Certified Nursing Assistants’ Perceptions And Generational Differences

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are the heart and soul of long-care facilities. This study surveyed their perceptions of nursing home administrators, supervisors, and coworkers, and then compared generational differences. Regardless of generation, CNAs reported a high sense of intrinsic satisfaction, commitment to their nursing home, and supervisor support. However, all generations of CNAs perceived their administrators as rather insensitive by not showing concern for their health, not calling in additional help when needed, nor making allowances for family emergencies. Two significant generational differences were found: 1) older CNAs, or baby boomers, felt their supervisor didn’t understand their work problems and needs and 2) younger CNAs (Millennials) reported more internal gossiping and negative peer interactions than did older CNAs. These findings are useful as administrators and supervisors strive to create a supportive work environment.

How Percy Ludgate\u27s 1909 Paper Helped Thwart Konrad Zuse\u27s Computer Patent in 1960

This investigation outlines how Percy Ludgate\u27s 1909 paper describing his design for a mechanical computer, his “Analytical Machine”, was used in 1960 by a German patent attorney to thwart Konrad Zuse\u27s computer patent, just in time, as it was about to be granted. This narrative is then followed by analyses of, and discovery of proof of, the role of IBM in preventing Zuse from getting what would have been the premier patent on the concept of a programmable computer, and then by an exploration of how information about Ludgate\u27s 1909 paper was found by (or for) the opposing German patent attorney

Ethical Dilemmas As Perceived By Healthcare Students With Teaching Implications

Ethical dilemmas are experienced by all individuals, but are especially prevalent among healthcare professionals. Universities and colleges preparing students to work and provide care in this arena are currently addressing this challenge through traditional ethics courses and lectures. However, student perspectives of the major ethical dilemmas in healthcare, as well as the differences among student disciplines, have not been identified. This study reports what students from six healthcare majors believe are the primary healthcare dilemmas today. Then, each healthcare discipline identified unique insights and implications of these dilemmas. These findings should lead to a consideration for more relevant ethics courses and curriculums within colleges and universities

Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Student Differences and Teaching Implications

Teamwork with individuals from multiple disciplines is recognized as a significant skill necessary for professional employment. While a variety of teaching methods for students in health care professions have been investigated and found to be generally effective in improving interdisciplinary team skills, one field - health administration - has not been included in these studies. The research presented here used two standardized instruments (with seven distinct subscales) to compare perceptions of health care administration students and clinical students regarding interdisciplinary teamwork. Three attitudes toward interdisciplinary health care teams were similar among all students - shared leadership, perceived need for cooperation, and understanding others’ values. Significant differences between administration and clinical students were found in four areas. Health administration students exhibited lower scores for: 1) believing in the value of teamwork, 2) recognizing teamwork efficiency, 3) believing their profession was perceived as competent by other health care professionals, and 4) recognizing their own lack of cooperation in teamwork. These findings reveal the diverse cultures among health care professionals and invite educators to consider the diversity of their students when implementing interdisciplinary team-teaching techniques and methods

Epilepsy self-management during a pandemic: Experiences of people with epilepsy

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or be any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.The purpose of this descriptive study was to, from the perspective of adult people with epilepsy (PWE) and caregivers of PWE, explore the effects of the current pandemic and resulting societal changes on epilepsy self-management. Ninety-four respondents completed a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative survey focused on their epilepsy self-management experiences during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Respondents noted significant disruption in epilepsy self-management. Lack of ability to obtain medications or see epilepsy providers, as well as increased stress, social isolation, and changes in routine were all reported as troublesome, and more than one-third of the sample reported an increase in seizure frequency since the onset of the pandemic. Suggestions are given regarding how to support PWE during future COVID-19 outbreaks and to better prepare PWE and their caregivers for any life-altering events, such as a pandemic, with robust self-management skills that will allow them to maintain the highest level of function possible

Chronic Disease Self-Management: A Hybrid Concept Analysis

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases require chronic disease self-management (CDSM). Existing CDSM interventions, while improving outcomes, often do not lead to long-lasting effects. To render existing and new CDSM interventions more effective, an exploration of the concept of CDSM from both the literature and patient perspectives is needed. The purpose of this study was to describe the current conceptualization of CDSM in the literature, identify potential inadequacies in this conceptualization based on a comparison of literature- and patient-based CDSM descriptions, and to offer a more comprehensive definition of CDSM. METHODS: A hybrid concept analysis was completed. DISCUSSION: In the literature, CDSM is defined as behaviors influenced by individual characteristics. Patients in the fieldwork phase discussed aspects of CDSM not well represented in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: CDSM is a complex process involving behaviors at multiple levels of a person's environment. Pilot work to develop and test CDSM interventions based on both individual and external characteristics is needed

Living in the epilepsy treatment gap in rural South India: A focused ethnography of women and problems associated with stigma

In India, women with epilepsy face unique challenges. A focused ethnography of six women within the epilepsy treatment gap was conducted in rural South India. Women were asked to describe their day-to-day lives. Data were collected through open-ended, semistructured interview questions, participant observation, and field notes. Thematic analysis was done. The disease-related stigma contributed to the women's physical, psychological, and emotional struggles; the women and their family members made every effort to conceal the disease. Educational interventions to create awareness could help women seek effective treatments for their seizures, thereby reducing the stigma and improving the quality of their lives

Women’s Experiences with Epilepsy Treatment in Southern India: A Focused Ethnography

Women with epilepsy in rural southern India often do not receive anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) or take these drugs regularly, but little is known about how they experience the epilepsy treatment they do receive. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth description of the treatment experiences of women in this region who had been diagnosed with epilepsy but who do not consistently take AEDs. Focused ethnography was conducted using participant observation and in-depth interviews with six women with epilepsy, eight of their family members, and two traditional healers. The women's treatment experiences are best described as living at the intersection of Western allopathic ("English") medicine and traditional healing practices-approaches that could be complementary or conflicting. The women revealed a variety of perceived barriers to the use of "English" medicine. Health care professionals should appreciate the dynamic interplay of the two treatment approaches and consider all cultural, social, and economic factors that influence the women's treatment experiences