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Everyday Practice (everyday + practice)
Selected AbstractsMaking Meaning of Everyday Practices: Parents' Attitudes toward Children's Extracurricular Activities in the United States and in ItalyANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010Tamar Kremer-Sadlik This article focuses on children's engagement in extracurricular activities from the perspective of middle-class parents in Rome, Italy, and Los Angeles, California. Analysis of parents' accounts captured in interviews and ethnographic fieldwork reveals that both sets of parents perceive activities as important for children's success. Yet Roman parents consider activities as part of "children's world," downplaying intense involvement and performance. Conversely, L.A. parents view activities as preparing children for adult life, emphasizing competition and accomplishment. ,[childhood, extracurricular activities, family, United States, Italy] [source] Antidepressant combinations: epidemiological considerationsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2005L. F. Agüera Objective:, To evaluate the treatment options in patients who do not respond appropriately to a single antidepressant alone. Method:, The medical literature was reviewed. Results:, A number of strategies are available if a patient fails to respond adequately to initial antidepressant treatment, including the combination with another psychoactive drug. Evidence published to date appears to suggest that benzodiazepines are the drugs most frequently combined with antidepressants. The combination of two antidepressants together is less common, occurring in approximately 5,15% of cases showing a poor initial response. The key figures involved in such co-prescription are psychiatrists. Conclusion:, There appears to be considerable variability in the data concerning combined prescription of antidepressants, with differences arising depending on the type of physician, the type of patient or illness and the geographical area. It is also unclear how closely research findings parallel with what doctors do in everyday practice. [source] Communist Comfort: Socialist Modernism and the Making of Cosy Homes in the Khrushchev EraGENDER & HISTORY, Issue 3 2009Susan E. Reid In the Khrushchev Era Soviet Union, housing and homemaking became widely shared preoccupations both for specialist agents of the state and for individual homemakers, as standard, prefabricated apartments were erected on a mass scale. This essay examines a series of tensions and contradictions: between mobilisation and dwelling; between the chiliasm of the official ideology of communism and the process of settling and making home in these new single-family flats; between mass-produced structures and the agency of the individual; and between the prescriptions of the state's agents and the practices of ordinary amateur homemakers, primarily women. Drawing on contemporary press and archival sources, as well as on interviews with women who moved into the newly-built apartments, the article analyses the ways in which, in authoritative discourse and in everyday practice, specialists and amateurs, primarily female homemakers, sought to transcend the antithesis of home comfort and communism. [source] Telling stories from everyday practice, an opportunity to see a bigger picture: a participatory action research project about developing discharge planningHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2009Pia Petersson RN Abstract In spite of laws, rules and routines, findings from Swedish as well as international research show that discharge planning is not a simple matter. There is considerable knowledge about discharge planning, but the quality of the actual process in practice remains poor. With this in mind, a research and developmental health and social care network decided to use participation action research to explore the discharge planning situation in order to generate new ideas for development. This paper reports on the research process and the findings about our enhanced understanding about the discharge planning situation. Story dialogue method was used. The method is based on stories from everyday practice. The stories are used as ,triggers' to ask probing questions in a dialogical and structured form. Local theory is developed to help the participants to find solutions for action in the practice. Our findings were that the discharge planning situation could be seen as a system including three interconnected areas: patient participation, practitioners' competence and organizational support. To reach good quality in discharge planning, all these three issues need to be developed, but not only as routines and forms. Rather, when developing a discharge planning situation, a system where relational aspects such as confidence and continuity are essential and thus needs to be considered. To achieve a change, the core problem needs to be clarified. When the issue is complex, the solution needs to consider the bigger picture and not just the parts. Telling stories from everyday practice, and to systematically reflect and analyse those in interprofessional groups can create opportunities for enhanced understanding, as well as be a vehicle for future change of practice. [source] A new saturated/unsaturated model for stormwater infiltration systemsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 25 2008Dale Browne Abstract Infiltration systems are widely used as an effective urban stormwater control measure. Most design methods and models roughly approximate the complex physical flow processes in these systems using empirical equations and fixed infiltration rates to calculate emptying times from full. Sophisticated variably saturated flow models are available, but rarely applied owing to their complexity. This paper describes the development and testing of an integrated one-dimensional model of flow through the porous storage of a typical infiltration system