Development of an emergency nursing training curriculum in Ghana

The formal provision of emergency health care is a developing specialty in many sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana. While emergency medicine training programs for physicians are on the rise, there are few established training programs for emergency nurses. The results of a unique collaboration are described between a university in the United States, a Ghanaian university and a Ghanaian teaching hospital that has developed an emergency nursing diploma program. The expected outcomes of this training program include: (a) an innovative, interdisciplinary, team-based clinical training model, (b) a unique and low-resource emergency nursing curriculum and (c) a comprehensive and sustainable training program to increase in-country retention of nurses.     

Nurses and nursing education in Ghana: creating collaborative opportunities

AIM: This is a story intended to motivate the reader to become immersed in 'verbal snapshots' depicting the reality of nursing in Ghana as experienced by the writer. Its purpose is to encourage dialogue and creative collaboration between nurse educators in radically different settings, which would serve to enrich all those involved. BACKGROUND: During the summer of 2003, a faculty member from the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University (GSU) travelled to Africa to establish a relationship between GSU and a nursing school in Ghana, West Africa. This paper is based on the daily journal kept by that faculty member who engaged in clinical practice experiences as well as discussions with nursing educators in Ghana. Integrated in this subjective account are health data specific to Ghana. These serve to underscore health issues and situations of urgent concern in Ghana as well as to the global community, and which will assist in highlighting the potential contribution of such collaboration to strengthening the health system of the country. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of the relationship established during this visit was intended to be a meaningful interchange of resources and experiences for both faculty and students at the two schools. It was successful in that regard. Funding is now being sought to enable further collaboration.     

Developments in education and training for nursing home staff

The independent sector has always provided a proportion of the care needed for a variety of client groups in the UK. Although the vast majority of the recipients of care are older people, groups such as those with mental health problems and those suffering from various disabilities are also cared for. The sector is currently facing the need for major changes in the way it provides care. Legislation and a number of reports and strategy documents mean that these changes are necessary for the sector to survive. To drive and to respond to the new situation, education and training has a part to play. This article will examine how the new situation following the sector will impact on the education needs for nurses.     

Developments in mental health nursing: a critical voice

This paper examines stances that are being adopted in relation to the current and future direction of mental health nursing practice. The argument is made that mental health nursing is being pushed into a direction that is essentially positivistic and narrow in its focus, stating that the current hegemony of thinking which dictates that our primary focus of concern should be with individuals suffering from severe or recurring mental illness, allied with the drive towards 'evidence based practice' is symptomatic of wider issues that should be of concern to all parties interested in the issue of mental health care. The authors examine the context and rationale for these developments from socio-political, philosophical and ethical viewpoints, highlighting that their logical outcome is the exclusion of individuals from the right to health care and question the motives underpinning what could be considered a fundamental shift in the provision of mental health services. The argument is then advanced that caution should be adopted by mental health nursing services before abandoning what Gournay (1994) described as 'redundant ideologies' and that a broader view of mental health nursing action should be accommodated. The validity of trying to account for mental nursing action in quantifiable and biomechanistic terms is questioned and an alternative paradigm of accounting for such action is suggested.     

A fast expanding role: Developments in practice nursing

Practice nursing is an exciting and expanding specialty. With the growth of nurse-run clinics, the development of the practice nurse's role seems assured. Nevertheless, the scope and potential of the role is determined by individual nurses' needs and requirements.     

21st century nursing practice in Ghana: challenges and opportunities

DONKOR N.T. & ANDREWS L.D. (2011) 21st century nursing practice in Ghana: challenges and opportunities. International Nursing Review 58 , 218–224 Aim: This article is intended to stimulate critical thinking and generate fruitful discussion on nursing practice in Ghana as experienced by the authors. Its rationale is to promote exchange of ideas and creative partnerships to ensure that right decisions are made in preparing competent, adaptable and resourceful nurses who can contribute to health for all in the 21st century. The problem: The challenges of nursing education, practice and migration in Ghana seem grim. There is inadequate capacity of training institutions, low staff morale, poor distribution and serious workforce shortages. Methods: Government reports and policy documents on nursing were sourced from official websites and reviewed and discussed in the context of the international scholarly published literature. Opportunities: The authors note that despite the severe crises, a number of opportunities such as improved home‐based training, international nursing education partnerships and welfare and human resource development could foster effective nurse retention and managed migration. Conclusions: To address the issues with nursing health service delivery and nursing shortages in Ghana requires all stakeholders to move beyond the traditional stereotypes and be flexible and forward‐looking. Needed policy options include expansion of local nursing education and training capacity, collaborative training opportunities, improving the welfare and retention rates of current staff and international exchange of nurse resources that is mutually beneficial to both source and sink countries.     

Developments in learning disability nursing over the last 10 years

This article aims to reflect upon the changes in the learning disability nursing profession over the last 10 years. It highlights the nurses' role in supporting a change of culture within the field of learning disability from one of oppression and restriction of individual rights to one where the principles characterized in the White Paper--civil rights, independence, choice and inclusion--are being increasingly supported by learning disability nurses. It concludes by examining the key issues that face the learning disability profession over the next 10 years.     

Establishing methodological rigour in international qualitative nursing research: a case study from Ghana

BACKGROUND: Attention to rigour, from the identification of the problem to the dissemination of the findings, is essential in all qualitative research. In this paper, research carried out in Ghana in 1999 is used to highlight methodological issues in relation to rigour in international qualitative nursing research. AIM: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature in relation to rigour in qualitative research, highlight the methodological decisions enhancing rigour during this research project, and describe the criteria used to assess rigour during the research process. DESIGN: A participatory action research design was used to explore the cultural, social, economic, and political factors that influenced Ghanaian women's vulnerability to HIV infection. Collaboration with participants and partnerships with key professionals were integral to the design of the study. FINDINGS: Participatory action research provided a flexible, socially, and culturally adaptable framework to guide this international research project. Prior to the initiation of international research it was essential to establish the relevance and feasibility of the proposed project. This international research project posed additional methodological challenges to the establishment of rigour. Patience, flexibility and sensitivity were required of the researcher to overcome these challenges. CONCLUSION: Collaboration with participants and with culture-specific 'experts' may be key to culturally competent scholarship, particularly in unfamiliar settings.     

Developments in nursing in Ireland: the emergence of a disciplinary discourse.

This article presents a conceptualization of nursing as it is presently being constructed in Ireland. Official discourses on nursing are explored and the ways in which these discourses have been further shaped through consultation is highlighted. This is further supported by reference to research examining practicing nurses' discourses. There is some evidence to suggest that Irish nurses may be beginning to internalize many of the nursing concepts articulated at an international and national level over the past 20 years. However, barriers to actualization in practice are identified. Emerging discourses in Ireland suggest the conceptualization of nursing as promoting and maintaining health with nurses as coordinators of care who also engage in the development of therapeutic relationships with patients. The interpersonal aspect of nursing is considered central to the nursing role.