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Biomedical subjects

A Isola

Publications and source records attributed to A Isola.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Humour between nurse and patient, and among staff: analysis of nurses' diaries.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of humour both between nurses and patients and among nursing staff. BACKGROUND: Humour has positive effects on both a person's physiology and the psyche. Laughter signifies positive things to people; it may add to feelings of togetherness, closeness and friendliness. The use of humour is an indication of mental well-being and it minimizes the effect of negative factors and protects from difficulties. METHODS: The data consisted of diaries written by nurses (n=16), which were analysed inductively using content analysis. FINDINGS: The main categories of humour between nurse and patient were nurse-based humour, co-operation-orientated humour and patient-orientated humour. Humour among staff consisted of the main category of resource-orientated humour. CONCLUSION: The consequences of humour between nurse and patient enabled them both to cope with various unpleasant procedures. It helped them to manage difficult situations and led to an improvement in the working climate. Humour among staff helped nurses to cope with their work and created a better atmosphere on the ward.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Importance of humour to client--nurse relationships and clients' well-being.

Humour is an important and integral part of everyday life, social integration and professional nursing care. However, there has been little systematic research into the use of humour in nursing contexts, from the clients' point of view. With a touch of humour, this article aims to describe the positive impact of humour on client-nurse relationship and on clients' well-being. The data consisted of focused interviews (n = 8) and letters (n = 5) received from nursing clients in response to an invitation published in a patient organization newsletter. The data were analysed using the method of content analysis. The results suggest that humour helped the client to cope with difficult situations by offering a moment of rest and a new perspective on an altered life situation. Humour also helped clients to show their emotions and to preserve their dignity. In the nurse-client relationship, humour enabled the client to communicate criticism or to express themselves. Nurses can alleviate clients' anxieties through humour, and humour can help nurses to cope.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

[Sleep disturbances affecting hospital patients].

The purpose of this article is to describe patients' sleep in hospital. The article is based on a study of patients' sleep in a hospital's medical or surgical ward and to clarify the disturbance factors relating to their sleep. The patients of the Central Hospital of Northern Carelia's two medical and two surgical wards took part in the research. The data were collected by a structured questionnaire and a follow-up questionnaire in May-June 1996. Of the replies of 181 patients, the results of 177 were taken to the final analysis. The data were analysed by statistical methods. The data and the results are presented in frequency and percent distributions, and the background variables of those patients sleeping well and those sleeping poorly are analysed and compared. The results indicated that 65% of the researched patients slept badly in the hospital. Environmental factors were found to be related to most of the patients' sleep disturbances: 80% of them regarded those factors as the cause for their disturbed sleep. Other patients, noise, and the nurses' work were regarded as the most disturbing of the environmental factors. The internal factors had disturbed patients' sleep in the hospital less than the environmental factors. Pain was regarded as the most sleep disturbing internal factor: over half of the researched patients felt disturbed by it. During their stay in the hospital the patients experienced more positive (trust, contentment, safety) than negative feelings (fear, anxiety, depression, distrust), and those who experienced negative feelings had more difficulties in sleeping.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Methods used in the hospital for patients' sleep improvement].

The purpose of this article is to describe methods used in the hospital for sleep improvement. The article is based on a study of patients' sleep in a Finnish hospital's medical or surgical ward. The patients of the Central Hospital of Northern Carelia's two medical and two surgical wards took part in the research. The data were collected by a structured questionnaire in May-June 1996. Of the replies of 181 patients, the results of 177 were taken to the final analysis. The data were analysed by statistical methods. The data and the results are presented in frequency and percent distributions. The most common method used by the patients to improve their sleep was to choose a good sleeping position. Other methods, which were often used, were reading, watching TV, having a snack, taking a warm shower or praying. The nurses were versatile in using the available methods of nursing for helping the patients to sleep. They informed the patients about their illnesses, nursing regime and the forthcoming operations, consoling and giving support to them. The nurses also organised sleep-supporting environment and gave painkillers and sleeping pills. About 60% of the researched patients were of the opinion, that sleeping tablets were prescribed too often. The patients themselves regarded the information and knowledge about their own treatment as the best way to improve their sleep.

Hospital Units↗
PubMed1998

[Disruptive behavior of elderly residents and the use of nursing methods].

This study is the first part of a larger research project concerned with disruptive behaviour and the use of physical restraints on elderly nursing home residents. This paper is focused on the types and prevalence of disruptive behaviour among elderly residents, nurses' experiences and the types of nursing interventions employed. Data was collected from nurses of varying qualifications (n = 173) in seven Swiss nursing homes by using a questionnaire. The most frequent behavioural problems reported by nurses were mobility, incontinence, getting dressed, verbal communication, passivity, withdrawal and continual requests. Nurses found physical aggression, continual shouting and verbal abuse the most difficult to manage with. The results also indicated that experiences varied between nurses. In particular, nursing staff always considered disruptive behaviour more disruptive against other residents rather then against themselves. The most frequently used interventions against disruptive behaviour were considering residents' wants and needs, getting close, adjustment to residents' background and organisation of activities. Physical and chemical restraints were also used.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Touching by skilled nurses in elderly nursing care.

