Showing items 1 - 2 of 2

Your selections:

'Caring for' behaviours that indicate to patients that nurses 'care about' them

- Henderson, Amanda, Van Eps, Mary Ann, Pearson, Kate, James, Catherine, Henderson, Peter, Osborne, Yvonne

  • Authors: Henderson, Amanda , Van Eps, Mary Ann , Pearson, Kate , James, Catherine , Henderson, Peter , Osborne, Yvonne
  • Date: 2007
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 60, no. 2 (2007), p. 146-153
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore what constitutes nurse-patient interactions and to ascertain patients' perceptions of these interactions. Background. Nurses maintain patient integrity through caring practices. When patients feel disempowered or that their integrity is threatened they are more likely to make a complaint. When nurses develop a meaningful relationship with patients they recognize and address their concerns. It is increasingly identified in the literature that bureaucratic demands, including increased workloads and reduced staffing levels, result in situations where the development of a 'close' relationship is limited. Method. Data collection took two forms: twelve 4-hour observation periods of nurse-patient interactions in one cubicle (of four patients) in a medical and a surgical ward concurrently over a 4-week period; and questionnaires from inpatients of the two wards who were discharged during the 4-week data collection period in 2005. Findings. Observation data showed that nurse-patient interactions were mostly friendly and informative. Opportunities to develop closeness were limited. Patients were mostly satisfied with interactions. The major source of dissatisfaction was when patients perceived that nurses were not readily available to respond to specific requests. Comparison of the observation and survey data indicated that patients still felt 'cared for' even when practices did not culminate in a 'connected' relationship. Conclusion. The findings suggest that patients believe that caring is demonstrated when nurses respond to specific requests. Patient satisfaction with the service is more likely to be improved if nurses can readily adapt their work to accommodate patients' requests or, alternatively, communicate why these requests cannot be immediately addressed. © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
  • Description: C1

Levels of fatigue in people with ESRD living in far North Queensland

- Bonner, Ann, Wellard, Sally, Caltabiano, Marie

  • Authors: Bonner, Ann , Wellard, Sally , Caltabiano, Marie
  • Date: 2008
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Clinical Nursing Vol. 17, no. 1 (Jan 2008), p. 90-98
  • Full Text: false
  • Reviewed:
  • Description: Aims. Levels of fatigue as experienced by people with end stage renal disease (ESRD), were assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Background. Fatigue, a common symptom reported by people with ESRD, is a multifaceted, subjective experience, which is readily understood by individuals but difficult to measure. There is limited understanding of the level of fatigue experienced by people with ESRD, with research currently limited to people treated with haemodialysis. Method. The FSS was completed by 92 people with ESRD who were patients of a renal service in far North Queensland, Australia. Demographic and renal health history data were also collected with the self-report survey. Results. Comparisons were preformed between overall fatigue levels and different renal disorders, genders, ethnicity and renal replacement therapy (RRT). Participants in this study were more fatigued than the general population; there was no difference in levels of fatigue between gender and ethnicity. Participants with diabetic nephropathy and those who were predialysis were the most fatigued. A significant difference between mean fatigue scores was found for type of RRT [F(3,88) = 2.4, p < 0.05], with participants using peritoneal dialysis reporting the most fatigue. Additionally, participants categorized according to type of RRT, erythropoietin replacement therapy and current haemoglobin levels revealed significant mean differences on fatigue levels [F(3,88) = 2.74, p < 0.05]. Relevance to clinical practice. People with ESRD experience considerable fatigue; it is particularly important for nurses to understand this level of fatigue impacts on the daily life of patients. These findings provide the preliminary evidence to support the development of renal nursing practice guidelines related to symptom recognition and management of fatigue.
  • Description: C1
  • 1