and surrounding soils. The model accounts for the depth in the storage, surrounding soil moisture conditions and the interaction between the storage and surrounding soil. It is a front-tracking model that innovatively combines a soil-moisture-based solution of Richard's equation for unsaturated flow with piston flow through a saturated zone as well as a reservoir equation for flow through a porous storage. This allows the use of a simple non-iterative numerical solution that can handle ponded infiltration into dry soils. The model is more rigorous than approximate stormwater infiltration system models and could therefore be valuable in everyday practice. A range of test cases commonly used to test soil water flow models for infiltration in unsaturated conditions, drainage from saturation and infiltration under ponded conditions were used to test the model along with an experiment with variable depth in a porous storage over saturated conditions. Results show that the model produces a good fit to the observed data, analytical solutions and Hydrus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effectiveness of simulation on health profession students' knowledge, skills, confidence and satisfactionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 3 2008Susan Laschinger Abstract Background, Despite the recent wave of interest being shown in high-fidelity simulators, they do not represent a new concept in healthcare education. Simulators have been a part of clinical education since the 1950s. The growth of patient simulation as a core educational tool has been driven by a number of factors. Declining inpatient populations, concerns for patient safety and advances in learning theory are forcing healthcare educators to look for alternatives to the traditional clinical encounter for skill acquisition for students. Objective, The aim of this review was to identify the best available evidence on the effectiveness of using simulated learning experiences in pre-licensure health profession education. Inclusion criteria,Types of studies: This review considered any experimental or quasi-experimental studies that addressed the effectiveness of using simulated learning experiences in pre-licensure health profession practice. In the absence of randomised controlled trials, other research designs were considered for inclusion, such as, but not limited to: non-randomised controlled trials and before-and-after studies. Types of participants: This review included participants who were pre-licensure practitioners in nursing, medicine, and rehabilitation therapy. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest: Studies that evaluated the use of human physical anatomical models with or without computer support, including whole-body or part-body simulators were included. Types of outcome measures, Student outcomes included knowledge acquisition, skill performance, learner satisfaction, critical thinking, self-confidence and role identity. Search strategy, Using a defined search and retrieval method, the following databases were accessed for the period 1995,2006: Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, HealthSTAR, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and ERIC. Methodological quality, Each paper was assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality prior to inclusion in the review using the standardised critical appraisal instruments for evidence of effectiveness, developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Disagreements were dealt with by consultations with a third reviewer. Data collection, Information was extracted from each paper independently by two reviewers using the standardised data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Disagreements were dealt with by consultation with a third reviewer. Data synthesis, Due to the type of designs and quality of available studies, it was not possible to pool quantitative research study results in statistical meta-analysis. As statistical pooling was not possible, the findings are presented in descriptive narrative form. Results, Twenty-three studies were selected for inclusion in this review including partial task trainers and high-fidelity human patient simulators. The results indicate that there is high learner satisfaction with using simulators to learn clinical skills. The studies demonstrated that human patient simulators which are used for teaching higher level skills, such as airway management, and physiological concepts are useful. While there are short-term gains in knowledge and skill performance, it is evident that performance of skills over time after initial training decline. Conclusion, At best, simulation can be used as an adjunct for clinical practice, not a replacement for everyday practice. Students enjoyed the sessions and using the models purportedly makes learning easier. However, it remains unclear whether the skills learned through a simulation experience transfer into real-world settings. More research is needed to evaluate whether the skills acquired with this teaching methodology transfer to the practice setting such as the impact of simulation training on team function. [source] Puzzling practice: A strategy for working with clinical practice issuesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Kenneth Walsh RPN RN BNurs PhD In this paper we aim to share the evolution of innovative ways to explore, ,unpack' and reframe clinical issues that exist in everyday practice. The elements of these processes, which we call ,puzzling practice', and the techniques associated with them, were delineated over a two year period by the four authors using action theory based processes. The authors have evolved several different frameworks for ,puzzling practice' which we draw on and use in our practice development work and in our research practice. This paper pays attention to a particular form of puzzling practice that we have found to be useful in assisting individual clinicians and