Multiculturalism and transcultural nursing in Australia

The author looks at Australia's multicultural society and identifies the failure of the nursing profession to provide nursing services that meet the commitment of Australia to preserve the cultural backgrounds and meet the needs of the people nurses serve. The author suggests ways in which this problem can be addressed. It is argued that there is a need to ensure that transcultural nursing services are recognized and made accessible to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Nurses need educational preparation to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to work with people from different cultures. Moreover, the cultural profile of the nursing profession should approximate those served. Nurses today must recognize these critical needs and be committed to provide transcultural nursing care that is so essential in Australia's multicultural society.     

Despite all odds: a three-part history of the professionalization of black nurses through two professional nursing organizations, 1908-1995

This is the first in a series of articles which highlight the professionalization of Black nurses through two Black nursing organizations during the twentieth century. The second and third articles will appear in forthcoming issues of the JNBNA. The first article provides background information which sets the stage by highlighting the reasons why a separate professional organization was needed. The reasons include the practice or tolerance of institutional racism by society and White professional nursing organizations, the promotion of inferior status for Black nurses by Whites, and the maintainance of exclusionary membership policies limiting Black nurses' admission to professional nursing organizations such as the NLNE and the ANA. The purpose of these articles is to document contributions of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (1908-1951, the first Black professional nursing organization recognized by the ANA and other White nursing organizations) and the National Black Nurses Association (1971-present). These two organizations advance the standards of nursing and develop leadership within the ranks of Black nurses. To accomplish this series, an historical method was used to identify political, social, and nursing events relevant to the development, growth, and establishment of the two Black nursing organizations. This investigation fills a void in the historiographies of professional nursing, Black studies, and women's studies.     

Using Margaret A. Newman's theory of health with elderly nursing home residents

TOPIC: The use of Margaret A. Newman's theory by psychiatric nursing students with elderly nursing home residents. SOURCE: The author's work with baccalaureate nursing students. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses who form relationships with elderly nursing home residents can help their clients identify problematic patterns, move to a choice point, then to a higher level of consciousness, resulting in a reduction in problematic patterns of behavior.     

Williams-Richardson vaginopexy. An abdominal suspension operation in prolapse and extensive vaginal descent

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) is used by boards of nursing in licensure decision making and must be job related and reflect current entry-level nursing practice. This article describes the rigorous process used to develop the licensure examination for registered nurses.     

Selection of sputum specimens for microbiological examination

The effectiveness of nursing interventions must be evaluated and nursing practice supported by research findings. Nurses in many countries, however, are confronted not only by the challenge of conducting research, but also by the challenge of providing nursing care. This article reviews the importance of planned preoperative respiratory exercises and describes how Turkish nurses were able to conduct a study designed to explore the effectiveness of this nursing intervention by capitalizing on a study being done by physicians. Although nursing research has the potential to improve patient care, such an outcome depends on implementing findings, which in a clinical setting hinges on adequate staffing.     

Hand cutting instruments

Challenges and opportunities for Advanced Practice Nurses are explored during the paradigm shift in health care. Role development is presented from a historical perspective, and current role activities are discussed related to accountabilities for care management. Advanced Practice Nurses with practitioner skills of care management coupled with a nursing framework for practice can deliver cost-effective primary care in a variety of settings.     

Validation of a Caco-2 cell monolayer culture for drug transport studies

The advancement of nursing knowledge to improve clinical plastic surgical nursing practice was identified as a priority for the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Nurses (ASPRSN). The purpose of this investigation was to determine the specific research priorities and perspectives of practicing plastic surgical nurses. In addition, nurses were asked to rank their current concerns for the future of plastic surgical nursing.     

Autonomy through androgyny

The perception of contemporary nursing as being subordinate and subservient to medicine can be compared to the role of chloroform, which in its day served the purpose intended. However, like nursing, today's anesthetic agents require greater expertise to maximize their effectiveness. As nursing enters a new era in its struggle for autonomy, androgynous approaches promise increased independent thinking, action and self-esteem. Nurses possessing these qualities can address effectively, many of the challenges today's nursing practice poses.     

Oral rehydration therapy: a simple, effective solution

Nurses assess severity of dehydration as well as prescribe and supervise oral rehydration therapy to treat the following nursing diagnosis: fluid imbalance, less than body requirements, related to diarrhea. Published literature is reviewed to address the scope of the problem in the United States, provide a historical perspective, and review the components of oral rehydration solution. The nursing management of dehydration is outlined using the nursing process. The need for further nursing research, especially related to homemade oral rehydration solution, is discussed.     

