Biomedical subjects

P Jarvis

Publications and source records attributed to P Jarvis.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Quality in practice: the role of education.

It is argued in this paper that the role of the educator is important to quality performance in practice since learning in practice, and even learning to learn, are essential characteristics of good practice. A theory of action is presented which illustrates that certain forms of action are ones from which learning is not possible, but when the form of action is experiential or creative, then learning from it follows--as a result of both monitoring and reflecting. A model of learning from creative action is presented and discussed and educators are seen here as important resources to the practitioners' learning process.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1992

Reflective practice and nursing.

Reflective practice is a frequently used but in-frequently defined concept in nursing at the present time. Part of the reason for the lack of definition lies in the fact that there is no theory of practice. This paper lays the foundations for a theory of practice and paves the way for one useful way in which the relationship between theory and practice can be understood. It is suggested that thoughtful practice is often mistaken for reflective practice, but that the latter can only exist where practice is not taken for granted and so the outcome of practice is more learning from experience. The paper also maintains that for reflective practice to be practised within the profession it is necessary both to have the structures within which it can be encouraged and the theoretical foundation whereby efficient practice need not only be judged in terms of 'value for money'.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1992

Theory and practice and the preparation of teachers of nursing.

Questions of the relationship between theory and practice frequently occur both within educational and nursing literature and they are the questions that are going to be explored in this paper. Like the double helix, this paper is going to intertwine and interlink nursing and education, since they possess so many similarities and the overall thesis of the paper is that the relationship between theory and practice presents problems because the nature of the problem has been inadequately formulated. The paper falls into four main parts: 1. Four types of relationship between theory and practice. 2. Nursing and education as fields of practice and the nature of fields of practice--implications of this for knowledge, skills, attitudes and values--skills/practical knowledge/knowledge how. 3. Nature of the fields of study and the implications of this for knowledge. 4. Theory and practice--eight possible relationships. The conclusion offers a tentative reformulation of theory and practice in terms of probability and relates this to the preparation of nurses and teachers.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1991

Incidence of gestational diabetes at Northdale Hospital, Pietermaritzburg.

An incidence study for gestational diabetes was undertaken at Northdale Hospital, which serves a majority Indian and minority Coloured population in Pietermaritzburg. All patients presenting to the antenatal clinic were screened using a 75 g glucose load. If the 1-hour venous plasma glucose level was greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/l an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. The screening procedure was repeated at 28 - 32 weeks gestation. The OGTT was done with a 75 g glucose load and patients were designated as having gestational diabetes if the 2-hour plasma glucose level was greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/l. Subsequently, the patients were also evaluated by the 3rd trimester criteria of the Diabetes Pregnancy Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD): gestational diabetes being present if the fasting plasma glucose value was greater than or equal to 5.2 mmol/l and the 2-hour plasma glucose value was greater than or equal to 9.0 mmol/l after a 75 g glucose load. Between July 1987 and June 1988 1721 patients were seen. There were 4 pre-gestational diabetics. The remaining 1717 patients were screened for gestational diabetes. Forty-five patients had 2 OGTTs performed, while 251 patients had 1 OGTT in the 3rd trimester. Sixty-five patients had a 2-hour plasma glucose value of greater than or equal to 7.8 mmol/l on OGTT. Hence, the incidence of gestational diabetes using World Health Organisation criteria was 65/1717 (3.8%). Twenty-seven patients had 2-hour plasma glucose value of greater than or equal to 9 mmol/l on OGTT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female↗

PubMed1990

Clinical trial of calcium alginate haemostatic swabs.

The influence of a new haemostatic material on surgical bleeding was evaluated in 100 patients who were prospectively randomized to either normal surgical gauze or calcium alginate swabs used throughout cholecystectomy (n = 40), simple mastectomy (n = 18) or inguinal hernia repair (n = 42). Overall, median (range) blood loss was 91 (3-329) ml for gauze and was significantly reduced by calcium alginate swabs to 72 (2-181) ml (P less than 0.05). Unexpectedly, operation times were also shortened from 45 (17-95) min for gauze to 35 (13-70) min with calcium alginate swabs (P less than 0.02). This reduction in blood loss and operating time was greatest for mastectomy, was still statistically significant for cholecystectomy, but was unimportant in inguinal hernia repair. Calcium alginate haemostatic swabs may become routine in major surgery, particularly where blood loss leads to the need for transfusion.

Alginates↗

PubMed1990

Children's attitudes toward elderly individuals: a comparison of two ethnic groups.

The present study investigated the attitudes of Indian and American children toward elderly people. The "Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly" questionnaire was used to measure how children perceived elderly people. Chi-square analyses indicated that children of Indian origin gave behavioral responses more often than affective or cognitive ones, while American children were more affective in their responses to questions about their interactions with elderly individuals. The results indicated that Indian children though born and raised in America were encouraged to follow the traditional values of their families' culture. Further research should include actual observations of children from different ethnic backgrounds interacting with elderly people.

Aged↗

PubMed1987