Induced abortion on demand and birth rate in Sami-speaking municipalities and a control group in Finnmark, Norway

Objectives. The objective of this study was to analyze the birth and induced abortion on demand (IAD) rate among women in Sami-speaking communities and a control group in Finnmark County, Norway. Methods. The 6 northern municipalities included in the administration area of the Sami language law (study group) were matched with a control group of 9 municipalities. Population data (numbers, sex and age) were accessed from Statistics Norway. Data on birth rate and IAD during the time period 1999–2009 were derived from the Medical Birth Registry (MBR) of Norway. Data on number of women in fertile age (15–44 years) were obtained from Statistics Norway. Between 2001 and 2008, this age group was reduced by 12% (Sami) and 23% (controls), respectively. Results. Finnmark County has a high IAD rate and 1 in 4 pregnancies (spontaneous abortions excluded) ended in IAD in the study and control groups. The total fertility rate per woman was 1.94 and 1.87 births, respectively. There was no difference between groups with regard to the IAD/birth ratio (P=0.94) or general fertility rate GFR (P=0.82). Conclusions. Women in the Sami-majority area and a control group in Finnmark County experienced a similar frequency of IAD and fertility rate

Working with consumers who hear voices: The experience of early career nurses in mental health services in Australia

© 2018 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc. Mental health consumers who hear voices frequently experience distress and express a desire to discuss their voice-hearing experience. Nurses do not regularly demonstrate a willingness to engage in such discussions. With the introduction of educational strategies that develop empathy and an understanding of voice-hearing experiences, it is anticipated that early career nurses will be able to translate such understanding into their professional nursing practice. To explore early career nurses’ understanding of providing care to mental health consumers who hear voices, a qualitative exploratory descriptive study was conducted in which nine early career Registered Nurses were interviewed regarding their experiences of caring for people who hear voices. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data and generate themes. Participants reported difficulty in developing relationships with consumers who hear voices, due to a workplace culture that was focussed on risk and lacking professional support. Nurses need specific education to develop the skills necessary to respond to consumers who hear voices and engage in dialogue that assists consumers to relate to the voices in a meaningful way. However, for this to succeed in practice, changes need to be supported by addressing the cultural barriers, such as risk-focussed environments, that prevent nurses implementing best practice

Measurements of polarized photo-pion production on longitudinally polarized HD and Implications for Convergence of the GDH Integral

We report new measurements of inclusive pion production from frozen-spin HD for polarized photon beams covering the Delta(1232) resonance. These provide data simultaneously on both H and D with nearly complete angular distributions of the spin-difference cross sections entering the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule. Recent results from Mainz and Bonn exceed the GDH prediction for the proton by 22 microbarns, suggesting as yet unmeasured high-energy components. Our pi0 data reveal a different angular dependence than assumed in Mainz analyses and integrate to a value that is 18 microbarns lower, suggesting a more rapid convergence. Our results for deuterium are somewhat lower than published data, considerably more precise and generally lower than available calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted for publication in Physical Review Letter