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Key Themes (key + themes)
Selected AbstractsGOVERNANCE AND CHARITIES: AN EXPLORATION OF KEY THEMES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH AGENDAFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2009Noel Hyndman The concept of governance has been widely discussed in both the business and non-business sectors. The debate has also been entered into within the charity sector, which comprises over 169,000 organizations in the UK. The UK-based Charity Commission, which describes itself as existing to ,promote sound governance and accountability', has taken a lead in this debate by promoting greater regulation and producing numerous recommendations with regard to the proper governance of charitable organizations. However, the concept of what is meant by governance is unclear and a myriad of ideas are placed under the umbrella of ,good governance'. This paper explores the major themes that form the basis of much of this discussion, examining both the theoretical underpinnings and empirical investigations relating to this area (looking from the perspective of the key stakeholders in the charity sector). Based on an analysis of the extant literature, this paper presents a broad definition of governance with respect to charities and outlines a future research agenda for those interested in adding to knowledge in this area [source] Evolving pathways , Key Themes in Evolutionary Developmental BiologyJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009W. Dohle No abstract is available for this article. [source] The Messiness of Everyday Life: Exploring Key Themes in Latin American Citizenship Studies IntroductionBULLETIN OF LATIN AMERICAN RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004Lucy Taylor This section seeks to provide a brief theoretical framework for the study of citizenship in Latin America by focusing on two characteristics which are of relevance to the essays collected here: belonging and political agency. It then goes on to discuss some key themes which emerge from a reading of the collected articles: methodology; civilisation and deviation; citizenship as the organisation of subordinate inclusion; popular ideas of citizenship as ,fairness'; role of public performance in defining political relationships. [source] Exploring the experiences of partners who live with a chronic low back pain suffererHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 1 2004Julia Miller BSc MA Abstract Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a condition that causes individuals considerable distress. It also presents a significant challenge to the health service and is often viewed by clinicians as frustrating to manage. The purpose of the present paper is to explore the experiences of individuals in the immediate social sphere of those suffering from CLBP and their role in care-giving for their partner. An approach was taken using two qualitative research methods to gather data: journals and focus groups. Findings from the journals and the focus groups revealed issues for partners of CLBP sufferers in relation to living with their partners' pain, perceptions of healthcare and the dominance of illness over social contacts. Key themes revealed the complex emotions experienced by respondents, and underlined the need for their role as care givers and partners to be acknowledged by healthcare professionals. The data also highlighted respondents' desire to have greater involvement in their partners' healthcare, which includes provision of relevant information and involvement with therapeutic interventions. The findings emphasise the need for healthcare professionals to include and acknowledge partners and others in the immediate social sphere of patients in the management of chronic conditions. [source] Health-related quality of life and eating disorders: A review and updateINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 2 2009Scott G. Engel PhD Abstract Objective: The aim of this article is to provide a narrative review of empirical studies related to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and eating disorders and to report recent changes in the measurement of HRQOL in eating disorders. Method: Twenty-five articles of central importance to the topic were identified in a systematic search of six databases. All articles were selected based on a consensus relevancy rating process. Key themes were extracted from the articles and validated by all authors. Results: We identify six themes in the extant empirical literature. Discussion: We discuss these six themes and review them in light of the fact that they are identified in studies using only generic measures of HRQOL. Four recently developed disease-specific HRQOL measures specific to patients with eating disorder are discussed. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009 [source] Review of small rural health services in Victoria: how does the nursing-medical division of labour affect access to emergency care?