A grounded theory study of parental caregivers who have children in treatment for cancer : Keeping hope possible

Purpose: The overall purpose of this qualitative research study was to gain a clear understanding of the experience of hope for parents who care for their child who was receiving treatment for childhood cancer. Specifically, the objectives were: (a) to gain an interpretive understanding of the hope experience and processes of hope for parents who have children who are undergoing treatment for cancer; (b) to describe and define parental hope and significant related concepts for parental caregivers of children undergoing treatment for cancer within their context; and, (c) to construct a tentative substantive theory that is grounded in the experiences of parents who care for their child with cancer. Research Design: Qualitative: Constructivist Grounded Theory. Sample and Setting: The study sample included 16 parents who were caring for their children in treatment for cancer at a Western Canadian Cancer Centre. Methods/Procedure: Using purposive theoretical sampling, 16 parents were invited to participate in this grounded theory study. Thirty three open-ended, in depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted using a flexible interview guide, and fourteen journals with daily entries over a two week period were collected. The interviews were audio-taped, and both the interviews and the journals were transcribed verbatim, organized and stored using ATLAS.ti software. Analysis of the data was conducted using Charmaz’s (2006) constructivist grounded theory approach. Findings: A developing, substantive grounded theory was constructed in which hope was identified as vital to parents of children who were in treatment for cancer. Parental hope was defined as an essential, powerful, deliberate, life sustaining, dynamic, cyclical process that was anchored in time, and was both calming and strengthening, and provided inner guidance through the challenging experience of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Parental hope helped parents to maintain a positive attitude and to seek growth during their experience of caring for their child who was in treatment for cancer. The parents’ main concern was ‘fearing the loss of hope’, and this was ameliorated by the basic social process of ‘keeping hope possible’ through accepting reality, establishing control, restructuring hope, and purposive positive thinking. Conclusions: Parents journey through numerous transitions related to the treatment phase of cancer that causes feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and loss of control. To minimize these adverse experiences, nurses can support parents’ ability to keep hope possible, and thus, to optimize their well-being by understanding, assessing, and supporting parental hope

“Education is Definitely Key”: An Interpretive Description of Nursing Students’ Experiences with Pediatric Oral Health Nursing Education

In North America, dental disease is the leading pediatric chronic illness. Poor oral health influences a child’s ability to speak, eat, and socialize and has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Despite overwhelming evidence that poor oral health can have lifelong and systemic influences on overall well-being, comprehensive oral health care has not been emphasized in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to explore third-year nursing students’ perceptions and experiences with pediatric oral health nursing education through an interpretive description approach. Data for analysis gathered in focus group interviews resulted in three main themes: nursing education is key: recognition of and insight into the value of oral health care; fading away: barriers to education and practice; and spreading the culture: improving nursing education and practice. The findings highlight a predominant culture in nursing education and practice in which knowledge and skill acquisition related to pediatric oral health is being neglected. Consequently, nursing students experience limited development of the basic knowledge, skills, and resources to adequately care for infants, children, and adolescents in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Effective strategies to improve nursing education include early integration of oral health concepts, demonstration and hands-on preparation of oral health care practices and assessment, and interprofessional oral health education. Résumé La maladie buccodentaire constitue la maladie chronique la plus courante chez les enfants vivant en Amérique du Nord. Une mauvaise santé buccodentaire influence la capacité d’un enfant à parler, à manger et à socialiser et est associée aux maladies cardiovasculaires, au diabète et au cancer. Malgré des résultats probants qui montrent qu’une mauvaise santé buccodentaire peut avoir des répercussions permanentes et systémiques sur le bien-être général de l’être humain, les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières ne mettent pas suffisamment l’accent sur les soins buccodentaires. Cette étude visait à explorer les perceptions et les expériences d’étudiantes en sciences infirmiers de troisième année concernant leur formation aux soins buccodentaires chez les enfants, par l’entremise d’une approche descriptive interprétative. Les données recueillies dans le cadre d’entrevues de groupe ont permis de dégager trois grands thèmes : la formation en sciences infirmières est essentielle : reconnaissance et intégration de l’importance de la santé buccodentaire; atténuation: obstacles à la formation et à la pratique; diffusion de la culture : amélioration de la formation et de la pratique des sciences infirmières. Les résultats mettent en évidence une culture prédominante dans la formation et la pratique infirmières qui n’accorde pas une grande importance à l’acquisition de connaissances et d’habiletés en santé buccodentaire infantile. Les étudiantes en sciences infirmières ne développent donc que très peu les connaissances, compétences et ressources de base nécessaires pour prendre adéquatement soin des nourrissons, des enfants et des adolescents de façon holistique et globale. Pour améliorer efficacement la formation en sciences infirmières à ce sujet, il faut notamment présenter les concepts de santé buccodentaire, offrir un apprentissage pratique des soins buccodentaires et de l’évaluation de la santé buccodentaire ainsi qu’offrir une formation interprofessionnelle sur la santé buccodentaire

