Positive life orientation–an inner health resource among older people

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 349–356
Positive life orientation–an inner health resource among older people As pertains to life orientation, the study's conceptual framework demonstrates the importance of close relationships, meaning in life, and the strength of individuals to look forward and make plans for future. The aim of this study is to discover, in relation to background factors such as language, living situation, and culture, how people aged 65 and 75 experience life orientation. The study is a population‐based cross‐sectional survey with its material taken from 3,370 questionnaires which included the six‐question Life Orientation scale. The SPSS static program, version 14.0, was used for all calcuations and the Chi‐squared test was applied to determine if any significant differences between the groups existed. As seen in this study, most respondents aged 65 (85%) and 75 (73.2%) experienced a high degree of positive life orientation, clearly expressing a zest for life (93.5%), overall satisfaction with their lives (88.4%), and feelings of being needed (83.7%). Lower scores were given for never/seldom being depressed/sad (55.3%) and never/seldom feeling lonely (71.8%). Approximately every second respondent (51.9%) had plans for the future. A clear decreasing trend was seen in all questions for respondents aged 75 in comparison to those aged 65: only ``are you satisfied with life?'' showed no significant differences. Language/culture seems to clearly affect experiences of life orientation and well‐being. Additionally, older people living alone reported significantly more negative response to all dimensions of life orientation. Positive life orientation is an important inner health resource for older. Accordingly, health promotion for older people should focus on facilitating the maintenance of important and close relationships and should include supporting older people's need to be needed.     

Evaluation of informed consent in health research: a questionnaire survey

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 56–64
Evaluation of informed consent in health research: a questionnaire survey Objective: Informed consent is ethically and legally required for all biomedical and health research involving human participants. This study analyses the realization of informed consent in health research from the point of view of healthy, voluntary adult participants. Empirical studies from this point of view are still rare. Design: A population‐based questionnaire survey. Participants:  The study population consisted of 1410 men and women aged 57–78 years who are participants in a randomized controlled intervention trial on the effects of physical exercise and diet at Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine (eastern Finland). Methods:  The data were collected in 2005–2007 using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was given to all able and willing participants (n = 1324) who were still involved in the exercise and diet study at the 3‐month intervention visit. The response rate was 91%. Results: The defined key elements of informed consent were information, understanding, competence, voluntariness and decision‐making. A majority of the participants estimated that these key elements were successfully realized in the exercise and diet intervention study. Conclusions: Despite the general satisfaction with the informed consent process in the exercise and diet intervention study, a minority of the participants were dissatisfied with the information they had received or did not understand this information completely. These findings highlight the essential question: Did all of the participants truly give their genuine informed consent? This carefully executed study reveals objectively the difficulties in distribution of information to healthy adult volunteers.     

Effects of the implementation of the web‐based patient support system on staff’s attitudes towards computers and IT use: a randomised controlled trial

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 592–599
Effects of the implementation of the web‐based patient support system on staff’s attitudes towards computers and IT use: a randomised controlled trial Utilisation of information technology (IT) in the treatment of people with severe mental health problems is an unknown area in Europe. Use of IT and guiding patients to relevant sources of health information requires that nursing staff have positive attitudes toward computers and accept IT use as a part of daily practises. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of the implementation of a web‐based patient support system on staff’s attitudes towards computers and IT use on psychiatric wards. Hundred and forty‐nine nurses in two psychiatric hospitals in Finland were randomised to two groups to deliver patient education for patients with schizophrenia and psychosis with a web‐based system (n = 76) or leaflets (n = 73). After baseline nurses were followed‐up for 18 months after the introduction of the system. The primary outcome was nurses’ motivation to utilise computers, and the secondary outcomes were nurses’ beliefs in and satisfaction with computers, and use of computer and internet. There were no statistically significant differences between study groups in attitudes towards computers (motivation p = 0.936, beliefs p = 0.270, satisfaction p = 0.462) and internet use (p = 0.276). However, nurses’ general computer use (p = 0.029) increased more in the leaflet group than in the IT intervention group. We can conclude that IT has promise as an alternative method in patient education, as the implementation of the web‐based patient support system in daily basis did not have a negative effect on nurses’ attitudes towards IT.     

The state of the science of emotional intelligence related to nursing leadership: an integrative review

akerjordet k. & severinsson e. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 363–382
The state of the science of emotional intelligence related to nursing leadership: an integrative review Aim To explore the state of the science of emotional intelligence (EI) related to nursing leadership and its critiques. Background The phenomenon of EI has emerged as a potential new construct of importance for nursing leadership that enhances educational, organizational, staff and patient outcomes. Nevertheless, important questions and critical reflections related to exaggerated claims, conceptualizations and measurements exist. Method A literature search was conducted using international databases covering the period January 1999 to December 2009. A manual search of relevant journals and significant references increased the data. Results Critical reflection seems to be associated with the unsubstantiated predictive validity of EI in the area of nursing leadership. In addition, important moral issues are called into question. Conclusions It is important to possess in-depth knowledge of EI and its scientific critique when integrating the concept into nursing research, education and practical settings. More attention to the nature of emotion in EI is necessary. Implications for nursing leadership The dynamics of EI should be explored in the context of both the surrounding environment and individual differences, as the latter can be adaptive in some settings but harmful in others.     

A hermeneutic textual analysis of suffering and caring in the peri-operative context

Hermeneutic text interpretation is discussed in this paper as a possible way of releasing nurses' knowledge, in order to develop a deeper understanding of professional caring. The text is a nurse's story, which has been gathered by means of the critical incident technique. The intention is to elicit the knowledge of professional caring in the stories and the language of caring science, which is concealed in a nurse's reality. Hermeneutic text interpretation through reading a text and having a dialogue with the nurse's reality will give a voice and a language to silent knowledge.     

Uncovering tacit caring knowledge

Abstract The aim of this article is to present re‐enactment interviewing and to propose that it can be used to reveal tacit caring knowledge. This approach generates knowledge not readily attainable by other research methods, which we demonstrate by analysing the epistemological and methodological underpinnings of re‐enactment interviewing. We also give examples from a study where re‐enactment was used. As tacit knowledge is often characteristic of care, re‐enactment interviewing has the potential to engage the informant in a holistic mode and thereby reveal wisdom of the body. When the care provider recalls an event, the details are articulated, which contributes to in‐depth data, which subsequently serves as a basis for trustworthy analysis.     

Acute – an ambiguous concept in healthcare

The aim of this study was to explore the concept acute semantically. The concept is being used both in clinical and theoretical contexts, without questioning whether a clear meaning of the concept has been established. The analysis has been applied according to the semantic analysis strategy of the philosopher (and pedagogue) Koort (1975). First, the results show that the concept of acute has had an unclear meaning and perception in the Norwegian language. Second, the synonyms indicate two different contents. The experiences and events that occur acute might be experienced as 'sharp' and 'intense'. The synonyms point also at time, such as quick, rapid and swift. Third, it reveals that the shortlived experience as synonym does have a very little binding to the concept acute. The occurence that began suddenly is not meant to subside the same way as it began.