The effectiveness of a training program for emergency department nurses in managing violent situations
- Authors: Deans, Cecil
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 21, no. 4 (2004), p. 17-22
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: An Australian Institute of Criminology report (1999) highlighted the health industry as the most violent industry in Australia with registered nurses recording the second highest number of violence. related workers compensation claims, ranking higher than prison and police officers. Workplace violence has become such a common phenomenon that many nurses accept it as a part of nursing. Nurses employed in emergency departments (EDs) are considered to be especially vulnerable to workplace violence. Although there have been a number of studies reporting on the incidence of workplace violence and its consequences upon nurses, to date there have been no empirical studies that have evaluated interventions which are thought to reduce its occurrence and impact. This study investigated the effectiveness of a oneday training program in which ED nurses participated. In particular, their knowledge, skiUs and attitudes relating to management of workplace violence were examined. Results show that a training program has many positive outcomes which enhance nurses' ability to manage aggressive behaviours. With some basic training, ED nurses can be more prepared to manage violent and potentially violent situations, and by doing so may in fact reduce the incidence of aggression in their workplace by 50%. This has largely been achieved by raising the awareness of ED nurses to the nature of the problem, developing their knowledge and skills in managing aggressive behaviour, and improving their attitudes toward potentially violent patients.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000862
A comparative study of antipsychotic medication taking in people with schizophrenia
- Authors: McCann, Terence , Deans, Cecil , Clark, Eileen , Lu, Sai
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing Vol. 17, no. 6 (2008), p. 428-438
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Medication adherence is problematic in all chronic illnesses, none more so than in individuals with schizophrenia. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the factors that impacted upon antipsychotic medication taking in people with schizophrenia living in regional-rural and metropolitan Victoria, Australia, and to assess if differences existed between these two groups of participants in the factors that affected medication taking. The Factors Influencing Neuroleptic Medication Taking Scale was used with a non-probability survey sample of 81 people with schizophrenia. Ethics approval was given by university and hospital ethics committees. The results showed, overall, that there were no significant differences between the sets of participants in several demographic characteristics, insight, stigma, substance abuse, types of antipsychotic medications, significant others' support, and access to case managers and general practitioners. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups concerning living circumstances, involvement in religious/spiritual activities, perceived impact of medication side-effects, and access to psychiatrists. However, there were no statistically significant relationships between these factors and medication omission. The implications of the findings for consumers, mental health nurse case managers, families, mental health service provision, and further research, are considered. © 2008 The Authors.
Effectiveness of a training program for ECT nurses
- Authors: Munday, Jo , Deans, Cecil , Little, John
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services Vol. 41, no. 11 (2003), p. 21-26
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly technical procedure requiring a team that consists of an anesthetist, a psychiatrist, a clinical nurse specialist, and recovery nurses. Traditionally, nursing education and training in the context of providing a safe and high standard of care has not been addressed. Ninety-two nurses from 42 different health agencies participated in a training program focusing on defibrillation, electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring, intubation, stimulus dosing, setting up the ECT equipment, and caring for the patient. A non-experimental, one-group, pretest-posttest research design was used in this study to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program for nurses working with ECT. Effective training for nurses was hypothesized to make a difference in the standards of practice and clinical effectiveness for patients undergoing ECT. Findings from this study indicated a major knowledge deficit in key components of ECT among nurses who have responsibilities in this area of nursing care. With effective training, nurses’ confidence levels increased related to setting up the equipment, administering a double dose, helping with intubation, and using a defibrillator. If nurses are to effectively function as team members in the ECT procedure, they must receive the training necessary to prepare them for this important role. The results of this study support the recommendation of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists that ECT nurses should be appropriately trained in anaesthetic and resuscitation techniques and modern ECT practice.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000386
Web-based decision support for structured reasoning in health
- Authors: Stranieri, Andrew , Yearwood, John , Gervasoni, Susan , Garner, Susan , Deans, Cecil , Johnstone, Alistair
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at Health Informatics Conference 2004 - Let's make a difference with health ICT, Brisbane, Queensland : 25th July, 2004
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Decision making processes in the health care setting are often complex, demanding of professionals and rapidly changing. Furthermore, there is increasing pressure for professionals to make reasoning transparent and consistent. Decision support technologies have not made a substantial contribution to these issues to date largely because knowledge is difficult to elicit and maintain and existing development tools are very sophisticated yet complex. In this study a method for representing complex and discretionary reasoning used successfully in law was applied to the task of modelling decision making processes that critical care nurses deploy in responding to a low oxygen alarm. The approach, based on decision and argument tree diagrams enables the rapid development of small scale, yet useful web based decision support systems.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000831
Nursing education in Iran : Past, present, and future
- Authors: Tabari Khomeiran, Rasoul , Deans, Cecil
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 27, no. 7 (2007), p. 708-714
