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Biomedical subjects

Sepali Guruge

Publications and source records attributed to Sepali Guruge.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Unit manager's role with family members of clients in complex continuing care settings: An untold story.

Most literature on staff-family relationships has come from studies of long-term care settings, has focused mainly on the families' perspectives on factors affecting their relationships with staff, and has included scant findings from the staff's perspective. No studies that examined staff-family relationships in complex continuing care (CCC) environments from the perspective of staff were found in the literature. A qualitative study that draws on a grounded theory approach was conducted to explore staff-family relationships in CCC, and the findings presented in this article illuminate the unit manager's role. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine unit managers and a follow-up focus group with five unit managers who work in three CCC facilities. Three categories reflecting the unit manager's role with family members of clients in CCC settings were derived: establishing supportive entry; building and preserving relationships; and closing the loop. Implications of the findings for practice and future research are presented.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Intersectionalities of influence: researching the health of immigrant and refugee women.

There is a growing recognition of the complexity surrounding multiple axes or dimensions of social identity and how they intersect to influence the health of immigrant and refugee women. The concept of intersectionalities of influence is particularly relevant in addressing diversity in nursing research. The purpose of this paper is to theorize and operationalize the concept in mental health promotion research with immigrant and refugee women. At the conceptual level, the authors propose an approach to inquiry that is informed by critical scholarship and draws from postcolonial and feminist perspectives. At the operational level, they apply an ecosystemic framework to help locate individual health issues within the familial, community, and social realms. They introduce Participatory Action Research as a way of putting these concepts into action within the research process. Their aim is to introduce a new way of inquiry that can benefit immigrant and refugee women while furthering the nursing agenda for community-based research.

Canada↗
PubMed2004

Post-migration changes in gender relations among Ethiopian couples living in Canada.

The Ethiopian community ofToronto, Canada, has identified the prevention of marital conflict and partner abuse as a priority issue. Previous research and community discussions suggested that changes in gender relations following migration contribute to both marital conflict and partner abuse. The objective of this community-based pilot study was to explore post-migration changes in gender relations among Ethiopian couples in order to inform the development of violence-prevention strategies. Qualitative research methods and analyses were used. In-depth interviews and focus-group discussions were conducted with 8 couples who had been married in Ethiopia and migrated to Toronto. The findings indicate changes in gender relations following migration as well as concordant and discordant patterns of change. Change was found to be associated with factors such as age, number of years married, experience in a third country, and gender-role socialization. Implications for future research and nursing practice are discussed.

Canada↗
PubMed2002

The experiences of professional nurses who have migrated to Canada: cosmopolitan citizenship or democratic racism?

This interpretive research analyses the discourse of nurses who migrated to Canada and experienced racism. They also experienced reprisals when they formally complained about racism in a context of denial of the problem of racism by colleagues and employers. The present work focuses on two issues arising from the data: the problem of how to make racism visible among those who have a vested interest in denying its existence and the emotional cool of those filing grievances or complaints in contrast with the hot reaction of those being challenged when racism is named. We introduce two theoretical perspectives to address these phenomena called democratic racism and cosmopolitan citizenship, respectively. The former, as defined by Henry et al. (The Colour of Democracy: Racism in Canadian Society. Harcourt Brace, Canada, Toronto, 1996), describes the coexistence of both democratic values and practices that discount people of colour advertently or inadvertently. We outline the notion of cosmopolitan citizenship that is argued by Turner (Politics of the Global City. Routledge, London, 2000) to be an orientation resulting from global microcosms in cities teeming with diversity. The characteristic orientations of cool and stewardship are useful for describing some of the discourse expressed by each participant in our study all of whom challenged racism practices, not on nationalistic grounds, but rather out of concern for universal human rights. Their characteristics qualify them for cosmopolitan citizenship under Turner's perspective. We suggest that anti-racist activists have been cosmopolitan citizens for decades and argue that while cosmopolitan citizenship may have taken root in neo-liberal movements, it appears to have tactical attributes in the struggle with democratic racism. In conclusion, we advocate for a cosmopolitan citizenship ethic to facilitate a rational move toward racial integration in the profession through the sharing of power and privilege. One goal in confronting racism is the accountability for whiteness: immunity from responsibility or apology.

Attitude↗
PubMed2002

Promotion of healthy eating among new immigrant women in Ontario.

Little attention has been given to the dietary patterns of new immigrant women in Canada. Research suggests that before migration, many immigrants, especially those from non-Western countries, consume a healthy diet, but this changes on migration. This paper presents information from a recently completed literature review conducted for the Women's Health Council of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The paper includes a review of the major determinants of food choice and health promotion strategies appropriate to new immigrant women. Our findings suggest that nutrition intervention for new immigrant women must consider the social context of these women's lives, address cultural, linguistic, economic and informational barriers and consider how these change over time. Recommendations are also made on how to best promote healthy eating in this group.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Effects of demographic characteristics on preoperative teaching outcomes: a meta-analysis.

Patient education is an integral part of nursing practice. Since the 1960s many primary studies and several meta-analyses have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of education for patients undergoing surgery. Although these studies demonstrate that preoperative teaching is beneficial to the "average" patient, they have paid little attention to the representativeness of the sample and the generalizability of the results. Therefore, a meta-analysis of 20 studies was conducted to identify the demographic characteristics of patients who participated in preoperative teaching effectiveness studies, and to assess variation in length of hospital stay and pain outcomes in relation to age, ethnicity, gender, and education. The findings confirm the positive and moderate effects of preoperative teaching on these outcomes. However, the participants were primarily 41-60-year-old white females educated beyond the secondary level. Therefore, the findings are not generalizable to all patients undergoing surgery. This points to the need for preoperative teaching that is individually tailored and evaluated in everyday practice and for studies that examine the influence of demographic characteristics, particularly education and ethnicity, on the outcomes of preoperative teaching.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A review of theory and health promotion strategies for new immigrant women.

BACKGROUND: There has been little empirical research on the best ways to influence women's health behaviour, particularly among women who are recent immigrants to Canada. METHODS: This paper presents information from a literature review conducted for the Ontario Women's Health Council on effective theoretical models and health promotion strategies for women. FINDINGS: Health promotion activities for all women should address theoretical variables as well as the broader determinants of women's health. New immigrant women represent a diverse group who often face multiple cultural, linguistic and systemic barriers to adopting and maintaining healthy behaviour. INTERPRETATION: Many theoretical constructs of potential importance to recent immigrant women have not been adequately researched. More research is also needed on the relevancy and the applicability of commonly used health promotion approaches for this group.

Canada↗