Biomedical subjects

Frances Badger

Publications and source records attributed to Frances Badger.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Room for improvement? Reporting response rates and recruitment in nursing research in the past decade.

AIMS: This paper reports an analysis of recruitment and response rates in published nursing research in three peer reviewed nursing journals in 2002. We wished to establish if the deficits in reporting nursing research identified a decade earlier had been addressed. BACKGROUND: This analysis was informed by our personal experiences of research which produced widely differing response rates. An examination of the literature revealed a lack of consensus on desirable response rates in nursing research. Previous analyses have shown deficits in describing participants, sampling methods and reporting recruitment. METHODS: Papers reporting empirical research in three nursing journals in 2002 were reviewed in terms of a number of variables including research methodology, respondent type, recruitment method, response rate, location, and data collection method. Nominal coding was used as necessary. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and a variety of descriptive statistics were employed. RESULTS: Half of the papers did not report a response rate. Of those which did, over three-quarters of both qualitative and quantitative studies had response rates of 60% or more. Research conducted in hospital and educational settings produced higher response rates than those in community settings. Studies with response rates of less than 60% did not always refer to their rates in the study limitations, and low response rates do not appear to be a barrier to publication. CONCLUSION: Reporting of sampling, recruitment and response rates in nursing research must be improved to support nursings' claim to be an evidence-based profession and to underpin clinical governance requirements. Only through improvements in the quality of nursing research publications can knowledge be extended and a better-informed research community be created.

Bibliometrics↗

PubMed2004

Aggressive and violent incidents: perceptions of training and support among staff caring for older people and people with head injury.

BACKGROUND: Reported rates of workplace violence are increasing and studies of violence and aggression to health service staff in the United Kingdom have largely focused upon mental health and accident and emergency units. The study of violence and aggression in other specialties has been neglected. This paper reports the findings from a survey of staff perceptions of training and support in an elderly care and head injury unit. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Staff in a care of older people and head injury unit, half of whom were nurses, were surveyed to identify their experiences of violence and aggression in the workplace, their receipt of training, the relevance of training and knowledge of support services. METHODS: An anonymous semi-structured questionnaire was sent to all nursing, therapy and psychology staff in the unit. Quantitative data were analysed by SPSS and content analysis was adopted for the qualitative data. RESULTS: Just over half the participants had experienced an incident of violence or aggression in the past 12 months. Training was judged to be relevant by almost 90% of respondents but was not always delivered in line with trust guidance. Staff who had been involved in incidents were more likely to identify training needs. A higher percentage of nurses than other professions were involved in incidents, but they were not as aware of the staff support department as other professional groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that care of older people and head injury units should examine more closely the delivery of staff training on violence and aggression, and invite staff to identify their training needs. A national survey of approaches to staff support may be worthwhile. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Staff who had received training judged it to be relevant to their working situations, but outstanding training needs should be identified and addressed. Confidential staff support facilities should be well publicized.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Caring for people with depression.

BACKGROUND: Mental health care has recently become a government priority, and depression is a very common mental health problem. Many people feel that the mode of treatment used is less important than the effective delivery of care and intensity of follow up. The authors of this study devised a questionnaire to elicit the views of a small sample of mental health professionals and service users on the quality of current services. CONCLUSION: Most respondents felt that there is room for improvement in mental health services. Perceptions of the needs of people with depression focused on care, rather than on specific interventions. The voluntary sector was rated highly in caring for people with depression. Greater awareness among professionals of self-help organisations was seen as beneficial.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The pharmacist's role in the medicinal management of depression.

AIM: To elicit pharmacists' perceptions of medication management for people who have been prescribed medication for depression. METHOD: A questionnaire survey of 103 mainly community pharmacists was used. RESULTS: People frequently approached pharmacists for information about a range of issues concerning antidepressant medication. Although pharmacists were knowledgeable about all aspects of pharmacological interventions, many felt their location in the commercial sector inhibited the amount of assistance they could provide. Barriers to providing information were identified, and the paucity of pharmacists' links with primary care teams exposed. CONCLUSION: The survey supports other studies that have suggested pharmacists could provide considerable assistance in helping people to understand their medication and its benefits. There is also discussion of the ways in which the future role of pharmacists could be developed so that they collaborate more closely with other healthcare professionals.

Antidepressive Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Concordance with antidepressant medication in primary care.

AIM: To identify how depression is managed in primary care settings and examine patients' perspectives on their care and the impact medication had on their recovery. This article specifically addresses patients' accounts of the influences on medication concordance. METHOD: A total of 60 patients from four primary care centres who had a recent episode of depression were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and a framework analysis to identify recurring themes. Participants had largely recovered from their illness. FINDINGS: Many factors influenced patients' decisions to take and continue prescribed antidepressants and four broad themes were identified. These were: the role and relationship with health practitioners; factors related to the illness; beliefs about and experiences of medication for depression; and the wider context of depression. CONCLUSION: Concordance with antidepressants is multifactorial and may change over time in the same patient. Influences on concordance may be positive or negative and the combined effects are highly individual and dependent on circumstances. Nurses involved in medication management should encourage discussion of the likely impact of, and patients' attitudes toward, medication.

Antidepressive Agents↗