture of the unit and the degree of interdisciplinary cooperation were important issues in the decision-making processes. Conclusion: Under-communicated considerations jeopardise the principle of equal treatment. If intensive care patients are to be ensured equal treatment, strategies for interdisciplinary, transparent and appropriate decision-making processes must be developed in which open and hidden values are rendered visible, power structures disclosed, employees respected and the various perspectives of the treatment given their legitimate place. [source] Low-Cost Pulsatile Cardiac Assist Device With Compliant Input ChamberARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 2 2010Juan Del Cañizo Abstract We propose a new, low-cost pulsatile ventricular assist device (VAD) for short-term applications. The new device could prove very useful in emergency ventricular failure in which patient survival is not assured. In these cases, the device allows ventricular function to be maintained as the patient's situation is evaluated and a decision is made on whether to perform a heart transplant or to replace the device with a long-term VAD. The device has a pneumatic tubular blood chamber, clip valves over the cannulae, and a compliant input chamber that improves filling of the pump. Clip valves and all other functions of the device are controlled by means of a computerized console. The use of clip valves reduces the cost of the disposable part of the device. [source] Is nurse,patient agreement of importance to cancer nurses' satisfaction with care?JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2010Gunilla Mårtensson mårtensson g., carlsson m. & lampic c. (2010) Is nurse,patient agreement of importance to cancer nurses' satisfaction with care? Journal of Advanced Nursing66(3), 573,582. Abstract Aim., This paper is a report of a study of situational (nurse,patient agreement), personal and occupational factors of potential importance to oncology nurses' satisfaction with care provided and general work satisfaction. Background., Nurses have a general tendency to attribute to patients with cancer more problems and suffering than patients themselves report. However, little is known about whether dis/agreement between oncology nurses and patients with cancer concerning perceptions of patients' situation is of importance to nurses' satisfaction with their work. Methods., The study had a comparative and prospective design. Data were collected in 2005 using self-administrated questionnaires with 81 consecutively recruited nurse,patient pairs. Data were analysed with non-parametric tests (for comparison between subgroups) and with multiple regression analyses (for identifying predictors). Results., Initial nurse,patient agreement concerning patients' emotional distress, coping resources and quality of life did not appear to be important to nurses' subsequent satisfaction with the care directed at a specific patient. However, higher satisfaction with care provided as well as general work satisfaction was reported by nurses with more experience of cancer care and with a lower workload. Conclusion., To improve oncology nurses' opportunities to provide high quality cancer care, novice nurses and advanced beginners in particular should receive support and nurses' working conditions must be improved. Further research is needed to examine whether there are other aspects of the nurse,patient relationship that contribute to oncology nurses' satisfaction with the care provided to specific patients. [source] | ||||||||||