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Biomedical subjects

Rosemary Theroux

Publications and source records attributed to Rosemary Theroux.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Graduate students' experiences with standardized patients as adjuncts for teaching pelvic examinations.

PURPOSE: To explore graduate nurse practitioner students' perceptions of their experiences when learning to perform pelvic examinations in the laboratory and performing them in subsequent clinical rotations. One group was taught by faculty with voluntary peer examination, and the other two groups were taught by standardized patients (SPs). DATA SOURCES: Surveys with open- and closed-ended (responses on Likert scales) items administered twice during 3 consecutive years to students enrolled in an advanced health assessment course. CONCLUSIONS: All groups reported feeling anxious while learning pelvic exam techniques and in subsequent clinical experiences. SPs provided immediate feedback to students, decreased their feelings of anxiety, and increased their confidence in performing examinations. Students who were taught pelvic examination techniques by SPs rated their learning experiences more positively and reported a better understanding of exam techniques than students who learned to perform exams by voluntary examination of classmates. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Graduate nursing programs should consider locating and using SP programs for teaching pelvic examinations in advanced health assessment courses. Although more cost-effective, voluntary peer examination was a less effective teaching method.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2005

Factors influencing women's decisions to self-treat vaginal symptoms.

PURPOSE: To review the research on women's self-treatment of vaginal symptoms, describe factors influencing this phenomenon, identify evidence-based interventions, and suggest strategies for nurse practitioners (NPs) to promote safe and effective self-treatment decisions by women. DATA SOURCES: Research articles identified through Medline and CINAHL databases. CONCLUSIONS: The primary factors influencing women's decisions to self-treat vaginal symptoms were personal (attitudes, beliefs, values, knowledge and experience, and emotions) and environmental (culture, social networks and norms, media, and life context). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Women's self-diagnostic skills and decision making for self-treatment can be improved through education and support from NPs. The traditional office visit may not provide an opportunity to teach women appropriate self-care because many women do not access providers for advice or information. Different methods of providing information to large numbers of women through consumer publications need to be developed and evaluated.

Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bypassing the middleman: a grounded theory of women's self-care for vaginal symptoms.

Increasing numbers of women use self-diagnosis and self-treatment in response to vaginal symptoms. I used the grounded theory method to generate theory on women's self-care. Data collection consisted of interviews with 11 women and 3 pharmacists and content analysis of text from consumer literature and advertisements for vaginal antifungal products. The basic problem experienced by women was the need for rapid and convenient relief of symptoms. To accomplish this, women used the four-stage process of "bypassing the middleman," which enabled them to resolve the problem in a timely manner. Media, economics, and social networks were primary influences on women's self-care.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Women's decision making about the use of hormonal and nonhormonal remedies for the menopausal transition.

OBJECTIVE: To critically review qualitative research on women's decision making about the use of hormonal and nonhormonal remedies for the menopausal transition. DATA SOURCES: Computerized searches in CINAHL, MEDLINE, Medscape, and PsychINFO databases, using the keywords decision making, hormone therapy, herbal remedies, attitude toward hormone therapy, and qualitative research; and ancestral bibliographies. STUDY SELECTION: Articles from indexed journals from 1982 to 2001 in the English language relevant to the keywords were evaluated. Sixteen studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: Study findings were organized into several categories and compared and contrasted across publications and categories. DATA SYNTHESIS: Half of the researchers described decision making as a weighing of benefits and risks. Women's considerations, beliefs, and values, as well as interaction with the environment, were primary influences on the process. CONCLUSIONS: Major gaps in care for midlife women were identified. Women need information about the process of menopause and the range of available options for menopause management. Nurses can play a major role in providing information, counseling, and developing decision aids. Women's values and beliefs, cultures, life contexts, and desire for involvement in the decision should guide interventions.

Aged↗