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Biomedical subjects

C C Kee

Publications and source records attributed to C C Kee.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Pain management practices of nurses caring for older patients with osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent chronic illness in older people. Management of the ensuing pain is of critical importance in preventing disability and maintaining independence. This qualitative study explored the pain management techniques used by 10 RNs working in home health nursing. Four categories emerged from the interview data: knowing how to assess, knowing about pain treatments, trying but frustrated, and needing more knowledge. These categories were reduced into two constructs: Understanding Pain and Wanting to Provide Good Nursing Care. Clinical implications included supplementing pain management strategies by adding to the assessment base, expanding pain management techniques, and increasing knowledge about aging processes and pain control.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Osteoarthritis: manageable scourge of aging.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent diseases of aging. An overview of osteoarthritis including definition, joints affected, clinical course, and classification is provided. Contributing factors, such as age, sex, ethnicity, obesity, diet, estrogen, and activity are discussed. Nursing interventions encompass weight control, adequate nutrition, evaluation of hormone replacement therapy, exercise and muscle strengthening, the use of assistive devices, medication assessment, pain control, psychosocial support, and the use of alternative therapies. Osteoarthritis can be successfully managed with the use of multifocal modalities.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

Clinical decision-making processes in perioperative nursing.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to reveal the processes of clinical decision making by expert perioperative nurses. Six nurses with a minimum of five years experience who considered themselves to be experts in OR nursing were asked to describe perioperative situations in which they had made a difference in patient outcomes. In every situation described, an intricate pattern of concern was present and associated with further assessments. The pattern was labeled Seeing the big picture: Engendered through caring. This study provides initial documentation to support how RNs make critical contributions to the quality of perioperative patient care.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Perioperative care of the older adult with auditory and visual changes.

Perioperative nurses can initiate measures during the perioperative period when working with older adults who have hearing and visual deficits. There are methods of assessing perioperative patients by interview and observation to provide indicators for nursing intervention. Caring and advocacy interventions include environmental modifications to enhance the patient's ability to hear, see, and understand what is happening during this anxiety-promoting time.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

An experience in telenursing.

The purpose of this article is to describe how a telemedicine system was used to complete a family and home assessment and to discuss issues facing advanced practice nurses (APNs) when they use such systems in practice. Incorporating discharge care into advanced practice is an increasingly important component of the nursing care given during acute illness. Telemedicine systems offer a mechanism for assessing the ways in which home situations impact on patient recovery. Telemedicine provides a method for early intervention that can ameliorate or prevent developing problems relatively inexpensively. The advantages and disadvantages of one such system, the Picasso, are described.

Community Health Nursing↗
PubMed1999

Organizational factors, nurses' job satisfaction, and patient satisfaction with nursing care.

For this research study, the authors explored differences and relationships among the job satisfaction of registered nurses, patient satisfaction with nursing care, nursing care delivery models, organizational structure, and organizational culture. There were no differences in nurses job satisfaction or patient satisfaction with nursing care in different organizational structures or where different nursing care delivery models were used. A supportive environment was most important to the job satisfaction of nurses.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Living with osteoarthritis: insiders' views.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the day-to-day experiences of older people with symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) and to discover if people in different socioeconomic strata differ in the ways in which they manage OA. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 20 respondents. The following four themes emerged from the data: refusing to give up, pragmatism toward treatment strategies, staying in charge, and tangible caring. Respondents more advantaged in socioeconomic status differed from less advantaged respondents in problems reported, treatments preferred, and causes of OA identified. Understanding the different ways people experience and live with OA and the importance of tailoring interventions to individual circumstances is essential to effective nursing management.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Reducing readmission rates through discharge interventions.

Readmissions to the hospital account for a significant number of all hospital admissions. Early discharge and inadequate care both during and after hospitalization are among the causes cited. Increasingly complex care and an aging population mandate that clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) in acute care settings assume more pivotal roles in discharge planning and care. Discharge program and intervention models, and ways to incorporate discharge interventions into advanced practice in acute care hospitals, are discussed. In addition, the effectiveness of CNSs and their required qualifications are presented.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Nurses' perceptions of people who are homeless.