The frequency of touching in nursing care situations increases with patients who are in poor condition. Patients in long-term care often require help from nurses in all their daily activities. Touching is also an important form of communication in situations where the individual is no longer capable of reciprocal verbal communication. In this study, 10 nursing care situations were video recorded in a long-term care institution. The patients needed much help and had problems with verbal communication. Data analysis was inspired by Ricoeur's philosophy (1976) and involved three steps: naive understanding, structural analysis and comprehensive understanding. The findings show that each nurse-patient pair had its own distinct patterns of interaction that had taken shape over the years. Some nurses stood very close to their patients and frequently hugged, patted and stroked them; others remained at a greater physical distance and did not touch their patients more than was necessary to perform their tasks. In spite of their different patterns, all the nurses were highly competent and skilful in their jobs.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Humour as experienced by patients and nurses in aged nursing in Finland.

Humour is an integral part of everyday life and therefore a component of the care and treatment of elderly patients in the modern health care. This article deals with the role of humour in aged nursing from the perspective of the nursing home residents. It also describes some preliminary results of our study on the meaning of humour to professional nurses. The chief motivation for the study is to provide a deeper understanding of humour as a part of aged nursing and as a 'phenomenon', which should also help us in the continuing challenge to improve the quality of nursing care. In this study the qualitative approach was used because the focus of interest was on an issue that has received only little attention in earlier research. The research material consists of data from patients and nurses. The data were collected via interviews and essay-type responses. The data obtained were analysed using the qualitative method of content analysis. In the light of our findings here, humour can be described as a joie de vivre which manifests itself in human interaction in the form of fun, jocularity and laughter. The assumption is supported by earlier research results which indicated that humour is an individual and personal matter and, in aged nursing care it is also very much a context-bound phenomenon. Humour makes it easier for some of the elderly patients to experience a positive, human relationship with the nurse. According to the results it seems to us that research should be continued and intensified into the role and use of humour in elderly people's everyday life and particularly in gerontological nursing care.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Nursing research on the dynamics of hope in the elderly--a review].

The dynamics of hope--the dialectics between hope and hopelessness--is a central dimension in the essence of human being, in health and illness, as well as in nursing. In this paper nursing research on hope and hopelessness in elderly people is described. CINAHL- and MEDLINE EXPRESS-database were used as sources of research material. The purposes, the target populations, the methods of data collection and the central results from 10 research articles were analyzed using the method of content analysis. In addition qualitative content analysis was used to illustrate the dynamics of hope. The research on the dynamics of hope in nursing science has mostly focused on young adults, and less on elderly people. Most of the studies on hope and hopelessness in elderly people were descriptive, cross-sectional research based on quantitative assumptions. The dynamics of hope was described as the dynamics of life and death in which elderly people's significant relationships, feelings and the ability to act were central elements. Qualitative, longitudinal designs are needed in nursing science in order to capture the essence of the dynamics of hope in elderly human beings.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Promoting participation of informal caregivers in the hospital care of the elderly patient: informal caregivers' perceptions.

A study to identify informal caregivers' perceptions of factors promoting or inhibiting their participation in the care of elderly patients was conducted. An open-ended questionnaire was completed by 369 informal caregivers during 2-month periods in late 1991, 1992 and 1993. Several factors related to the patient, informal caregiver, nurse and environment were identified. The findings and implications for nursing are discussed. The data presented here are from a larger study which is reported in earlier issues of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

The right to touch and be touched.

Touching is an integral part of human behaviour; from the moment of birth until they die, people need to be touched and to touch others. Touching is an intimate action that implies an invasion of the individual's personal, private space. In ethical terms, the question of touching is closely related to the patient's right to integrity and inviolability. The purpose of this study was to describe touching as it is experienced by elderly patients and nurses in long-term care. Touching was approached as a form of communication and as an important part of nursing practice. The participants, 25 patients and 30 nurses, were interviewed using a semistructured schedule. The data were analysed using the method of content analysis. The patients experienced touching by nurses as gentle, comforting and important. The nurses, for their part, experienced touching by patients as easy and natural. The patients rarely touched nurses more than was necessary. In some cases, nurses had to cope with violent touching by patients. Some women nurses interpreted touches by male patients as having a sexual nature and as annoying. This had taught male patients to avoid touching nurses. On the other hand, friendly and grateful touches by patients were very important to nurses. When used for emotional purposes only, touching presupposed a good relationship between nurses and their patients. Although touching is extremely common in nursing practice, there has been very little research into its meaning. More work is therefore needed to explore the role and meaning of touching in nursing.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Becoming circadian--A one-year study of the development of the sleep-wake cycle in children.

Data on three children's sleep-wake behavior during the first year of life submitted to spectral analysis reveal the presence of several frequencies in the circadian and ultradian ranges. The changes in the resulting spectra as age progresses show both an increase in overall rhythmicity, i.e., more data are explained by regular oscillations, and irregular changes in the circadian component. This circadian component shows an increase in power which appears at different ages among the individuals studied.

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Walled city project: fluoroprophylaxis in the prevention of caries].

The Authors evaluate some parameters relative to the concentration of fluoride in the potable water and in that bottled available in the territory of the Ussl no. 19. The integration of these parameters with the data that regard some life habits (frequency of assumption of the fluoride compresses, beverages of common use) in a target group, underlines the importance of the educational aspects of a preventive program in a community environment aiming to obtain the benefits of such method.

Beverages↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Taste changes in diabetics. Clinico-experimental study].

A preliminary research was carried out, comparing taste sensitivity of 33 healthy subjects and 120 diabetics patients, either with complications or not. After this, a further analysis of the results was done, collecting the patients into more numerous groups. A significant decrease of the sensitivity for some tastes in some oral areas was attested, as regards diabetics with vascular and neurologic complications.

Aged↗