Nurses' experiences of caring for the suddenly bereaved in adult acute and critical care settings, and the provision of person-centred care: A qualitative study

Aim To explore nursing interventions for person-centred bereavement care in adult acute and critical care settings. Design A descriptive exploratory study, involving focused, face-to-face interviews. Participants comprised nine registered nurses and one auxiliary nurse, working in environments where sudden death was known to occur, i.e. emergency, cardiac and critical care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data subjected to directed content analysis. The provision of person-centred care was examined by applying a validated Person-Centred Nursing Framework. Findings Five main themes were identified. Participants’ accounts contained descriptions of bereavement care and the presence of person-centred interventions. Contextual, professional and attitudinal factors influenced the degree to which person-centred care operated. Conclusion Caring for suddenly bereaved families was important to nurses, but also a source of tension and unrest. An important consideration for person-centred practice is movement away from sudden bereavement as a ‘here and now’ event, towards a pathway of supportive care that envisions the longer-term. Further research is required to gain a deeper understanding of person-centred care for the suddenly bereaved and the perceived effectiveness of nursing interventions.University of Wolverhampton, Early Researcher Award Schem

Out of the wave: The meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of suffering and relief from suffering as described in autobiographies by tourists who experienced the tsunami on 26 December 2004 and lost loved ones. A lifeworld approach, inspired by the French philosopher Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception, was chosen for the theoretical framework. This catastrophe totally changed the survivors' world within a moment. In this new world, there were three main phases: the power of remaining focused, a life of despair, and the unbearable becoming bearable. Life turns into a matter of making the unbearable bearable. Such challenging experiences are discussed in terms of the philosophy of Weil, Jaspers, and Merleau-Ponty. The survivors of the tsunami catastrophe were facing a boundary situation and “le malheur,” the unthinkable misfortune. Even at this lowest level of misfortune, joy is possible to experience. This is part of the survivors' ambivalent experiences of their lifeworld. In this world of the uttermost despair there are also rays of hope, joy, and new life possibilities

Le conchiglie di Lamarck come beni culturali

Con questo contributo si è voluto ricordare che nella turbolenta Francia nel 1793 per la prima volta i beni naturali vengono ufficialmente riconosciuti anche come beni culturali facenti parte del patrimonio di un popolo, che li deve custodire e tutelare. Il tutto era scaturito dalla necessità di salvare dalla distruzione due acquasantiere costituite da 2 valve di tridacna, una conchiglia esotica, presenti nella Chiesa di S. Sulpice a Parigi. A questo importante evento partecipò attivamente anche Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Professore di Zoologia degli Insetti e dei Vermi presso il Museo Nazionale di Storia Naturale di Parigi. Proprio dallo studio delle conchiglie attuali, comparate con quelle fossili, Lamarck comprese che tutti i viventi subiscono nel tempo delle trasformazioni: anche l’uomo, in quanto vivente, cioè una "produzione della natura” è stato coinvolto in questi processi di trasformazione. Se da un lato l’affermazione è la concreta prova che Lamarck è stato “il padre dell’evoluzione”, come molti hanno affermato, dall’altro scatena una tremenda bagarre per le pesanti ricadute di ordine scientifico, religioso, filosofico cui ha dato vita. In questo modo i beni naturali, come le collezioni malacologiche, assumono una dimensione più profonda e più articolata che li rende veri e propri beni culturali. Questo contributo, proprio a partire dalle conchiglie di Lamarck, affronta anche un’altra importante questione: quella relativa alla divulgazione dei saperi relativi alle Scienze Naturali che, dalle esperienze acquisite, sembra molto facilitato, se si adotta un approccio multidisciplinare.We intend to remember that in 1973 in France for the first time the natural heritage became officially recognised as cultural heritage, treasures belong to a State that should preserve and conserve. This start to save 2 valves of the shell Tridacna gigas present in the church of S. Sulpice in Paris. Also Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Professor of Zoology of insects and worms at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris signed the document to preserve them. Studying shells, and by comparing the anatomies of both modern and extinct mollusc species, Lamarck became convinced that organisms change during the time, in one word the transmutation of species. Also the Human, being an alive organism, is involved in this process. Lamarck's contribution to evolutionary theory consisted of the first truly cohesive theory of evolution. He was one of the originators of the modern concept of the museum collection, an array of objects whose arrangement constitutes a classification under institutional sponsorship, maintained and kept up-to-date by knowledgeable specialists and not only. The shell collection was important for student, general public to understand more complex concepts as the "evolution". So the malacology collection had a more important role assuming the value of Cultural Heritage. This paper from Lamarck' shell collection address to another important aspect regarding the science divulgation and the importance to use a multidisciplinar approach