Healthcare Practitioners (healthcare + practitioner)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 7 2010
Bjørg Oftedal
oftedal b., karlsen b. & bru e. (2010) Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(7), 1500,1509. Abstract Title.,Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes. Aim., This paper is a report of a study of how adults with type 2 diabetes perceive different attributes of support provided by healthcare practitioners and how various attributes of support can influence people's motivation to self-manage their disease. Background., Motivational problems seem to be a major reason for poor diabetes management. According to well-known theories of motivation, expectations of being able to perform certain behaviours are a key element. Different attributes of support from healthcare practitioners are likely to influence such expectations. To date, no researchers have specifically examined how people with type 2 diabetes perceive different attributes of support from healthcare practitioners and how these may influence their motivation to manage their disease themselves. Methods., A descriptive/explorative qualitative design and focus groups were used to collect data. The sample consisted of 19 adults with type 2 diabetes, and the data were collected in 2007 and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings., Five themes were identified, reflecting perceived attributes of support from healthcare practitioners: (1) an empathetic approach, (2) practical advice and information, (3) involvement in decision-making, (4) accurate and individualized information and (5) ongoing group-based support. Conclusion., Healthcare practitioners may strengthen the self-management motivation among adults with type 2 diabetes by enhancing expectations of being able to perform the necessary diabetes care, and through the provision of empathetic, individualized, practical and ongoing group-based support. [source]


The development of an ePortfolio for life-long reflective learning and auditable professional certification

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2009
R. L. Kardos
Abstract Recent legislative changes, that affect all healthcare practitioners in New Zealand, have resulted in mandatory audits of practitioners who are now required to provide evidence of competence and continued professional development in the form of a professional portfolio. These changes were the motivation for our development of an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) suitable for both undergraduate and life-long learning. Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) students, studying to qualify as Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists, and BOH teaching staff (who held registrations in Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy and Dentistry) trialled the use of a personal ePortfolio for advancing their academic and professional development. The ePortfolio enables BOH students to collect evidence of their achievements and personal reflections throughout their 3 years of undergraduate study, culminating in registration and the award of an Annual Practising Certificate (APC). The ePortfolio was designed to allow users to store information and then select appropriate material to be displayed or published, thus assisting health practitioners to present high-quality evidence of their participation and achievements, and to meet the professional requirements for their APC. [source]


Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 7 2010
Bjørg Oftedal
oftedal b., karlsen b. & bru e. (2010) Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(7), 1500,1509. Abstract Title.,Perceived support from healthcare practitioners among adults with type 2 diabetes. Aim., This paper is a report of a study of how adults with type 2 diabetes perceive different attributes of support provided by healthcare practitioners and how various attributes of support can influence people's motivation to self-manage their disease. Background., Motivational problems seem to be a major reason for poor diabetes management. According to well-known theories of motivation, expectations of being able to perform certain behaviours are a key element. Different attributes of support from healthcare practitioners are likely to influence such expectations. To date, no researchers have specifically examined how people with type 2 diabetes perceive different attributes of support from healthcare practitioners and how these may influence their motivation to manage their disease themselves. Methods., A descriptive/explorative qualitative design and focus groups were used to collect data. The sample consisted of 19 adults with type 2 diabetes, and the data were collected in 2007 and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings., Five themes were identified, reflecting perceived attributes of support from healthcare practitioners: (1) an empathetic approach, (2) practical advice and information, (3) involvement in decision-making, (4) accurate and individualized information and (5) ongoing group-based support. Conclusion., Healthcare practitioners may strengthen the self-management motivation among adults with type 2 diabetes by enhancing expectations of being able to perform the necessary diabetes care, and through the provision of empathetic, individualized, practical and ongoing group-based support. [source]


Crossing boundaries, re-defining care: the role of the critical care outreach team

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3 2002
MAUREEN COOMBS BSc MSc PhD RN
,,There is clear indication that both government and professional policy in the United Kingdom supports a radical change in the role of healthcare practitioners, with a move towards a patient-focused service delivered by clinical teams working effectively together. ,,Recent health service imperatives driving the agenda for flexible clinical teams have occurred simultaneously with an increased public and political awareness of deficits in availability of critical care services. ,,Against this policy backdrop, working across professional and organizational boundaries is fundamental to supporting quality service improvements. In the acute care sector, the development of critical care outreach teams is an innovation that seeks to challenge the traditional support available for sick ward patients. ,,Activity data and observations from the first 6-month evaluation of two critical care outreach teams identify the need for clinical support and education offered by critical care practitioners to ward-based teams. ,,The experiences from such flexible clinical teams provides a foundation from which to explore key issues for intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary working across clinical areas and organizational boundaries. ,,Adopting innovative approaches to care delivery, such as critical care outreach teams, can enable clinical teams and NHS trusts to work together to improve the quality of care for acutely ill patients, support clinical practitioners working with this client group, and develop proactive service planning. [source]


