User perceptions of relevance and its effect on retrieval in a smart textile archive.

The digitisation of physical textiles archives is an important process for the Scottish textiles industry. This transformation creates an easy access point to a wide breadth of knowledge, which can be used to understand historical context and inspire future creativity. The creation of such archives however presents interesting new challenges, such as how to organise this wealth of information, and make it accessible in meaningful ways. We present a Case Based Reasoning approach to creating a digital archive and adapting the representation of items in this archive. In doing so we are able to learn the important facets describing an item, and therefore improve the quality of recommendations made to users of the system. We evaluate this approach by constructing a user study, which was completed by industry experts and students. We also compare how users interact with both an offline physical case base, and the online digital case base. Evaluation of our representation adaptation, and our comparison of physical and digital archives, highlights key findings that can inform and strengthen the process for creating new case bases

Leadership in Compassionate Care: Final Report 2012

This report reflects the initiation, planning, running and the important outcomes emerging from the Leadership in Compassionate Care Programme. The team worked in close partnership across the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University and NHS Lothian. This report also shares the highlights, challenges and solutions to embed compassionate care education and nursing practice.Additional co-authors: Fiona Smith, Stephen DM Smith, Ria Tocher, and Anne Waug

The ethical implications and legal aspects of patient restraint.

It is arguable that the association of restraint with people who have severe mental health difficulties may cloud appreciation of its widespread use in other areas of nursing. The focus of this article will be on the use of restraint within a care setting for older people. This is an area of practice for which the RCN developed specific guidelines in 1999. The issues in the article are generic and the principles may apply to a variety of care settings

Review: How, and when, can i restrain a patient?

The need to restrain service users will vary according to the area of practice within which practitioners are employed. Many of the principles that relate to the issue of restraining service users are, however, applicable to all, or most, health and social care settings. While the emphasis should be on pre-emptive action, wherever possible, in order to prevent the need to restrain, there are some occasions on which the risks to the service user, or others, of inaction may outweigh those of taking action. Some of the key issues are discussed in this pape

Evaluation of qualitative research.

Summary• It is necessary to subject published research to critical scrutiny, in order to evaluate the robustness of the findings.• The criteria used in evaluation require to be appropriate for the research paradigm, i.e. quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative conceptualizations of reliability and validity are unsuitable for evaluation of qualitative research as they were not devised for this purpose.• The use of quantitative criteria to evaluate qualitative research may create the impression that the latter is not academically rigorous.• Evaluation criteria which are specific to qualitative research require identification and application, in order to provide a formalized and rigorous approach to critical appraisal.• A formalized framework for evaluation will help to ensure that the contribution of qualitative studies, with specific reference to health services research, receives optimum recognition.• The work of a number of writers is used in this paper to examine the features which distinguish qualitative research and the following are discussed:• the need for researcher reflexivity;• the use of the ‘first person’ in academic work;• the context in which research takes place;• the selection of research participants;• the interpretation of participants' accounts;• the active acknowledgement of ‘lay’ knowledge;• researcher flexibility within the research process;• the generalizability of findings.• It is concluded that academically rigorous criteria, which are appropriate for evaluation of qualitative research, exist and are available for use by practitioners and researchers

The ethical implications and legal aspects of patient restraint.

It is arguable that the association of restraint with people who have severe mental health difficulties may cloud appreciation of its widespread use in other areas of nursing. The focus of this article will be on the use of restraint within a care setting for older people. This is an area of practice for which the RCN developed specific guidelines in 1999. The issues in the article are generic and the principles may apply to a variety of care settings

Care and compassion: the experiences of newly-qualified staff nurses.

Aims and objectivesTo explore newly qualified staff nurses' perceptions of compassionate care and factors that facilitate and inhibit its delivery. BackgroundIt is known that the transition from student to staff nurse is challenging due to a variety of factors including increased expectations of competence, inadequate staffing levels and eclectic support. MethodsA qualitative approach was taken. Data from newly qualified staff nurses (within first year post registration) were collected by focus groups (n = 6, total participants = 42), using a flexible agenda to guide discussion. Data were analysed to locate codes and themes. ResultsSupport for newly qualified staff was eclectic rather than systematic. Participants felt they were ‘flung in at the deep end’ and ‘left to sink or swim’. Some staff were perceived as ‘ingrained in the woodwork’ and resistant to change of even a minor nature, creating an environment of ‘institutionalised negativity’. Clinical supervision was considered a support when available. Compassionate care was a tautology for most participants, that is, care would not be care in the absence of compassion. Compassion as a concept was described frequently with reference to situations in which it was absent. Nursing was ‘more than just a job’, but an occupation in which ‘emotional engagement’ is not only desirable but a prerequisite for provision of high-quality care. ConclusionFindings indicated a tension between ‘agency’ (the ability of individuals to act) and ‘structure’ (physical, social, managerial and cultural environments within which care takes place). Supportive environments facilitate provision of compassionate care although individuals remain accountable for their own practice. This study adds depth to existing literature about newly qualified staff nurses, with specific reference to compassionate care. Relevance to clinical practiceUndergraduate nursing programmes should prepare students for the reality of delivering compassionate care despite competing commitments. Managers of care settings should ensure that a formalised supportive framework is in place for registered nurses throughout their first year of practic