Development of pain management nursing care program for children with cancer

Introduction: Pain management is one of the challenging issues in the pediatric oncologic domain. Strengthening nurses’ knowledge and skills are necessary to establish optimal quality of care. The study aimed to develop a pain management nursing care program for children with cancer. Patients and methods: The participants of the qualitative research phase included 10 children parents (8 mothers and 2 fathers) and 15 health providers (10 nurses, 3 oncologists, and 2 palliative medicine specialists). The study was the exploratory mixed method according to the Kern model with three phases, including two-stage qualitative stages (literature review and content analysis) in the first phase, providing a draft of the program (Phase 2) and validating the draft, using the Delphi method. Results: Three main categories emerged from the literature review and qualitative study findings, including factors related to nursing, pediatric parents, and health care organizations. They were realized as the base of initial pain management nursing care obstacles that were considered in the program draft. These categories were classified into 3 domains of knowledge, attitude, and skill pain management deficiency. The contents were confirmed in 13 pain management outlines at the Delphi phase. The second phase demonstrated the final program contents, including training on items of pain concept, cancer pain, painful procedures, pain assessment, nursing care, pharmacological and non-pharmacologic interventions as the pillar outlines in pain management. Conclusions: The nursing care pain management program in children with cancer with an innovative view that provides professional educational opportunities for optimal pain management

Effective chacteristics of Iranian nursing students in their relationship with clinical nurses

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of undergraduate nursing students, which may determine the nature of their relationship with clinical nurses. Relationships between nursing students and clinical nurses are critical to maximize student learning outcomes and produce skilled graduates for the future health workforce. Methods: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted from January to August 2016. Twenty nine semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 undergraduate nursing students in Tabriz nursing and midwifery faculty. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim (in Persian), and analyzed using conventional content analysis to identify themes. Results: Four key themes emerged: educational factors (cognitive knowledge and practical skills, and learning motivation); communication skills; perceived support (perceived support from nurses and educators); and psychological state (fear of the relationship and self-confidence). Self-confidence is an emphasized concept in nursing students' willingness and ability to relate with clinical nurses. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that educational, communicative and psychological factors are important determinants of student communication with nurses. However, self-confidence is the most important factor in establishing such relationship. Self-confidence could be further assessed to identify nursing students who need greater support or would benefit from greater educational interventions to achieve relational skills

A Framework to Determine the Effectiveness of Maintenance Strategies Lean Thinking Approach

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework that can identify and evaluate the effectiveness of a given maintenance strategy and to rank components of maintenance system. The framework is developed using DEMATEL method on maintenance strategy as a guideline. To gain a richer understanding of the framework, a questionnaire is constructed and answered by experts. Then the DEMATEL method is applied to analyze the importance of criteria and the casual relations among the criteria are constructed. The scope of the paper is limited to performance measurement of maintenance strategies. It is found that the framework is applicable and useful for the strategic management of the maintenance function. It is observed that the influencing and preferred infrastructures for designing Learning and Training are three components, that is, optimal maintenance, CMMS, and RCM which are interdependent on each other and are the fundamental components to realize the designed goals of maintenance process. This paper provides an overview of research and developments in the measurement of maintenance performance. Many tools and techniques have been developed in other fields. However, the applicability of those tools to maintenance function has never been tried. In that respect this topic is novel. It helps in managing maintenance more effectively

Inter-Professional Education: A Reflection on Education of Health Disciplines

The quality of education and its output in the health care services has been strongly considered by educational policymakers and managers. The development of inter-professional collaboration has been identified as an influential strategy to socialize learners in various health care professionals. Sharing knowledge and experiences in Inter-Professional Education (IPE) provides health care students with opportunities to learn inter-professional interactions for their future health care services. This paper aims to present the trajectory of IPE through a systematic search. It defines relevant terminology of IPE followed by drawing the history of IPE especially in pioneer countries. The role of World Health Organization, national and international bodies in such development also are presented. Various internal and external levers enforcing investment on the improvement of inter-professional collaboration are scrutinized. Different evidence-based advantages of IPE and its theoretical basis will be addressed.. Also various models of IPE initiatives utilized around the world are summarized. The paper comes to the end with the history of IPE and its development in Islamic Republic of Iran

Developing Plan of action and strategic map for "Nursing Sciences development": an experience