Mental health nursing students' experience of stress: burdened by a heavy load

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 4 2009
M. FREEBURN msc pgrad dip bsc(hons) rpn rnt
This paper reports research outcomes of a study into personal stress experienced by mental health student nurses undertaking a diploma programme in Ireland. It uses a phenomenological research approach. The sample was purposive and involved in-depth interviews with six students. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the knowledge of the impact of personal life stressors. Findings from this study focus on the following themes: event, meaning, effects, ability to move beyond the stress, influence on life and constraints and demands. Key points arising are that the stress experience does impact students' internal and external worlds, potentially lessening functioning and inhibiting growth and development. This paper presents student narratives that offer insights into their inner worlds, providing true accounts of the essence of stress for them. This knowledge has implications for lecturers, personal tutors, nurse educationalists and nursing curricula, highlighting need for more proactive approaches to the provision of guidance on professional support for students and staff. Insights derived from this study are relevant not only to mental health nurse education but also to academic staff delivering professional education programmes to healthcare practitioners in a variety of settings. [source]


The relationship between risk and insight in a high-security forensic setting

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2003
P. WOODS RMN phDDip Health Care Research
It is often intimated amongst practitioners in mental healthcare that clients who display poor insight either into their mental health or behaviour present a greater risk either to themselves or others. This paper reports relationships found between the risk and insight subscales of the Behavioural Status Index. This is an instrument designed specifically for healthcare practitioners to measure health functioning amongst mental health clients, in particular those in forensic mental healthcare. Data were collected, using a repeated measures method by primary nurses, from a sample of 503 patients in two high-security mental health hospitals. Seven factors emerged through factor analysis. The first of these contained all the insight items. Significant differences were found on a number of factors between independent groups. Generally, results indicate that patients on lower dependency wards scored more normatively on the factors, adding to instrument validity. Men were found to score more normatively than women. Clinical practice implications and ongoing European studies examining the use of the instrument in clinical practice and its association with treatment planning are discussed. [source]


Recognizing health risks in childhood cancer survivors

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 3 2005
Mary Baron Nelson MS
Purpose To provide information about the special health needs of childhood cancer survivors through a discussion of Wilms' tumor, a common childhood renal tumor, and case studies of two survivors of Wilms' tumor, who encountered significant health problems as adults. This information may be generalized to many cancer survivors. Data sources Actual case studies as well as extensive review of the current literature on childhood cancer survivorship. Conclusions Adult healthcare practitioners may help to decrease morbidity of childhood cancer survivors in adulthood when they are knowledgeable about the risks of this population. Resources are readily available, both in the medical literature and on the Internet. Implications for practice With well-established success in the treatment of childhood cancer, there are many young and middle-aged adult survivors of the disease. However, as many as two-thirds of survivors may have chronic long-term effects of treatment. Most survivors eventually discontinue follow-up with their pediatric oncologists and receive primary health care from adult providers, many of whom are unaware of survivors' health risks. Awareness of primary care providers regarding the special health needs of childhood cancer survivors is critical to decrease morbidity and improve quality of life. The ever-increasing number of childhood cancer survivors is creating a public health issue as they transition into adulthood. [source]


Therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids: implications for oral medicine

ORAL DISEASES, Issue 5 2006
SK Baid
Glucocorticoids can cause adverse systemic side-effects ranging from iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome during treatment, to hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal axis suppression and clinically significant adrenal insufficiency when the agents are discontinued. While the oral route of administration is most often implicated, it is now becoming more apparent that inhaled and topical administration also can cause these effects. Given the high therapeutic value of glucocorticoids, the ability to prescribe these agents while maintaining a low risk-to-benefit ratio for patients is critical. The aim of this review is to provide oral healthcare practitioners with a practical guide to commonly used glucocorticoids, their adverse effects, and perioperative use. [source]