teams to explore and find workable solutions to practice issues. The paper uses a semi-fictitious example of ,Puzzling Practice' gleaned from our experience as practice development facilitators. In this example ,puzzling practice' uses seven different elements; naming the issue; puzzling the issue; testing the puzzle exploring the heart of out practice; formulating the puzzle question; visualizing the future; and generating new strategies for action. Each of the elements is illustrated by the story and the key foundations and ideas behind each element is explored. [source] The management of professional roles during boundary work in child welfareINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 3 2010Christopher Hall Hall C, Slembrouck S, Haigh E, Lee A. The management of professional roles during boundary work in child welfare Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 348,357 © 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This article examines the ways in which child welfare professionals negotiate their roles and those of other professionals in home visits with clients, in this case the parents of young children. The concept of boundary work is developed within the context of the professional,client encounter. Drawing on Goffman's concept of ,footing', the analysis examines how professionals attend to ways of constructing family problems in terms of appropriate professional interventions , both from themselves and others. It is argued that the careful consideration of how problems merit interventions displays an adherence to the development of the supportive relations which move beyond strict professional remits. The article adds to the research evidence, which sees inter-professional coordination as a complex matter, located in everyday practice rather than as advocating more tightly monitored procedure. [source] A concept analysis of palliative care in the United StatesJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2004Salimah H. Meghani RN MSN CRNP Purpose., The purpose of this analysis is to trace the evolution of the concept of palliative in the United States, explicate its meanings, and draw comparisons with other related concepts such as hospice care and terminal care. Methods., Rodgers' evolutionary method was used as an organizing framework for the concept analysis. Data were collected from a review of CINAHL, MEDLINE, CANCERLIT, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts databases using ,palliative care' and ,United States' as keywords. Articles written in the English language, with an abstract, published between 1965 and 2003 were considered. Data were synthesized to identify attributes, antecedents and consequences of palliative care. Findings., There has been a significant evolution in understanding of the palliative care concept in the United States over the last few decades, which has resulted in the emergence of new models of palliative care. Four attributes of the current palliative care concept were identified: (1) total, active and individualized patient care, (2) support for the family, (3) interdisciplinary teamwork and (4) effective communication. Results reinforce that cure and palliation are not mutually exclusive categories. Conclusions., The scope of palliative care has evolved to include a wide range of patient populations who may not be appropriately termed ,dying' but for whom alleviation of suffering and improvement of quality of life may be very relevant goals. The ultimate success of the new models of palliative care will eventually rest upon the commitment of health professionals to recognize and integrate the changing concept of palliative care into everyday practice. [source] Incongruence between nurses' and patients' understandings and expectations of rehabilitationJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 12 2009Julie Pryor Aims and objectives., To explore nurses' understandings and expectations of rehabilitation and nurses' perceptions of patients' understandings and expectations of rehabilitation. Background., Within the context of a broadening appreciation of the benefits of rehabilitation, interest in the nature of rehabilitation is growing. Some believe that rehabilitation services do not adequately meet the needs of patients. Others are interested in the readiness of patients to participate in rehabilitation. Design., Qualitative. Method., Grounded theory using data collected during interviews with nurses in five inpatient rehabilitation units and during observation of the nurses' everyday practice. Findings., According to nurses working in inpatient rehabilitation units, there is a marked incongruence between nurses' understandings and expectations of rehabilitation and what they perceive patients to understand and expect. Conclusion., Given these different understandings, an important nursing role is the education of patients about the nature of rehabilitation and how to optimise their rehabilitation. Relevance to clinical practice., Before patients are transferred to rehabilitation, the purpose and nature of rehabilitation, in particular the roles of patients and nurses, needs to be explained to them. The understandings of rehabilitation that nurses in this study possessed provide a framework for the design of education materials and orientation programmes that inform patients (and their families) about rehabilitation. In addition, reinforcement of the differences between acute care and rehabilitation will assist patients new to rehabilitation to understand the central role that they themselves can play in their recovery. [source] The interplay between learning and the use of ICT in Rwandan student teachers' everyday practiceJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 6 2009E. Mukama Abstract The paper describes a study conducted in Rwanda involving 12 participants selected from a larger cohort of 24 final-year university students who were part of a group-based training programme. The