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 12 2008Elise Sullivan Aims., This paper is based on a review of the Australian and International literature relating to the nursing-medical division of labour. It also explores how the division of labour affects patient access to emergency care in small rural health services in Victoria, Australia. Background., The paper describes the future Australian health workforce and the implications for rural Victoria. The concept of division of labour and how it relates to nursing and medicine is critically reviewed. Two forms of division of labour emerge , traditional and negotiated division of labour. Key themes are drawn from the literature that describes the impact of a traditional form of division of labour in a rural context. Methods., This paper is based on a review of the Australian and international literature, including grey literature, on the subject of rural emergency services, professional boundaries and roles, division of labour, professional relationships and power and the Australian health workforce. Results., In Australia, the contracting workforce means that traditional divisions of labour between health professionals cannot be sustained without reducing access to emergency care in rural Victoria. A traditional division of labour results in rural health services that are vulnerable to slight shifts in the medical workforce, unsafe services and recruitment and retention problems. A negotiated form of division of labour provides a practical alternative. Conclusion., A division of labour that is negotiated between doctors and nurses and supported by a legal and clinical governance framework, is needed to support rural emergency services. The published evidence suggests that this situation currently does not exist in Victoria. Strategies are offered for creating and supporting a negotiated division of labour. Relevance to clinical practice., This paper offers some strategies for establishing a negotiated division of labour between doctors and nurses in rural emergency care. [source] Lecturer practitioners in UK nursing and midwifery: what is the evidence?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2004A systematic review of the research literature Background., Lecturer practitioner roles have been widely established in the UK, and are seen as having the ability to overcome the theory,practice gap in nursing, as well as offering other benefits including functioning as a link between education and practice. Aims and objectives., This article systematically reviews the research literature on UK lecturer practitioner roles in nursing and midwifery, in order to construct a picture of the themes that emerge from their national implementation. Conclusions., Only eight published research studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified in journals, and five more included from the ,grey literature', totalling 13 suitable research reports. Of these 13 papers, six involved nurses and midwives. Key themes from the literature are outlined and discussed. There is an overwhelming preference for qualitative methodologies, although there is a strong argument for quantitative work in mixed-methods studies. Relevance to clinical practice. Lecturer practitioner roles can make an important contribution to nursing and midwifery education, but this is problematic. It is essential that managers clarify the purpose, responsibilities, support and review of lecturer practitioner roles if they are to be successful. [source] Women's experiences of workplace bullying: changes in social relationshipsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Sian E. Lewis Abstract This article reports a qualitative study, which investigated social processes in workplace bullying, based on in-depth interviews with ten British women professionals who were targets of workplace bullying. Data were analysed using grounded theory methods. The resulting analysis showed links between disclosures of bullying, reactions of others, and some impacts on targets' psychological health. Key themes which emerged from the data included ,being heard' which describes how others reacted to disclosures of bullying behaviours, and the ,ripple effect' which describes how bullying impacted upon targets' significant others; these predominantly describe relationships with others outside the workplace. The theme of ,withdrawal' describes how targets and others managed relationships within the workplace, and ,denial' and ,personalizing problems' describe how others within the workplace responded to knowledge of bullying behaviours. The theme ,maintaining self' describes how participants responded to changed relationships and struggled to maintain a coherent sense of self during and subsequent to bullying. This research emphasizes the role of social processes and social environments, rather than individual or personality characteristics, in explaining the development of workplace bullying and its impacts on targets. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Older persons' experiences of whole systems: the impact of health and social care organizational structuresJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008BRENDAN McCORMACK BSc (Hons) Nursing, DPhil (Oxon) Aim(s), An in-depth case study of whole systems working. Background, This paper reports on the second part of a two-part study exploring whole systems working. Part 1 of the study focused on an in-depth review of the literature pertaining to continuity of care and service integration. The second part, reported here, focused on an in-depth case study of one whole system. Evaluation, Informed by the findings of part 1 of the study, data collection methods included in-depth interviews, real-time tracking of 18 older people, focus groups and consensus conferencing. Different data sets were analysed individually and synthesized using matrices derived from the literature review findings. Key issue(s), Key themes from data synthesis include: (1) access to the most appropriate services; (2) service fragmentation; (3) continuity of care; and (4) routinized care. Conclusion(s), The four themes of the case study reflect the need to address issues of demarcation of professional responsibilities, complicated channels of communication, information flows, assessment and reassessment in whole systems working. Implications for nursing