Current Continuing Professional Education Practice among Malaysian Nurses

Nurses need to participate in CPE to update their knowledge and increase their competencies. This research was carried out to explore their current practice and the future general needs for CPE. This cross-sectional descriptive study involved registered nurses from government hospitals and health clinics from Peninsular Malaysia. Multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit 1000 nurses from four states of Malaysia. Self-explanatory questionnaires were used to collect the data, which were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Seven hundred and ninety-two nurses participated in this survey. Only 80% (562) of the nurses had engaged in CPE activities during the past 12 months. All attendance for the various activities was below 50%. Workshops were the most popular CPE activity (345, 43.6%) and tertiary education was the most unpopular activity (10, 1.3%). The respondents did perceive the importance of future CPE activities for career development. Mandatory continuing professional education (MCPE) is a key measure to ensure that nurses upgrade their knowledge and skills; however, it is recommended that policy makers and nurse leaders in the continuing professional development unit of health service facilities plan CPE activities to meet registered nurses' (RNs) needs and not simply organizational requirements

Care demands on mothers caring for a child with Down syndrome: Malaysian (Sarawak) mothers' perspectives

This paper examines the experiences of mothers caring for a child with Down syndrome in the Malaysian (Sarawak) context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 biological mothers of children with Down syndrome aged 18 years and below. They were accessed through selected child health clinics, community-based rehabilitation centres and schools using purposive sampling within two regions in Sarawak, one of the two Borneo States of Malaysia. Major themes emerging within the context of care demands were children’s health, developmental delays, daily needs and behaviour issues. The insights obtained into the care demands experienced by mothers of children with Down syndrome have several implications for practice by care professionals

Current continuing professional education practice among Malaysian nurses

Nurses need to participate in CPE to update their knowledge and increase their competencies. This research was carried out to explore their current practice and the future general needs for CPE. This cross-sectional descriptive study involved registered nurses from government hospitals and health clinics from Peninsular Malaysia. Multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit 1000 nurses from four states of Malaysia. Self-explanatory questionnaires were used to collect the data, which were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Seven hundred and ninety-two nurses participated in this survey. Only 80% (562) of the nurses had engaged in CPE activities during the past 12 months. All attendance for the various activities was below 50%. Workshops were the most popular CPE activity (345, 43.6%) and tertiary education was the most unpopular activity (10, 1.3%). The respondents did perceive the importance of future CPE activities for career development. Mandatory continuing professional education (MCPE) is a key measure to ensure that nurses upgrade their knowledge and skills; however, it is recommended that policy makers and nurse leaders in the continuing professional development unit of health service facilities plan CPE activities to meet registered nurses’ (RNs) needs and not simply organizational requirements

The experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren in Indonesia

Purpose – The raising of grandchildren by grandparents is a global phenomenon, and it is common in Indonesia. This is because parents are often unable or unwilling to raise their own children. However, the debate around “grandparenting” is still limited in Indonesia. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the experience and views of grandparents on “grandparenting.” Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed was qualitative and informed by phenomenology. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 13 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren who were under five years old. The data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings – 5 main themes and 13 subthemes emerged from the analysis of the data. The themes were responses, strategies for overcoming negative responses, the grandparents’ role, the reason for raising grandchildren, and the cultural aspect of “grandparenting” in Java. All of the grandparents enjoyed their roles as grandparents. They felt that they helped fulfill their grandchildren’s physical and educational needs. Social implications – The experience of raising a grandchild can be both positive and negative, depending on the cultural aspects in the Java and the family as a whole system. Grandparents require healthcare and informal support to maintain their well-being. Originality/value – This paper provides new insights into “grandparenting” closely related to social and cultural aspect within the community. Grandparents enjoy being a part of the Javanese tradition. The supportive role of grandparents in Indonesia is important. However, older adults need to balance the role of “grandparenting” and rest time so that they remain healthy and ha

Innovation in patient decision support

Patient decision aids (PDAs) help to support patients in making an informed and value-based decision. Despite advancement in decision support technologies over the past 30 years, most PDAs are still inaccessible and few address individual needs. Health innovation may provide a solution to bridge these gaps. Information and computer technology provide a platform to incorporate individual profiles and needs into PDAs, making the decision support more personalised. Health innovation may enhance accessibility by using mobile, tablet and Internet technologies; make risk communication more interactive; and identify patient values more effectively. In addition, using databases to capture patient data and the usage of PDAs can help: developers to improve PDAs’ design; clinicians to facilitate the decision-making process more effectively; and policy makers to make shared decision making more feasible and cost-effective. Health innovation may hold the key to advancing PDAs by creating a more personalised and effective decision support tool for patients making healthcare decisions

Relationship Between Caregivers’ Burden of Schizophrenia Patient with Their Quality of Life in Indonesia

