Nurses' attitudes to therapeutic abortion

30 trained nurses in 2 health authorities were interviewed, using a tape-recorded and focused converstational apporach, to determine their attitudes toward therapeutic abortion. Strongly negative views about termination of pregnancy were expressed by the gynecology nurses either spontaneously in the course of the interview or in response to the question, "Is there anything you don't like about your work, or what is it that you like least?" Young girls having abortions featured prominently in nurses' comments. Patients were almost always referred to as "girls" rather than women. Older women, perhaps having an abortion because they did not want to add further to their family, were seldom reported and when questioned about this nurses replied that the majority of abortion patients were teenagers. The casual "don't care" attitude on the part of patients extended to use of contraception, too, in nurses' views. When asked what alternative ways they saw of handling the question of unwanted pregnancy, some nurses felt that doctors should refuse to do abortions in order to encourage a more responsible attitude. Prostaglandin terminations were the source of the strongest comments becasue it was disturbing to handle the fetus at the end of the procedure. Nurses felt that generally women who underwent this procedure did not understand beforehand what was involved, particularly that they would experience very painful contractions. Although not liking to participate in the performance of abortions, some nurses thought it preferable that that the abortions be performed in a medical setting that illegally. A high degree of consistency of attitudes was found among the 30 nurses interviewed. To assess how typical their views may be and how their statements fit with other research, the remainder of the discussion reports offical epidemiological statistics relating to abortion and studies of abortion from the perspectives of patients and nurses. The most recent official statistics available show that in 1980 a total of 128,927 residents in England and Wales had abortions, and just over half were performed for single women. Over the whole country, then, there was not a large majority of single women having abortions, as nurses in the study thought. Support for abortion patients emerges as an important issue in the research literature. This type of educational initiative also could provide much needed staff support, by giving them the knowledge, skills, and self confidence they need for their work.     

Nurses' attitudes to pet obesity

Many nurses will spend a good proportion of their time seeing overweight pets and advising on weight reduction as part of a controlled weight programme, often run through nursing clinics within the practice. It was in recognition of this and the nursing professions position as a key stakeholder in controlling pet obesity, that the BVNA was approached by the Pet Obesity Task Force (POTF) to enlist our help in a survey investigating attitudes to obesity and its control.     

Nurses' attitudes to terminally ill patients

BACKGROUND: The care of terminally ill patients is a challenge for nurses that has raised special interest in recent years. Several studies have shown a stereotyped negative attitude in nurses towards terminally ill patients. However, all have used methods with several limitations. AIM: The aim of the study presented in this paper was to identify the nurses' attitude to the terminally ill patient in Catalonia, Spain, and the relationship of this attitude to different socio-demographic data (type of centre, shift, years of experience, age and sex) by means of a new quantitative method based on the free word-association test. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-five nurses working in 18 hospitals and hospices in Catalonia, Spain were included in the study. Data were analysed by the Associative Semantic Field Differential method by means of the computer programme CONTEXT and a quantitative evaluation of the degree of attitudes positivity was obtained. RESULTS: The study revealed a general slight negative trend in attitudes towards the terminally ill patient. A more positive attitude was observed in older caregivers and in women. The positivity in attitude decreased from morning to night shift. No differences were observed between nurses working in hospitals and those working in hospices. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that nursing attitudes can be analysed by methods such as that used in this study. Attempts can be made to modify this attitude in caregivers by means of training programmes and stimulating awareness of an adequate professional approach.     

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes and AIDS patients' perception of confirmation: a pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to describe registered nurses' knowledge of and attitudes toward the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and people with AIDS and the AIDS patients' perceptions of confirmation in interpersonal relationships with nurses. Convenience sampling was used to obtain 11 patient and registered nurse subject pairs in a large midwestern university hospital. Nurse subjects completed the AIDS Questionnaire: Beliefs and Information, and patient subjects completed the Perceived Confirmation Scale. It was found that patients perceived a high level of confirmation in relationships with nurses and that the nurses had an average knowledge of AIDS and fairly tolerant attitudes toward people with AIDS. No significant correlations were found among nurses' knowledge, nurses' attitudes, and patients' perception of confirmation in relationships with nurses.     

Nurses' ability to perceive patients' fears related to coronary arteriography

Nurses' ability to perceive patients' fears related to coronary arteriography ¶This study describes the congruence of the perceptions of 180 patient–nurse dyads concerning patients' fears related to coronary arteriography (CA). The perceptions were measured with a purpose-designed instrument which listed 26 objects of fear. t -Tests and chi-square tests were used to compare the responses and the associations with demographic data. The results pointed to inconsistencies between patients' and nurses' perceptions. Nurses and patients had congruent perceptions of the 10 most intense fears related to CA. Otherwise nurses tended to overestimate patients' fears. Nurses' perceptions of the intensity of individual patients' fears were incongruent so that before CA there was a tendency to overestimate the intensity of fears and after CA to underestimate it. The results suggest that nurses need to pay more attention to the assessment of individual patients' fears and to avoid stereotypical views of patient fears. The use of an assessment instrument is recommended as one way of enhancing the quality of care.     

Nurses' and patients' perceptions of dignity

It is generally agreed in the nursing literature that the maintenance of patient dignity is an important element of nursing care that is highly valued by patients. Despite this, dignity is seldom defined and there are few guidelines that nurses may use in their practice to safeguard individual patients' dignity. This phenomenological study aimed to uncover patients' and nurses' perceptions of dignity, formulate a definition of dignity based on the experience of patients and nurses, and identify nursing practices that maintain or compromise patient dignity. The study found that the characteristics nurses associated with dignity were many and varied. Important elements in the meaning the nurses ascribed to the notion of patient dignity were the elements of respect, privacy, control, advocacy and time. The themes which emerged from the patient interviews were similar to those which emerged from the interviews with nurses. The characteristics that patients attributed to dignity and its maintenance included respect, privacy, control, choice, humour and matter-of-factness.     

Nurses' attitudes about end-of-life referrals

Changes in the causes of death and advances in medical technology are leading nurses today to become more involved with end-of-life care than previously. Yet, terminally ill patients and their families have reported dissatisfaction with end-of-life care. One reason for the dissatisfaction may be attitudes among nurses about end-of-life care and hospice referral. Attitudes about end of life affect nurses' ability to care for and communicate with patients and families facing these issues. For this reason, it is important to examine nurses' attitudes about end-of-life care, specifically hospice referral, to improve care to patients and families facing death.     

Nurses' attitudes and concerns pertaining to HIV and AIDS

A pilot study was conducted to identify nurses' attitudes and concerns pertaining to the care of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Data were collected using an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire, which was made available to all nurses at a Wellington Area Health Board (New Zealand) hospital Of 562 nursing staff, 286 (51%) responded, of which 74 (25 9%) had previously attended an HIV/AIDS workshop for Area Health Board staff Of those staff handling blood, 132 (49 4%) always wore gloves, and only half of the respondents (n = 148, 51%) treated all body fluids as potentially HIV positive The possible attrition rate from nursing positions in the canvassed hospital was 2 8%, with a further 43 (15 0%) undecided about resigning from their post Only 56 nurses (12 5%) believed the employer did not provide adequate safety measures The provision of education regarding HIV/AIDS, by the employer, was considered inadequate by 61 (213%) respondents This study demonstrates that further safety and education needs should be attended to or reinforced     

Nurses' attitudes toward patients with AIDS

To determine whether nurses possess differing attitudes toward AIDS patients depending-on how the person acquired the virus, four semantic differential scales, each containing a different mode of acquiring the virus, were developed for this project All possible combinations of two different scales were created and resulted in six forms that were randomly distributed to currently employed nurses from two south-eastern New England community hospitals in the USA A total of 357 (39 1%) responded to the questionnaire Paired t -test was used to examine the two means generated by each form Bonferroni t procedure was applied to correct for multiple comparisons For each form, significant differences were found in nurses' attitudes toward AIDS patients according to the mode of acquiring the virus     

Nurses' attitudes towards clients who self-harm

BACKGROUND: Deliberate self-harm is frequently encountered by emergency department (ED) nurses. However, clients are often dissatisfied with the care provided and clinicians feel ambivalent, helpless or frustrated when working with clients who self-harm. AIM: The aim of the study was to develop and test a scale to identify relevant dimensions of ED nurses' attitudes to clients who present with self-injury. METHODS: Items on Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (ADSHQ) were drawn from a literature review and focus group discussions with ED nurses. The tool was piloted with 20 ED nurses not working in the target agencies. A survey of nurses working within 23 major public and 14 major private EDs in Queensland, Australia (n = 1008) was then undertaken. RESULTS: A total of 352 questionnaires were returned (35% response). Analysis revealed four factors that reflected nurses' attitudes toward these clients. The factors related to nurses' perceived confidence in their assessment and referral skills; ability to deal effectively with clients, empathic approach; and ability to cope effectively with legal and hospital regulations that guide practice. There was a generally negative attitude towards clients who self-harm. Correlations were found between years of ED experience and total score on the ADSHQ, and years of ED experience and an empathic approach towards clients who deliberately self-harm. CONCLUSION: There is a need for continuing professional development activities to address negative attitudes and provide practical strategies to inform practice and clinical protocols.     

Nurses' perceptions of patients' feelings about breast surgery

This qualitative study was designed to gain insight into nurses' perceptions of patients' feelings and needs with specific reference to breast surgery A grounded theory approach was adopted, based on in-depth, unstructured interviews with eight trained nurses working on surgical wards in a district general hospital It emerged that the informants believed breast surgery patients to be very vulnerable and to be suffering from extreme stress and trauma Patients were thought to lack knowledge regarding their treatment and condition The nurses thought it to be their moral and professional duty to act as advocates for the patient and the family Imposed restrictions on their advocacy role were found to cause a sense of frustration and powerlessness which appeared to be compounded by the nurses' perceived lack of counselling skills and the absence of a readily available counsellor or specialist nurse Recommendations for improvements in the care of patients undergoing breast surgery are based upon these findings