management, The impact of disempowering relationships on actual continuity of care and perceptions of quality among service users and providers. Lessons need to be learnt from specialist services and applied to service delivery in general. [source] New nursing roles: the experience of Scotland's consultant nurse/midwivesJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006JOANNE BOOTH BSc Aim, To describe career pathways of consultant nurses/midwives and identify postholders views on key factors in role initiation, development and progression to inform future development and appointment of nurse/midwife consultants in National Health Service Scotland. Background, Nurse/midwife consultants represent the highest levels of clinical practice. Given the Scottish Executive Health Department's aim to treble numbers conditions and circumstances that enable them to flourish must be identified. Method, A postal survey was undertaken of all nurse/midwife consultants in post (n = 16). Results, Key themes emerged around factors that consultant nurse/midwives considered important including mentorship, autonomy and clinical credibility. Barriers to role delivery included lack of understanding of roles and the wide scope of some posts. Considerable variation in support, conditions of service and line management arrangements was found. Conclusions, Development of a recognized career pathway and a consistent approach to employment and support of postholders is recommended. [source] Challenging gender stereotypes in the counselling of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuseJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2004P. E. SIMPSON ba ma rmn When working with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the pairing of client with practitioner has implications for both parties. Many therapeutic pairings are ad hoc or based on stereotypical assumptions made by referrers or practitioners themselves. This paper reports on a small-scale study of practitioners working in the mental health directorate of an NHS Trust in Wales. One aim of the study was to explore practitioners' views on appropriate therapeutic pairings. Fifty-three respondents completed a postal questionnaire and six face-to-face interviews were also conducted. Key themes emerged from the study. These were social and cultural stereotyping, gender specific issues, the therapeutic relationship, service and professional issues and special opinions and unique angles. The terms ,therapist' and ,practitioner' will be used interchangeably in this paper. [source] Practical strategies for working with indigenous people living in Queensland, AustraliaOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 4 2002Elizabeth Watts Abstract Internationally, occupational therapists have recognized the need to provide culturally appropriate services for indigenous people. This study explored experiences, perspectives and practical strategies of occupational therapists working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote areas of Queensland, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight occupational therapists who had at least 12 months' experience providing services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in health, rehabilitation or education services. Key themes identified in the data focused on strategies for facilitating effective communication with individuals and families, and collaborating with other service providers. The role of Aboriginal Liaison Officers or Indigenous Health Workers was emphasized by participating therapists. Participants identified resources that they perceived as useful in their practice, such as cross-cultural training and access to indigenous health workers. Other resources suggested for further development included information about learning styles of indigenous people and information about cultural variations between specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The small number of participants limits generalizability of the findings. However, therapists can decide on the relevance of strategies to their own workplaces. Suggestions for further research focused on improving occupational therapy services for indigenous people in Australia. These include an investigation of therapy goals with indigenous people, and interviews with indigenous Australians and indigenous health workers about their experiences and perceptions of occupational therapy. Copyright © 2002 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Recruitment and retention issues for occupational therapists in mental health: Balancing the pull and the pushAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Justin Newton Scanlan Background/aim:,Recruitment and retention issues for mental health occupational therapists have been the subject of significant concern for many years. This paper describes recruitment and retention issues as reported by mental health occupational therapists employed by a large Area Health Service in metropolitan Sydney. Method:,Thirty-eight mental health occupational therapists (response rate 84%) completed a survey in the first half of 2008. Key themes investigated were: overall satisfaction; attractive elements of positions; positive aspects of positions; constraints of positions; factors associated with leaving positions; supervision; professional development; career pathways; and interest in and access to management positions. Results:,Key elements that kept respondents in positions included the nature of the work, being in a supportive team and the opportunity to use occupational therapy skills. Elements that prompted people to consider leaving positions were the desire for new and different types of work, a