Social Media, E-Professionalism And The Image Of Nursing: How One Nurse Can Reach Many!

This paper considers social media and eprofessionalism and the image of nursing and reports on a project, centred upon the question: What is a nurse? It explores the response to a recent Miss America pageant where, for the talent section of the show, a contestant performed a monologue and discussed her profession as a nurse.What ensued was a media furore following release to television and YouTube as the contestant’s speech was viewed worldwide. Subsequent to this, a group of postgraduate students were asked to review the YouTube of the contestant and write a critical reflection on the role of a nurse in contemporary healthcare..

Developing the synergy between university and industry-based nursing courses: Lessons in engagement

On the surface the process of engagement seems functional, however, if the engagement process does not take into account people dynamics and the effects of the wider social, organisational and cultural context, multiple tensions may occur. This paper shares the story of the tensions related to culture, relationships, communication and the impact of change in bringing a University-Community project to its completion. The scholarship of engagement revealed the nature of this complex process and uncovered the need for a richer understanding of the people involved and their mindset. The challenges and opportunities encountered in the engagement process will be identified and the “how to” and “how not to” manage the process and the consideration of the people will be discusse

Munchausen by internet and nursing practice: An ethnonetnographic case study

This paper used Feldman’s clues to factitious illness behavior on the Internet (FIBI), to determine whether the online behaviour of one member of an online breast cancer support community www.breastcancerclick.com.au , moderated by a specialist breast cancer nurse (SBCN), could be Munchausen by Internet (MBI) and why identification of this behaviour is important for online nursing practice. This was a focused ethnonetnographic and qualitative research study whereby the online behaviour of one member was observed and compared with Feldman’s clues to factitious behaviour on the Internet. The online data showed that nine out of ten of Feldman’s clues were applicable to the member’s behavior in the Click online community. The relevance of these findings are discussed in relation to the effects this behaviour can have on other community members, the attendant legal ramifications and the necessity for nurses and other health professionals, who are employed or who participate in online support communities, to be aware of this behaviour and how to recognize it

Interventions to increase resilience in physicians: A structured literature review

Aims and objectives To critically appraise available literature on interventions to increase resilience in physicians. Background The increasing rate of burnout in physicians has sparked interest in interventions that increase their resilience. Research on improving resilience among health professionals is still in its infancy, yet understanding what interventions are effective in counteracting burnout is vital to ensuring a resilient medical workforce. Design A focused review of research literature. Methods The review used key terms and Boolean operators across a five-year time frame in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Google Scholar for relevant articles. Ten articles are included in the structured literature review. Results Interventions were tested in eight of the 10 studies, with mindfulness a common theme. Results for effectiveness of training programs were mixed, with some studies reporting significant improvements in resilience and others not. Some group, online and coaching interventions were found to be effective in increasing resilience. The percentage of physicians participating in these studies varied, and results regarding physicians were not always reported separately. Conclusions This review examined a range of interventions, with varying measures of effectiveness. Common limitations in the reviewed studies included self-selection bias, lack of a control group, and uncertainty over whether changes could be attributed to the intervention. The findings presented were not limited to physicians, but included a broader range of health professionals. It is not possible to generalize the results of these studies to physicians. Further research is needed to refine interventions and pinpoint precisely what increases resilience in physicians

Factors influencing medical decision- Making for seriously ill patients in the Acute Care Hospital

Aim: To acquire a fuller understanding of the influences on decision-making in an acute care hospital for seriously ill patients. Background: Fromthe moment of a diagnosis of serious, potentially life-limiting illness, patients and their families are faced withmultiple, complex and significant decisions that will influence the entire illness trajectory, including their end-of-life care (EOLC). Compounding personal factors is the complexity of dying today with acute ward areas in tertiary hospitals use of technological interventions to prolong life, at all costs being the norm. If hospice care is initiated, in these areas, it is often at too late a stage to relieve distressing symptoms and to offer the person the best possible path of care for a dignified death. Design and methods: A retrospective cohort research design was used for this study. Results: Thirty nine (39) medical records that met the inclusion criteria were audited. While medical records are limited in terms of the quality of the information contained in them in terms of social, behavioural and other qualitative information, the audit obtained detailed clinical information on patient characteristics, clinical care, and family and clinician involvement in the care of these patients. Communication between health professionals and patient and or family were limited. Poor documentation in the medical record did not support shared decision-making with decisions to amend the care pathway to palliative not undertaken in most instances despite no improvement in response to care or deterioration in the patient’s condition. Conclusion: Communication between health care professions, patients and their family’s needs to be addressed. The management of patients who are seriously ill in acute ward areas should be altered to reflect the patient’s condition. Nurses, using a person-centred approach, have a role in advocating for the patient and the family in times of stress. Discussions concerning end-oflife of seriously ill patients need to be open, transparent and communicated as these discussions are critical to ensuring the patient’s wishes are realised

Postgraduate nurses’ insights into the nursing leadership role. Do they intuitively link the role to patient safety?