programme was about how to search, retrieve, and use web-based literature. Empirical data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The purpose was to explore ways of using information and communication technology (ICT) in student teachers' everyday learning practice. The study draws from a sociocultural perspective and emphasis is put on a literature review involving ICT in teacher education. The findings reveal that utilization of ICT pertains to three major types of variation among student teachers who use ICT: passive, reluctant, and active users. The active ICT users demonstrated a capacity to cross group boundaries and play a central role as agents of change in learning practice. The point is that more experienced student teachers can assist their colleagues in the zone of proximal development and, therefore, enhance the integration of the new technology in teacher education. This implies that having access to ICT together with some instruction is not sufficient to prompt students to start using this technology as a pedagogical tool. Moreover, confrontation of different experiences regarding the use of ICT can spearhead change in student teachers' learning practice through critical reflection. [source] Computation of an extractive distillation column with affine arithmeticAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2009Ali Baharev Abstract The need of reliably solving systems of nonlinear equations often arises in the everyday practice of chemical engineering. In general, standard methods cannot provide theoretical guarantee for convergence to a solution, cannot reliably find multiple solutions, and cannot prove nonexistence of solutions. Interval methods provide tools to overcome these problems, thus achieving reliability. To the authors' best knowledge, computation of distillation columns with interval methods have not yet been considered in the literature. This article presents significant enhancements compared with a previously published interval method of the authors. The proposed branch-and-prune algorithm is guaranteed to converge, and is fairly general at the same time. If no solution exists then this information is provided by the method as a result. Power of the suggested method is demonstrated by solving, with guaranteed convergence, even the MESH equations of a 22 stage extractive distillation column with a ternary mixture. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Assessment of bruxism in the clinic,JOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 7 2008K. KOYANO Summary, Bruxism is a much-discussed clinical issue in dentistry. Although bruxism is not a life-threatening disorder, it can influence the quality of human life, especially through dental problems, such as tooth wear, frequent fractures of dental restorations and pain in the oro-facial region. Therefore, various clinical methods have been devised to assess bruxism over the last 70 years. This paper reviews the assessment of bruxism, provides information on various assessment methods which are available in clinical situations and discusses their effectiveness and usefulness. Currently, there is no definitive method for assessing bruxism clinically that has reasonable diagnostic and technical validity, affects therapeutic decisions and is cost effective. One future direction is to refine questionnaire items and clinical examination because they are the easiest to apply in everyday practice. Another possible direction is to establish a method that can measure actual bruxism activity directly using a device that can be applied to patients routinely. More clinical studies should examine the clinical impact of bruxism on oral structures, treatment success and the factors influencing the decision-making process in dental treatment. [source] An outcome study on complications using routine ultrasound assistance for internal jugular vein cannulationACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 10 2007M. Lamperti Background:, Ultrasound guidance for central venous cannulation is advised by recent guidelines, but is not being applied in everyday practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the reduction in complications when applying an ultrasound locating device for internal jugular vein catheterization. Methods:, An observational study was conducted from November 2004 to October 2005 in a tertiary neurosurgical hospital on 300 patients undergoing internal jugular vein cannulation using an ultrasound technique. Patients were not randomized and operators were trained using theoretical and practical courses. Prior to the study, the investigators, who were consultant anaesthesiologists, had to perform at least 20 successful supervised cannulations. Results:, Cannulation was successful in all cases. The incidence of arterial puncture was 2.7%, and multiple venous punctures represented the main minor complication (14%). Bivariate analysis of the overall complications revealed no significant correlation with age group, American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) classification, body mass index, or position and diameter of the vein. Conclusions:, Ultrasound cannulation of the internal jugular vein minimized complications. These could be avoided when new ultrasound probes and specific needles are introduced. [source] Adherence to treatment in patients with psoriasisJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 4 2006HL Richards Abstract Non-adherence to medication is a chronic problem that impacts on healthcare professionals and patients alike. In psoriasis, a condition that presents patients with frequent and disabling physical, psychological and social effects, studies consistently suggest that up to 40% of patients do not use their medication as directed. Thus it is probable that poor adherence contaminates the clinical picture of response effectiveness in everyday practice. This educational paper reviews research that investigates adherence to medication in patients with psoriasis. It provides an overview of contributing factors and mediating variables. It is proposed that three specific facets appear to optimize patient adherence: an effective doctor,patient relationship; optimism with the treatment prescribed; and a limited ,nuisance' value of treatment in terms of side-effects and hassle of use. Various strategies to address adherence are suggested and it is argued that in order to enhance our understanding of adherence in patients with psoriasis, there needs to be an increasing focus on patients' beliefs about their condition and its management. [source] Implementing a postcolonial feminist perspective in nursing research related to non-Western populationsNURSING INQUIRY, Issue 2 2003Louise Racine Implementing a postcolonial feminist perspective in nursing research related to non-Western populations In this article, I argue that implementing a postcolonial feminist perspective in nursing research transcends the limitations of modern cultural theories in exploring the health problems of non-Western populations. Providing nursing care in pluralist countries like Canada remains a challenge for nurses. First, nurses must reflect on their ethnic background and stereotypes that may impinge on the understanding of cultural differences. Second, dominant health ideologies that underpin nurses' everyday practice and the structural barriers that may constrain the utilization of public healthcare services by non-Western populations must be further examined. Postcolonial feminism is aimed at addressing health inequities stemming from social discriminative practices. I will draw on extant literature and data of an ongoing ethnography exploring the Haitian caregivers' ways of caring for ageing relatives at home to unveil how the larger social and cultural world has an impact on caregivers' everyday lives. Marginalized locations represent privileged sites from which health problems, intersecting with power, race, gender, and social classes, can be addressed. Postcolonial feminism provides the analytic lens to look at the impact of these factors in shaping health experiences. It also suggests redirecting nursing cultural research and practice to achieve social justice in the healthcare system. [source] How can everyday practical knowledge be understood with inspiration from philosophy?NURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 2 2006Else Lykkeslet rn dr. polit Abstract, Many nursing scholars are inspired by philosophy when investigating phenomena within nursing. This paper focuses on the everyday practical knowledge of nurses. Based on an empirical project carried out in a surgical ward the authors make an attempt, with help from philosophy, at identifying and conceptualizing elements of knowledge in everyday practice. With reference to texts by Heidegger and Wittgenstein the authors investigate two dimensions of nursing knowledge: a dimension of doing and a dimension of being. These dimensions are further developed and concretized in the paper. The doing dimension is emphasized through the concepts of adapting and exploring. The being dimension has its basis in being understanding and being connected. These two dimensions constitute a form of knowledge which is mobile and flexible. This knowledge is in place in everyday situations and it works where it is supposed to work. [source] Evidence-guided approaches to addressing child obesity: What approaches can dietitians use in their everyday practice?NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 3 2007Anthony D. Okely EdD, BEd (Hons) [source] Bilateral Treatment for Alopecia AreataPEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Daniele Torchia M.D. Anthralin 0.1% cream was prescribed for the left side of the scalp, while corticosteroids for the right side. After 4 months, only the right side of the scalp showed hair regrowth. Half-side strategy, that is, treating one side and managing the other , divided by the mid sagittal suture , as an internal control for no treatment, placebo or other treatment, has been commonly used in clinical studies for decades. In everyday practice, bilateral treatment is useful to evaluate the responsiveness to two topically delivered interventions and diminishes the time necessary to identify an effective one. [source] Prevalence of cholinesterase inhibitors in subjects with dementia in Europe,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 7 2008Antoine Pariente MD Abstract Purpose To evaluate the prevalence of cholinesterase inhibitor (ChI) treatment in subjects with dementia in European countries. Methods We studied the prevalence of treatment in subjects with dementia among European countries in 2004 (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom) by using estimates of prevalence of dementia and of ChI treatments according to sales and reimbursement data. Results In 2004, estimated prevalence of ChI use among subjects with dementia ranged from 3.0% in the Netherlands to 20.3% in France. It was 17.5% in Spain, 6.7% in the UK and 5.9% in Italy. Donepezil was used by more than 60% of patients using a single ChI and represented almost 50% of reimbursements for patients that had used at least two different ChIs during the year. Galantamine and rivastigmine were respectively used by 22 and 18% of subjects using a single drug and 27 and 23% of reimbursements for patients that had used at least two different ChIs. Nevertheless, different patterns of use were found for individual countries. Conclusions Prevalence of treatment by ChIs among subjects with dementia remains weak and varies greatly across Europe. Differences in reimbursement rates and health policies could partly explain these variations, as ChIs could have failed to convince health authorities because the outcomes considered for trials are not used by clinicians in their everyday practice. If donepezil was highly predominant across countries, variations in rivastigmine and galantamine importance could reflect local market specificities. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Beyond a code of ethics: phenomenological ethics for everyday practicePHYSIOTHERAPY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010Bruce Greenfield Abstract Physical therapy, like all health-care professions, governs itself through a code of ethics that defines its obligations of professional behaviours. The code of ethics provides professions with a consistent and common moral language and principled guidelines for ethical actions. Yet, and as argued in this paper, professional codes of ethics have limits applied to ethical decision-making in the presence of ethical dilemmas. Part of the limitations of the codes of ethics is that there is no particular hierarchy of principles that govern in all situations. Instead, the exigencies of clinical practice, the particularities of individual patient's illness experiences and the transformative nature of chronic illnesses and disabilities often obscure the ethical concerns and issues embedded in concrete situations. Consistent with models of expert practice, and with contemporary models of patient-centred care, we advocate and describe in this paper a type of interpretative and narrative approach to moral practice and ethical decision-making based on phenomenology. The tools of phenomenology that are well defined in research are applied and examined in a case that illustrates their use in uncovering the values and ethical concerns of a patient. Based on the deconstruction of this case on a phenomenologist approach, we illustrate how such approaches for ethical understanding can help assist clinicians and educators in applying principles within the context and needs of each patient. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Magic of the Populace: An Ethnography of Illegibility in the South African Immigration BureaucracyPOLAR: POLITICAL AND LEGAL ANTHROPOLOGY REVIEW, Issue 1 2010Colin Hoag Recent anthropological accounts of the state have demonstrated the potential for danger or illegibility in the public's encounter with the state. Much of this work has taken the perspective of the public, however, and less has been said about how functionaries of the state perceive their interactions with the public. This perspectival bias needs to be overcome through ethnographies of the state and of state bureaucracies in everyday practice. This article examines the Immigration Services Branch of the South African Department of Home Affairs, a state bureaucracy widely deemed "illegible" by South Africans and non-South Africans alike. It documents some of the factors that inform the actions of street-level bureaucrats, illustrating how bureaucrats develop systems of meaning to help them mitigate the challenges posed by an unpredictable populace and management hierarchy. These systems serve to stabilize these two unstable entities, but they also enable officials to act in ways that might run counter to official discourse while simultaneously upholding its legitimacy. Their stabilization efforts therefore incite a destabilization of the state, leading it to appear as "magical" or "illegible" to the public. [source] Assessment of psychiatric patients' competency to give informed consent: Legal safeguard of civil right to autonomous decision-makingPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2000Toshinori Kitamura FRCPSYCH Abstract Amendment of the Mental Health and Welfare Law in Japan will limit admission for medical care and protection only for those individuals who are incapable of giving consent to admission. This is a first in the history of the Japanese mental health legislation. By reviewing the law and psychiatric literature, it is argued that: (i) informed consent is a legal transaction that embodies the idea of an individual's right to autonomous decision-making in medical settings; (ii) health professionals have a duty to protect those individuals who cannot decide medical matters because of lack of capacity to do so; (iii) some patients are marginally incompetent so assessment of their competency is essential in protecting patients' civil rights; (iv) in order for a competency assessment to be reliable (and hence fair) the method should be psychometrically sound; (v) at the same time, in order for a competency assessment to be valid, the structure of a competency assessment should match the patient's psychological, cultural, and social background; and (vi) because informed consent is a process rather than a cross-sectional event, a competency assessment should be performed in everyday practice. The use of a brief and semistructured interview to assess patients' competency to give informed consent may meet all of the requirements described. [source] Existential concerns among patients with cancer and interventions to meet them: an integrative literature reviewPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Ingela Henoch Abstract Objectives: An integrative literature review was undertaken to explore existential concerns among patients with cancer with respect to components, related concepts and targets of interventions. Methods: Comprehensive searches in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Social Citation Index, SweMed+, Eurethics, NLM Gateway, Faculty of 1000 Medicine, Cochrane Library, EMBACE were undertaken. Each paper was read and classified according to design as descriptive qualitative, descriptive quantitative or interventional. Main themes, interventions and outcomes were identified. Results: The searches yielded a total of 162 articles, of which 109 met inclusion criteria. Existential components from the qualitative studies were divided into two main themes: struggle to maintain self-identity and threats to self-identity. Quantitative studies mainly concerned relationships between existential concerns and other concepts. Interventions and assessed outcomes were consistent with components and relationships