Incorporating a service improvement project into an undergraduate nursing programme: A pilot study

Although service improvement projects have been incorporated into some postregistration nurse education modules in the UK, they have not been generally available to pre‐registration students. This paper reports on the implementation and evaluation of a pilot project in pre‐registration nurse education at one university in eastern England. It concludes that the nursing students found the project to be a useful addition to their course. Supportive reactions were obtained from nurse managers, mentors and academics. A need to improve communication with clinical areas through the use of web‐based materials was highlighted.     

Participatory action research: Involving students in parent education

Competition for scarce clinical placements has increased requiring new and innovative models to be developed to meet the growing need. A participatory action research project was used to provide a community nursing clinical experience of involvement in parent education. Nine Hong Kong nursing students self-selected to participate in the project to implement a parenting program called Parenting Young Children in a Digital World. Three project cycles were used: needs identification, skills development and program implementation. Students were fully involved in each cycle's planning, action and reflection phase. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to inform the project. The overall outcome of the project was the provision of a rich and viable clinical placement experience that created significant learning opportunities for the students and researchers. This paper will explore the student's participation in this PAR project as an innovative clinical practice opportunity.     

健康教育路径对HBsAg阳性产妇母乳喂养依从性的影响

目的探讨健康教育路径对HBsAg阳性产妇母乳喂养依从性的影响。方法便利抽样法选择2009年1月至2011年1月住院分娩的238例HBsAg阳性产妇为观察组,采用健康教育路径方式宣教;选择2006年12月至2008年12月住院分娩的263例HBsAg阳性产妇为对照组,采用传统健康教育方式进行宣教。比较两组产妇母乳喂养依从性及产妇母乳喂养知识知晓情况。结果观察组产妇对于母乳喂养的相关知识知晓情况较好,得分80分以上的占70.59%,与对照组相比,差异有统计学意义(P<0.001)。观察组中,哺乳≥6个月的产妇占69.75%,哺乳<6个月者占19.75%,未采用母乳喂养者仅占10.50%,与对照组相比,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论 HBsAg阳性产妇进行母乳喂养并不增加婴儿乙型病毒性肝炎病毒(hepatitis B virus,HBV)的感染率,健康教育路径能有效提高产妇母乳喂养的依从性及喂养知识知晓情况。     

The role of the prefrontal cortex in the development of muscle fatigue in Charcot–Marie–Tooth 1A patients

This study aimed at comparing both peripheral and central mechanisms of muscle fatigue between Charcot–Marie–Tooth 1A patients and healthy individuals during a fatiguing voluntary task by simultaneous electromyographic and electroencephalographic recordings. Six Charcot–Marie–Tooth 1A patients (3 females, 40 ± 11 years) and 6-matched healthy individuals performed four blocks of sub-maximal isometric knee extensions. At the beginning of the session and after each block, electrically-evoked maximal single-twitch, maximal voluntary contraction and surface-electromyography of the vastus lateralis muscle were measured. The movement-related-cortical potentials were averaged in early (block 1–2) and late (block 3–4) stages of fatigue. The effect of fatigue was demonstrated at peripheral level by the decline of maximal voluntary contraction, maximal twitch and surface electromyography amplitude and at central level by the larger amplitude of movement-related-cortical-potentials during late than early stage of fatiguing sub-maximal contractions. Charcot–Marie–Tooth 1A patients showed lower motor cortex activity during motor planning, with earlier onset and larger prefrontal cortex activity during the late stage of the fatiguing task than healthy controls. These data demonstrate the key role of the prefrontal cortex in the development of fatigue in Charcot–Marie–Tooth 1A patients, which may be activated as a compensatory mechanism for the low motor cortex activation, thus reflecting high awareness of movement complexity.