Nursing leaders are compelled to ensure a safety and quality agenda in the acute care environment as patient outcomes are linked to nursing care. Good nursing leadership where focus is directed to accountability and responsibility for clinical outcomes and patient safety, results in reduced adverse events and patient mortality. Integral to the future of high-quality effective clinical care with an absence of errors is the training of the next generation of nursing leaders. In this discussion paper, the extent to which future nurse leaders intuitively acknowledge patient safety as part of their leadership role was examined amongst a cohort of postgraduate nursing students. A content analysis to search for quality and safety terminology was conducted on 146 essay responses to a question about the nurse leader role in today’s healthcare environment. The results indicated minimal acknowledgement of patient safety as an intuitive consideration in the nursing leadership role. Recommendations are discussed for developing postgraduate nursing educational curricula with patient safety strategies as a central component to the practice of leadership

The specialist breast care nurse's role in the identification and minimisation of distress in a members' only, breast cancer focused online support community

Objectives: To show how a specialist breast care nurse (SBCN) can use the distress thermometer to determine an online community member’s distress level and then use the information in their posts and blogs to identify the cause(s) and deal with them appropriately. To highlight the use of a structured written emotional expression (SWEE) format online, as a way of minimising distress. Method: A survey of online community members together with analysis of the content of members’ posts and blogs to determine whether their distress thermometer score had decreased since the SBCN had been online to deal with member distress. Results: The survey showed that four of the survey participants who completed the survey N=30 had completed a SWEE, been personal messaged by the SBCN about their distress thermometer score and declared that the information and advice they received had been instrumental in decreasing their distress score. It was not possible to identify whether a SWEE made any difference to the Distress Score. Conclusion: The SBCN can use the Distress Thermometer tool online to screen for member distress and deal with this distress through information, advice and support or referral to another health professional. A DT scores should be repeated before and after each of the breast cancer treatment stages so that appropriate interventions can be put in place to minimise or prevent the member’s distress. Specialist nurses in other specialised nursing areas can use the distress thermometer to measure and address the problems/issues causing support community members distress. That the content of a SWEE is one way in which members can document and vent about the problems causing their distress and this information can be used by the nurse to put in place appropriate solution or provide advice and support

A perspective on Chiropractic Councils on Education accreditation standards and processes from the inside: A narrative description of expert opinion, part 1: Themes

Background The aim of this study was to report on key informant opinions of Councils on Chiropractic Education (CCE) regarding recent research findings reporting on improving accreditation standards and processes for chiropractic programs (CPs). Methods This qualitative study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews with key experienced personnel from the five CCEs in June and July of 2018. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions on a range of issues surrounding accreditation, graduate competency standards and processes. All interviews were audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analysed to develop codes and themes using thematic analysis techniques assisted by NVivo coding software. The study followed the COREQ guidelines for qualitative studies. Results Six themes were isolated from the interview transcripts; they were: professional differences; keep it in the family; to focus on outcomes or be prescriptive?; more resources please; inter-profession integration; and CPs making ends meet. Most respondents saw a need for CCEs standards and processes to improve interdisciplinarity while at the same time preserving the 'uniqueness' of chiropractic. Additionally, informants viewed CCEs as carrying out their functions with limited resources while simultaneously dealing with vocal disparate interest groups. Diverse views were observed on how CCEs should go about their business of assessing chiropractic programs for accreditation and re-accreditation. Conclusions An overarching confounder for positive changes in CCE accreditation standards and processes is the inability to clearly define basic and fundamental terms such as 'chiropractic' and its resultant scope of practice. This is said to be because of vocal, diverse and disparate interest groups within the chiropractic profession. Silence or nebulous definitions negotiated in order to allow a diversity of chiropractic practice to co-exist, appears to have complicated and hindered the activities of CCEs. Recommendations are made including an adoption of an evidence-based approach to accreditation standards and processes and the use of expertise from other health professions. Further, the focus of attention should be moved away from professional interests and toward that of protection of the public and the patient