Perspectives of International Nursing Students regarding Canadian Public Health Measures for COVID-19: An Interpretive Descriptive Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures affected the well-being of international graduate nursing students in diverse ways. The migration to remote teaching and learning due to campus closures and international travel bans all contributed to sudden changes in daily routines, financial stressors, and intrapersonal connections. Aim: We aimed to explore international graduate nursing students' experiences with and response to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures at a Canadian university. Method: Interpretive Description (ID) was used to explore the experiences of eight international graduate nursing students in one nursing program in a Prairie province in Canada. Semi-structured individual in-depth interviews were conducted with participants via WebEx between the months of April and May 2021; the data were transcribed and analyzed using six phases of thematic analysis. Findings: The study yielded these themes: a) COVID-19’s disruptions; and b) coping withCOVID-19 disruptions. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic affected study participants' well-being in various ways, particularly, the loss of connection with campus community may have been the most profound negative impact on international graduate nursing students. Despite the impact, they demonstrated resilience, continued their studies, and employed coping strategies to overcome the challenges they faced

Enhancing Nursing Students’ Understanding of Oral Health: An Educational Intervention with an Interprofessional Component

Oral health is integral to general health and essential for well-being, and therefore, should be prioritized in pediatric nursing education. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine if an oral health education intervention with an Interprofessional Education (IPE) component delivered to third-year baccalaureate nursing students would improve their knowledge of pediatric oral health care. Nursing students (n=99) from a Bachelor of Nursing program in a mid-Western Canadian university completed a survey before and after receiving the educational intervention which included a two-hour lecture from a Dentistry faculty member and a one-hour clinical lab in which nursing students learned how to conduct a comprehensive oral health assessment in practice. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted to compare pre-and post-intervention survey scores. Findings indicate a statistically significant (p \u3c .001) increase in knowledge from pre-test (67%) to post-test (86%) and contribute to a new understanding of the importance of pediatric oral health care in nursing education. The outcome of this intervention is that registered nurses can be prepared with the knowledge necessary to address the disparate oral health challenges experienced by children globally. These findings will provide the foundation for the refinement and implementation of the educational intervention on an international, multi-site scale. Résumé La santé buccodentaire, essentielle au bien-être, fait partie intégrante de la santé générale. Elle devrait donc constituer une priorité dans la formation infirmière en soins pédiatriques. Cette étude pilote vise à évaluer si une intervention pédagogique appuyée d’un volet interprofessionnel, donnée à des étudiantes de troisième année au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières, améliorerait leurs connaissances au sujet des soins pédiatriques relatifs à la santé buccodentaire. Les étudiantes (n = 99) au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières d’une université du Centre-Ouest du Canada ont rempli un sondage avant et après avoir suivi une intervention pédagogique qui comprenait une conférence de deux heures présentée par un membre de la Faculté de médecine dentaire, ainsi qu’un laboratoire clinique d’une heure où elles ont appris à effectuer une évaluation complète de la santé buccodentaire en situation de pratique. Des tests t pour échantillons appariés ont été réalisés pour comparer les résultats du sondage avant et après l’intervention. Les résultats démontrent une augmentation statistiquement significative (p \u3c 0,001) des connaissances de l’examen préintervention (67 %) à l’examen postintervention (86 %), et offrent une nouvelle compréhension de l’importance des soins pédiatriques relatifs à la santé buccodentaire dans la formation infirmière. Cette intervention procure ainsi le savoir nécessaire aux infirmières autorisées pour régler les différents problèmes de santé buccodentaire touchant les enfants du monde. Ces résultats permettront de perfectionner l’intervention pédagogique et de la mettre en œuvre à l’échelle internationale, en plusieurs endroits