found in the descriptive studies. Relationships concerned physical and psychological domains; however, few interventions were evaluated against physical outcomes. No interventions applicable to everyday health-care practice were found. Conclusion: Interventions targeted and evaluated concepts related to existential concerns found in the descriptive studies. Gaps in research on existential concerns in patients with cancer include the need to clarify the concept; how patients' existential well-being may best be supported by health-care professionals in everyday practice; effects of existential interventions on physical symptoms; and stability of results of interventions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] At the birth of second century sociology: times of reflexivity, spaces of identity, and nodes of knowledgeTHE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Göran Therborn ABSTRACT The sociology of the next century is likely to differ from that of the twentieth century. The current situation and the future prospects of sociology are assessed by spelling out the trajectory over the past century of sociology's predominant assumptions about the character and direction of the social world and of its own task of cognition. Sociology is located in three spaces of identity: a space of disciplines, a stage of everyday practice, and a space of imagination and investigation. From the cosmological, epistemological, and spatial trajectories some indications of a new, very different future of sociology are given. Finally, a way of preserving and developing the legacy of first century sociology is presented, in the form of nodes of knowledge, central to a ,typical' sociological approach to the social. [source] Patients' Sexual Health: A Qualitative Research Approach on Greek Nurses' PerceptionsTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009Evangelia Nakopoulou MSc ABSTRACT Introduction., Health care professionals, especially nurses, through their contact with patients, play an important role in encouraging discussions about sexual concerns. Aim., To explore perceptions on sexual health issues and how these might inhibit or enhance Greek nurses' ability to incorporate sexual health assessment into everyday practice. Main Outcome Measures., A discussion guide was used as checklist to ensure that the basic issues would be addressed. Topics related to the areas of interest were either brought up from the participants or introduced by the moderator. Methods., The study recruited a purposive sample of 44 Greek staff nurses (SN) attending a course leading to their professional upgrading. A qualitative research design was employed using seven focus groups. Discussions started with nurses' perceived definitions of sexual health and proceeded with open-ended questions. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis based on the principles of grounded theory. Results., Three central themes were identified from transcripts' thematic analysis: subjective perception of sexual health, discussing sexual problems, and educational and training needs. Participants' perceptions of sexual health centred mainly on the emotional and somatic dimensions. Regarding clinical practice, a variety of personal and contextual reasons limit nurses' willingness to talk about sexuality with patients, such as gender and age differences, familial upbringing, lack of time and privacy, and restricted perception of nursing role. All nurses stressed the need for further specialized training not only in physiology issues related to sexuality, but also most importantly in communication skills. Conclusions., Although Greek nurses acknowledge the importance of sexual health assessment, they believe that sexual history taking is not within the range of their professional tasks. Since holistic care demands sexual health assessment and intervention to be an integral part of nursing practice, it is necessary to introduce courses in their curriculum and experiential workshops addressing the multidimensionality of sexuality. Nakopoulou E, Papaharitou S, and Hatzichristou D. Patients' sexual health: A qualitative research approach on Greek nurses' perceptions. J Sex Med 2009;6:2124,2132. [source] Kneading life: women and the celebration of the dead in the Ecuadorian AndesTHE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 2 2008Emilia Ferraro This article analyses the celebration of the dead in the Quichua village of Pesillo, in the Northern Andes of Ecuador. My aim is to present a view of these celebrations from the viewpoint of the women participating in them. Unlike classical approaches to death in the Andes, my analysis presents the commemoration of the dead ,from the kitchen', in order to make room for women's elaborations of death and the deceased that previous analyses have neglected. My focus is therefore not on agriculture but on conviviality and everyday practice. Résumé L'auteur analyse la commémoration des morts dans le village quechua de Pesillo, dans le nord des Andes équatoriennes. Son but est de décrire les célébrations du point de vue des femmes qui y participent. À la différence des approches classiques de la mort dans les Andes, l'analyse de l'auteur présente la commémoration des morts « vue de la cuisine », pour faire place à l'élaboration de la mort et des défunts par les femmes, que les analyses antérieures ont négligée. L'attention se porte ici non pas sur l'agriculture, mais sur la convivialité et les pratiques quotidiennes. [source] The Tyranny of Diagnosis: Specific Entities and Individual ExperienceTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2002Charles E. Rosenberg Diagnosis has always played a pivotal role in medical practice, but in the past two centuries, that role has been reconfigured and has become more central as medicine,like Western society in general,has become increasingly technical, specialized, and bureaucratized. Disease explanations and clinical practices have