Appropriate Support (appropriate + support)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The impact on parents of developments in the care of children with bleeding disorders

HAEMOPHILIA, Issue 1 2008
D. SHAW
Summary., This research considered the impact on parents of children with bleeding disorders of the increased use of home-based treatment and greater parental responsibility for management of the condition. Although they have undoubted advantages, these changes also present parents with new challenges. Some found administration of the treatment difficult, and decisions about treatment and the everyday management of the condition can also prove problematic. Services should be aware of these issues and help parents access appropriate support. [source]


Effective work-life balance support for various household structures

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010
Lieke L. ten Brummelhuis
Abstract Today's workforce encompasses a wide variety of employees with specific needs and resources when it comes to balancing work and life roles. Our study explores whether various types of work-life balance support measures improve employee helping behavior and performance among single employees, employees with a partner, and employees with a partner and children. Using a sample of 482 employees at 24 organizations, the results showed that the organization's work-family culture improved work performance among parents but reduced performance among singles. Singles' work outcomes improved, however, when they had access to flexible work arrangements, whereas couples benefited from their supervisors' social support. The results stress the importance of the employee's household structure when considering appropriate support for balancing work and life roles. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Learning to Support Children With Complex and Continuing Health Needs and Their Families

JOURNAL FOR SPECIALISTS IN PEDIATRIC NURSING, Issue 2 2007
Helen Farasat
PURPOSE.,This paper reports on the evaluation of a pilot placement for preregistration child health nursing students focused on supporting children with complex needs in their homes. CONCLUSIONS.,This type of placement can be beneficial in enabling students to develop practical skills, attitudes, and values that will assist them to provide appropriate support for this client group. The pilot placement clarified some of the major organizational and practical issues that must be considered. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS.,Developing opportunities for preregistration nursing students to learn to support children with complex needs and their families is possible and potentially beneficial. [source]


Maternal distress: a concept analysis

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 9 2010
Elizabeth Emmanuel
emmanuel e. & st john w. (2010) Maternal distress: concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(9), 2104,2115. Abstract Aim., This paper is a report of an analysis of the concept of maternal distress. Background., Although not well-developed, the concept of maternal distress has offered an important viewpoint in nursing and midwifery practice since the mid-1990s. Traditionally, understanding of maternal distress has been based on the medical model and dysfunction. The concept of maternal distress needs development so that it describes responses ranging from normal stress responses to those indicating mental health problem/s. Data sources., The SCOPUS, CINAHL and Medline databases were searched for the period from 1995 to 2009 using the keywords ,psychological distress', ,emotional distress' and ,maternal distress'. Review methods., Steps from Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis guided the conduct of this concept analysis. Results., Four attributes of maternal distress were identified as responses to the transition to motherhood, with the level of each response occurring along a continuum: stress, adapting, functioning and control, and connecting. Antecedents to maternal distress include becoming a mother, role changes, body changes and functioning, increased demands and challenges, losses and gains, birth experiences, and changes to relationships and social context. The consequences of maternal distress are compromised mental health status, maternal role development, quality of life, ability to function, quality of relationships and social engagement. The extent of the impact depends on the level of maternal distress. Conclusion., Clearer interpretation of maternal distress offers a comprehensive approach to understanding maternal emotional health during the transition to motherhood. Acknowledging women's experiences and providing more appropriate support could alleviate some of the struggles and hardships experienced by mothers. [source]


Women's experiences with vaginal pessary use

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 11 2009
Sandra Storey
Abstract Title.,Women's experiences with vaginal pessary use. Aim., This paper is a report of a study of the lived experiences of women using vaginal pessaries for the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) and/or pelvic organ prolapse. Background., The use of a vaginal pessary offers a non-surgical treatment option to provide physical support to the bladder and internal organs. As the literature asserts, a woman's choice to use a pessary is very individual and involves not only physical, but also psychological and emotional considerations. Method., Narrative inquiry was used to conduct face-to-face semi-structured interviews in 2007 with 11 postmenopausal women who accessed services from a Urogynecology Clinic in Eastern Canada. Findings., The women's stories revealed that living with a pessary is a life-changing experience and an ongoing learning process. The women's comfort level and confidence in caring for the device figured prominently in their experiences. Psychosocial support provided by the clinic nurses also played a primary role in the women's experiences. Conclusion., Women and healthcare professionals need to be aware of the personal isolation and embarrassment, and social and cultural implications that urinary incontinence may cause as well as the subjective experiences of using a pessary. With appropriate support, vaginal pessaries can provide women with the freedom to lead active, engaged and social lives. [source]


Home Intravenous Antimicrobial Infusion Therapy: A Viable Option in Older Adults

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 5 2007
(See editorial comments by Dr. Kevin High on pp 79
OBJECTIVES: To determine whether older adults and younger adults are equally able to administer home intravenous antimicrobial infusion therapy (home IV antimicrobials) without intensive support from home care agencies. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, a 100-bed tertiary care medical center. PARTICIPANTS: All patients who received home IV antimicrobials from July 1, 2000, through December 31, 2003. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic data, underlying medical conditions, indications for therapy, antimicrobial agents administered, concomitant medications, frequency of patient visits and phone calls, adverse events, and outcomes of infections. RESULTS: A total of 205 patients received 231 courses of home IV antimicrobials, with 107 courses in patients aged 60 and older and 124 courses in patients younger than 60. For both groups, the most common indication for therapy was osteoarticular infections, and the predominant pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Older patients were significantly more likely than younger patients to require the assistance of family members to help with the infusion and were more likely to be seen in urgent care or to call the infectious diseases pharmacist or physicians with questions. Overall, clinical outcomes and numbers of adverse events were similar in both groups, with the exception of nephrotoxicity, which was greater in the older group (P=.02). CONCLUSION: With appropriate support from a hospital-based home IV antimicrobials therapy team, home IV antimicrobial appears to be a viable option for older adults. [source]


