Biomedical subjects

Pirkko Routasalo

Publications and source records attributed to Pirkko Routasalo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

How delivery ward staff exercise power over women in communication.

BACKGROUND: Power is a central element in all social interactions. In order to act appropriately in different care situations, it is important to understand the meaning of power. AIM: This paper reports a study whose aim was to describe delivery ward staff opinions about the exercise of power over women in communications. METHODS: Data were collected in 2000 using a questionnaire developed for the study with a convenience sample of 155 midwifery and nursing professionals in delivery wards in four Finnish hospitals. RESULTS: The results showed that in respondents' opinions they worked for women's good and aimed at relationships based on a sense of equality and individuality. Negative power was used in situations where women's well-being was threatened. The power used was verbal or non-verbal. CONCLUSIONS: The exercise of power is not only negative in nature. There are times, such as in life-threatening situations, when it is crucial that the professional takes control and makes decisions immediately, and in that sense exercises power.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Geriatric rehabilitation nursing: developing a model.

In this paper, we describe a geriatric rehabilitation nursing model developed on the basis of the nursing and rehabilitation literature. That literature comprised some 120 articles addressing the rehabilitation of elderly patients and the work done by nurses in that process, various philosophical questions and the results of geriatric rehabilitation. One-third of these articles has been evaluated on the strength of the articles' evidence, and these are discussed in this paper. The findings show that the main factors in geriatric rehabilitation nursing are the patient with health or functional problems and the nurse with professional values, knowledge and skills. The patient is part of a family and the nurse works as part of a multidisciplinary team. In the geriatric rehabilitation process, the patient and the nurse work in close interaction. The aims of rehabilitation depend upon the patient's commitment to the objective and upon the nurse's commitment to help the patient achieve that objective. A health orientation, goal-oriented work, nursing decision-making and a rehabilitative approach to work are all central to this effort. Work is organized in multidisciplinary teams where nurses have equal responsibilities with other professional staff. Testing and development of the model is ongoing.

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PubMed2004

Registered Nurses' perceptions of geriatric rehabilitation nursing in three Scandinavian countries.

This study describes Registered Nurses' perceptions of geriatric rehabilitation nursing as well as their experiences of working in the rehabilitation of older patients in Denmark, Finland and Norway. The aim was to gain deeper insights into how Registered Nurses think about geriatric rehabilitation nursing and how their perceptions differ in these countries. The data were collected among 600 Registered Nurses using a structured questionnaire with five background items and 88 geriatric rehabilitation nursing items. The response rate was 65%. Data analysis was with SPSS statistical software. Geriatric rehabilitation nursing was experienced as something that required knowledge and experience, patience and creativity, as well as professional skills. The nurses talked with their patients about their rehabilitation goals, but not all nurses were aware of those goals. Progress in the rehabilitation process was evaluated on a daily basis and results were noted in the patients' records. The nurses motivated patients by giving them positive feedback, by preventing pain, by pausing to share with the patients their joy about progress, and by giving the patients the opportunity to cope with daily activities. The Registered Nurses in Denmark were more team oriented and they set out the goals in the patient's records more often than their colleagues did in Finland and Norway.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Do nurses exercise power in basic care situations?

Power is a matter of authority and control. It can be wielded either consciously or unconsciously, and it can be either overt or latent. Using a structured questionnaire, this study set out to describe nurses' opinions about the exercise of power in basic care situations in both acute and long-term care. The questionnaire was organized into four categories in which items concerned: power in obligatory daily activities; power in activities necessitated by obligatory activities; power in voluntary activities; and power in activities that take into account the patient's characteristics. The samples consisted of 228 nurses from five medical and surgical wards of district hospitals, and 233 nurses from five geriatric units of a community health centre and from one nursing home in Finland. The final response rate was 65% (acute care 76%; long-term care 55%). Data analysis was based on statistical methods. The results showed that, in the nurses' own opinion, negative power is exercised only in certain situations and in the patient's best interest, when for instance there are concerns that something may happen to the patient.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Barriers to and facilitators of research utilization among Finnish registered nurses.

1. The aim of nursing research is to produce a sound foundation for evidence-based nursing; the job of nurses is to make the best possible use of that foundation and apply the knowledge produced to the practice of nursing. 2. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe barriers to and facilitators of research utilization from the point of view of Finnish Registered Nurses. 3. The BARRIERS Scale was administered to 316 nurses in two major hospitals; 253 nurses returned the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 80%. The structured data were processed with SPSS 9.0, and the unstructured data were interpreted using the method of content analysis. 4. The main barriers to research utilization identified by the respondents were: the fact that most research is published in a foreign language; that physicians will not co-operate with implementation; and that statistical analyses are difficult to understand. The facilitators mentioned most often were nurses' positive attitudes and abilities. Other important facilitators included the support and activity of a ward sister as well as encouragement, a favourable attitude and collaboration on the part of all staff members. 5. The findings are discussed in relation to the Finnish healthcare context and nurse education, and evidence-based nursing practice.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Older patients' first 72 hours in hospital.

The aim of this study was to determine what kind of care older patients receive in hospital during the first 72 h after admission. This was examined through four categories: patient's arrival on the hospital ward; patient's daily schedule on the ward; information and guidance; and interaction during the hospital stay. The focus was on five patients aged over 70 who had been admitted for prescribed examinations and care, including starting insulin medication, colonoscopy and a computed tomography scan of the colon. The data were collected by means of non-participant observation; interpretation was based on the method of content analysis. The results showed that the patients' arrival on the ward consisted of routine procedures and periods of waiting. The patients' daily schedule was determined by the ward's routines. They had very little control or influence over their own care, and limited privacy. Interaction between the patient and personnel was minimal, and lasted for only short periods of time. Patients were important sources of information for one another. There was also good cooperation among patients, helping one another to cope with minor everyday problems. It is concluded that nursing staff on the ward were preoccupied by their own routines and largely failed to take into account the views of their patients.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oral and nutritional status in frail elderly.

This article describes associations between oral health and nutritional status among chronically ill older adults who were living at home and receiving regular professional home care services. A structured questionnaire, oral examination, and Mini-Nutritional Assessment were completed for 51 subjects (mean age 83.7 years). Two-thirds of the sample were edentulous, and one-third had between 2 and 23 teeth (mean 10.59, SD +/- 6.92). Sixty percent of subjects complained of xerostomia, while dentists found only 48% to have clinical signs of dry mouth. More than half of the subjects had stimulated saliva rates of < 0.8 ml/min. Stimulated saliva secretion rates were lower for persons with no functional natural dentition or prostheses (p = 0.012). Subjects assessed their dentures to be more functional than did the dentist (Kappa 0.338). No one was considered malnourished. 47% were at risk of malnutrition, and 52% were well nourished. The dentist's estimation of dry mouth and eating problems were significantly associated to lower MNA scores (p = 0.049 and p = 0.015, respectively). Subjects with a natural functioning dentition had higher BMI scores (p = 0.0485).

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