Inclusive Practice for Health Professionals

Inclusive Practice for Health Professionals equips students with knowledge of the social, political and cultural factors that influence health care in Australia, to prepare them to be well informed, considerate health professionals. It embraces the multidisciplinary nature of work in the health professions, and applies the term inclusive practice to focus attention on its relevance to all healthcare professionals and improving health outcomes. The book considers the interface between health care delivery, health care professionals and population groups, and examines the key concepts, influences and strategies of inclusive practice to help students develop best practice skills for working in complex and diverse healthcare settings

The lived experience of nursing dying or dead people

This phenomenological study describes the experiences of twelve registered nurses who have nursed a dying or dead patient. These registered nurses come from a variety of backgrounds, not only personally, but also educationally and socially. The study primarily focuses on these registered nurses' most significant experience with death in a professional capacity. Twelve registered nurses were invited to share their stories by means of taped interviews and/or written narrative which attempted to discover the underlying meaning of their experiences. However, in relating their stories, many of the registered nurses wished to describe other death experiences which were of significance for them. The study is grounded in Heideggerian phenomenology and analysis of the transcripts revealed the emerging essences of connectedness, aloneness, questioning and accepting. The study further reveals that these essences align themselves to the four fundamental existentials of spatiality, corporeality, temporality and relationality as described by Merleau-Ponty (1962). Additionally, these essences are related back to the principles of Parse's (1987) theory of Human-Becoming and provide some insights for nursing practice when caring for the dying or the dead patient. Some discussion on how these insights may be related to contemporary nursing practice in Australia is highlighted. Each participant's transcript is followed by a poem which intends to capture the essence of their relationship with the situation(s) they have shared with the author

Professional and Therapeutic Communication

Professional and Therapeutic Communication focuses on all aspects of interpersonal interaction that are essential to safe, high quality healthcare. It takes a practical approach to concepts fundamental to both the communication and therapeutic elements of the caring relationship and helps students develop essential skills for effectively communicating with clients, consumers and colleagues across a broad range of settings. With contributors from a range of professional groups including nursing, midwifery, psychology and occupational therapy, this book recognises the interprofessional nature of contemporary healthcare delivery and prepares students for future practice in diverse clinical environments. \ud \ud Key features:\ud \ud ◦Case studies and practitioner profiles engage readers in the day-to-day lives of health professionals\ud \ud ◦Critical thinking and reflection questions in each chapter help readers apply key concepts to real-life situations and reflect on their own experiences\ud \ud ◦Key terms, margin notes, summary points and useful web links in each chapter to support and further learnin

Professional insights from nurses who are carers for family with chronic illness: A phenomenological approach

Dwyer, TA ORCiD: 0000-0001-8408-7956; Quinney, LT ORCiD: 0000-0002-1852-9119Background: The incidence of chronic illness is growing globally and nurses within the family circle often fulfil a caring role for relatives who are chronically ill. Registered nurses who are also carers have a unique vantage point to evaluate healthcare provision. Aim: This study aimed to develop insights into healthcare provision from understanding the lived experience of participants who were family carer and professional nurse. Methods: This paper is drawn from a larger phenomenological study that explored the lived experience of fifteen registered nurses who cared for family who had a chronic illness. Unstructured interviews of one hour duration were used as the method of data collection to enable thematic analysis of the findings within the context of Heideggerian philosophy. Findings: The research identified that participants held three distinctive ways of being a nurse and family carer while at the bedside of their chronically ill family member. During the critical times of exacerbation and hospitalisation, the carer who is also a nurse, has professional and personal insights which enable them to; navigate healthcare systems to access care, progress through hospital safely and build pathways towards discharge. Discussion and conclusion: In contrast to much of the previous literature, which has focused upon the needs of nurses who are family carers, this paper focuses upon the contributions that participants can make to the nursing profession and the wider health industry. Understanding the contribution that carers can make to patient safety and improved health outcomes may bring focus and purpose to the implementation of care for the chronically ill. Participants developed insights into healthcare provision from repeated exposure through multiple admissions and this repository of knowledge may have previously been overlooked. © 2017 Australian College of Nursing Lt