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Jenny Ploeg

Publications and source records attributed to Jenny Ploeg.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Critical appraisal of rigour in interpretive phenomenological nursing research.

AIM: This paper reports a critical review of published nursing research for expressions of rigour in interpretive phenomenology, and a new framework of rigour specific to this methodology is proposed. BACKGROUND: The rigour of interpretive phenomenology is an important nursing research methods issue that has direct implications for the legitimacy of nursing science. The use of a generic set of qualitative criteria of rigour for interpretive phenomenological studies is problematic because it is philosophically inconsistent with the methodology and creates obstacles to full expression of rigour in such studies. METHODS: A critical review was conducted of the published theoretical interpretive phenomenological nursing literature from 1994 to 2004 and the expressions of rigour in this literature identified. We used three sources to inform the derivation of a proposed framework of expressions of rigour for interpretive phenomenology: the phenomenological scholar van Manen, the theoretical interpretive phenomenological nursing literature, and Madison's criteria of rigour for hermeneutic phenomenology. FINDINGS: The nursing literature reveals a broad range of criteria for judging the rigour of interpretive phenomenological research. The proposed framework for evaluating rigour in this kind of research contains the following five expressions: balanced integration, openness, concreteness, resonance, and actualization. Balanced integration refers to the intertwining of philosophical concepts in the study methods and findings and a balance between the voices of study participants and the philosophical explanation. Openness is related to a systematic, explicit process of accounting for the multiple decisions made throughout the study process. Concreteness relates to usefulness for practice of study findings. Resonance encompasses the experiential or felt effect of reading study findings upon the reader. Finally, actualization refers to the future realization of the resonance of study findings. CONCLUSION: Adoption of this or similar frameworks of expressions of rigour could help to preserve the integrity and legitimacy of interpretive phenomenological nursing research.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Development and testing of tools to assess physical restraint use.

BACKGROUND: To implement best practice in restraint use, healthcare providers and decision makers require current, accurate, and easily accessible information about restraint practices in their setting. There is a need for a reliable and valid instrument that is feasible for use in these settings to rapidly assess physical restraint use. METHOD: Two instruments to assess physical restraint use were developed and tested: an observation tool and a chart audit. The instruments were tested in complex continuing care units and rehabilitation units at two healthcare organizations. The restraint use observation tool was administered by trained observers in a series of five observations over a 2-week period. Chart audits were conducted for a sample of residents. Inter-rater agreement of the observation tool and chart audit was assessed. Point prevalence estimates were obtained for each site. The time required to use the observation tool and complete chart audits as well as the comparability of findings from the two data sources were described. FINDINGS: Restraint use observations were completed for 289 patients and chart audits were completed for 207 patients. Prevalence and patterns of restraint use varied between sites and across time periods. Observations took an average of 2.6 (Site A) and 0.6 (Site B) minutes per patient. There was excellent inter-rater agreement for most items on the observation tool with the exception of whether or not the patient was able to release or loosen the restraint. There was significant concordance but as expected, not complete agreement between paired estimates of prevalence using the observational tool and the chart audit. CONCLUSION: The observation and chart audit tools are feasible to use and reliably assess physical restraint use in healthcare organizations. The patient's physical capacity to move independently, the patient's waking status, and the restraint's restriction of mobility are items that should be added to the observation tool. The tools are complementary and should be used in tandem to capture the multifaceted complexity of restraint use in health service organizations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Seeking to understand telephone support for dementia caregivers.

Caregivers of persons with dementia encounter particular challenges in their roles and often experience unmet needs for information and emotional support. This article describes a qualitative descriptive study designed to explore the intervention of telephone support for such caregivers. Data were collected from both caregivers and telephone support providers. Results revealed that telephone support met four specific needs of dementia caregivers: the need for (a) information and education, (b) referral and/or assistance required to navigate through the system, (c) emotional support, and (d) caregiver support that is convenient and hassle free. Caregivers' main experience with the intervention was the sense of companionship, whereas service providers experienced mixed feelings of helplessness and an opportunity to empower caregivers.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Evaluating best practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines are developed with the purpose of improving patient care. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Nursing Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Project was implemented in 1999. It has resulted in the development, implementation and evaluation of 17 BPGs with agencies in different healthcare sectors. This article describes the process, challenges and lessons learned by the team responsible for evaluating the BPGs.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed2005

Critical analysis of the evolution of a Canadian nurse practitioner role.

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the evolution of a nurse practitioner (NP) role in Canada using the province of Ontario as an example. Two theoretical models are used to highlight the historical development of this role and provide direction for further NP role development. The evolution of the NP role encompasses 2 critical phases: initiation and discontinuation (early 1970s to mid-1980s) and establishment and impasse (early 1990s to the present). Current barriers to the full integration of NPs within primary health care include the lack of a workable and stable funding plan for NPs, restrictions on scope of practice, work-related tensions between physicians and NPs, and lack of public and professional awareness of the role. Nurses can address these barriers through advocacy, lobbying, and public education.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Effectiveness of preventive primary care outreach interventions aimed at older people: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of preventive primary care outreach interventions aimed at older people. Knowing whether such interventions are effective could help busy family physicians make choices about which preventive care services to provide. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, AgeLine, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and EMBASE databases and reviewed the reference lists of retrieved articles. STUDY SELECTION: We included studies of preventive primary care interventions aimed at patients 65 years and older if the studies were randomized controlled trials and if any of the following outcomes was reported: mortality, living in the community, admission to acute care hospitals, and admission to long-term care. We defined preventive primary care outreach as proactive, provider-initiated care, which can be provided by nurses, physicians, other professionals, or volunteers, that is in addition to usual care and is provided in primary care settings. Such care can be provided through home visits, office visits, telephone contacts, or a combination of these methods. SYNTHESIS: We assessed the quality of studies and extracted descriptive information on study populations, interventions, and outcomes for 19 trials involving 14,911 patients. Summary odds ratios were estimated for each outcome using a random effects model. CONCLUSION: This review showed that studies of preventive primary care outreach interventions aimed at older people were associated with a 17% reduction of mortality and a 23% increased likelihood of continuing to live in the community.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Helping to build and rebuild secure lives and futures: financial transfers from parents to adult children and grandchildren.

This paper explores intergenerational financial transfers from parents to adult children and grandchildren within a life course perspective. Research on intergenerational financial transfers has been sparse, and little is known about the financial support older Canadians provide to family members or about the meaning of that assistance. Survey data from a convenience sample of older Canadians was analysed to determine the types of financial assistance older persons provide, what motivates them to provide this assistance, and what meanings such transfers have for the older persons themselves. Findings suggest that it is often events and transitions in the lives of adult children that shape the financial assistance that is needed and given within these families. Older parents demonstrate a strong desire to help their children and grandchildren through important or difficult transitions to "build or rebuild secure lives and futures". Parents' assistance is also influenced by their own family history of assistance and their desire to pass on an early inheritance during their lifetime.

Adult Children↗