Biomedical subjects

M Koivula

Publications and source records attributed to M Koivula.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Gender differences and fears in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting.

The study aimed at ascertaining the gender differences and fears among patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting. Data were collected using a mailed questionnaire from patients (n=207) scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting at one hospital. Intensity of fear was measured on a 10-point scale including 12 objects of fear. The results showed that demographic data, lifestyle and functional capacity differed between the sexes. Patients' fears differed with respect to their objects and intensity, with women reporting more intense fears. Men also had fears, but the objects of fear differed from those in women. Apart from gender, the intensity of fear was associated with physical exercise, emotional problems and depression. Nursing interventions could be developed to meet the different needs for information and support, especially among women but also among men, to relieve their fears during the wait for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2001

Ward sisters' objectives in developing nursing and problems with development.

AIM: The study aimed at ascertaining the objectives, development strategies and problems of ward sisters in developing nursing. BACKGROUND: More knowledge is needed of first-line management in order to be able to develop organizations and ward sisters' professional training. METHODS: Data collection was by a questionnaire completed by 37 ward sisters in two Finnish hospitals. Thirty-six ward sisters responded to the open-ended questions and their answers were analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS: As for their objectives, ward sisters emphasized a functioning working community and good care. Good care was based on a variety of theoretical ideas, on the quality and economy of care. The means by which these objectives could be achieved were process thinking, reflection on action, leadership and the development of the working community. The leadership strategies mentioned were profit management and participatory leadership. In developing the working community, ward sisters relied on collaboration, good climate and training. Ward sisters' problems with developing nursing care were related to resources, work organization and the working community. CONCLUSIONS: Besides expertise in nursing, ward sisters are required to have skills in leading and developing the working community, collaboration and especially the ward's climate.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Experimental tests of predation and food hypotheses for population cycles of voles.

Pronounced population cycles are characteristic of many herbivorous small mammals in northern latitudes. Although delayed density-dependent effects of predation and food shortage are often proposed as factors driving population cycles, firm evidence for causality is rare because sufficiently replicated, large-scale field experiments are lacking. We conducted two experiments on Microtus voles in four large predator-proof enclosures and four unfenced control areas in western Finland. Predator exclusion induced rapid population growth and increased the peak abundance of voles over 20-fold until the enclosed populations crashed during the second winter due to food shortage. Thereafter, voles introduced to enclosures which had suffered heavy grazing increased to higher densities than voles in previously ungrazed control areas which were exposed to predators. We concluded that predation inhibits an increase in vole populations until predation pressure declines, thus maintaining the low phase of the cycle, but also that population cycles in voles are not primarily driven by plant-herbivore interactions.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Working community as the basis of the quality of care.

Nursing takes place in a working community and the working community influences the quality of nursing. The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of nurses' individual characteristics, working conditions, and the ward sisters' management skills on working climate and team spirit. Thirty-seven wards of two Finnish hospitals took part in the study, and 717 nurses answered the questionnaire. Statistical analyses indicate that the ward sister's management skill is the best predictor of the climate and team spirit of the wards as perceived by nurses. The nurses' age, education, and working experience have no direct effect on the working community. Nurses who work by the day, who have plenty of further education and permanent employment, are most likely to be dissatisfied with the climate. According to the results, it is important that the ward sister provides sufficient opportunities for professional development, especially for those who are highly motivated to advance their careers. The ward sister can influence the ward's team spirit also by furthering operational preconditions of the ward.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Sex and age-specific differences in ultraviolet reflectance of scent marks of bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus).

Scent markings of voles are visible via their ultraviolet reflection. Kestrels, and possibly other diurnal raptors, may use this property when hunting. We performed a laboratory study on bank voles to determine whether UV-reflectance of scent marks differs in relation to sex, age and social status. When reflectance spectra of scent marks were measured with a spectro-radiometer, we found UV reflectance to be strongest in mature males. There were no differences between mature females and immature juveniles, nor between sexes in juveniles or mature and immature individuals in females. Moreover, we did not find any difference in UV reflectance between dominant and subordinate mature males. The results of this study support earlier findings that UV sensitive predators may use UV reflectance of scent marks as a prey cue. Consequently, studies on differing vulnerability of voles to avian predators should take into account not only their space use and behaviour but also the UV reflectance of their scent marks.

Aging↗

PubMed1999

Clinical supervision in nursing in the 1990s--current state of concepts, theory and research.

AIM: The aim of this article is to explore the current state and challenges of clinical supervision with regard to its research. BACKGROUND: Clinical supervision in nursing has been debated extensively, but also accepted officially as part of nursing practice. However, it has been claimed that the subject is conceptually vague, theoretically ambiguous and lacking in empirical research evidence. METHODS: A computer-based search was carried out in an international journal database of nursing. Of the published articles on effectiveness, 11 were chosen for a closer examination. FINDINGS: It can be argued that the present studies have failed to show actual effects of clinical supervision reliably and convincingly enough. CONCLUSION: Research into supervisory effectiveness is still in its infancy. To increase the scientific rigour of future research, it would be necessary to expand and clarify the scope of these studies as well as to diversify the range of research methods on the basis of ontological and epistemological analyses.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1998

Smoking habits among Finnish middle-aged men: experiences and attitudes.

The purpose of this study was to explain smoking habits amongst middle-aged men in Finland by describing their experiences of smoking and their attitudes towards smoking. As a pilot survey for a major health campaign targeted at 40-year-old men, the data for this study were collected using two questionnaires in connection with voluntary medical examinations. The first questionnaire was based on Prochaska's theory of stages of change in health behaviour. The second instrument was an attitude scale developed specifically for this study on the basis of Green and Kreuter's theory of factors influencing health behaviour. According to the results 31% of males aged 40 were regular smokers. Men with a lower level of education and out of work smoked more often than others. Non-smokers reported a better self-perceived health than smokers. Smoking cessation is a process in which men gradually proceed from one step to the next. In this study 12% of the men were in the contemplation stage and 11% in the preparation stage. One-quarter of the men had recently given up the habit and were in the action stage, while 2% had quit smoking over 6 months ago and were in the maintenance stage. One-quarter of the men regarded smoking as an integral part of their way of life and felt that public opinion towards smoking is hostile.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Prerequisites for quality improvement in nursing.

AIM: This study examines how the characteristics of nurses, working communities and leadership affect the prerequisites for quality improvement in nursing. BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the phenomena affecting nurses' action is needed, since quality of care is seen as a result of an individual carer's professional skills, work motivation and commitment to work. METHODS: Material for the study was collected using a questionnaire. The respondents were 723 nursing practitioners from two special level hospitals. The main instrument used was the Managerial Abilities instrument developed by the researchers. FINDINGS: The results of the statistical analyses showed that exhaustion experienced by the nurses is the most important obstacle to quality improvement in nursing. The education of nurses, good team work and the ward sister's managerial abilities have a positive influence on quality improvement in nursing. CONCLUSION: Nurses' exhaustion should be reduced in order to improve quality of care.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Family dynamics of families with cancer in Finland.

The purpose of this study was to describe family dynamics of families with cancer on the basis of Barnhill's framework for healthy family systems. The sample consisted of families in which one member had cancer. Both the patients (n = 96) and their relatives (n = 96) participated in the study (n = 192). The data for the study were collected using the Family Dynamics Questionnaire and the Family Dynamics Measure. The results indicated that the cancer of a single family member did not impair family functioning, but that family dynamics were considered quite good. There were no statistically significant differences between cancer patients and relatives on any of the family dynamics dimensions. However, an examination of sociodemographic characteristics did reveal some differences. Older relatives reported more enmeshment and rigidity than did younger relatives, whereas the latter reported more role conflict than older relatives. Older patients reported more rigidity than younger patients. Relatives who were men reported more enmeshment than women, whereas women reported more role conflict. Relatives of two-member families reported more rigidity than relatives with a larger family. Patients who reported a serious illness in the family described more mutuality, better flexibility, and clearer communication than patients who did not report such an illness. Also, relatives who mentioned a serious illness reported more mutuality and flexibility.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1997

Do Tengmalm's owls see vole scent marks visible in ultraviolet light?

Scent markings (urine and faeces) of small mammals are visible in ultraviolet (UV) light. Diurnal kestrels, Falco tinnunculususe them as a cue to find areas of food abundance. We studied whether vole-eating, nocturnal Tengmalm's owls, Aegolius funereuscan see vole scent marks using UV-vision. In a laboratory experiment, 14 young (less than 6 months old) and 14 adult (more than 6 months old) owls were individually given a choice between four adjacent arenas: (1) an arena with vole urine and faeces in UV light; (2) an arena with vole urine and faeces in visible light; (3) a clean arena in UV light; and (4) a clean arena in visible light. Owls did not prefer any of the four arenas. Our results suggest that Tengmalm's owls probably do not use UV light as a cue to detect vole scent marks.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Journal Article↗

PubMed1997

Family dynamics of families with mental health problems in Finland.

This study forms part of the International Family Dynamics Project. Its purpose was describe the family functioning of families with mental health problems on the basis of Barnhill's framework for healthy family systems. The sample consisted of 160 families in which one family member had mental health problems. Both the patients and their relatives took part. The data were collected by questionnaires, i.e. The Family Dynamics Measure and The Family Dynamics Questionnaire. According to the results, mental health patients described family functioning as fairly poor, while relatives described it as fairly good. However, patients' and relatives' perceptions of family functioning did not differ significantly. There were some statistically significant differences between patients' and relatives' perceptions of different family dynamics dimensions. Relatives reported more mutuality (P = 0.006) and clearer communication (P = 0.009) than patients. Older mental health patients reported more isolation than patients under 30. Relatives who mentioned some serious illness in the family reported more role conflict than those who didn't. No differences were found by gender, family structure or education. The results indicated that the mental health problems of a single family member did not impair family dynamics. The study showed that the resources and functioning of families are fairly good in spite of the illness in the family.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fear and anxiety in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of fear and anxiety in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting and the factors associated with high fear and high anxiety. DESIGN: The survey included 240 patients placed on the waiting list for coronary artery bypass grafting at one hospital. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and seven patients completed the questionnaire. INSTRUMENTS: The Bypass Grafting Fear Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used. RESULTS: Half of the patients experienced low fear and anxiety. Twenty-five percent had high fear, but only 5% had high anxiety. Patients who felt high fear were mainly women, had no vocational education, were on sick leave, were depressed, had a tendency towards anxiety, and had a short wait for operation. Patients who displayed medium or high anxiety were mostly under 55 years of age and had depression, but only low or no pain. CONCLUSIONS: The results facilitate better identification of predictors of high fear and anxiety as well as direct support and information for those patients.

Adult↗