Ten steps to prepare your agency for conducting research

Contemporary research rarely includes home care as a focus. This article discusses the need for agencies to initiate home care research, especially as it relates to skilled home care services. The author suggests methods for planning and implementing such research by collaborating with educational institutions and research experts.     

Preserving your integrity while building your career

The simple truth is that ambition and integrity are no more mutually exclusive than wit and wisdom. The problem, which for some is almost insurmountable, is to get beyond the psychosocial detritus surrounding the idea of success and the character of the successful. It is essential for those driven to succeed to understand that how one gets there is more important than the arriving; it is, in fact, the arriving! As for those who are uncomfortable with the whole process, they must learn and relearn that no one is corruptible unless they let themselves be corrupted.     

Ten steps to convert your assignment into a journal article

Nurses spend a great deal of time and effort in constructing a variety of assignments and dissertations as part of courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is not uncommon to read comments from lecturers such as 'this requires only minimal work to be published'. It might be assumed that many assignments and dissertations would therefore go on to appear in print; however it is questionable just how many of them ever do materialize in journals. The reality is that this transition can be a challenging process. This is highlighted when a search of the literature for use in preparation for this article the authors discovered a dearth of advice to help potential authors make the transition from good quality assignment to published article. With this in mind we will try to guide you through a process that will assist you in converting your academic work into an article fit for publication.     

Ten steps to getting your paper published in a professional journal

There is an increasing expectation that nurses, whether they work in clinical practice management, education or research, will publish. At the same time there remains a mystique about the best way to go about this. This article provides a simple commentary suggesting ten steps to help you publish in a professional journal.     

Patient perceptions of hospital care: building confidence,

Aim The aim of this study was to understand how people evaluate and make sense of their experience of hospital care.
Method Narrative interviews were conducted with 18 patients between 4–6 weeks after an episode of inpatient care or day surgery. Participants were deliberately sampled from a population who participated in a hospital-wide audit which took place during 1 week in June 1995. Sampling criteria ensured a mix of age, gender, type of, and reason for, admission. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using grounded theory.
Findings Three categories: 'feeling informed', 'valued as an individual', and 'at home' contributed to a core category: 'building confidence, faith and trust'. Notably, confidence and trust were determined as much by observations of the care given to other people, as the care the participants themselves had received.
Conclusions More attention needs to be given to understanding the complex social and reflective process which underpin patient judgements about quality of care.     

Breathe easy: 5 steps to better breathing with your metered-dose inhaler (MDI)

Proper use of the metered-dose inhaler (MDI) is essential for medications to prevent and treat acute asthma exacerbations. This training video teaches children and clinicians correct technique for MDI use.     

Identifying,building, and sustaining your leadership team

Effective leadership teams are important to the success of any organization, regardless of size or scope. This article uses the concepts of social capital and trust to shed light on team building skills and focuses on strategies that leaders can use to assemble, build, and sustain their leadership teams. Written from the perspective of someone who has had many years of experience in leadership roles, the article includes actual examples and tactics used to develop and mentor team members, foster social networks to build the team, and imbue trust to sustain the team.