This thinking lacks a language: Heidegger and Gadamer's question of being

Martin Heidegger's preparation of the question of human existence was the focus of his seminal work Being and Time, first published in 1927. This paper refers to Heidegger's phenomenological work through Heidegger's colleague and friend Hans-Georg Gadamer to focus on how Heidegger prepares the question of Being and the problem of language in his later work. In his conversation with the Japanese scholar professor Tezuka, the meaning of language in the west appears to restrict an understanding of Being by conceptualising it ad infinitum. To the Japanese the simple term "what is" appears to be closer to Being because it does not attempt to conceptualise it. Therefore, Heidegger, Gadamer and Tezuka's discussion about ontology concludes that language does get in the way of understanding Being

An unhealthy alliance

The NHS junior doctors' strike on 12 January was a timely reminder of the productivity agenda having an impact on working practices. The unprecedented dispute between the Department of Health (DH) and the British Medical Association (BMA) concerns, among other things, pay progression, relaxing rules on rest, working a Saturday for the same pay as a weekday, and what constitutes a night duty (BMA, 2016). If the contractual demands are accepted then the likely effect would be the same pay for working a Sunday, and night duties being extended to nursing and throughout the NHS

Incumbency Advantage in Irish Elections: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis

Ireland provides an interesting setting for the study of incumbency advantage. Its electoral system creates incentives for political candidates to cultivate a loyal, personal following and the rate of incumbent re-election is one of the highest in the world. This paper exploits the quasi-experimental features of the system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV) to estimate incumbency advantage in Ireland’s lower house of parliament. In very close elections, where there is a narrow margin of victory, it is likely that bare winners are comparable in their unobservable characteristics to bare losers. Regression discontinuity design (RDD) identifies the causal effect of incumbency by comparing the subsequent electoral outcomes of bare winners and losers. The analysis indicates that incumbency causes an eighteen percentage point increase in the probability that a candidate is successful in a subsequent election. We show that Ireland’s multi-party, multi-candidate system is particularly suited to the application of the RDD methodology

Incumbency Advantage in Irish Elections: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis

Ireland provides an interesting setting for the study of incumbency advantage. Its electoral system creates incentives for political candidates to cultivate a loyal, personal following and the rate of incumbent re-election is one of the highest in the world. This paper exploits the quasi-experimental features of the system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV) to estimate incumbency advantage in Ireland’s lower house of parliament. In very close elections, where there is a narrow margin of victory, it is likely that bare winners are comparable in their unobservable characteristics to bare losers. Regression discontinuity design (RDD) identifies the causal effect of incumbency by comparing the subsequent electoral outcomes of bare winners and losers. The analysis indicates that incumbency causes an eighteen percentage point increase in the probability that a candidate is successful in a subsequent election. We show that Ireland’s multi-party, multi-candidate system is particularly suited to the application of the RDD methodology. JEL: C21

A multi-modal approach to promoting hand hygiene to reduce hospital acquired infection: A change management proposal for an intensive care unit

Aim: Using evidence from a previous literature review, a proposed plan was developed to promote hand hygiene and reduce the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections within an intensive care unit in the North-West of England. Methodology: The RE-AIM framework structured the implementation of the proposed plan with Lewin’s force field theory applied. The proposed plan was peer-reviewed for feedback on the change management plan. Finally, Gibbs’s model was used to reflect on the lead author’s independent learning journey undertaking a 3-year degree programme in adult nursing to reflect and identify opportunities for future development. Results: A multimodal change plan was developed with guidance from the evidence and identified themes. The peer review process highlighted areas for improvement and provided valuable feedback. The reflective process identified opportunities for professional development and developing nurse leadership skills. Discussion: The proposed plan was based on three hand hygiene themes identified in a previous literature review; education and understanding, direct observation, and reminders/ prompts. The change management phase highlighted important barriers to be addressed for the proposal to be successful. The peer review process facilitated innovative ideas and reflecting on the feedback given. The improvement process reinforced a need to listen to feedback throughout the negotiated change. Conclusion: A proposed plan focused on hand hygiene and healthcare acquired infections offers valuable insights related to change management plans in nursing

Common factors affecting quality of life scores for patients with newly formed stomas: A review of the literature

Introduction: Nurses have a key role in promoting and optimising the quality of life of patients adapting post-operatively to newly formed stomas. There are common factors negatively impacting on nursing care such as inconsistent Government strategy, poor evidence-based care informing organisations and inadequate resource allocation in localised care. Due to the number of patients living with stomas expected to rise to impact on service provision, this literature review aims to identify key factors nurses should be aware of when promoting health-related quality of life care post-operatively. Methodology: A search was conducted using CINAHL Ultimate and Medline to identify key factors affecting the quality of life of patients with newly formed stomas. n=66 papers were identified using search-specific criteria between 2014 and 2024. n=26 research studies were retrieved, and after inclusion and exclusion criteria were considered, n= 7 papers were critically appraised. Findings: Common factors identified were the importance of quality-of-life assessment tools used to assess health related quality of life, peristomal skin issues (inflammation, injury or damage to surrounding), and a lack of available suitable facilities affecting privacy. Discussion: It is important to understand the difficulties ostomates face post-operatively and follow evidence-based guidelines irrespective of national pandemic emergencies. Conclusion: This paper highlights a significant research gap into the facilities available for people living with a stoma; and the evidence identifies negative factors impacting on quality-of-life scores for both male and female ostomates