Contemp Nurse
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Nurses' perceptions of nursing error could affect their professional practice. The aim of the study was to explore critical care nurses' perceptions of nursing error and its causes. This was a qualitative study in which 12 critical care nurses were recruited through purposive sampling. ⋯ Nursing error was deemed as an unavoidable issue which consisted of the lack of congruence with standards, doing extra-nursing tasks and giving care against the agreed-upon routines. Five categories emerged as the causes of error: individual reasons, work pressure, caring blindly, the uniqueness of caring environment and the lack of coordination among health care team members. The perception of nursing error is sort of unique; hence, managers should provide support for critical care nurses and pave the way for the prevention of errors.
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Review
Mechanisms and classifications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: a literature review.
COPD is a prevalent chronic health condition secondary to only heart disease and stroke. A review of the literature reveals whilst smoking is the most common aetiological factor, environmental and occupational pollutions, genetic predisposition, hyper-responsive airways and respiratory infections are additional mechanisms to the development of COPD in susceptible individuals. ⋯ However, there are inconsistent parameters of disease severity between each of the international respiratory bodies, which must influence reporting of outcomes. This paper reviews the literature reports of the mechanisms; systemic effects, disease-staging systems used in COPD and the relationship between disease severity and health outcomes.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparing written and oral approaches to clinical reporting in nursing.
Patient safety is compromised if vital clinical information is not available to all members of the healthcare team. Therefore, it is important to understand the differences between patient information found in nursing documentation and information presented at clinical nursing handover. ⋯ Clinical handover produced a comprehensive picture of the patient's condition and care whereas nursing documentation tended to present a series of descriptions of tasks performed by nurses. There is a need to investigate new systems of communication promoting congruence between clinical handover and nursing documentation to ensure that all patient information can be accessed by all interested parties.
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Clinical Trial
Fall risk factors and the nature of falls in inpatient oncology and palliative care settings.
Using a prospective design, this study examined falls risk factors and the nature of patient falls in oncology and palliative care settings. Two hundred and twenty seven patients admitted to the oncology and palliative care units at a private hospital participated in this study. ⋯ Findings revealed that, when compared to patients who did not fall, fallers had a significantly higher mean age; were assessed as more physically dependent using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale; were less alert and more confused; were more likely to have responded incorrectly to orientation to person, time and place; were weaker pre-fall in arm muscle strength; and were more fatigued. These factors are worthy of further exploration to determine whether they are more sensitive than the currently used falls risk factors used in oncology and palliative care settIngs.
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Nurses have the responsibility of adequately managing patients' post-operative pain. This literature review assesses whether nurses' management of post-operative pain is adequate or not, according to the literature findings. The findings reveal that nurses' management of patients' post-operative pain is not adequate and implies the concurrent need for improved nurse education and practice. The findings also indicate a need for ongoing research of this phenomenon.