Florence Nightingale, feminism and nursing

Three key aspects of Florence Nightingale's remarkable life are examined. First, the influences during her formative years: the education and guidance provided by her father, the resistance by her family when she decided to become a nurse; and the rejection by Nightingale of the societal expectations of a woman in the Victorian era. Secondly, her professional life is examined, in particular how she appears to have been viewed by certain members of society, and how in turn she viewed them. It is anticipated that her position as an early feminist will be postulated and illuminated. Thirdly, an analysis of her personal and professional life indicates a way forward for the nursing profession.     

A literature review regarding the management of varicella‐zoster virus

Chickenpox and shingles (varicella‐zoster virus [VZV]) pose a threat to individuals who are immunosuppressed and/or have rheumatoid arthritis or another inflammatory musculoskeletal condition. In this paper we present a literature review of the condition, management and prevention. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intuition: a critical review of the research and rhetoric

This paper will explore the concept of intuition in nursing from an acute care and community nursing perspective. It will consider definitions of intuition and examine the research which can inform our understanding of this important component of decision making. In the current health service climate, which demands measurable research-based evidence, the involvement of intuition as an element of judgement is often denigrated. The result is that many nurses are being forced to be covert in their use of this crucial aspect of judgement and focus solely on the conscious elements of decision-making. However, research evidence would suggest that intuition occurs in response to knowledge, is a trigger for action and/or reflection and thus has a direct bearing on analytical processes in patient/client care. The authors therefore argue that the essential nature of intuition cannot be ignored in the practice, management, education and research of nursing.     

Theory from practice for practice: is this a reality?

Dickoff & James assert that theory comes from practice for practice This paper will explore the reality of this statement in nursing today The nature of nursing knowledge from an historical perspective facilitates an understanding of where nursing theory development is today The purpose of theory is debated and the motivation for its development considered Practice theory, theory which is developed from practice for practice, is analysed, and this is advocated as one method to reduce the theory-practice gap in nursing Whether practitioners are able to undertake the development of practice theory is discussed and some obstacles identified Reflection and action research have been offered as methods to facilitate the development of practice theory by practitioners     

Does the distinction between killing and letting die justify some formsof euthanasia?

Nurses will often be at the forefront in a health care team which decides that it is ethically acceptable to allow a particular patient to die butthe possibility of actually killing another patient who requests his own death is met with heartfelt resistance This paper explores the distinction between killing and letting die and the connection these arguments have withjustifications for euthanasia Two practical examples of killing and lettingdie are analysed Various issues are examined including the active-passive distinction, the difference between causing and preventing a death and the probability of outcome Justifications for euthanasia are then revisited and some concluding remarks made     

The nurse as mediator of pollution: the influence of the nursing role on the socialization of disease and illness

Nursing plays an influential role in the socialization of disease and illness, that is, how they become integrated within the social context of people living together in the community of human society Generally, it may be argued that physicians adopt the ideology that disease is fixed within a framework of a medical model, which frequently ignores how an individual feels when sick and what effects the sickness will have on an individual's perception of everyday life Nurses, on the other hand, adopt a more flexible approach in their care, which is based on recognizing that the body responds dynamically during the experience of sickness This paper sets out to explore why nursing has evolved with the concept of an illness model as opposed to a disease model, which so often underpins the approach adopted by physicians Traditionally, the care of the young, sick and infirm was delegated to women and set within the realms of domesticity Today, as in the past, many aspects of the nursing role involve polluting aspects that result from sickness These are skilfully, subtly and tacitly managed by nurses in order to protect themselves and create an environment of permission in which the sufferer's sickness is contained and managed Over the past couple of decades, innovations in nursing have recognized the effects of disease and illness on the individual within their own social context, and attempts have been made through the evolvement of the nursing process to focus on an individual's sickness as a lived-body experience However, more recently, critics of the nursing process have claimed that, in essence, the nursing process has done nothing more than merely reproduce the original reductionalism that was previously encountered through a task-allocation approach to nursing     

Clinical support and the Project 2000 nursing student: factors influencing this process

This paper reports on research commissioned by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting into mentorship and clinical support arrangements for Project 2000 nursing students in the adult and mental health branches Interviews and observation data were gathered from staff and students in three of the demonstration centres Findings showed that the terms 'mentorship', 'assessor' and 'supervisor' were used interchangeably and covered diverse roles in both clinical and community settings Generally there was an impression that staff were willing to help students learn from their experience but felt unprepared for the 'new nursing students' Several factors emerged which seemed either to promote satisfactory experiences for students or inhibit their learning and enjoyment of the placement These are discussed under the themes 'supernumerary status', 'team spirit', 'theory and practice', 'diploma level practice' and 'organization of nursing teams'     

Analysing clinical practice guidelines. A method of documentary analysis

This paper will describe a method of documentary analysis used in a study examining the validity of clinical guideliness issued to health visitors to assist them in identifying families requiring increased health visitor support. This forms the preliminary work for a wider study examining how health visitors decide to increase support to vulnerable families. Although a number of published research texts dicuss the value of records and documents as important data sources for health service researchers, there is relatively little information avialable about the processes of documentary analysis. This paper offers one method for analysing clinical practice guidelines, it describes the development of a critique and analysis tool and expolres the strengths an weaknesses of this particular analysis instrument.