The practice of health education in acute care setting in Hong Kong: an exploratory study of the contribution of registered nurses.

A multiple case study design was used to explore the practice of health education in acute care settings in Hong Kong. Two case studies, a medical ward and a surgical ward, were selected to reflected to reflect the real setting in which nurses carry out health education in acute care. Data collection methods involved the use of non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Seven nurses and eight patients were interviewed to explore their understanding of health education concepts, the use made in the wards of health education and the factors influencing such practice in the acute settings. Individual and cross-case analysis showed that respondents' understanding of the concept of health education was limited to patient information-giving. Although the importance of health education in acute patient care was acknowledged, the degree to which health education featured in nurses' practice was minimal. Many available opportunities for health education were missed and factors such as nurses' busy-ness and the associated lack of time and staff were identified as influencing health education practice in these acute care settings. Implications for practice and future studies were discussed in the light of these findings.     

Catharsis: a literature review

A review of the catharsis literature by its nature must begin with an examination of its development from emotion. This allows us to understand why so much controversy surrounds catharsis as a therapeutic notion. The study of emotion and its various facets, such as the role of language and gender differences, are discussed. Definitions of catharsis and an examination of the evidence for the three major forms of catharsis follow. This enables the relevance of catharsis as a stress management technique in the self-care of nurses and other healthcare professionals to be examined.
The review concludes that there is a paucity of mental health nursing evidence to support the value of catharsis as a skilled nursing intervention. The existing inconclusive evidence from other sources, such as psychology, does tend to support the use of catharsis in some situations. Finally, recommendations for particular aspects of future catharsis research are also suggested.     

Investigating and implementing change within the primary health care nursing team

Primary care is developing rapidly with significant impacts on the nursing team. Such changes have brought inter-professional team-working into sharper focus, particularly community care and collaborative working. This paper: examines the nursing roles within a general practice; describes the perspectives of service users; identifies areas of change; clarifies core and specialist skills; defines new roles among the primary health care nursing team; proposes a new model of working; and identifies appropriate education. The project was set in a general practice in south-west England and used an action research methodology. The objectives were to create a change in practice and to develop and refine existing theory to underpin nursing roles. Throughout the research regular team meetings allowed reflection and discussion about research findings and progress. Data were collected from multiple sources, including team workshops, patient focus group interviews, and individual interviews with GPs, practice managers and area managers. Reflective diaries and a patient survey were also used. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data collected from patients formed a basis for practice development and facilitated the team's reflection on the areas of change. Overall high satisfaction with services and care was expressed in the patient interviews and the questionnaire. The themes from the data highlighted areas important for patients and helped in shaping the new roles and responsibilities for team members. Regarding the team perspective, the data indicated many areas that could be considered for development. The community nursing team decided to concentrate on three key areas: child health, leg ulcer management, and cardiovascular health. The research concludes that action research presents some problems and challenges but is a useful approach to developing team-working in primary health care.