Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Damrosch.
The purpose of this study was to identify the ethics and human rights issues encountered by Maryland perioperative nurses in their practice. The most frequently occurring issues, the most disturbing issues, and content for ethics education are identified. Implications for education, management, and future research are presented.
Employed nurses enrolled in a Registered Nurse (RN)-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program (n = 128, 56% of total sample) or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program (n = 101, 44% of total) were surveyed on their recent experiences with impaired nurse coworkers. Both groups reported similar experiences. In the combined sample, 99 nurses (43.2%) reported experiences with one or more impaired nurse coworkers in the past 12 months. A large majority (79%) of the experiences involved direct evidence of impairment (e.g., observation of unprofessional conduct) rather than mere hearsay. The actions most frequently taken by the respondents include reporting the coworker to immediate superior (37%) and confronting the coworker (37%). This survey yields evidence that encounters with impaired coworkers in nursing are not rare events for today's nurses.
Oncology nurses (n = 57) and oncology physicians (n = 40) employed in the same hospital completed the Cancer Attitude Questionnaire. Significant differences (p < or = .001) between nurse and physician attitudes were evident on the two major subscales addressing the issues of (a) aggressiveness of treatment/de-emphasis of socioemotional aspects of care and (b) the importance of patient-family attitudes. Physicians' attitudes were significantly more favorable on the first subscale; nurses' attitudes were significantly more favorable on the second. Implications of these findings as indicators of potential nurse-physician conflict are discussed.
Subjects were 180 registered nurses enrolled in a master's nursing program. By random assignment, each read one of six versions of a vignette about a male patient. Vignettes differed in terms of patient's diagnosis (AIDS of unspecified origin, AIDS in a hemophiliac infected by blood transfusion, and leukemia) and sexual preference (gay or heterosexual). Nurses evaluated the patient on two scales, one involving judgments of patients and the other concerning willingness to interact socially with them. The hemophiliac/AIDS and leukemia patients were judged significantly less responsible for and less deserving of their illnesses than was the patient with AIDS of unspecified origin (p less than .001). However, all three diagnostic categories were considered equally deserving of the best possible care. Both categories of AIDS patients were stigmatized in terms of certain social interactions. There was also some weak evidence of antigay bias. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Homeless persons include men, women, and children who are among the poorest of America's poor. A review is provided of the eating patterns of the homeless, their special nutritional problems, and controversial nutritional issues involving them. Also discussed are ways in which community health nurses (CHNs) can (a) help upgrade the nutritional standards of community-based shelters and other facilities which feed the homeless, and (b) provide suggestions to such food providers to improve the social climate during mealtimes.
There is evidence of nurse dissatisfaction with the outcomes of patient education; some patients are seen as insufficiently motivated to change their health-related behavior. Research findings from the field of health psychology are relevant to the issue of increasing patient motivation to change. In terms of motivating health behavior change, the research findings indicate the importance of the client's belief in the severity of threat to health and personal vulnerability, as well as in the feasibility and effectiveness of a particular health measure. The HBM has generated much research confirming the importance of these beliefs. Research evidence also indicates the importance of the self-efficacy mechanism as a predictor of such outcomes as cessation of smoking and returning to a physically active life after a heart attack. There are unsettled questions about the role of fear in motivating behavior change, but experts agree that high levels of induced fear may result in denying or ignoring the threat. If fear is used, it must be coupled with recommendations for efficacious behavior change. The findings of attitude-change research have yielded practical information on increasing the persuasiveness of information appeals using such techniques as saving the most important point for the beginning and end of the message. Techniques such as self-monitoring and systematic desensitization are also available to help motivate change. The problem of maintaining behavior change is challenging, and further research is needed on how best to prevent relapse or to aid clients in restoring change once relapse occurs. The experts advise tailoring the interventions to aid maintenance of behavior change to the particular stage of change. For example, bolstering motivation to change is important in the initial stage. As important providers of health care education, nurses need to be fully informed of the research findings relevant to effective interventions designed to motivate health-related behavior change.
Two samples of critical care nurses (from a secular teaching hospital and a religious-affiliated community hospital, respectively) were compared on their attitudes, concerns, and knowledge regarding the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Nurses from the teaching hospital had significantly (p = 0.003) more favorable attitudes toward patients with AIDS than did the community hospital nurses. Modal response in each group for perceived risk of acquiring AIDS from patients was 1 chance in 10,000. If given a choice, a sizable percentage in both the teaching (45%) and the community hospital (65%) groups would refuse to care for patients with AIDS. Those indicating preference for refusing showed significantly higher levels of concern and significantly less favorable attitudes than the others. Knowledge about AIDS was high, with means in each group exceeding 14 out of 16 possible points. Implications for nursing practice are discussed.
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A telephone interview of 1256 adults age 18 and over was conducted using a random digit dialing procedure. Participants were queried about their perceptions of being at risk for contracting the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), optimism-pessimism about the controllability of the epidemic, whether they take special steps to avoid catching AIDS, and how they would prioritize three possible courses of action. The sample was about evenly divided between optimism and pessimism about controlling AIDS within five years; 10% perceived they were at least at some risk of contracting AIDS (with such "at risk" persons overrepresented among residents in the east, among college graduates, and within the 30-39 age bracket). Forty-one percent indicated taking special steps to avoid AIDS, with higher percentages of Blacks, Hispanics, and persons under age 30 reporting such precautions. Personal preventive action was ranked first among the three possible courses of action by 51%, unlimited governmental spending to find a cure or vaccine and governmental restrictions of certain homosexual behaviors were each ranked first by about 20% of the respondents. The results also indicated that perception of being at risk mediates some opinions about AIDS.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.