This study aims to identify the relationship between caregiver burden of patients with schizophre�nia and caregiver quality of life (QOL). A cross sectional study involving 222 caregivers patients with schizophrenia was conveniently recruited from the psychiatric clinic of a mental health hospital in Malang Indonesia. Caregiver Burden Inventory Scale and Schizophrenia Caregiver QOL was used to assess the level of burden and QOL among the caregivers respectively. Descriptive statistics was used to deter�mine caregivers’ socio-demographic characteristic and the level of caregivers’ burden and QOL. Spear�man Rho correlation test was conducted to determine the relationship of caregiver burden and caregiver QOL. About 59.6% of schizophrenia caregivers experienced moderate to severe level of burden. The results showed that there was a significant, strong and negative relationship between the caregiver burden and QOL (r = - 0.434, p\ 0.001). Most of the participants reported emotional burden and moderate QOL especially psychological and physical QOL, well-being, relationships with friends, and material burden. The findings indicated the higher the caregiver burden, the lower the QOL experienced by family caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia. It is necessary to improve the mental health nursing services for schizophrenia caregivers by providing mental health counseling, and developing support groups for the

Factors influencing the intention of Indonesian nursing students to work in rural areas

Objective The aim of this study was to analyse the factors associated with the intention of Indonesian nursing students to work in rural areas. Design This was a cross-sectional study. The instrument used was a self-developed questionnaire consisting of 13 questions.The data were analysed using the χ2 statistics test and binary logistic regression with a level of significance <0.05. Setting The study was conducted at a public nursing school located in urban Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, in December 2017. Participants A total of 714 nursing students from four different programmes were involved. Results This study found that almost 60% of nursing students were reluctant to work in rural areas. Of the three variables which were significant in the χ2 analysis, only two were significant following the logistic regression test, namely the class programmes of undergraduate regulars (OR=2.274; 95% CI 1.326 to 3.900), profession regulars (OR=2.262; 95% CI 1.110 to 4.607) and rural place of origin (OR=1.405; 95% CI 1.036 to 1.906). Conclusion The education programme and place of origin were associated with the intention of nursing students to work in rural areas. Therefore, the recruitment of prospective nurses should consider these factors by considering the local context

Doctors' approaches to decision support in counseling patients with localized prostate cancer: an Asian perspective

There are many treatment options for localized prostate cancer, and there is clinical equipoise in relation to the treatment outcomes. This study aimed to explore doctors’ approaches to decision support in counselling patients with localized prostate cancer in a country with a less established system of support and care delivery for cancer treatment. Four in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with seven government policy makers/consultant urologists, three oncologists, four private urologists and six urology trainees in Malaysia between 2012 and 2013. Doctors facilitated the treatment decision by explaining about the disease and the treatment options, which included monitoring, side effects and complications of each treatment option. Paper-based (charts and diagram drawings) or electronic (ipad apps and websites) illustrations and physical models were used as patient education aids. Further reading materials and websites links were often provided to patients. Patients were given time till subsequent follow up to decide on the treatment and family involvement was encouraged. Referral to other healthcare professionals (oncologist, radiotherapist or other urologist) for second opinion was offered to the patients. The doctors would recommend patients to speak to prostate cancer survivors for peer support but official support groups were not easily accessible. This study highlighted a multi-faceted approach to support patients with localized prostate cancer in making a treatment decision. It not only involved the doctors (urologist or oncologist) themselves, but also empowered the patients and their social network to support the decision making process

Perceived learning needs among coronary artery disease patients: a study in a tertiary hospital

Introduction: Determination of learning needs is central for holistic patient education, to sustain behavior changes and to control patient’s risk factor. However, patients often sense that their learning needs are unmet and information provided was too general. Thus, this study aimed to determine the perceived learning needs and their level of importance among Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) patients. Methods: The current investigation is a descriptive, cross-sectional study for which all CAD patients were selected using the cencus method. The data was collected using Cardiac Patients Learning Needs Inventory. The questionnaire was delivered to 140 CAD patients who had their follow-up in a cardiology clinic. The instrument is reliable with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.96. The study design followed STROBE cross-sectional design process guideline. Results: Participants’ mean age was 58.96 ± 9.42 years. More than half of the participants were males (62.9%), employed (52.0%) and had attained secondary level education (69.3%). Around two-thirds (60.7%) of the patients perceived to have high learning needs. Gender and highest educational achievement were significantly associated with perceived learning needs. The most significant perceived learning needs were medication information, risk factors for CAD, information on diet, physical activity, anatomy and physiology, and other related information. Conclusion: This study has identified the important domains of learning needs among CAD patients. Findings from the present study will provide important input for future cardiac educational strategies to reduce the rate of hospital readmission and death