Generic and Professional Health Care Beliefs, Expressions and Practices of Syrian Muslims Living in the Midwestern United States

The purpose of this ethnonursing study was to discover the generic and professional health care beliefs, expressions, and practices of Syrian Muslims living in the Midwestern United States and to describe the influence of worldview, cultural context, and social structure, such as technological, religious, political, educational, and economical factors on their folk care beliefs and practices. Leininger\u27s Culture Care Theory was used as an orientational framework for this study. Ten key and twenty general informants participated in this study. Several qualitative enablers were used to assist with the collection and analysis of data. QSR NUD*IST 4, a qualitative research software program, was used to assist with data analysis. Extensive analysis of audio taped interviews and the researcher\u27s observations and participation experiences revealed numerous data categories and fourteen patterns from which four main themes were discovered. The findings from this study assisted in the identification of nursing care actions and decisions to provide Syrian Muslims with culturally congruent care. Implications for nursing theory, education, practice, and research were offered as well as considerations for future research

Uncovering the mask of borderline personality disorder: Knowledge to empower primary care providers

Purpose This manuscript will provide a review of the literature and a report on the findings of a qualitative study that explored the lived experiences of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). It also offers resources designed to empower healthcare professionals to provide timely and accurate referrals, diagnosis, or collaborative management of BPD in primary care. Data sources Review of the literature examining background, epidemiology, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and available resources regarding BPD. Content analysis conducted on data obtained from 1109 postings on three different public online forums/blogs specifically for BPD. Conclusions BPD is characterized by unstable moods, behaviors, and relationships. While navigating a healthcare system fraught with health disparities, BPD sufferers may have their feelings of abandonment and hopelessness reinforced. Four core themes emerged (a) a reliance on online blogging to cope; (b) a quality of life that is impacted by debilitating effects of condition; (c) coping mechanisms that encompass healthy and destructive measures; and (d) social injustices that include stigmatization, prejudice, delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, limited healthcare access, and lack of cure. Implications for practice Knowledgeable, nonjudgmental primary healthcare providers can play a key role in providing BPD sufferers and their loved ones with accurate and timely diagnosis, referral, treatment, resources, and support. Internet blogging may have important implications in care.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107546/1/jaan12131.pd

Silent no more! The lived experiences of women with lichen sclerosis

Purpose: Lichen Sclerosis (LS) is an often unrecognized and misdiagnosed chronic inflammatory skin condition of the anogenital area that affects quality of life, bringing severe discomfort and distress to affected men, women, and children. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of women with LS. Data sources: Content analysis was conducted of data obtained from three public online forums/blogs used by women with LS. A total of 527 postings/entries were analyzed for patterns and themes by four researchers. Conclusions: Five core themes emerged as a result of this study, revealing feelings of frustration and despair stemming from healthcare providers' lack of knowledge in relation to Lichen Sclerosis, often leading to misdiagnosis, prolonged suffering, and an altered quality of life. Implications for practice: Knowledgeable healthcare providers and additional research into the cause, treatment, and cure of Lichen Sclerosis are needed. Advance‐practice nurses stand to play an important role in the areas of education, research, policy making, and clinical practice to advocate for and empower women with LS.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92447/1/j.1745-7599.2012.00715.x.pd

Nursing Research in Arab Countries: Current Status, Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Introduction Twenty-two Arab countries comprise the League of Arab States. While united in Arab identity, diversities among these countries exist at many levels. Conducting and publishing research in the Arabic speaking countries is an essential pillar for improving the status of the nursing profession. Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the current status, trends, challenges, and opportunities of nursing research in Arab countries. Methodology An integrative review was conducted using (1) Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office Database Journals Directory (IMEMR), (2) the Iraqi Academic Scientific Journals Database (IASJD), (3) Ulrichsweb (UW), (4) The Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research/Middle Eastern Journals (GFMER), (5) the Nursing Journal Directory (NJD), (6) the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and (7) Google Scholar. Journals and articles that met inclusion criteria were accessed, retrieved, reviewed, and subjected to content analysis by three authors, two of which were fluent in English, French, and Arabic languages. A third author fluent in all three languages confirmed the findings. Results Nursing research in Arabic-speaking countries has evolved over the past decades but is still lacking compared to global nursing research. Moreover, it was found to be largely situated within academic institutions and linked to tenure and promotion requirements. Conclusion Nursing journals in Arabic-speaking countries do not adequately represent that overall region and are limited in access

The use of the ethnonursing qualitative research method to study culture care

Leininger developed the ethnonursing research method to study transcultural human care phenomena using her theory of culture care diversity and universality. The ethnonursing research methodology which uses an open, largely inductive process of discovery to document, describe, understand, and interpret people’s meanings and experiences will be presented. The ethnonursing researcher functions as co-participant with informants working together to discover how people experience and practice care in their daily lives. Systematic and reflective processes are used while focusing on the cultural context to explicate lifeways and understand their meaning for informants. The ethnonursing method embraces the importance of discovery from the people’s ways of knowing (generic care) and gives credence to the professional nurse’s way of knowing (professional care). Both generic and professional care have been discovered to provide assistance and supportive care for the health and wellbeing of people or to help people face death or disabilities. The authors’ research related to cultural competence and culturally congruent care will be provided to demonstrate how the use of this theory and method have contributed to discipline knowledge and nursing practice, education, research, and administration. Future directions for the use of the ethnonursing research method with the culture care theory will be presented