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Nursing education in Iran has undergone significant change since its genesis with foreign missionaries over one hundred years ago. More recently, following the 1979 Islamic revolution, nurse education has followed the direction taken by most other countries in moving from an apprenticeship model of training to an academic model. A series of transformative changes to nursing education specifically-and across the higher education system generally-has resulted in nurses now being able to undertake study across all university-based programs up to and including doctoral level. Contemporary nursing students have access to full-text professional journals through the internet, and they may pursue their doctoral studies in other countries. Although these improvements in nursing education in Iran are to be applauded, much more needs to be accomplished to ensure that highly competent nurse practitioners continue to be produced in this country. This article presents an historical overview of the development of nursing education in Iran, within its economic and sociopolitical contexts. Recommendations based upon lessons learned from historical and contemporary realities are presented in order to advance nursing education in this part of world. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005859
Medication errors and professional practice of registered nurses
- Authors: Deans, Cecil
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 12, no. 1 (2005), p. 29-33
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This Australian study identified and described the incidence of medication errors among registered nurses, the type and causes of these errors and the impact that administration of medications has on the professional practice of registered nurses. Mostly, medication errors were attributed to documentation issues, including: illegible handwriting, misunderstanding abbreviations, misplaced decimal point, misreading and misinterpreting written orders. Several human factors were attributed to potential causes of medication errors, including: stress, fatigue, knowledge and skill deficits. Environmental factors, namely, interruptions and distractions during the administration of medications, were also attributed to potential errors. The study found professional nursing practice involving administration of medications had a strong education, patient and ethical focus. Over a quarter of the respondents indicated that further training in medication administration would positively impact on their nursing practice. The registered nurses also highlighted they would appreciate more time to spend with patients when administering medications. Medication errors are not the sole responsibility of any single professional group, therefore, collaboration with other health professionals is central to establishing processes, policies, strategies and systems that will reduce their occurrence. The organisation and those nurses employed within it share an accountability to ensure safe administration of medications to patients. Based on study results, several recommendations are directed towards preventing or reducing medication errors and supporting nurses in providing best practice.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001207
University and service sector collaboration for undergraduate psychiatric nursing education
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Arnold, Sue-Anne , Munday, Jo
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing Vol. 13, no. 1 (2004), p. 61-66
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Collaboration between the education and service providers assists with the development of enhanced clinical and educational experiences for students. This paper describes an innovative collaborative program developed by the School of Nursing, University of Ballarat and Grampians Psychiatric Services, Ballarat Health Services. Mental health clinical nursing staff are the student off-campus clinical supervisors and on-campus lecturers, supported by two jointly appointed co-ordinators. Program evaluation reveals that this collaborative approach assists in the provision of a supportive learning environment, increases enthusiasm about psychiatric nursing and draws on relevant mental health nursing skills in the university and service sectors.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000853
Caring for clients with dual diagnosis in rural communities in Australia : The experience of mental health professionals
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Soar, Rod
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Vol. 12, no. 3 (2005), p. 268-274
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper identifies and describes the experiences of 13 rural mental health professionals who care for clients diagnosed with a mental illness and a coexisting alcohol and other drug disorder (dual diagnosis). Dual diagnosis is a common problem which is often poorly understood and managed by mental health professionals. The effect of excessive substance use on a person's mental well-being can present as a diagnostic challenge as each condition may mask symptoms of the other. The authors utilized a phenomenological approach to discover the experiences of a group of mental health professionals working in rural communities in Victoria, Australia. Caring for clients diagnosed with dual diagnosis was found to be a complex and stressful role that involved high levels of skill and knowledge. Despite the fact that health professionals in rural areas are expected to deliver the most appropriate care to individuals with a dual diagnosis, a number of these rural health professionals have limited preparation and experience in dealing with arising clinical diagnosis issues. Clinicians experience frustration, resentment and powerlessness in their attempt to understand their clients' drug misuse whilst simultaneously endeavouring to provide a quality mental health service. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001191
Who cares for nurses? : The lived experience of workplace aggression
- Authors: Deans, Cecil
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Collegian Vol. 11, no. 2 (2004), p. 32-36
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aggression within the health industry has been wideiy reported as a serious problem with registered nurses frequently being on the receiving end of physical, verbal and sexual abuse. Some authors have reported aggression is so prevalent nurses accept it as part of their job. What has not been recorded is the impact of workplace aggression on the professional and emotional status of nurses as reported by nurses themselves. This study utilized a phenomenological approach involving in-depth interviews and thematic analysis to gain insights into how 33 nurses responded to workplace aggression. Three shared themes, professional incompetency, expectation to cope and emotional confusion, which encapsulate the meanings conveyed by nurses to being victims of aggression were identified. The themes serve to remind both individual nurses and the nursing profession as awhole to become more aware of the impact of workplace aggression and its relevance for themselves, their colleagues and the profession. Thus, nurses should be educated through in-service or continuing education programs that admission to negative emotions is acceptable and to develop coping strategies that deal effectively with their feelings of anger or frustration. Perhaps the most important implication emanating from this investigation is that the profession as awhole should become aware of the extent of the problem and the role nurse colleagues, nurse managers and medical staff play in its genesis.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000861
Attitudes of registered psychiatric nurses towards patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Meocevic, E.
