Understanding the nursing process

Support staff work closely with their patients and members of the multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality care. Often this care will have been planned by a nurse using ‘the nursing process’. It is therefore important for the support worker to understand how the patient has been assessed and that the care they are providing has been planned. Within this article, the author will be discussing the nursing process, explaining the different stages and how these are used to deliver quality care. Relevant sections of The Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England (Skills for Care and Skills for Health, 2013) will be highlighted. Support workers have a clear and important role in making sure the nursing process is successful and patients receive the best quality care

Retrospective study of the implementation of the nursing process in a health area

OBJECTIVES: to analyze when the nursing process began to be used in the public and private healthcare centers of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country), and when both NANDA-I nursing diagnoses and the NIC-NOC terminologies were incorporated into this process. METHOD: a retrospective study was conducted, based on the analysis of nursing records that were used in the 158 studied centers. RESULTS: the specific data provided showed that in Gipuzkoa, the nursing process began to be used in the 1990s. As for NANDA-I nursing diagnoses, they have been used since 1996, and the NIC-NOC terminologies has been used since 2004. CONCLUSION: it was concluded that public centers are the ones which, generally speaking, first began with the nursing methodology, and that in comparison to the United States and Canada, the nursing process started to be used about 20 years later, NANDA-I nursing diagnoses around 15 years later, and the NIC-NOC terminologies, around six years later

Avaliação dos registros de enfermagem quanto ao exame físico

Os registros de enfermagem geram subsídios essenciais ao planejamento do cuidado individualizado, sendo a coleta de dados a primeira etapa do Processo de Enfermagem. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os registros realizados pelos enfermeiros quanto ao exame físico do cliente na unidade de tratamento intensivo (UTI) e na unidade de internação clínica (UIC). O estudo é transversal-retrospectivo, no qual foram avaliados 69 prontuários de clientes internados em UTI e transferidos para UIC de um hospital público e outro privado. Constatou-se que os registros realizados pelos enfermeiros, mais freqüentes e com melhor qualidade acerca do exame físico, foram os da UTI, enquanto na UIC eram mais frequentes os registros de intercorrências clínicas ocorridas durante o plantão. Evidenciou-se um déficit nos registros acerca do exame físico, o que pode dificultar a assistência individualizada com enfoque nas reais necessidades do cliente, uma vez que muitas alterações podem ser deixadas de serem registradas

Critical Thinking in Nursing Education: Literature Review

The need for critical thinking in nursing has been accentuated in response to the rapidly changing health care environment. Nurses must think critically to provide effective care whilst coping with the expansion in role associated with the complexities of current health care systems. This literature review will present a history of inquiry into critical thinking and research to support the conclusion that critical thinking is necessary not only in the clinical practice setting, but also as an integral component of nursing education programs to promote the development of nurses’ critical thinking abilities. The aims of this paper are: (a) to review the literature on critical thinking; (b) to examine the dimensions of critical thinking; (c) to investigate the various critical thinking strategies for their appropriateness to enhance critical thinking in nurses, and; (d) to examine issues relating to evaluation of critical thinking skills in nursing.</ul

Facial width-to-height ratio relates to alpha status and assertive personality in capuchin monkeys

Social dominance hierarchies play a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of many species, and sex differences within these hierarchies often exist. To date, however, few physical markers of dominance have been identified. Such markers would be valuable in terms of understanding the etiology of dominant behaviour and changes in social hierarchies over time. Animals may also use such traits to evaluate the potential dominance of others relative to themselves (i.e. a physical “cue”). Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), for example, has been suggested as a cue to dominance in humans, with links to both dominant behaviour and the perception of dominance in other individuals. Whether this association is present in non-human animals is currently not known. Therefore, here we examine within-species links between fWHR and dominant behaviour in 64 brown capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) aged between 2 and 40 years. fWHR was positively associated with alpha status and with a dimensional rating of assertive personality in both males and females. Moreover, fWHR showed significant sexual dimorphism in adults but not juveniles, suggesting a developmental change may occur during puberty. In a sub-sample, sex differences were mediated by weight, suggesting fWHR dimorphism does not exceed what would be expected by differences in body weight. This is the first report of an association between face shape and behaviour in a non-human species. Results are discussed in terms of the role that face-behaviour associations might play within capuchin societies, and the possible selective forces that might have led to the evolution of fWHR-dominance associations in humans

Use of the nursing process at public and private centers in a health area

AIM: to analyze whether the nursing process method is used at public and private centers in the health area Gipuzkoa (Basque Country) and, if yes, to analyze in the framework of which model and how it is used. METHOD: cross-sectional study, based on the analysis of the nursing records used at the 158 centers studied. RESULTS: the nursing process is applied at 98% of the centers. It is applied at all public and 18 out of 21 private centers. Virginia Henderson's model is the most used to apply it, and most centers use nursing diagnoses, the NIC-NOC terminology and standardized care plans. CONCLUSION: the use of the nursing process is widespread in Gipuzkoa, with greater use at public than at private centers.OBJETIVO: analizar si la metodología del proceso de enfermería se utiliza en los centros públicos y privados del área de salud de Gipuzkoa (País Vasco) y, en caso de utilizarse, analizar bajo qué modelo enfermero y de qué manera se utiliza. MÉTODO: estudio transversal, basado en el análisis de los registros de enfermería que utilizan los 158 centros estudiados. RESULTADOS: el proceso de enfermería se aplica en el 98% de los centros estudiados. Se aplica en todos los centros públicos y en 18 de los 21 centros privados. El modelo de Virginia Henderson es el más utilizado para aplicarlo, y el uso de los diagnósticos enfermeros, de la terminología NOC-NIC y de los planes de cuidados estandarizados es mayoritario. CONCLUSIÓN: se concluye que el uso del proceso de enfermería está extendido en Gipuzkoa, y su uso es mayor en los centros públicos que en los privados.OBJETIVO: analisar se a metodologia do processo de enfermagem é utilizada nos serviços públicos e privados do distrito de saúde de Gipuzkoa (País Basco) e, caso seja, analisar sob qual modelo de enfermagem e de que maneira é utilizada. MÉTODO: estudo transversal, baseado na análise dos registros de enfermagem usados pelos 158 serviços estudados. RESULTADOS: o processo de enfermagem aplica-se em 98% dos serviços estudados. É aplicado em todos os serviços públicos e em 18 dos 21 serviços privados. O modelo de Virginia Henderson é o mais utilizado para aplicá-lo, e o uso dos diagnósticos de enfermagem, da terminologia NOC-NIC e dos protocolos de cuidados padronizados é majoritário. CONCLUSÃO: conclui-se que o uso do processo de enfermagem está disseminado em Gipuzkoa, e que seu uso é maior nos serviços públicos do que nos privados