incorporated, paralleled, and, in some measure, constituted these larger structural changes. This modern history of diagnosis is inextricably related to disease specificity, to the notion that diseases can and should be thought of as entities existing outside the unique manifestations of illness in particular men and women. During the past century especially, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment have been linked ever more tightly to specific, agreed-upon disease categories, in both concept and everyday practice. In fact, this essay might have been entitled "Diagnosis Mediates an Invisible Revolution: The Social and Intellectual Significance of Specific Disease Concepts." It would have been even more precise, if rather less arresting. The articulation and acceptance of specific disease entities constitute one of the most important intellectual and cultural events of the past two centuries. This notion is central to how we organize health care delivery, think about ourselves, debate and formulate social policy, and define and manage deviance. Diagnosis is indispensable to linking specific disease concepts with doctor and patient and the social and economic institutions shaping such clinical interactions. Disease is a social entity, not an array of ideal types. The history of medicine is partly the story of how disease entities have become social entities, accumulating the flesh of diagnostic and therapeutic practice, social expectation, and bureaucratic reification. Despite criticism of reductionist medicine in the West and less focus on disease entities and mechanisms, our social response still depends on this concept of sickness. But this concept can no longer remain invisible if we are to understand contemporary medicine as both a social and a technological system. The articulation and acceptance of specific disease entities constitute one of the most important intellectual and cultural events of the past two centuries. This notion is central to how we organize health care delivery, think about ourselves, debate and formulate social policy, and define and manage deviance. Diagnosis is indispensable to linking specific disease concepts with doctor and patient and the social and economic institutions shaping such clinical interactions. Disease is a social entity, not an array of ideal types. The history of medicine is partly the story of how disease entities have become social entities, accumulating the flesh of diagnostic and therapeutic practice, social expectation, and bureaucratic reification. Despite criticism of reductionist medicine in the West and less focus on disease entities and mechanisms, our social response still depends on this concept of sickness. But this concept can no longer remain invisible if we are to understand contemporary medicine as both a social and a technological system. The articulation and acceptance of specific disease entities constitute one of the most important intellectual and cultural events of the past two centuries. This notion is central to how we organize health care delivery, think about ourselves, debate and formulate social policy, and define and manage deviance. Diagnosis is indispensable to linking specific disease concepts with doctor and patient and the social and economic institutions shaping such clinical interactions. Disease is a social entity, not an array of ideal types. The history of medicine is partly the story of how disease entities have become social entities, accumulating the flesh of diagnostic and therapeutic practice, social expectation, and bureaucratic reification. Despite criticism of reductionist medicine in the West and less focus on disease entities and mechanisms, our social response still depends on this concept of sickness. But this concept can no longer remain invisible if we are to understand contemporary medicine as both a social and a technological system. The articulation and acceptance of specific disease entities constitute one of the most important intellectual and cultural events of the past two centuries. This notion is central to how we organize health care delivery, think about ourselves, debate and formulate social policy, and define and manage deviance. Diagnosis is indispensable to linking specific disease concepts with doctor and patient and the social and economic institutions shaping such clinical interactions. Disease is a social entity, not an array of ideal types. The history of medicine is partly the story of how disease entities have become social entities, accumulating the flesh of diagnostic and therapeutic practice, social expectation, and bureaucratic reification. Despite criticism of reductionist medicine in the West and less focus on disease entities and mechanisms, our social response still depends on this concept of sickness. But this concept can no longer remain invisible if we are to understand contemporary medicine as both a social and a technological system. [source] Becoming "One Who Treats": A Case Study of a Luo Healer and Her Grandson in Western KenyaANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2001Ruth Prince Using a case study of a healer and her grandson, this article shows how learning to heal is embedded in the close relationship of reciprocity and care between grandmother and grandchild in Luo society. Through shared daily life with his grandmother, the child develops social sense, respect, and compassion for people, as well as practical skills. By showing that learning to heal is not only embedded in everyday practice and in social relations, but is also a moral and emotional process, this article contributes to sociocultural theories of learning and to ethnographic accounts of childhood in Africa. [source] Abdominal adhesion prevention, time to change our everyday practice?ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 5 2010Chris IW Lauder MBCHB, MRCS(Ed) No abstract is available for this article. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||