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Personal Level (personal + level)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	33%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	22%

Selected Abstracts

The challenges of caring in a technological environment: critical care nurses' experiences

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 8 2008
ITU cert, Mary McGrath MSc
Purpose., This paper presents and discusses the findings from a phenomenological study which illuminated the lived experiences of experienced critical care nurses caring within a technological environment. Background., While nursing practice is interwoven with technology, much of the literature in this area is speculative. Moreover, there is a debate as to whether and how ,high tech' and ,high touch' are reconcilable; this orientation is referred to as the optimism vs. pessimism debate. On a personal level, the motivation for this study came from the author's 13 years' experience in the critical care area. Method., Following ethical approval, 10 experienced nurses from two cardiothoracic critical care units in Ireland participated in the study. A Heideggerian phenomenological methodology was used. Data collection consisted of unstructured interviews. A method of data analysis described by Walters was used. Findings., The findings provide research-based evidence to illuminate further the optimistic/pessimistic debate on technology in nursing. While the study demonstrates that the debate is far from resolved, it reveals a new finding: life-saving technology that supports the lives of critically ill patients can bring experienced nurses very close to their patients/families. The three main themes that emerged: ,alien environment', ,pulling together' and ,sharing the journey' were linked by a common thread of caring. Conclusion., Experienced critical care nurses are able to transcend the obtrusive nature of technology to deliver expert caring to their patients. However, the journey to proficiency in technology is very demanding and novice nurses have difficulty in caring with technology. Relevance to clinical practice., It is recommended that more emphasis be placed on supporting, assisting and educating inexperienced nurses in the critical care area and that the use of technology in nursing be given serious consideration. [source]

Teaching elements of nature of science: A yearlong case study of a fourth-grade teacher

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2003
Valarie L. Akerson
This study examined and supported the efforts of Tina, an experienced elementary teacher, in helping her fourth graders internalize informed views of the inferential, tentative, and creative nature of science (NOS). Tina held informed views of, and was motivated to teach about, NOS. The study aimed to answer the following question: What specific supports were needed to enable Tina to make the target NOS elements explicit in her teaching? The lead researcher visited Tina's classroom every week and interacted with her on a continuous basis. Data sources included classroom observations and videotapes, teacher NOS questionnaires and associated interviews, teacher,researcher communications, and teacher and researcher logs. Although Tina's understandings and intentions were necessary to enable her to teach about NOS, they were not sufficient. Tina needed support to translate her NOS views and intentions into pedagogically appropriate instructional activities that would make the target NOS aspects accessible to her students. Socially mediated support was needed at the personal level in terms of helping Tina activate her tacit NOS understandings, and at the professional level in terms of modeling explicit NOS instruction in Tina's own classroom by the lead researcher. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 1025,1049, 2003 [source]

Governing nursing conduct: the rise of evidence-based practice

NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 3 2002
Sarah Winch
Governing nursing conduct: the rise of evidence-based practice Drawing on the Foucauldian concept of ,governmentality' to analyse the evidence-based movement in nursing, we argue that it is possible to identify the governance of nursing practice and hence nurses across two distinct axes; that of the political (governance through political and economic means) and the personal (governance of the self through the cultivation of the practices required by nurses to put evidence into practice). The evaluation of nursing work through evidence-based reviews provides detailed information that may enable governments to target and instruct nurses regarding their work in the interest of preserving the health of the population as a whole. Political governance of the nursing population becomes possible through centralised discursive mechanisms, such as evidence-based reviews that present nursing practice as an intelligible field whose elements are connected in a more or less systematic manner. The identity of the evidence-based nurse requires the modern nurse to develop new skills and attitudes. Evidence-based nursing is an emerging technology of government that judges nursing research and knowledge and has the capacity to direct nursing practice at both the political and personal level. [source]

The Terror that Failed: Public Opinion in the Aftermath of the Bombing in Oklahoma City

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 3 2000
Carol W. Lewis
Did the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City affect the public's perception of terrorism as a political issue and their perceptions of individual risk and personal vulnerability? The author finds that the bombing in Oklahoma City altered neither the public's assessment of personal risk nor its reported behavior. Public opinion on terrorism and crime share three patterns: (1) perceived risk of victimization and the likely consequences affect public apprehension; (2) the voiced sense of personal security bears a direct relationship to the relative familiarity of the setting; and (3) the public shows resistance to the media's portrayal of risk. Opinion data indicate that domestic terrorism is likely to be seen as important in general and in the abstract, but with low personal risk, little impact on individuals' routine behavior, and, consequently, low political salience. In light of terrorism's purpose of inducing fear and the public's generally placid response on a personal level, the author concludes that the bombing failed as an act of domestic terrorism. [source]

Pathways Through Crime: The Development of Crime and Desistance in the Accounts of Men and Women Offenders

THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 3 2008
CLARE FIONA BYRNE
Abstract: Findings are presented of a qualitative exploration of offenders' accounts of themselves, their lives and their offending behaviour. Participants were nine male and nine female offenders, aged 19 to 50 years. A model of crime as described by these individuals was developed. Gendered meanings were explored in both men's and women's accounts. Pathways into crime described by the participants were shaped by a range of personal and social background influences and by processes related to negative social relations, positive evaluations of crime, and crime orientation. Changes in the same influences and processes, with a greater emphasis on the personal level, were apparent in participants' descriptions of their pathways out of crime. [source]

Social Identity, Self-categorization, and Work Motivation: Rethinking the Contribution of the Group to Positive and Sustainable Organisational Outcomes

