By utilizing technology can nursing students gain more confidence and decrease anxiety when communicating with chronically ill patients about their sexual relationship?

IntroductionEffective communication is an essential part of nursing care. Nurses need to effectively communicate with patients, families, providers and staff. The purpose of this study was to show how the use of technology (i.e., video conferencing on an electronic device) could assist nursing students to gain more confidence and reduce anxiety when discussing difficult topics such as sexual intimacy. MethodsPre-licensure nursing students were recruited to participate as part of regular class activities. A pre- and post-survey asking about their confidence and anxiety in communicating with patients was completed; then subjects were randomly placed into groups of 4 to 5 utilizing an electronic device. Student groups were able to communicate with a patient diagnosed with a medical condition that affected their intimacy by video conferencing in a breakout session for 15-20 min. ResultsA total of 112 students participated. The majority of students stated that communicating about relationships and intimacy issues with chronically ill patients was not as difficult as they anticipated. About 82% of students liked using a video conferencing tool although about half (n = 62) reported they still preferred a face-to-face in-person interaction. Results demonstrated a significant increase in confidence and decrease in anxiety score (p = .001) before and after the intimacy communication activity. ConclusionsIn conclusion, the use of technology can be an effective learning tool to teach pre-licensure nursing students on how to communicate with patients effectively, especially for those difficult topics such as sexual intimacy

Quench the Thirst

Thirst, as a symptom, has long been considered the most prevalent clinical complaint patients voice in healthcare settings. Yet, rarely have researchers examined thirst by its correlation with physiologic factors. This review was undertaken to examine the relationships between thirst ratings and factors mediating its primary physiologic correlates: plasma osmolality (pOsm) and arginine vasopressin peptide (AVP). A literature search was undertaken to identify clinical studies in human subjects that investigated the relationship of thirst to specific physiologic thirst-related correlates and associated thirst mediators. Thirst was induced in 17 selected clinical studies by hyperosmolar infusion, through water deprivation or exercise weight-loss regimens. Positive linear relationships between the subjects' thirst ratings and rising serum pOsm levels confirmed the presence of intact osmotic thirst drives. However, there were significant variations in normal compensatory rises in AVP levels that followed the rises in plasma osmolality after the subjects were exposed to cold, physical pre-conditioning and water immersion tests. Notably, older adults in the studies reported diminished thirst ratings. Weak correlations suggest that angiotensin II may play only a minor role in thirst mediation. Atrial natriuretic hormone's inhibitory effect on thirst was inconsistent. Findings indicated that older adults are at higher risk for profound dehydration due to sensory deficits along with failure to correct volume losses. The thirst trials results support the close correlation between serum pOsm values and patients' thirst ratings, with the exception of the older adult