Vipassana meditation: one woman's narrative

In Thailand there is cultural acknowledgement of a range of traditional therapies (including complementary therapies) used in Thai health care. Meditation enjoys wide acceptance within Thai culture and attracts strong participation from western visitors to Thai Buddhist Centres because of growing interest in personal health for future preventative health problems. The extensive use of complementary therapies in health care and the cultural acceptance of such therapies as meditation for stress-release and as a personal health strategy for maintenance of well-being are possible lessons to be learned in contemporary western healthcare. In this paper the practise of vipassana meditation offers a strategy to manage such health care issues as somatic responses including stress and anxiety. This article provides a narrative of one person's lived embodied experience of vipassana meditation in Thailand. It has been presented in narrative form to provide an insight into what happened and how it happened

A narrative inquiry: how do nurses respond to patients' use of humour?

In today’s healthcare system where technical instruments and test results are used to implement care it is easy to lose the human aspect of nursing. Personal interaction can get lost and nurses sometimes miss humorous attempts made by patients. Humour is a very personal concept, what one person thinks is funny does not necessarily make another person smile, or might even be hurtful. Humour is an important communication tool for patients as it humanises the nurses, creates a bond and opens communication lines. Humour has the potential to change the hospital experience for patients. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of humour in the therapeutic relationship between patient and nurse. Semi-structured interviews were held with four registered nurses and narrative inquiry was used to analyse and present the findings because of its ability to capture human interaction and experience

Conference review: report on 1st NUS-UH Conference: Advanced Practice Nursing in Multi-Cultural Environments 28 May 2008 Singapore

The 1st National University of Singapore (NUS) and University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH) Conference: Advanced Practice Nursing in Multicultural Environments took place at the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies in Singapore from 27-29 May 2008. The conference was attended by almost 200 nurses representing 19 countries. This paper reports on the keynote address and two plenary presentations from the conference

Teaching

Client teaching and peer teaching are major aspects of nursing practice and important nursing roles. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) (2005) emphasises this in the Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse where it is stated that nurses must contribute to the professional development of others (Competency Statement 4.3) and educate individuals/groups to promote independence and control over their health (Competency Statement 7.7). Client education is multifaceted and involves promoting, protecting and maintaining health. It involves teaching about reducing health risk factors, increasing a person's level of well ness and taking specific protective health measures.1st Australian ed

The Abject Embodiment of Cancer Patients: Dignity, Selfhood, and the Grotesque Body

The body is the empirical quintessence of the self. Because selfhood is symbolic, embodiment represents the personification and materialization of otherwise invisible qualities of personhood. The body and experiences of embodiment are central to our sense of being, who we think we are, and what others attribute to us. What happens, then, when one\u27s body is humiliating? How does the self handle the implications of a gruesome body? How do people manage selfhood in light of grotesque physical appearances? This study explores these questions in the experiences of dying cancer patients and seeks to better understand relationships among body, self, and situated social interaction

What do midwives need to understand/know about smoking in pregnancy?

Aim: This paper seeks to help midwives more fully understand smoking in pregnancy, particularly from a midwifery partnership perspective. Method: Using the midwifery philosophy of partnership as a framework for reviewing literature on smoking in pregnancy, we explored the literature on nicotine metabolism and addiction in general, and the changes that occur in pregnancy. Quit smoking interventions commonly used were examined to see if knowledge about addiction and the physiological adaptations of pregnancy are incorporated into anti-smoking efforts aimed at pregnant women. Results: Quitting is harder for the pregnant woman because the physiological adaptations of pregnancy increase the clearance of nicotine thus lowering nicotine levels and increasing the desire to smoke. Women who continue to smoke generally have fewer external sources of pleasure and satisfaction in their lives, which, when combined with the physiological and emotional challenges of pregnancy, means that they are less likely to quit smoking and remain abstinent. These factors do not appear to be taken into account for pregnant smokers. The concept of partnership between women and midwives during anti-smoking interactions is lacking. Conclusion: Midwives are in a position to support women and their families in all health related issues, including smoking cessation. We recommend that midwives ask permission before making enquires about sensitive issues such as smoking. When discussing smoking with pregnant women, midwives work within the philosophy of midwifery, with the emphasis on building trust and maintaining relationships. Great sensitivity is required and as much as possible the conversation should be a dialogue, not a monologue

