Journal of advanced nursing
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This paper reports on structures and processes of hospital care influencing 30-day mortality for acute medical patients. ⋯ Just as hospitals and clinicians caring for patients focus carefully on completing accurate diagnosis and appropriate and effective interventions, so too should hospitals carefully plan and manage structures and processes of care such as the proportion of Registered Nurses in the staff mix, percentage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses, and routine use of care maps to minimize unnecessary patient death.
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Multicenter Study
Work-related fatigue and recovery: the contribution of age, domestic responsibilities and shiftwork.
This paper reports a study of the relationship between age, domestic responsibilities (being partnered and having dependents), recovery from shiftwork-related fatigue and the evolution of maladaptive health outcomes among full-time working female nurses. ⋯ Unpredictable internal shift rotations, including night duty, which are traditional and typical in nursing, are inimical to maintaining nurses' health. More creative approaches to rostering for nurses working multiple shifts are a necessary step towards reducing wastage from the profession due to chronic work-related fatigue. Younger nurses in particular, may need more support than is currently recognized if they are to be retained within the profession.
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Multicenter Study
Using narrative pedagogy: learning and practising interpretive thinking.
This paper reports a hermeneutic study undertaken to explicate students' experiences in educational courses in which teachers enact Narrative Pedagogy. ⋯ By documenting students' experiences in courses in which Narrative Pedagogy is used, this study provides teachers with research-based evidence to guide their pedagogical decisions. It extends international efforts to develop discipline-specific pedagogies and offers a practical, student-centred approach teachers can use to enhance students' thinking.
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The aim of this paper is to describe the experiences of mothers with serious mental illness from their perspectives and how they attempted to manage their mothering circumstances. ⋯ To assist mothers with serious mental illness, healthcare professionals must be sensitive to the social and cultural context in which they mother in order to create healthier possibilities for nurturing their children.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Quality of life of cancer patients receiving inpatient and home-based palliative care.
This paper reports a comparative study of the symptom experience, physical and psychological health, perceived control of the effects of cancer and quality of life of terminally ill cancer patients receiving inpatient and home-based palliative care, and the factors that predict quality of life. ⋯ The main issues arising from the findings for nurses are the early detection and management of both physical and psychological symptoms, particularly fatigue, pain, anxiety and depression, and the need to use strategies that will empower patients to have a greater sense of control over their illness and treatment. Research is needed to identify other factors that may impact on quality of life, and to establish the extent to which inpatient and home-based care meets the needs of both the patient with terminal cancer and their family.