desire to work closer to home, insufficient time or high workloads, feeling ,bored' or ,stale', organisational change or juggling multiple demands, working in unsupportive or dysfunctional teams and family or other personal factors. Conclusions:,The results supported the development of a ,push and pull' conceptualisation of recruitment and retention issues, including job-related (intrinsic) and non-job-related (extrinsic) issues. This conceptualisation allows organisations to closely examine factors that attract practitioners to positions and those that support or damage staff tenure. [source] Securing the World and Challenging Civil Society: Before and After the ,War on Terror'DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2010Jude Howell ABSTRACT Following President Bush's declaration of a ,War on Terror' in 2001, governments around the world introduced a range of counter-terrorist legislation, policies and practices. These measures have affected not only human rights and civil liberties but also civil society and aid frameworks. Although the Obama administration has renounced the language of the ,War on Terror' and taken steps to revoke aspects such as water-boarding and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, the bulk of the legislation and practices associated with the post-9/11 global security framework remain. The cluster of papers which follow provide detailed studies of the effects of the War on Terror regime on civil society in four contexts: the USA, Spain, Kenya and Uzbekistan. In this way it lays a basis for civil society actors and aid agencies to reflect more strategically on how they should engage with security debates and initiatives in a way that best protects the spaces of civil society and the interests of minority and vulnerable groups. This introduction sets out the three key themes pursued throughout the cluster articles, namely, the selective impact of counter-terrorist measures on civil society; the particularity of civil society responsiveness to these measures; and the role of aid and diplomacy in pursuing security objectives and its consequences for civil society. [source] A qualitative investigation of the views and health beliefs of patients with Type 2 diabetes following the introduction of a diabetes shared care serviceDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 10 2003S. M. Smith Abstract Aims A qualitative research approach was adopted in order to explore the views and health beliefs of patients with Type 2 diabetes who had experienced a new structured diabetes shared care service. Methods Patients from 15 general practices were randomly selected and invited to attend three focus groups. Two independent researchers adopted the ,Framework' technique to analyse the transcribed data and identify key themes expressed by patients. Results Themes relating to diabetes included frustration, victimization and powerlessness in relation to living with diabetes, controlling blood sugar, medication and economic barriers to care. Differences in emphases between patients and healthcare providers emerged. Patients were generally positive about shared care and largely identified it with the nurses involved. Conclusion This research highlights the importance of an in-depth exploration of patients' views during changes in diabetes care delivery to identify service delivery failures and gaps in patient knowledge such as lack of awareness of the extent of macrovascular risk. [source] Entrepreneurial Learning: Researching the Interface Between Learning and the Entrepreneurial ContextENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 4 2005Richard T. Harrison The context for the research presented in this article arises from increasing interest, by academics and practitioners, in the importance of learning and knowledge in the knowledge-based economy. In particular, we consider the scope for applying concepts of learning within the field of entrepreneurship. While it has gained currency within the field of management, the application of these concepts to entrepreneurship has been limited. In this Introduction to the Special Issue, we review the development of the field of entrepreneurship as a context for the emergence of learning as an area of scholarly attention, summarize a number of key themes emerging from the organizational learning literature, and outline the article selection process and summarize the key elements of each of the included articles. The article concludes with some reflections on future research at the interface between learning and the entrepreneurial context. [source] State-of-the-art methodologies in alcohol-related health services researchADDICTION, Issue 11s3 2000Harold I. Perl Many of the failures to replicate clinical findings of treatment efficacy in more realistic field and community settings can be attributed to inappropriate research designs and other methodological shortcomings. In order to increase research designers' awareness of existing methodologies that may be better suited to answer the critical questions inherent in health services research on alcohol-related issues, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) convened an expert conference with three specific goals: (1) to identify the critical issues involved in alcohol services research; (2) to develop a primer that explicated each key area; and (3) to compile the resulting primers into an accessible resource for researchers, policy makers and consumers. The 9 papers in this special supplement are the product of that conference and are organized broadly around three phases of the research process: study design and implementation, data collection and use, and the analysis and