Developing Plan of action and strategic map for "Nursing Sciences development": an experienc

Optimum Characteristics of Nursing Students’ Clinical Evaluation: Clinical Nursing Teachers’ Viewpoints in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Despite importance of evaluating students’ clinical competencies through nursing education program, there is still controversy about optimum characteristics (indices) of clinical evaluation methods and there is no consensus. This study was performed to determine optimum characteristics of clinical competencies’ evaluation and to assess clinical nursing teachers’ viewpoints. Methods: This mixed method study carried out in three subsequent phases in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Firstly, the criteria for evaluationg nursing students’ clinical competencies were extracted from different sources such as libraries and databases. In the second phase in which nursing students (n=17), clinical teachers (n=4) and nursing professionals (n=2) participated the extracted criteria were revised, completed and categorized. Finally a 4point Likert scale questionnaire was utilized to get the views of a census sample of 47 clinical nursing teachers about the evaluation criteria. Data were analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods and descriptive statistics. Results: Qualitative data analysis led to identify 5 main themes and 44 subthemes of criteria (optimum characteristics) for clinical evaluation methods namely criteria for evaluation context, criteria for evaluation content, criteria for evaluation process, criteria for grading students and criteria for evaluation outputs. The maximum and minimum of the mean scores (Standard Deviations) of the clinical nursing teachers’ views about the importance of the criteria were 3.81±0.49 and 2.74±0/9 that were related to “linking the theoretical and clinical education” and “using new information technology” respectively. Conclusion: This study introduces some important characteristic of clinical competency evaluation methods. Considering the high agreement of clinical nursing teachers with importance of the extracted criteria, it would be worthwhile to use them to improve clinical competency evaluation methods for nursing students

Readiness of postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences for inter professional learning

Introduction: There is a global inclination towards collaboration and team work led to increasing emphases on the necessity of preparing health students through inter professional education. This study aimed to assess readiness of postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences for inter professional learning as well as examine its correlation with some demographic variables. Methods: this was a cross-sectional descriptive study in 2011.Samples were recruited through convenience sampling method from postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data were gathered through the Readiness for Inter Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Results: Two hundred students filled the questionnaires among which 183 questionnaires were subjected to analysis. They were recruited from nursing (25.7 %), medicine (48.6 %) and other disciplines (24 %). Mean ،score was 70.47 (5.34). The mean score for nursing discipline was 72.1 (4.91), for medicine was 69.83 (5.58) and for other disciplines was 70.25 (4.85). There were no significant correlation between readiness for inter professional learning and contextual variables consisted of age, gender, history of attendance in inter professional education programs, history of clinical practice, history of teaching, education grade and discipline. Conclusion: Regarding the acceptable (higher than mean score) postgraduate students’ readiness, we suggest opportunities for development of interprofessional learning. Insignificant relationship between the students’ readiness and contextual variables implies the broad applicability of the interprofessional education, robust to the contextual differences. Nevertheless, future researches would be necessary to ensure applicability of this approach, and to explore factors influential to this process

Spiritual aspects of care for chronic Muslim patients: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION: For Muslim patients confronted with chronic diseases, spirituality is an important resource for coping. These patients expect the health team to take care of the spiritual aspects. This study aimed to explore the spiritual aspects of care for chronic Muslim patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative-descriptive exploratory study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran, on a purposive sample of 25 participants, including patients, caregivers, nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and religious counselors. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through conventional content analysis. RESULTS: The spiritual aspects of care for chronic Muslim patients fell into four main themes. The first theme was religious aspect with the three subthemes of doing religious rituals, attention to religious values, and providing the possibility of performing religious practices. The second theme, i.e., pastoral aspect, consisted of three subthemes, namely giving consultation for finding the meaning of life/death, helping to achieve intellectual transcendence, and improve the patient's communication with herself/himself and others. The third theme was psychological aspect, the four subthemes of which included instilling calm to the patient, helping the patient to adapt, instilling hope, and empathy. Finally, the fourth theme was a supportive aspect and included the four subthemes of maintaining patient's basic needs, continuity of care at home, creating awareness, and acceptance and observance of patient's respect. CONCLUSION: Providing care based on the spiritual needs of chronic patients requires knowledge and skills that the health-care team need to provide through inter professional collaboration