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Biomedical subjects

Polly Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Polly Lee.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Understanding some naturalistic research methodologies.

This article aims to redress the confusion surrounding the meaning of research terms. While most textbooks outline the meanings of different research terms in a way that is very abstract for many readers, this article has taken the opposite approach. It outlines a fictitious scenario and uses it to explain some of the more common research terms from the naturalistic paradigm - research data collected within the natural setting such as an outpatients clinic or health centre, as opposed to a controlled laboratory setting. This type of research is often referred to as qualitative research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Inequalities in children's health.

This article explores some of the differences between adult and child health services and aims to assist readers appreciate the possible inequalities that can occur. In order to achieve this, different factors affecting child development are explored and the problems of developing policies and practices that support children's health considered.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Family involvement: are we asking too much?

Family involvement has evolved with the child's parents and family now having a much greater presence at their child's hospital bedside. This has caused some problems due to children's nurses misunderstanding what family involvement is, and assuming that parents want to be involved in their child's care. Greater negotiation and recognition that each child and family is unique, with unique health and social care needs, will be required in future to ensure that families are offered family involvement at an appropriate level.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Impact of osteoarthritis on quality of life in a Hong Kong Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of osteoarthritis (OA) on quality of life in the Hong Kong Chinese population. METHODS: This was a cross sectional, retrospective, non-random, cohort design stratifying disease severity and presence or absence of joint prostheses. Patients with OA (n = 574; 136 men and 438 women) were recruited from rheumatology, family medicine, orthopedics, and geriatric medicine clinics. They were divided into 2 equal groups based upon disease severity (either American College of Rheumatology functional classes I and II, or III and IV). The 36-item Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) OA Index were used. RESULTS: Patients with severe disease had lower mean scores in all SF-36 domains and higher mean scores in all WOMAC domains, indicating poorer quality of life. Scores in patients who had had arthroplasty were better than those with severe disease only in certain domains: role physical, general health, vitality, and mental health (SF-36); and pain (WOMAC). Women with OA had poorer scores compared to men for bodily pain, general health, and mental health after adjusting for age and disease severity. Low educational attainment was independently associated with poorer scores when disease severity was taken into account. CONCLUSION: OA has a significant impact on quality of life, only partly ameliorated by arthroplasty, as assessed by the SF-36 and WOMAC in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Socioeconomic impact of osteoarthritis in Hong Kong: utilization of health and social services, and direct and indirect costs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the direct and indirect cost of osteoarthritis (OA) according to disease severity, and to estimate the total cost of the disease in Hong Kong. METHODS: This study is a retrospective, cross-sectional, nonrandom, cohort design, with subjects stratified according to disease severity based on functional limitation and the presence or absence of joint prosthesis. Subjects were recruited from primary care, geriatric medicine, rheumatology, and orthopedic clinics. There were 219 patients in the mild disease category, 290 patients in the severe category, and 65 patients with joint replacement. A questionnaire gathered information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, function limitation, use of health and social services, and effect on occupation and living arrangements over the previous 12 months. Costs were calculated as direct and indirect. RESULTS: Low education and socioeconomic class were associated with more severe disease. OA affected family or close relationships in 44%. The average cost incurred as a result of side effects of medication is similar to the average cost of medication itself. Excluding joint replacement, the direct costs ranged from Hong Kong (HK) dollar $11,690 to $40,180 per person per year and indirect costs, HK $3,300-$6,640. The direct costs are comparable to those reported in Western countries; however, the ratio of direct to indirect costs is much higher than 1, in contrast to the greater indirect versus direct costs reported in whites. The total cost expressed as a percentage of gross national product is also much lower in Hong Kong. CONCLUSIONS: The socioeconomic impact of OA in the Hong Kong population is comparable to Western countries, but the economic burden is largely placed on the government, with patients having relatively low out-of-pocket expenditures.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2003

Children's nursing: can it justify a separate existence in the UK?

There is currently debate about how the professional register for nurses is organized in the UK. Children's nurses, like the other minority registrants of mental health and learning disabilities nurses felt threatened with the potential loss of a separate register. Children's nurses should be able to articulate their own unique body of knowledge. Using Fawcett's framework for the hierarchy of contemporary nursing knowledge, the development of children's nursing knowledge is examined to determine if, indeed, children's nursing is a separate discipline, by having its own metaparadigm of children's nursing, philosophy, conceptual model of nursing, nursing theories and, finally, empirical indicators. Although some levels of knowledge appear to have been developed, it is considered that children's nursing is still lacking in some levels of knowledge, thus suggesting that the continuing development of children's nursing knowledge is necessary.

Child↗
PubMed2002

Applying Carper's patterns of knowing to children's nursing today.

A brief overview is given of Carper's fourfundamental patterns of knowing in nursing, that is empirics, aesthetics, personal knowing in nursing and moral knowledge in nursing. Each of the four patterns is then applied to children's nursing to determine how well it relates to children's nursing, and indeed whether this is taught or learnt at either pre-registration or post-registration level. It is suggested that some of the fundamental patterns of knowing are more clearly developed than others with regard to children's nursing. Some of the reasons for this are postulated.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The process of gatekeeping in health care research.

Gatekeeping in health care research is the process of permitting or denying access to a selected research site. It is a complex process that researchers should be aware of as the process of gaining the confidence of the various gatekeepers is often time-consuming. This article identifies how gatekeeping occurs at various stages of the research process and highlights the reasons why some gatekeepers may deny access to researchers. It also offers strategies to minimise any problems associated with gatekeeping.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Using the 'getting it right' tool for children and young people.

Ensuring that primary care nurses can address the health needs of babies, children and young people is critically important. Therefore, a self-assessment tool to identify current skills and competencies has been launched. This article gives a brief overview of the Getting it Right for Children and Young People tool.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Understanding the basic aspects of research papers.

In order to understand research papers, readers must understand what research is, and be able to answer questions such as why a particular piece of research was undertaken and what 'lens' the researcher was looking through. This article, the first in a series of three, allows students and novice researchers to increase their understanding of the steps involved in research, and therefore to read and critique a piece of research with increased confidence.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Understanding and critiquing quantitative research papers.

This article, the second in a three-part series on research, explores quantitative research. Quantitative research aims to focus on objectivity, and therefore searches for answers that can be generalised to other situations. Quantitative researchers believe that it is possible to focus on objective reality within the world.

Double-Blind Method↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Understanding and critiquing qualitative research papers.

This article, the last in a series on research, examines the steps involved in qualitative research before introducing more terminology regarding the different approaches to qualitative studies. The process of evaluating qualitative research is explored by using an evaluative framework to further explain some of the terminology that researchers use.

Data Collection↗