Journal of clinical nursing
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The literature on nursing care in nurse clinics that focus on chronic management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is analysed and synthesised with the purpose of advancing research of practice in nurse clinics. ⋯ Nursing care in nurse clinics that focus on the chronic phase of COPD needs to be based on nursing knowledge, evidence based, comprehensive, family-centred, focused on health and the health experience and be situated within the service system. Diversity, creativity and nursing values should prevail when developing nurse clinics for the purpose of creating possibilities to attend to the whole of patients' and their families' needs and experiences.
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Review
Allostasis and allostatic load: expanding the discourse on stress and cardiovascular disease.
The aim of this discursive paper is to introduce allostasis and allostatic load, which are relatively new concepts proposed to explain physiological responses to stress, and to suggest ways in which allostasis theory can be applied to the development of clinical interventions to increase resilience for producing better health outcome. ⋯ Clinical practice should be based on a solid theoretical foundation to improve health outcomes. Strategies to manage stress and increase resilience along with clinical interventions to manage the physiological responses to chronic stress are necessary to assist in preventing and controlling the detrimental effects of chronic disease on human life.
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To present a new nursing intervention category called therapeutic enhancement. ⋯ Using the nursing intervention category, therapeutic enhancement can increase caregivers' success in helping patients maintain healthy behaviours.
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To provide an analysis of the scope of nursing practice and inter-professional role responsibility for ventilatory decision-making in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) intensive care units (ICU). ⋯ The results of this survey suggest, within the ANZ context, nurses participate actively in ventilation and weaning decisions. In addition, the results support an association between the education profile and skill-mix of nurses and the level of collaborative practice in ICU. Relevance to clinical practice. Mechanical ventilation may result in significant complications if not applied appropriately. Collaborative practice that encourages nursing input into decision-making may improve patient outcomes and reduce complications.
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In a sample of patients who underwent instrumented spinal fusions for chronic low back pain (CLBP), the purposes of this study were: to determine the amount of pain patients experienced and to determine the impact of length of time since surgery, use of pain medication and their outlook on the future on these pain intensity scores. ⋯ A high percentage of patients with CLBP continue to experience pain 1-8 years after spinal fusion. A positive outlook towards the future seems to be associated with less pain in these patients. Relevance to clinical practice. Patients who continue to experience pain and have a more negative outlook on the future may benefit from psychoeducational interventions that teach them how to better cope with their pain.