Biomedical subjects

J V Appleton

Publications and source records attributed to J V Appleton.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Nurse referrals of children to social services.

This literature review examines current referral systems and processes used by community nurses when making referrals of children in need and children in need of protection to social services departments. The problems surrounding definitions of need, children in need and children in need of protection are considered. The ambiguity of the language used and the difficulties encountered by community nursing staff in trying to identify criteria and thresholds for referral are highlighted. The review focuses on research exploring the assessment and referral processes used by community nurse, in particular by health visitors, and draws attention to the lack of research concerning these areas. Government recognition of the problems encountered by agencies working in this field is acknowledged in recent Department of Health publications.

Child↗

PubMed1997

Establishing the validity and reliability of clinical practice guidelines used to identify families requiring increased health visitor support.

One of health visitors' main roles is that of case finding and actively searching for health needs. This paper describes part of the findings of a study evaluating the clinical practice guidelines issued to health visitors to assist them in identifying families requiring increased health visitor support. A postal questionnaire was distributed to all Community Trust Chief Nurses in England (179), employing health visiting staff. The aim of the questionnaire was to assess the extent to which clinical guidelines are used throughout the country to identify families requiring extra health visiting support and to examine their validity and reliability. The survey results confirm the widespread existence of clinical guidelines in England to assist health visitors in identifying vulnerable families requiring extra support. The study provides evidence that the guidelines are largely subjective and invalid in nature. Questions are raised about the relationship between clinical guidelines and professional judgements.

Community Health Nursing↗

PubMed1997

Analysing clinical practice guidelines. A method of documentary analysis.

This paper will describe a method of documentary analysis used in a study examining the validity of clinical guidelines issued to health visitors to assist them in identifying families requiring increased health visitor support. This forms the preliminary work for a wider study examining how health visitors decide to increase support to vulnerable families. Although a number of published research texts discuss the value of records and documents as important data sources for health service researchers, there is relatively little information available about the processes of documentary analysis. This paper offers one method for analysing clinical practice guidelines, it describes the development of a critique and analysis tool and explores the strengths and weaknesses of this particular analysis instrument.

Community Health Nursing↗

PubMed1997

Intuition: a critical review of the research and rhetoric.

This paper will explore the concept of intuition in nursing from an acute care and community nursing perspective. It will consider definitions of intuition and examine the research which can inform our understanding of this important component of decision making. In the current health service climate, which demands measurable research-based evidence, the involvement of intuition as an element of judgement is often denigrated. The result is that many nurses are being forced to be covert in their use of this crucial aspect of judgement and focus solely on the conscious elements of decision-making. However, research evidence would suggest that intuition occurs in response to knowledge, is a trigger for action and/or reflection and thus has a direct bearing on analytical processes in patient/client care. The authors therefore argue that the essential nature of intuition cannot be ignored in the practice, management, education and research of nursing.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1997

Constructivism: a naturalistic methodology for nursing inquiry.

This article will explore the philosophical underpinnings of the constructivist research paradigm. Despite its increasing popularity in evaluative health research studies there is limited recognition of constructivism in popular research texts. Lincoln and Guba's original approach to constructivist methodology is outlined and a detailed framework for nursing research is offered. Fundamental issues and concerns surrounding this methodology are debated and differences between method and methodology are highlighted.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMed1996

Working with vulnerable families: a health visiting perspective.

The aim of this paper is to describe part of the findings of a research study which explored the health visitor's role in identifying and working with vulnerable families in relation to child protection. One objective of the study was to describe and analyse the work which health visitors undertake with vulnerable families aimed at preventing crisis, ill-health and child abuse. This paper outlines this aspect of the research and looks specifically at health visitors' perceptions of their work and interventions with vulnerable families and children. Health visitors working in an inner city area and a suburban area were sampled and pilot work was undertaken in a third suburban area. Stage one involved a postal survey of 102 health visitors, in which a response rate of 58 (57%) was obtained. Stage two involved 12 in-depth interviews with health visitors. One major finding of this study highlighted the fact that the health visitor's role when working with vulnerable families appears to be one of diversity and conflict. In the light of the current National Health Service reforms it seems of paramount importance that health visitors illustrate to others, both managers and other health/social service professionals alike, the important function of their work with these vulnerable groups. This is essential to ensure that health visitors' work with vulnerable families in relation to child protection is understood and valued and that the needs of vulnerable families continue to be identified. This paper contributes to the knowledge base of health visiting and raises some important issues for professional health visiting practice.

Child↗

PubMed1995

Analysing qualitative interview data: addressing issues of validity and reliability.

Over the last 20 years qualitative research methods have increased in popularity in the field of nursing research, yet critical issues of validity and reliability are often overlooked in published research reports. Thus, the aim of this paper is to describe the steps which the author followed to address issues of rigour in one qualitative research study. The study was conducted to explore the health visitor's role in identifying and working with vulnerable families in the community in relation to child protection. This paper will focus on how issues of validity and reliability were addressed in terms of qualitative interview data.

Child↗

PubMed1994

The role of the health visitor in identifying and working with vulnerable families in relation to child protection: a review of the literature.

This paper presents an overview of the research surrounding the role of the health visitor in identifying and working with vulnerable families in relation to child protection. Only a limited number of empirical studies have been completed within the field of health visiting, so this review draws on most of the literature published over the last 15 years, which is mainly British in origin. No previous reviews have focused on this specific area of health visiting. Clearly with the recent increase in public and official recognition of child protection issues and the continuing debate of health visitor involvement within this area, this review takes a significant step forward in drawing together relevant research. The review focuses on research within three main areas. Firstly, the health visitor's role in working with vulnerable families in relation to child protection is explored. The clients' perceptions of this role are also explored. Secondly, the identification of vulnerable families by health visitors and non-health visitors is explored. Within this area a number of studies by non-health visitors investigating screening approaches to child abuse have been reviewed, because they play such a major role in the literature and appear to have influenced subsequent health visitor research. Thirdly, a review of health visitors' preventive work with vulnerable families is completed.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1994

The concept of vulnerability in relation to child protection: health visitors' perceptions.

The aim of this paper is to describe part of the findings of a study which explored the health visitor's role in identifying and working with vulnerable families in relation to child protection. The study was conducted using a broadly qualitative approach. A two-stage approach was undertaken to explore the concept of vulnerability and to assess health visitors' work in this area of practice. In stage one a postal survey of 102 health visitors was conducted with a response rate of 58 (57%). In stage two 12 in-depth interviews were completed with health visitors. This paper outlines one major aspect of the findings and focuses specifically on health visitors' perceptions about the concept of vulnerability and its relevance to child protection work. The analysis suggests that vulnerability is a nebulous, transient and complex concept influenced by multiple interacting factors. The existence of a continuum of vulnerability is clearly evident. It appears that families move in and out of vulnerability at various stages of the life cycle and this is largely dependent on 'internal' and 'external' stress factors and coping ability. This paper contributes to the knowledge base of vulnerability and raises a number of issues for health visiting practice.

Adaptation, Psychological↗