There are few data-based reports about the perceptions of nurses toward marginalized groups and even fewer about the transformation of perceptions. The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' perceptions of people who are homeless and to describe transforming experiences. Rich, detailed experiences of the care provided to people who were homeless were elicited through in-depth interviews with 15 nurses and nursing students. Without exception, each participant in this study indicated that listening, connecting, and understanding were important to them in changing previously held negative beliefs. However, when clients did not express appreciation or behave in expected ways, nurses became frustrated and voiced negative feelings about people who are homeless. Study findings emphasize the importance of listening and connecting with people who are different from ourselves so that our shared humanity is acknowledged and appreciated.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Medication compliance and the older hemodialysis patient.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between demographic factors, psychosocial characteristics, and medication compliance rates in older patients receiving hemodialysis and to determine the effectiveness of a teaching program on medication-taking behavior. DESIGN: A descriptive correlational study design was used. SAMPLE/SETTING: A total of 26 patients, age 65 and over, undergoing hemodialysis at an inner city outpatient dialysis clinic met sample criteria. METHODS: The instrument included a demographic data form, the Iowa Self-Assessment Inventory (ISAI) to measure psychosocial variables, and a form to collect data to calculate medication compliance rates. RESULTS: All participants were African-American. Mean age was 70. Sample attrition was high. Scores were below the norm for most ISAI psychosocial factors, medication compliance rates were low, and the teaching intervention did not affect compliance rates. CONCLUSION: Medication compliance in this older dialysis patient population was problematic, and further research in this area is essential.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Preoperative patient teaching in ambulatory surgery settings.

The researchers conducted this descriptive replication study to identify preoperative teaching content deemed important by patients and nurses in ambulatory surgery settings. Thirty ambulatory surgery patients and 29 perioperative nurses participated in the study, which was conducted at a midsized hospital in the southeastern United States. Patients ranked situational information (eg, explaining activities, events) as the most important teaching content areas, whereas nurses ranked psychosocial support (eg, dealing with worries, concerns) as the most important. Patients preferred to have teaching conducted before they were admitted for ambulatory surgery, whereas nurses believed that some teaching could take place after admission. The study results suggest that addressing patients' priorities and initiating teaching earlier in the perioperative process is crucial to ambulatory surgery patients' postoperative outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Measuring management potential.

This article provides a brief introduction to instruments that may be used to measure management potential in persons being considered for administrative positions. Instruments that measure aspects of leadership, power, personality, conflict, and organizational climate are discussed. An overview of each instrument is provided as well as data on the type of test, time to complete, cost, and purchasing information. While objective tests such as these are useful in assessing individual suitability for management positions, we advise that they be used prudently and judiciously.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1995

A historical decline of educational perioperative clinical experiences.

This historical study identifies sociocultural and economic influences that have contributed to the decline of educational perioperative clinical experiences. Three themes were identified: the professional versus the technical role of OR nurses debate, the nurse generalist versus the nurse specialist debate, and the relative lack of control that nursing has over its own destiny. Recommendations to reverse this trend include increasing the visibility of perioperative nurses to the public and within the profession of nursing, structuring efforts to capitalize on the changes occurring in nursing education, and promoting a stronger affiliation between nursing academia and practice settings.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1995

Nursing research and nursing practice--teaching the inseparable duo.

This series of research courses provides (a) an initial emphasis on learning the content at the knowledge and comprehension levels; (b) sequential and continuous courses so that research is not seen as isolated, and therefore esoteric, knowledge; (c) an application component congruent with the clinical/practice needs and interests of students; and (d) low faculty-student ratios, at least some of the time. Teaching research so that it becomes a fundamental part of nursing practice is a goal that must be met. Reading and critiquing research provides an ideal avenue for stimulating and embellishing the critical-thinking abilities that are so basic to excellence in practice. The development of nursing science and the complexities involved in enhancing patient well-being depend on the promotion of nursing research and the clinical application of nursing research findings. Knowledge about nursing research must be taught; structuring teaching so that nursing research becomes a valued and inherent part of clinical practice from the beginning is the challenge for nursing educators.

Attitude↗
PubMed1992

Correlates of self-care among the independent elderly: self-concept affects well-being.

There was a significant positive correlation between self-care and self-concept, suggesting that psychosocial interventions that enhance an older person's self-concept may be expected to improve self-care and, conversely, that participation in self-care activities may be expected to strengthen self-concept. Although functional health status was not significantly correlated with self-care, it was related to self-concept, suggesting either that functional health has a role in maintaining self-concept among older persons or that self-concept positively contributes to functional health status. Self-concept and self-care can be enhanced in older persons by communicating respect and demonstrating caring behaviors, reinforcing health-promoting behaviors, encouraging activities of daily living that contribute to independence, and by avoiding a focus on self-care deficits.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Gerontological nursing. Faculty preparation for teaching.

1. As the number of older adults in the US increases, nurse educators must be prepared to teach gerontological nursing to their students. A 3-year project addresses the need for faculty development in gerontological nursing. 2. A major objective of the project is to provide basic knowledge of gerontological nursing to regional nursing faculty through a series of 1-week workshops that include didactic content and clinical observation experiences. 3. All 1990 workshops were filled to capacity, with participants exhibiting wide variation in their gerontological knowledge base.

Curriculum↗