Ethical, Practical, and Methodological Considerations for Unobtrusive Qualitative Research About Personal Narratives Shared on the Internet

As Internet research grows in popularity, attention to the ethics of studying online content is crucial to ensuring ethical diligence and appropriateness. Over recent years, ethical guidelines and recommendations have emerged to advise researchers and institutional review boards on best practices. However, these guidelines are sometimes irrelevant, overly rigid, or lack recognition of the contingent nature of ethical decision-making in qualitative research. Furthermore, varied ethical stances and practices are evident in existing literature. This article explores key ethical issues for qualitative research involving online content, with a focus on the unobtrusive study of personal narratives shared via the Internet. Principles of informed consent and confidentiality are examined in depth alongside practical and methodological considerations for unobtrusive qualitative research. This critical exploration contributes to ongoing discussion of ethical conduct of Internet research and promotes ethically aware yet flexible approaches to online qualitative research and creative methodological efforts to overcoming ethical challenges

Nurse-led diabetic retinopathy screening: a pilot study to evaluate a new approach to vision care for Canadian Aboriginal peoples

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of new cases of blindness and is pandemic among Aboriginal people around the world. To reduce health inequities, accessible vision screening among these high-risk populations is essential. To assess cardio-metabolic co-morbidities associated with type 2 diabetes and the use of a portable fundus camera as a novel approach for convenient, earlier and more accessible vision screening for Aboriginal peoples living with type 2 diabetes in northern and remote Canadian communities. This quantitative pilot study screened participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for commonly associated cardio-metabolic co-morbidities using anthropometrical measurements, blood pressure and a A1c (HbA1c) blood glucose test, followed by vision exams conducted first by a trained nurse and then by an ophthalmologist to screen for signs of retinopathy using fundus photography. Large numbers of the participants presented with overweight/obese (84.8%), pre-hypertension/hypertension (69.7%) and an elevated A1C (78.8%). Inter-rater reliability demonstrated substantial agreement between vision exam judgements made by the nurse and ophthalmologist (k = .67). Nurse-led vision screening in remote or northern communities can improve the standard of care by extending access to health services, lowering the costs to families by reducing travel expenses and preventing vision loss in a family member

Therapeutic letters: A qualitative study exploring their influence on the hope of parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care in Portugal

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the hope experiences of parents of children diagnosed with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) who received therapeutic letters. Design and Methods: A purposive sample of 10 parents of inpatient children with CCCs was recruited from a pediatric palliative care unit in a Portuguese public hospital. A demographic form and audio‐recorded semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with each participant to explore the experiences, processes, and meanings of hope, and to describe how parents of children receiving pediatric palliative care perceived the usefulness of receiving therapeutic letters. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and using a thematic analysis, a systematic approach to data analysis was completed. Findings: Data analysis resulted in three main themes including Trust in the Future; Strengthening Hope; and Moments of Hope. Findings highlight the positive influence of therapeutic letters including supporting parental hope, facilitating personal inner‐strengthening, recognition of parental skills, and promotion of self‐efficacy during hospitalization. The themes and related subthemes add value to the existing literature and highlight the need for supportive palliative nursing care aimed at promoting parental hope. Practice Implications: To optimize the value of supporting parental hope, therapeutic letters can be delivered at the time of diagnosis, during times of celebration, and when learning the difficult tasks of daily childcare. Additional research can inform the development of a formal hope‐based intervention to provide an evidence base from which to enhance the well‐being of parental caregivers of children who have CCCs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio