Biomedical subjects

Agnes Higgins

Publications and source records attributed to Agnes Higgins.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Sexuality: the challenge to espoused holistic care.

Nurses, by virtue of the close relationship with patients, are in a unique position to promote sexual health and provide sexual health advice to people in their care. Although nurses espoused the ideals of person-centred and holistic care, evidence from research studies suggested that, for a number of reasons, nurses did not consciously and proactively engage with patients in relation to sexual concerns. In today health-care environment, where patients are seeking information about the impact of illness and treatments on their sexual function, nurses have a responsibility to proactively engage with patients' sexual health concerns in an informed and sensitive manner. The aim of this paper is to provide nurses with guidelines on how they might include this aspect of care within their everyday work.

Communication↗

PubMed2004

Asssessment of practice in intensive care: students' perceptions of a clinical competence assessment tool.

Part I of this paper (literature review) identified some of the challenges around the development of suitable assessment tools to measure clinical competence. The lack of research on competence assessment, especially within an intensive care environment was also high lighted. In this, part 2, findings from a qualitative study aimed at exploring student nurses' perceptions of a new clinical competence assessment tool, recently introduced into a postgraduate intensive care nursing course are presented. Semi- structured interviews and a focus group interview were used to collect the data. Eleven students were involved in the study. The findings are presented in narrative form and in the context of literature on assessment and competence. Although the clinical competence assessment tool was in its infancy at the time of this study, the findings suggest that students not only had difficulty interpreting the language of the tool, but considered that because of its generic nature, it failed to capture the specialist skills required for intensive care nursing.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2004

Assessment of clinical practice in intensive care: a review of the literature.

Nursing is a practice-based discipline, with clinical practice forming the heart of any programme of study. The major goal of all programmes should be on facilitating students to develop the skills necessary for competent and compassionate practice. Assessment of clinical competence is a fundamental aspect of programme development and as such deserves attention during the curriculum design process. The literature on assessment of students in clinical practice suggests that the tools used have evolved through various stages, ranging from the use of simple check list and rating scale to the development of competence assessment tools. Each stage has been fraught with difficulties and has taxed nurse educators, clinical assessors and students alike. The literature also indicates that there is a limited range of research available on clinical assessment tools, especially with an intensive care context. In part one of this two-part paper, the literature on assessment of clinical practice is explored, with specific emphasis on the assessment of competence with the Intensive Care environment. Part two of the paper reports on the findings of a study on students perceptions on a clinical competence assessment tool, used in an Intensive Care environment.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2004

Reflection in preregistration nursing curricula.

BACKGROUND: The concepts of reflection and reflective practice are increasingly popular themes in the nursing literature. Reflective practice has been advocated as a method for overcoming the divergence between nursing theory and practice, and as a means of articulating and developing knowledge embedded in practice. However, these claims are based more on theoretical debate than research evidence. In common with other regulatory bodies, the Irish regulatory nursing body advocates the need for reflective nurses, and curricula are being adapted to reflect this. These changes are taking place when there is still little guidance on the teaching or assessment of reflective practice. Given the lack of research on the topic and the need for evidence on which to base the teaching of reflective practice, a descriptive exploratory study was undertaken. AIM: The aim of this paper is to report how a group of nurse teachers perceived and interpreted reflective practice in preregistration nursing curricula in schools of nursing in The Republic of Ireland. METHODS: Data were collected using a postal questionnaire distributed to all schools of nursing involved in the preregistration diploma in nursing (n = 40). RESULTS: The results indicate variation between institutions in the number of hours allocated to the subject and where reflective practice was included in the curriculum. Emphasis was placed on theoretical models of reflection as opposed to the process or the skills required to become a reflective practitioner. Lecture and group discussion were the dominant teaching methods. Additionally, a number of teachers expressed dissatisfaction with the preparation they had received to teach the subject, and identified some of the challenges they experience when teaching reflective practice. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide a focus for further debate amongst nurse educators involved in implementing reflective practice in the curriculum. The results are limited by a response rate of 50% and by the geographic setting. Further research is needed to substantiate the findings of the study. However, there results do suggest that there is a need to clarify curricular content in relation to reflective practice and prepare nurse tutors for their role in teaching this subject more effectively.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2003

Moving to an all graduate profession: preparing preceptors for their role.

The world of Irish Nurse education has changed significantly over the last number of years, moving from certificate to diplomat status, from hospital-based training to integration within the higher education sector. The Irish Government has now committed pound 223,470,000 for the implementation of a four year pre-registration nursing degree programme. Consequently, from 2002 onwards all Irish pre-registration nurse education will be at graduate level. In recognition of the importance of student learning during practice placement the recommended that nursing students be supported by a named preceptor. This recommendation has significant resource implications in terms of current staff demands, staff preparation and ongoing support for the preceptor role. This paper will focus on a review of the literature on student support mechanisms during practice placements with particular emphasis on the concept of preceptor and preceptorship.

Education, Nursing, Graduate↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypersexuality and dementia: dealing with inappropriate sexual expression.

Sexuality is always a difficult and challenging issue for nurses to address with older patients. This is particularly the case in relation to responding to incidents of hypersexuality or inappropriate sexual expression as a result of dementia. Although research suggests that hypersexuality is a rare occurrence, when it happens it has the potential to jeopardize the quality of life of all concerned. The focus of this article is on exploring the literature on hypersexuality in people with dementia in the residential care setting. Information and principles of care are offered that may help nurses respond in a sensitive manner that protects the rights, dignity and autonomy of all concerned.

Adaptation, Psychological↗