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Biomedical subjects

S Wellard

Publications and source records attributed to S Wellard.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Consumer issues in navigating health care services for type I diabetes.

Despite increasing interest in consumer awareness and participation in health care service delivery, there has been little exploration of consumer views in relation to services for people with type I diabetes. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to identify strategies people with type I diabetes used to access health services and the barriers they perceived in accessing the services they needed. Data gathered in semi-structured interviews revealed that consumers experience significant barriers when navigating the health care system. Three dominant themes were identified. They relate to access to specialist medical skill, to the transition from teenager to young adult and to pre-pregnancy and obstetric care. Directions for change in service delivery and policy development are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Turning tapes into text: issues surrounding the transcription of interviews.

Transcription of interview data is a common practice in qualitative health research. However, there has been little discussion of the techniques of transcription and the issues inherent in the use of transcription as a strategy for managing qualitative data in nursing publications. The process of transcription may disclose or obscure certain information. Researchers need to question practices of transcription that have been taken for granted and make transparent the processes used to preserve the integrity of data. This paperfirst examines research reported in nursing and allied health journals employing interviews for data collection and the attention given to the transcription phase. It then deals with issues of concern regarding the transcription of interviews, and offers suggestions for promoting validity.

Ethics↗
PubMed2000

Learning issues for nurses in renal satellite centres.

The introduction of 'satellite' dialysis centres has increased local access to renal services for patients living in rural and remote areas across Australia and is, therefore, consistent with rural health policies. Rural health strategies also aim to maintain and improve the skills of health professionals through regular review of the scope of their practice and evaluation of the education required. Yet, the results of the present national study of nurses working in satellite dialysis centres indicate that, for many, the context of practice influences their ability to access ongoing professional education to support and extend their nursing practice. The present study showed that there was a range of educational backgrounds among nurses working in rural 'satellite' centres with reportedly limited access to specific dialysis-related professional development. In the present paper we report on factors that influence the ability of nurses working in satellite dialysis centres to access ongoing professional education.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Comparing Norton, Braden and Waterlow risk assessment scales for pressure ulcers in spinal cord injuries.

When pressure ulcers occur health care services are faced with considerable challenges and costs. Additionally these ulcers cause significant physical and psycho-social impairment for patients and their families. The complexity of pressure ulcer management is widely acknowledged in the literature. However, the applicability of the major risk assessment scales in the context of spinal cord injury has not been explored. Retrospective case history audit of individuals with pressure ulcers provided data to compare the three commonly used Norton, Braden and Waterlow scales. Waterlow's scale was the most sensitive of the three scales compared.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Registered nurses' perceptions of teaching: constraints to the teaching moment.

Nursing literature indicates that patient teaching is an integral role function of the nurse. While some authors suggest that patient teaching is an essential part of nursing care, others argue that nurses are not adequately prepared to assume the role of teacher. This study explores the context within which nurses engage in patient teaching, revealing tensions experienced on a day to day basis within the practice setting. The principles of teaching and learning are also explored, raising questions about the extent to which nurses utilize these principles to guide the teaching moment. It is asserted that nurses find it difficult to engage in activities which are pivotal to the provision of quality patient education. Whether this is because they have little awareness or understanding of the principles of education, or whether this is related to the milieu in which teaching takes place, is explored.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Constructions of family nursing: a critical exploration.

Increasingly, the 'family' has become more prominent as part of the interest of nursing. However, this interest has not been accompanied by a critical examination of the current models of family nursing. A critical exploration of the construction of family nursing models reveals a problematic reliance on borrowed theories. Systems theoretical approaches have been widely adopted in nursing, yet are infrequently acknowledged as apolitical constructions that act to minimise the impact of the complex social relations surrounding families. Similarly, the uses of developmental theories in family nursing have not explained the implications of their eurocentric and male construction. The adoption of family nursing models may lead to the decontextualised care of the family and subsequently, to paternalistic nursing responses to families.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The commodification of specialty nurse education.

The nexus between tertiary nursing education and employment was strengthened during the 1990s when universities became involved in delivering a plethora of specialty graduate certificates and diplomas which largely replaced hospital-based post-registration courses. These university-based courses can be seen as contributing to the commodification of education as well as the legitimisation of a stratification of nursing knowledge through which biological sciences and experiential knowledge remain privileged. In the development of specialist nurse education courses, it is vital there is an accompanying examination of whose interests are being served by the models adopted. In particular, there is a need to contest the dominance of service needs in shaping nurse education. Rather than continuing to respond with uncritical acceptance of courses that are characteristically highly technical and vocational in nature, nursing needs to explore curriculum models that enable students to choose their course pathways to develop their practice. It is argued that nurse academics are complicit in reproducing power relations which continue to subjugate nurses within medical and economic discourses.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1992

The nature of dilemmas in dialysis nurse practice.

Dilemmas are a part of nurse practice. In situations where a problem potentially has two or more unsatisfactory resolutions, the nurse chooses which course of action to take. The decision to choose constitutes a dilemma. This study focuses on the dilemmas faced by nurses in dialysis units and the context in which they occur. A qualitative design was employed, using open interviews with eight nurses currently employed in dialysis nursing. This approach was taken in order to explore and gain in-depth understanding of the dilemmas in practice. Analysis reveals that dilemmas encountered in dialysis nursing emerge from conflicts in relationships with other people in the work environment. The dilemmas relate to the nurses' perception of the limited power they have in the determination of their practice. This powerlessness is reinforced by their perceived and real isolation from nurses working outside their area of practice. Traditionally, literature on dilemmas in nursing has focused on the development of ethical frameworks to guide practice and the resolution of dilemmas. However, the findings of this study suggest that if nurses are to deal with dilemmas effectively, both for the nurse and the patient, there must be an examination of the structural constraints affecting their practice. Models that are employed by nurses to guide practice must account for the structural elements in the work environment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Constructions of chronic illness.

Interest in chronic illnesses is an area for research and writing is increasing across a diverse range of disciplines. Initially of interest to medicine, chronic illness is now studied by social scientists, psychologists and health professions (for example, nurses). Predominantly, the individuals affected by particular chronic illnesses have been the central interest in the body of work relating to chronic illness. The physical, psychological and social effects of chronic illness feature as major emphases for distinguishing individual variations from the 'norm'. By exploring current constructions of the major perspectives of chronic illness discourses of normalisation, individualism and science are revealed as privileged and dominant in nursing practice.

Adaptation, Psychological↗