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000
S. Alexander Haslam
Traditional needs theories centre around hierarchies ranging from ,lower-level' needs for security, existence, or hygiene through to ,higher-level' needs for self-actualisation, achievement, and growth. As applied to the organisational domain, such theories tend to assume that an employee's personal need for challenge and development is the best source of work motivation. Based on social identity and self-categorisation theories, this paper interprets needs hierarchies as reflections of the variable definition of self. It suggests that the motivational impact of different needs changes as a function of the salience of norms and goals associated with self-categories defined at varying levels of abstraction (personal, social, human). As a result, no one level of need is inherently more relevant to employee motivation than any other. This analysis also suggests that group-based needs will play an especially important motivational role in situations where an individual's social identity is salient. Following work by Tyler, data that support this argument are provided by a study in which employees' willingness to engage in citizenship behaviour increased following manipulations of group-based pride and respect. Results point to the productive and sustainable potential of self-actualisation at a collective rather than just a personal level. Les the´ories traditionnelles des besoins produisent des hie´rarchies allant des besoins de la base (se´curite´, survie ou hygie`ne) aux besoins supe´rieurs (actualisation de soi, succe`s et de´veloppement). Applique´es au monde des organisations, ces the´ories pre´supposent que le meilleur stimulant de la motivation au travail est un besoin personnel orientant vers le de´fi et le de´veloppement. En s'appuyant sur les the´ories de l'identite´ sociale et de l'autocate´gorisation, cet article de´fend l'ide´e que les hie´rarchies de besoins sont des reflets des de´finitions diversifie´es de soi (dans la ligne´e de Haslam, sous presse; Turner, 1985). L'impact sur la motivation des diffe´rents besoins serait fonction de la pre´gnance des normes et des objectifs relie´s aux cate´gories de soi renvoyant a` diffe´rents niveaux d'abstraction (personnel, social, humain). Il apparaît qu'aucun niveau de besoin n'est intrinse`quement plus en phase avec la motivation des salarie´s que n'importe quel autre. Notre analyse indique aussi que les besoins lie´s a` la vie en groupe joueront un roôle motivationnel particulie`rement important dans les situations ou` l'identite´ sociale de l'individu est pre´dominante. En accord avec le travail de Tyler (sous presse), les donne´es qui vont dans le sens de ce point de vue sont fournies par une e´tude ou` l'empressement des salarie´s a` adopter une conduite citoyenne augmente avec la manipulation de l'estime de soi ancre´e dans le groupe. Les re´sultats soulignent le potentiel fe´cond et durable de l'actualisation de soi a` un niveau collectif plutôt que personnel. [source]

Navigating ethical discharge planning: A case study in older adult rehabilitation

AUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010
Evelyne Durocher
Background:, Ethical issues are becoming more complex as individuals live longer with increased disability and medical needs. This article elucidates common ethical issues encountered in discharge planning with older adults. Methods:, We conducted normative ethical analysis of a clinical case using methods of philosophical inquiry, including thick description, reflexivity, conceptual clarification and examination of competing arguments for internal consistency. Results:, The analysis demonstrates how health-care teams struggle to balance protection from harm while honouring informed choices. We argue that ethical discharge planning requires judicious identification of client values, even if these conflict with team determinations of best interests. Conclusion:, Dialogue is needed to identify risks, help clients determine their personal level of acceptable risk and determine provisions to minimise risks. [source]

Co-operation despite disagreement: from politics to healthcare

BIOETHICS, Issue 2 2003
Noam J. Zohar
Political interaction among citizens who hold opposing moral views commonly requires reaching beyond toleration, toward actual co-operation with policies one opposes. On the more personal level, however, regarding (e.g.) interactions between healthcare providers and patients, several authors emphasise the importance of preserving integrity. But those who oppose any ,complicity in evil' often wrongly conflate instances in which the other's position is (and should be) totally rejected with instances of legitimate, although deep, disagreement. Starting with a striking example from the context of a particular tradition, I argue generally that in the latter sort of disagreements, talk of ,complicity' should be largely replaced with a more co-operative moral stance, grounded in a pluralistic framework. Co-operation Despite Disagreement (CDD) should be sought either for institutional reasons , akin to the political , or for relational reasons. CDD involves sharing another's perspective and sometimes calls for adopting another's moral judgements in preference to one's own. I seek to identify some of the conditions and circumstances that would justify such a shift, particularly in scenarios involving assistance, such as physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or the role of an anaesthesiologist in abortion. This discussion is meant to provide examples of the kind of second-order reasons appropriate for determining the terms for CDD , in distinction from first-order considerations (e.g., the much-contested ,active/passive' distinction) which are likely to be the subject of the initial disagreement and hence cannot serve to resolve it. [source]

Green light for greener supply

BUSINESS ETHICS: A EUROPEAN REVIEW, Issue 4 2002
Lutz Preuss
The supply chain management function is currently undergoing a dramatic change: it is adopting an increasingly strategic role. However, this growing financial importance is matched in only a handful of exemplary companies by a greater contribution to environmental protection initiatives in the supply chain. This paper explores some of the obstacles to greater supply chain management involvement in environmental protection and offers suggestions for greener supply. At a personal level, the gap between public opinion on the environment and managerial values needs to be closed, and the support offered by management education and by professional bodies needs to be improved. Within the organisation, the reward structure for supply chain managers needs to move away from narrow economic criteria. Greener supply would also benefit from a larger supply chain management role in corporate strategy making; the function could even be offered a seat on the Board of Management. Changes to the mode of supply chain management, including improvements to the information flow on environmental issues, the decision,making tools used in the face of complex environmental challenges and novel approaches to supply chain management need to receive urgent attention. [source]