An educational initiative in anaesthetic nursing practice

The National Board for Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors in Northern Ireland (NBNI) has adopted the principles of the UKCC's recommendations for specialist nursing practice and Incorporated these within their continuing education framework. Stage two of this framework decrees the standard required for specialist nursing practice (NBNI, 1995) and, as a result, a specialist anaesthetic nursing course has been instigated. The course extends over 44 weeks and includes 8 weeks of consolidation practice, comprising seven modules at degree and diploma level. The course gives the students an opportunity to deepen their knowledge, skills and attitudes in the field of anaesthetic nursing. Nurses were taught the necessary skills to work in collaboration with other professionals, patients and families in order to coordinate a patient-centred approach to perianaesthetic care. The role of the anaesthetic nurse specialist should be viewed as complementary to that of the anaesthetist. This course facilitates and encourages practitioners to move beyond registered practice on qualifying to a more specialized role where care is delivered in an innovative and creative manner.     

Safeguarding the public's trust through the self-governance of peer review

1. Nurses must monitor the quality of professional practice in order to safeguard the public's trust in nursing as a professional discipline and to ensure that nursing is self-regulating, accountable, and autonomous. 2. A peer review process indicates self-governance and advances the profession of nursing. 3. A peer review committee is responsible for gathering information, evaluating nursing practice, and reporting the findings to the nurse and the initiator of the review. Any deliberate or negligent acts or omissions of the nurse under review are reported to the state board of nursing.     

Extracting pumps for breastfeeding

Nursing mothers can use a variety of devices to aid them while they are breastfeeding their children. Among these are pumps which extract milk from their breasts. In this article, the general features of different types of extracting pumps available to nursing mothers are described. Nurses will be able to acquire knowledge not only about how these devices work but nurses can learn when their use is indicated, what their exact operating procedures are, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Nurses shall then be better prepared to advise nursing mothers as to which device is most appropriate for them in any given circumstance. Therefore, nurses can provide proper health care leading to the continuation and success of breastfeeding.     

A case management approach to pediatric asthma

Infertility can cause women to lose their sense of power and control, thus diminishing their self-esteem. Terminology, technology, and testing may contribute to this sense of failure. Nurses can intervene by recognizing this negative consequence of infertility and using strategies within the nursing model.     

Intrathyroidal parathyroid

It is not uncommon for care providers to see families who want to follow alternative health care practices. Nurses must know about frequently encountered practices and useful nursing interventions.     

Synergistic interactions of etoposide and interleukin-1 alpha are not due to DNA damage in human melanoma cells

Family nursing, always a component of nursing, has been recently receiving increased attention through publications, educational programs, clinical practice settings and family nursing research. Nurses are in the best position to assist families experiencing the illness of a loved one, but often lack the skills and confidence necessary to assist with the psychosocial needs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a family nursing program within a large, tertiary care facility. The program's evaluation is ongoing but early outcomes indicate that day-to-day nursing practice has been positively influenced and improved job satisfaction may result.     

Education is the key to nurses' survival

Nurses must be prepared academically to survive in the current and future competitive world of health care. Bachelor's and master's degree programs enhance nurses' abilities to apply the nursing process in increasingly complex health care environments, to document patient outcomes, to study new ways of delivering quality nursing care, and to assume leadership roles that will guarantee nursing's position in a reformed health care system.     

Testicular histopathology in congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia: a light and electron microscopic study

During the 1980s, interest was shown in North America as to how Intensive Care Nurses use their work time, in response to a shortage of trained nurses. These studies were developed to investigate the amount of nursing time that could be saved by computerised recording systems. Similar pressures are now present in the United Kingdom, but there are no published work load studies of Intensive Care Nurses. This study used a five category tool to examine the work load of nurses in a cardiothoracic ICU. The methodology was designed so that comparison could be made with the earlier American studies. The 36 nurses studied spent 41% of their time in direct nursing care, 22% in patient assessment, 19% in clerical duties, 11% in time outside the unit and 7% in non-nursing duties. These findings were compared with the North American studies. Similarities were found which give some support to the reliability and validity of the tool.     

Validation of the U.K. diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis in a population setting. U.K. Diagnostic Criteria for Atopic Dermatitis Working Party

Alterations in sexual health caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may affect quality of life and disease status. IBD usually strikes adolescents or young adults, who are also facing developmental milestones important to sexual health. Issues include growth and development, body image, intimacy and sexual functioning, fertility, and pregnancy. A review of published research regarding these issues, in addition to suggestions for nursing assessment and interventions, is included in this article. Nurses must offer sensitive support and suggestions for coping. Nurses must be aware of the issues influencing sexual health when providing total care to clients with IBD.     

Evaluation of variances in patient outcomes

New knowledge and understanding about improving the quality and reducing the costs of care will come from careful scrutiny of the variations in the outcomes of nursing interventions. Nurses need to systematically identify and measure outcomes, understanding the probabilistic nature of these patient responses to the care received. Using a formative evaluation process, nurses should measure degrees of patient outcomes over time to ascertain the effects of nursing care and analyze the variances in these observed outcomes from what was expected. Critical pathways are valuable tools for guiding evaluations of nursing care along a timeline and can lead to improvements in nursing care.