Perceptions of nursing competence

A qualitative research study has been carried out in order to determine Perceptions of NUrsing Competence. A critical incident technique 'Was used to collect data from patients to determine the cri ter,,:1a used by them in judging whether a nurse is cmnpetent 'or not. This data was analysed by means of a. .cont.ent;analysis, and the findings compared with the available literature and with the r~.quirements of the South African Nursi)l>gCouncil. This study was done in order to dete'!:'millwehether a set of criteria can be developed from the per~eptions of the patients with regard to nUrsing - competence, with the long term aim of designing all evaluation tool based on these criteria. The study was carried out in a large teaching hospital in Johannesburg by means of interViewing in"'patients in selected 'Ylardsinvolved in student training. Five categories were developed rlPom the data which Were built up froln recording units and themes. In. comparing the, findings of the study to the literature, consensus was found to exist between the patients 6riteria and those of nur-se authors. )\ ()GR 201

Evaluation of the Child Maintenance Options Service

Aim We wanted to establish whether the Child Maintenance Options Service telephone helpline increased the likelihood of separated parents making arrangements for child maintenance. What is the Child Maintenance Options Service? Definitions of child maintenance vary, for this study it was defined as financial support that helps towards a child’s everyday living costs when the parents have separated. The Child Maintenance Options Service offers information and support to help parents make decisions about their child maintenance arrangements. Findings Overall, parents were positive about the helpfulness of the service. While positive results were achieved after just one or two short telephone calls, the service was most effective for those who had more in-depth and personalised contact with the service. Maintenance arrangements Around 7% of parents, referred by the Jobcentre Plus, who had more in-depth interaction with the service later made maintenance arrangements that they would not otherwise have had. Parents who were more recently separated and where there was regular contact between the non-resident parent and the child and between parents, were more likely to have a maintenance arrangement in place eight to nine months after contact with the service. There was some evidence that the service helps to ensure that maintenance is working. Over two-fifths of parents who had some contact with the service did not have a maintenance arrangement eight to nine months later. Methodology We conducted a telephone survey of a random sample of helpline users, between February and September 2009. A total of 2,767 parents participated in two research interviews: an initial ‘baseline’ and an ‘outcomes’ interview around six to nine months later. We worked with freelancer Eleanor Ireland on this project

Trends and Disparities in TB among U.S.-born Black and White Chicago Residents, 1998-2008

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To describe the decline of tuberculosis (TB) cases among U.S.-born non-Hispanic (NH) black and white Chicago residents. METHODS: Data from the National TB Surveillance System was used to analyze trends and characteristics of reported TB cases among U.S.-born NH black and U.S.-born NH white Chicago residents from 1998-2008. RESULTS: Chicago reported a total of 3,821 TB cases over the 11-year time period. Of these, 1,916 were U.S.-born NH black and 235 were U.S.-born NH white. The proportion of cases attributable to U.S.-born NH blacks was 63% (294/469) in 1998 and 34% in 2008 (72/213). Analysis for trends from 2000-2008 revealed a greater than predicted decrease in rates among U.S.-born NH blacks (p CONCLUSION: Despite more TB risk factors in Chicago’s U.S.-born black population, there was a narrowing of TB case disparity in Chicago from 1998-2008. Continued focused strategies aimed at controlling TB are needed

Associative Ethical Dilemmas for Multicultural Sensitivity Assessment Derived from Adult Educational Theory

Adult educators promote non-formal assessment as demonstrated in their writings. Can tools then be developed that will gauge multicultural sensitivity? This paper examines that question, and personal, social, and legal implications of using multicultural sensitivity assessments for screening prospective employees, volunteers, and consultants for socially conscious groups, movements, and institutions