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Biomedical subjects

N Thurston

Publications and source records attributed to N Thurston.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

The RN and LPN skill mix.

Until a few years ago, patient care in most acute care areas at our tertiary care hospital in Alberta was delivered almost exclusively by registered nurses (RNs). Many believed their workload included tasks that did not require an RN's knowledge and skill levels. Around the same time, the hospital was faced with budget constraints. The staffing mix changed in 1991 with the introduction of another level of caregiver in the active treatment areas--licensed practical nurses (LPNs). The new mix caused problems: many RNs were unaccustomed to supervising and delegating to other workers and the primary nursing method for delivering patient care no longer worked.

Clinical Nursing Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emotional responses of hospitalized patients with burns to debridement during the acute phase.

The objectives of this descriptive study were to investigate anxiety and depressed mood of patients with burns associated with debridement and their preferences for and perceptions of control during the debridement procedure. Measurements began within 48 hours of hospital admission, continuing every 3 days over 2 weeks for subjects with small burn injuries (less than 30% of total body surface area). Data suggested the possibility of a mildly depressed mood for some subjects during the first week in the hospital and high levels of association between depressed mood and anxiety based on the large number of significant correlations (p < .05). Over time, the amount of control that patients preferred and the amount of choice they perceived during debridement increased. These findings about responses of patients with burns to debridement suggest that their emotional responses were well managed for the most part and support their involvement in the debridement procedure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical nursing research and quality assurance: integration for improved patient care.

Understanding how nursing quality assurance and research programs are similar, yet different, is the first step towards enabling nurse managers to integrate the two programs. Blending research findings and research methods into the quality assurance process is one method of accomplishing integration. Other strategies include setting standards for nursing research and including instruments with known validity and reliability in patient care planning and patient assessment. Improving the scientific basis of nursing practice and the quality of patient care are viable outcomes.

Clinical Nursing Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing research in Canadian hospitals.

This article describes a 1986 survey of Canadian teaching hospitals to determine the status and stage of nursing research studies, thereby providing comparative data for examining current nursing research endeavours. Most numerous were studies of patient care responses whereas quality assurance and nursing education projects were fewer in number. The majority of studies were in the beginning stages of the nursing research process, and only one-third had received external funding. The number of studies reported, and the involvement of several categories of nursing staff and nursing units in these studies confirms that clinically based nursing research activities are a reality for more than half of Canadian teaching hospitals.

Canada↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Walking the talk: one hospital's experience in implementing a conceptual framework for nursing practice.

There has been considerable impetus to use conceptual frameworks to guide nursing practice, yet many nursing theories are not supported by research or understood by nurses. At Foothills Hospital, a Committee developed and implemented a conceptual framework based on self-care. Concepts within the framework are grounded in current nursing practice, consistent with consumer expectations and supported by philosophical statements about patient, society/environment, health and nursing.

Humans↗