Perineal Trauma and Postpartum Perineal Morbidity in Asian and Non-Asian Primiparous Women Giving Birth in Australia

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 4 2008
Hannah Dahlen
ABSTRACT Objectives: To describe the postpartum perineal morbidity of primiparous women who had a vaginal birth and compare outcomes between Asian and non-Asian women in the first 2 days following the birth and at 6 and 12 weeks postpartum. Design: Data from a randomized clinical trial of a perineal management technique (perineal warm packs) were used to address the study objective. Setting: Two maternity hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Participants: Primiparous women who had a vaginal birth in the trial were included (n=697). One third of the women were identified as "Asian." Results: Compared with non-Asian women, Asian women were significantly more likely to have an episiotomy; require perineal suturing; sustain a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear; and report their perineal pain as being moderate to severe on day 1 following the birth. Asian women were less likely to give birth in an upright position or to resume sexual intercourse by 6 or 12 weeks following the birth. Conclusion: More research is needed into methods that could reduce the high rates of perineal trauma experienced by Asian women, and midwives need to be able to offer appropriate support for Asian women. [source]


Architectural support in industry: a reflection using C-POSH

JOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2005
R. J. Bril
Abstract Software architecture plays a vital role in the development (and hence maintenance) of large complex systems (containing millions of lines of code) with a long lifetime. It is therefore required that the software architecture is also maintained, i.e., sufficiently documented, clearly communicated, and explicitly controlled during its life-cycle. In our experience, these requirements cannot be met without appropriate support. Commercial-off-the-shelf support for architectural maintenance is still scarcely available, if at all, implying the need to develop appropriate proprietary means. In this paper, we reflect upon software architecture maintenance taken within three organizations within Philips that develop professional systems. We extensively describe the experience gained with introducing and embedding of architectural support in these three organizations. We focus on architectural support in the area of software architecture recovery, visualization, analysis, and verification. In our experience, the support must be carried by a number of pillars of software development, and all of these pillars have to go through a change process to ensure sustainable embedding. Managing these changes requires several key roles to be fulfilled in the organization: a champion, a company angel, a change agent, and a target. We call our reflection model C-POSH, which is an acronym for Change management of the four identified pillars of software development: Process, Organization, Software development environment, and Humans. Our experiences will be presented in terms of the C-POSH model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The validation of a self-report measure and physical activity of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous rural children

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2010
Josephine D. Gwynn
Abstract Purpose: To validate a self-report measure of physical activity for both Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous rural children, and to describe their physical activity participation. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 84 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 146 non-Indigenous children aged 10,12 years old completed the Many Rivers Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire (MRPARQ), a modified version of the Adolescent Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire (APARQ). A sub-group (n=86) wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days in order to validate the instrument. Results: Pearson and Intra Class Correlation coefficients between the survey and acceleromtery for weekdays only are 0.31 and 0.16, respectively, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and 0.38 and 0.31, respectively, for non-Indigenous children, and demonstrate a modest (p<0.05) correlation. Self-reported MVPA for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is between 162 and 172 minutes/day, and is 125 minutes by accelerometer; for non-Indigenous children MVPA is between 123 and 149 minutes (survey) and 107 minutes (accelerometer). Conclusion: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's self-report of physical activity is at least as valid as non-Indigenous children, given culturally appropriate support; they tend to be more active than non-Indigenous children. Implications: The MRPARQ can be administered with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children. [source]


Chronic disease profiles in remote Aboriginal settings and implications for health services planning

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2010
Wendy E. Hoy
Abstract Objective: To report the short-term experiences and outcomes of a program to support chronic disease management in three remote communities in Top End Northern Territory and in two Aboriginal Medical Services (AMSs) in Western Australia, and to discuss the implications of findings for health service delivery and policy. Methods: Programs were health-worker centred. They espoused regular screening of all adults for chronic disease, initiation and modification of treatment where indicated and rigorous documentation. Process measures were documented and rates of hypertension, renal disease and diabetes among adults were calculated. Results: Rates of hypertension, proteinuria and diabetes rose throughout adult life and multiple diagnoses were common. Most people with these conditions were young or middle age adults. Rates were uniformly excessive relative to AusDiab data, but varied greatly among settings. Adherence to protocols improved, many new diagnoses were made, treatments were started or modified and blood pressures in treated hypertensive people fell. In the NT, productivity was seriously limited by lack of health workers and their absenteeism. In the WA AMSs, executive and staff support carried the programs forward to a sustainable future, despite various challenges. Conclusions: Integrated chronic disease testing must be repeated throughout adult life for timely diagnosis. Health workers can perform all tasks well, with appropriate supports. Blood pressure outcomes alone predict lower cardiovascular and renal mortality. The findings support incorporation of chronic disease into lifetime health care plans. [source]