interpretation of data. A final summary paper discusses the issues and offers a synthesis of key themes as well as some direction for the future. [source] THE AIRPORT HOTEL AS BUSINESS SPACEGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009Donald McNeill ABSTRACT. This article seeks to contribute to debates about the mobile nature of contemporary economic practice, through a discussion of some key themes in the evolution of airport hotels as business spaces. It argues that despite being emblematic of a hypermobile business elite, the nature of hotels as business spaces requires careful unpacking. The article begins by discussing the evolution of the airport hotel, charting the shift from basic lodging standards to recent developments of five star airport hotels. It then seeks to explain the locational geographies of airport hotel development, in response to these new trends. Finally, the article describes how the business traveller is conceived of and (speculatively) catered for by airport hotel operators and designers within a discourse of connectivity, before providing some counter-examples of how such claims fail to address the hotel's place within the complexity of airport spatial organization. [source] Geographies of Architecture: The Multiple Lives of BuildingsGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2010Peter Kraftl Arguably, cultural geography began with the study of architectural forms. The first half of this article traces the geographical study of buildings as a relatively small but significant sub-field of cultural geography. It summarises three approaches that characterise this work. First, the study of everyday, vernacular buildings, found especially (but not exclusively) in North American cultural geography. Second, radical critiques of the political,economic imperatives that are built into particular architectural forms such as the skyscraper and the related interpretation of buildings as signs, symbols or referents for dominant socio-cultural discourses or moralities. Third, what can broadly (but not unproblematically) be termed non-representational or ,critical' methods that stress practice, materiality and affect. The second half of the article highlights the productive connections between these three approaches. It stresses that recent research on the geographies of architecture has adopted elements of each approach to make a number of contributions to the study of cultural geography. Two key themes are considered: movement/stasis; the politics of architectural design and practice. Consideration of these themes anticipates a conclusion with some broad suggestions for future geographical research on architecture. [source] Involving users in low back pain researchHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 4 2003Bie Nio Ong BA BEd MA PhD Abstract Objective, To involve users in the design of a research project that aims at describing a 12-month course of low back pain in an adult population sample (epidemiological strand), and to determine how patient and professional perceptions of low back pain and its treatment relate to the use of health-care and to subsequent outcome (qualitative strand). Design, Three focus groups were organized in the preparatory phase of the project with general practitioners, other health professionals and low back pain sufferers. Issues pertaining to the experience of living with, or treating low back pain were explored and users were asked to identify relevant research questions for consideration within the study. Findings, The focus groups revealed tensions between involving users as co-researchers for design issues and their role as sufferers and health professionals who want to share their narrative accounts of low back pain. The group discussions produced a wealth of material for analysis, but no explicitly stated research topics. Three key themes and the process of user involvement in the focus groups are discussed. Conclusions, The focus group format could be restrictive in that it allows for detailed exchange between participants, but is insufficiently geared towards the production of a research agenda. We draw conclusions as to possible approaches for user involvement in health services research design. [source] The Paradoxes of Indian PoliticsHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2007Achin Vanaik This article by one of India's foremost writers on contemporary politics surveys twelve paradoxes. These are the key themes which have shaped domestic political change in India in recent decades and particularly since the mid-eighties. It outlines how social and economic changes have intersected with political possibilities and especially stresses the way in which India's continued social inequalities have been played out in a democratic setting. It is very useful for anybody wanting to understand the present day politics of India or who is interested in the consequences of colonial economies for postcolonial states. [source] Nationalism in East AsiaHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2006Prasenjit Duara The historiography of nationalism in East Asia, particularly on China and Japan, is predictably enormous, although it is considerably smaller for Korea. This survey will cover only certain key themes relating this historiography to modern nationalism more widely and to the relationships among the countries in this region. [source] The British partnership phenomenon: a ten year reviewHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009Stewart Johnstone This article presents a detailed review of the vast partnership literature that has emerged in the UK between 1998 and 2008. It begins by examining definitions of partnership, and