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Contemporary Nurse Vol. 21, no. 1 (2006), p. 43-49
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Caring for patients with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been identified as a problem area for mental health professionals with some studies suggesting that a diagnosis of BPD will influence the level and quality of interaction staff have with patients. It is inherent to psychiatric nursing that practitioners are able to establish rapport, develop trust and demonstrate empathy with consumers of mental health services. Despite the importance of this issue for psychiatric nurses and for consumers, the perceptions and attitudes of psychiatric nurses towards patients diagnosed with BPD have received almost no research attention. This paper describes findings from a study of attitudes held by 65 registered nurses employed in a psychiatric inpatient unit and psychiatric community service where individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of BPD received treatment. In particular, findings relating to Clinical Description, Emotional Reactions, Concerns and Management of patients with BPD are reported. Results show that a proportion of psychiatric nurses experience negative emotional reactions and attitudes toward people with BPD with the majority of nurses perceiving people with BPD as manipulative, almost one third reporting that patients with BPD made them angry and over one third either 'strongly disagreed' or 'disagreed' that they know how to care for people with BPD. Although psychiatric nurses face many challenges in providing care for patients with BPD, it is also of concern to the profession that one of the problems confronting people with BPD is the negative attitudes of those staff that care for them. Further research is necessary to identify appropriate service frameworks and clinical interventions that assist in more effective clinical management of clients of BPD.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003002006
Post sedation recovery of day procedure patients : Effect of Aldrete's assessment instrument on first stage recovery
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Flynn, Jill
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Day Surgery Australia Journal Vol. 3, no. 1 (2004), p. 7-9
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000859
Raising awareness of fall risk among Chinese older adults : Use of the home fall hazards assessment tool
- Authors: You, Liming , Deans, Cecil , Liu, Ke , Zhang, Meifen , Zhang, Jun
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gerontological Nursing Vol. 30, no. 6 (2004), p. 35-42
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Home Fall Hazards Assessment (HFHA) tool adjusted for Chinese homes to raise awareness of the dangers of falling among Chinese older adults. This descriptive study of 415 Chinese adults age 60 and older was completed in the older adults’ homes in the community. The study was an assessment by nurses of hazards in the home setting using the HFHA. The hazards identified by nurses were compared with those reported by the elderly individuals. The study identified the most frequently found hazards in the homes and showed that a large discrepancy existed between the actual hazards assessed by trained nurses using the HFHA and the perceived hazards reported by the participants (p < .001). The study suggests that the HFHA can be an effective health education method and that the involvement of older adults in the assessment process will effectively raise their awareness of existing risk factors for falls in their everyday life.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000856
Nurse education in English universities in a period of change : Expectations of nurse academics for the year 2008
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Congdon, Graham , Sellers, Eileen
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 23, no. 2 (2003), p. 146-154
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In England, the education of nurses in the academic arena has a relatively short history arguably representing recent advancement of the nursing discipline. Until we undertook this study, however, expectations for the next decade were unknown. The current investigation replicates a similar study of Australian nurse academics (Sellers & Deans 1996) which found discrepancies between how nurse academics perceived the future development of the profession, compared to how they actually expected it to develop. In order to provide information concerning the future of nursing education in England and related professional and social factors, a random sample of nurse academics was surveyed. Findings indicate that although advances have been made, there are a number of concerns regarding the development of nursing as a discipline. These include parity of status with other academic areas, resource issues, the workload of nurse academics and the perception that there is lack of cohesiveness amongst nurses as a professional group. Findings in this study closely mirror results in the Australian study indicating similarities in how the nursing profession copes with the transition from a predominantly hospital based education program to a program grounded in academic institutions. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000385
The tin-man and the TAM: A journey into M-learning in the Land of Aus
- Authors: Peck, Blake , Deans, Cecil , Stockhausen, Lynette
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: World Journal on Educational Technology Vol. , no. (2010), p. 16-26
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Within the past few years the virtues and pitfalls of Podcasting specifically within the higher education environment have been extolled. However, there is little, if any discussion of how academic staff have undergone this period of transformation in an era of technological adoption and sweeping pedagogic change. Using the technology adoption model (Davis 1989) as a theoretical platform and the characters from the classic film the Wizard of Oz as signposts, this paper explores and describes a staff development journey that M-Learning pedagogies. More specifically the way in which Podcast technology was introduced in an undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing program conducted in a regional University in Victoria, Australia. The journey's resultant destination reveals that courage; passion and an openness to try something new are essential for the successful introduction of new electronic pedagies by academics.
- Description: C1
Nurses and occupational violence : The role of organisational support in moderating professional competence
- Authors: Deans, Cecil
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 22, no. 2 (2004), p. 14-18
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000843