End of life care simulation: A review of the literature

Background Simulation is an evolving pedagogical approach to teaching in many undergraduate nursing curricula, however, there is little published literature on end of life care simulation as an effective means of teaching nursing students about end of life care. Literature review aims To examine available literature on end of life care simulation. Review methods An extensive literature search on end of life care simulation in the undergraduate nursing curriculum was conducted in CINAHL, Mosby's Index, Cochrane Database, Scopus, Eric via Proquest, and Medline. 6 research articles and 10 descriptive articles published between 2009 and 2013 that met the selection criteria are included in the review. Findings Findings of these 16 articles are reported under 4 main themes: 1) Increased knowledge of end of life care through ‘experiential learning’; 2) Impact of family presence on student learning; 3) the Debriefing imperative, and 4) Methodological issues raised from studies. Conclusion The findings of the studies reviewed support end of life care simulation as a strong and viable pedagogical approach to learning for its positive effects on knowledge acquisition, communication skills, self-confidence, student satisfaction and level of engagement in learning. However, the important factors including psychological safety of students and the costs involved require careful consideration. Research on the use of simulation in nursing is still in its infancy, further research using various research designs is required to adequately explore the issues surrounding end of life care simulation

Embodied good deaths and disembodied bad deaths:Undergraduate nursing students narratives of experience

Background: The concept of “good and bad deaths” has been widely addressed in the literature. However, little is known of undergraduate nursing students' experiences with death in clinical practice or how they perceive good and bad deaths.Objective: To explore undergraduate nursing students' personal and professional/clinical experiences of death and dying.Design: A qualitative narrative inquiry design.Setting and Participants: Eighteen third year Bachelor of Nursing students participated in the study.Methods: Data was collected through individual participant interviews and analysed using Clandinin and Connelly's three dimensions of narrative inquiry (temporality, sociality and place).Results: A key finding of the study revealed that students' death experiences are shaped by the role of others, especially experienced nurses in clinical practice. Embodied good death experiences were influenced by the presence of nurses who guided students through the experience. Disembodied bad death experiences were influenced by undignified care, ritualistic post-mortem care and the physical coldness of the deceased and the environment.Conclusion: Nursing students need meaningful preparation to undertake end of life care in clinical practice, including post-mortem care and the possibility of bad deaths. End of life care education and end of life care simulation play a role in preparing students for end of life care in clinical practice. End of life care education needs to be commenced early in the undergraduate degree. Furthermore, nursing clinicians need to be aware of the impact that they have in shaping good and bad death experiences for undergraduate nursing students, the Registered Nurses of the future

The prevalence and characteristics of young and mid-age women who use yoga and meditation: Results of a nationally representative survey of 19,209 Australian women

Objective: To determine the characteristics of yoga and meditation users and non-users amongst young and mid-aged Australian women. Design and setting: The research was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) which was designed to investigate multiple factors affecting the health and well being of women over a 20-year period. Participants: The younger (28-33 years) (n= 8885) and mid-aged (56-61 years) (n= 10,324) cohorts of the ALSWH who completed Survey 5 in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Main outcome measure: Use of yoga. Results: This study estimates that 35% of Australian women aged 28-33 and 27% of Australian women aged 56-61 use yoga or meditation. Younger women with back pain (OR. = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.52) and allergies (OR. = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.49) were more likely to use yoga or meditation, while younger women with migraines or headaches (OR. = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87) were less likely to use yoga or meditation. Mid-age women with low iron (OR. = 1.68; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.19) and bowel problems (OR. = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.65) were more likely to use yoga or meditation, while mid age women with hypertension (OR. = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.76) were less likely to use yoga or meditation. Conclusion: A large percentage of the female population are using yoga or meditation. Given that women who regularly use yoga or meditation positively associated with measures of mental and physical health, there is a need for further research to examine the experiences and potential benefits of these mind-body practices for women's health