suggests that while academic definitions are vague, practitioner definitions tend to conflate partnership processes with partnership outcomes. An alternative definition based upon processes and practices is offered. This is followed by a review of the conceptual advocates/critics debate, and the key themes of empirical partnership studies. It is proposed that while recent empirical evidence identifies a variety of outcomes and presents various typologies of partnership, there is an absence of debates on typologies in the literature. The article then identifies several limitations of the existing literature, including ideological positions, a lack of sensitivity to context and to different types of partnership, and a focus on outcomes. The article concludes by suggesting avenues for future partnership research. [source] Introduction , The MDGs and Beyond: Pro-poor Policy in a Changing WorldIDS BULLETIN, Issue 1 2010Andy Sumner This issue of the IDS Bulletin is dedicated to discussing and reviewing the MDGs and the global effort that grew from the UN Millennium Declaration. This article provides an overview of this IDS Bulletin and introduces the key themes. [source] An exploratory study of the influences that compromise the sun protection of young adultsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 6 2008Ngaia Calder Abstract This paper reports on an exploratory research project designed to gain a deeper understanding of the influences on ultraviolet radiation (UVR) behaviours among high-risk young adults to determine what compromises the adoption of protection measures for this group. A dual approach using focus groups and the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique was used to provide personal narratives related to UVR behaviour for tertiary education students. Results from both ,conversations' were content-analysed using an iterative ,bootstrapping' technique to identify key themes and issues. This exploratory research identified a number of key themes including effect on mood, influence of culture, the value of tans, unrealistic optimism, risk-orientation, and the role of experience. This group felt that they not been targeted effectively by public health campaigns and did not fully understand the dangers of high-risk UVR behaviours. Although a number of previous studies have investigated the relationship between knowledge and behaviour, and largely concluded that increases in knowledge do not lead to increases in adoption of protection practices, the preliminary findings of this study reveal that the knowledge and perceived self efficacy of protective practices is extremely high, what is lacking is the perceived threat and thus the motivations to adopt such behaviours. The conclusions drawn from this research indicate that there are a variety of important influencing factors that compromise UVR behaviours, in particular, the lack of perceived seriousness and severity towards long term consequences such as skin cancer. The recommendation to address the imbalance of ,perceived threat' and ,outcome expectations' is to focus on increasing knowledge of skin cancer, particularly susceptibility to skin cancer and the severity of the condition. [source] Principles and applications of control in quantum systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 15 2005Hideo Mabuchi Abstract We describe in this article some key themes that emerged during a Caltech/AFOSR Workshop on ,Principles and Applications of Control in Quantum Systems' (PRACQSYS), held 21,24 August 2004 at the California Institute of Technology. This workshop brought together engineers, physicists and applied mathematicians to construct an overview of new challenges that arise when applying constitutive methods of control theory to nanoscale systems whose behaviour is manifestly quantum. Its primary conclusions were that the number of experimentally accessible quantum control systems is steadily growing (with a variety of motivating applications), that appropriate formal perspectives enable straightforward application of the essential ideas of classical control to quantum systems, and that quantum control motivates extensive study of model classes that have previously received scant consideration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Health providers' perceptions of adolescent sexual and reproductive health care in SwazilandINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 2 2008P.T. Mngadi srn/m, bed nursing, dipl. reproductive health Aim:, To explore health providers' perceptions of adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare services in Swaziland. Methods:, Fifty-six healthcare providers, working in 11 health clinics in Swaziland in 2005, were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were analysed by descriptive statistics and content analysis to identify key themes. Findings:, Most participants were women with a mean age of 36 years and a mean number of 6 years in the profession. Services provided included STIs/HIV/AIDS advice, pre- and post-test counselling and testing on HIV, contraceptives and condom use. Half of the nurses/midwives had no continued education and lacked supervision on adolescent sexual and reproductive health care. The majority had unresolved moral doubts, negative attitudes, values and ethical dilemmas towards abortion care between the law, which is against abortion, and the reality of the adolescents' situation. Forty-four wanted to be trained on post-abortion care while eight on how to perform abortions. Twenty-six wanted the government to support adolescent-friendly services and to train heathcare providers in adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. Conclusion:, The curricula within nursing and midwifery preservice education need to be reviewed to incorporate comprehensive services for adolescents. There is need for provision of comprehensive services for adolescents in Swaziland and appropriate youth-friendly services at all levels. There is need for nurse/midwifery participation, advocacy and leadership in policy development. [source] Nurses' experiences with telephone triage and advice: a meta-ethnographyJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2010Rebecca J. Purc-Stephenson purc-stephenson r.j. & thrasher c. (2010) Nurses' experiences with telephone triage and advice: a meta-ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(3), 482,494. Abstract Aims., This study is a meta-ethnography of nurses' experiences with telephone triage and advice and factors that facilitate or impede their decision-making process. Background., Telephone triage and advice services are a rapidly expanding development in health care. Unlike traditional forms of nursing practice, telenurses offer triage recommendations and advice to the general public without visual cues. Data sources., Published qualitative research on telephone triage and advice were sought from interdisciplinary research databases (1980,2008) and bibliographical reviews of retrieved studies. Review methods., Our systematic search identified 16 relevant studies. Two researchers independently reviewed, critically appraised, and extracted key themes and concepts from each study. We followed techniques of meta-ethnography to synthesize the findings, using both reciprocal and refutational translation to compare similar or contradictory findings, and a line-of-arguments synthesis. Results., We identified five major themes that highlight common issues and concerns experienced by telenurses: gaining and maintaining skills, autonomy, new work environment, holistic assessment, and stress and pressure. A line-of-arguments synthesis produced a three-stage model that describes the decision-making process used by telenurses and highlights how assessments largely depend on the ability to ,build a picture' of the patient and the presenting health issue. Conclusion., Telenurses experience a range of common concerns and issues which either impede or facilitate the decision-making process. Although ,building a picture' of the patient is key to making assessments over the telephone, final triage decisions are influenced by balancing the conflicting demands of being both carer and gatekeeper to limited healthcare services. [source] Older people and falls: health status, quality of life, lifestyle, care networks, prevention and views on service use following a recent fallJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 16 2009Brenda Roe Aim and objective., This study has investigated older people's experiences of a recent fall, its impact on their health, lifestyle, quality of life, care networks, prevention and their views on service use. Background., Falls are common in older people and prevalence increases with age. Falls prevention is a major policy and service initiative. Design., An exploratory, qualitative design involving two time points. Method., A convenience sample of 27 older people from two primary care trusts who had a recent fall. Taped semi structured qualitative interviews were conducted and repeated at follow up to detect change over time and repeat falls. Data were collected on their experience of falls, health, activities of living, lifestyle, quality of life, use of services, prevention of falls, informal care and social networks. Content analysis of transcribed interviews identified key themes. Results., The majority of people fell indoors (n = 23), were repeat fallers (n = 22) with more than half alone when they fell (n = 15). For five people it was their first ever fall. Participants in primary care trust 1 had a higher mean age than those in primary care trust 2 and had more injurious falls (n = 12, mean age 87 years vs. n = 15, mean age 81 years). The majority of non-injurious falls went unreported to formal services. Falls can result in a decline in health status, ability to undertake activities of living, lifestyle and quality of life. Conclusions., Local informal care and support networks are as important as formal care for older people at risk of falls or who have fallen. Access to falls prevention programmes and services is limited for people living in more rural communities. Relevance to practice., Falls prevention initiatives and services should work with local communities, agencies and informal carers to ensure equitable access and provision of information, resources and care to meet the needs of older people at risk or who have fallen. [source] The appropriation and repurposing of social technologies in higher educationJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 1 2009A. Hemmi Abstract This paper presents some of the findings from a recent project that conducted a virtual ethnographic study of three formal courses in higher education that use ,Web 2.0' or social technologies for learning and teaching. It describes the pedagogies adopted within these courses, and goes on to explore some key themes emerging from the research and relating to the pedagogical use of weblogs and wikis in particular. These themes relate primarily to the academy's tendency to constrain and contain the possibly more radical effects of these new spaces. Despite this, the findings present a range of student and tutor perspectives which show that these technologies have significant potential as new collaborative, volatile and challenging environments for formal learning. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||