Reflection in and on nursing practices- how nurses reflect and develop knowledge and skills during their nursing practice

Introduction: This paper present some theoretical foundations for reflection and also present some findingsfrom some studies including nurses’ reflections in and on nursing practice in various areas of nursing care.Aims: The aim of this paper was to critically discuss and analyze the application of reflection to nursing practiceand how it could become visible and understandable.Method: A secondary analysis was performed on some studies whereas the author had been involved in. Thissecondary analysis on all data focused on identifying reflection in nursing practice.Results: Data was abstracted and analyzed in order to making reflection in nursing practice visible. The resultsshow that reflection in nursing practice could be identified as reflection on action, reflection in action andreflection as self-discovering. Sometimes the nurses made good caring activities by intuition; they made someactions that they by experiences knew will function, but they had difficulties to verbalize this, in other words;they have what we call silent knowledge.Conclusion: Using reflections can access our theories in use so enabling others to learn. In this way the risk oftaking practice for granted has the potential to be reduced. So what nurses’ do- can be explored and shared –nurses can share and develop knowledge and experiences- nurses will be able to learn from each other as well asfrom ourselves

Quotations in qualitative studies : Reflections on constituents, custom, and purpose

Qualitative studies are often found to be accompanied by quotations from interviews or similar data sources. As with any methodological tradition, it is essential to critically explore the general principle of including quotations in scientific papers: what is the purpose and justification for including quotations? Are there standards and, in that case, what are they and what are their scientific positioning? This paper presents an overview of the somewhat diverse guidance found in the literature in reference to the representation of quotations. Yet, both students and scholars use a variety of approaches to quote from their data, ranging from presenting numerous, extensive, and/or comprehensive quotations throughout the results section to the reporting of a few particular quotations to illustrate certain aspects of the findings only. While their function may be described, scientific reasoning for using quotations is scarce. Along with an overview of the scientific background and options for including quotations in qualitative studies, we discuss the consequences of the different epistemological and methodological aspects found in the literature. In conclusion, we argue that there are incentives for promoting a more deliberate employment of references from data; deriving from the human sciences tradition, a corresponding epistemological stance would suggest that quotations preferably apply for illustrating the analysis process and/or findings, while the idea that quotations can be employed to validate findings has limited support. Further critical examination of the application of and justification for including quotations in the reporting of qualitative studies is needed among researchers, journal editors and reviewers

Talking About Sexuality: Desire, Virility, and Intimacy in the Context of Prostate Cancer Associations

Prostate cancer and its outcomes are a real threat for health and well-being for men living in the Western world. The number of men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, before the age of 65 years, has increased in recent decades. The aim of this study was to explore how some of these Swedish men experienced and talked about their sexuality. Four focus group discussions were performed in the context of associations for prostate cancer. Using qualitative content analysis, it was identified how the diagnosis was a threat to their male identity; the men's vulnerability as a group in society was made explicit. Their sexuality was diminished by their illness experiences. These experiences were difficult to share and talk about with others and therefore connected with silence and sorrow. As a result of this, the informants often played a passive role when or if they discussed issues related to sexuality with someone in the health care organizations. The possibility of voluntarily joining a cancer association was probably highly beneficial for these men. During the sessions, several men expressed the opinion that "it is always great to talk."

Sexuality in the Context of Prostate Cancer Narratives

In this study we explored how men diagnosed with prostate cancer experienced their sexuality from a lifeworld perspective. One essential meaning was identified: "having the elixir of life stolen." This essential meaning had four constituents: "something that no longer exists," "the threat to manhood," "intimacy," and "staged manhood." The lifeworld for these men comprised the dynamic interaction between being deprived of their "life's elixir" and their ability to have and experience intimacy. The men were preoccupied with embodied experiences unfamiliar to them. They mourned the loss of sexuality in connection with their new life situation that threatened their identity. Their female partner was a great support, and with her the man could picture himself and at best renegotiate his sexuality. In the future, cancer care should be organized so as to enable all aspects of sexuality to be acknowledged and discussed

Self-management education for persons with Parkinson's disease and their care partners : a quasi-experimental case-control study in clinical practice

Background Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative condition with both physical and mental consequences that affect many aspects of everyday life. Persons with Parkinson's disease and their care partners want guidance from healthcare services in order to develop skills to adjust to life with a long-term condition. The Swedish National Parkinson School is a dyadic self-management programme to support both persons with Parkinson's disease and care partners. Objective To assess the outcomes of the Swedish National Parkinson School as reported by participants. Design A quasi-experimental case-control study in clinical care using self-reported questionnaires. Participants Swedish National Parkinson School was offered by health care professionals working in clinical care. Participants in the programme were also asked to participate in the study. A matched control group was recruited for a comparison of findings. In total, 92 persons with Parkinson's disease and 55 care partners were included. Settings. Five Swedish geriatric and neurologic outpatient clinics. Method Data were collected during 2015-2017, before and after participation in the National Parkinson School or before and after seven weeks of standard care. Outcomes were assessed using generic and Parkinson's specific questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to describe baseline characteristics. Mann-Whitney U and Chi(2) tests were used to test for between-group differences and within-group differences were tested by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. Results Improvements regarding health status, constructive attitudes and approaches, and skill and technique acquisition were found after the intervention among persons with Parkinson's disease. No changes were found among care partners. Conclusion The findings indicate that the Swedish National Parkinson School may improve health status and self-management among persons with Parkinson's disease, but further studies are needed to better understand the effects of the programme