Biomedical subjects

Stuart Nairn

Publications and source records attributed to Stuart Nairn.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Student nurses' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards the use of portfolios in a school of nursing.

AIMS: The aims of this study are to examine the knowledge, skills and attitudes of student nurses about the value and purpose of portfolios and their relevance for professional development. BACKGROUND: Portfolios have become an integral aspect of student centred learning within nursing. The literature is generally positive about the benefits of portfolios but questions remain about their effective implementation. METHOD: A questionnaire was used to survey student nurses about the use of portfolios as a learning tool. The questionnaire was developed specifically for this study and was structured around a knowledge skills and attitude framework. RESULTS: The sample was 413 preregistration student nurses in one school of nursing in the UK across course, year of study and branch of nursing. The main findings reveal that students are unclear but positive about the purpose and use of portfolios. Specifically, academic tutors do not provide sufficient direction in the development of their portfolios. There is also evidence that students found portfolios more useful for exploring the 'art' of nursing, rather than the 'technical' skills of nursing. Students also reported that they would welcome a dedicated portfolio module. CONCLUSION: Students struggle with what is useful about portfolios and are unsure about its purpose. Nonetheless, they are positive towards portfolios as a learning tool and seem to acknowledge the usefulness of portfolios for professional development. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The importance of portfolios for professional development is now being emphasized but how academic tutors and clinical mentors support their development remains unclear. This study provides understanding about what support students would value.

Attitude↗

PubMed2004

The patient experience in emergency departments: a review of the literature.

This paper analyses the literature on the patient experience within emergency departments. We identify six themes within the literature: waiting times, communication, cultural aspects of care, pain, the environment and dilemmas in accessing the patient experience. Overall, the literature has a North American bias and is largely quantitative in approach. Although levels of patient satisfaction are high, a number of issues arise within the review, which suggest areas where quality of care could improve. We also identify the problematic nature of accessing the patient experience and suggest future areas for researchers to explore.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Multicultural or anti-racist teaching in nurse education: a critical appraisal.

There are many conceptual and practical difficulties in teaching culturally sensitive issues to student nurses. There is little clear evidence about the most effective way that the subject of racism can be explored in the classroom setting. This critical appraisal is a collation of the evidence as a means of identifying current practice and the theoretical difficulties and debates that characterise this area. The evidence is based on English language material, largely if not exclusively, from the United States of America and the United Kingdom. We used CINAHL 1982-2003 and MEDLINE 1993-2003 using the search terms 'curriculum', 'education', 'nursing', 'teaching', 'minority groups', 'race relations', 'prejudice', and 'ethnic groups'. The central tension lies between a multicultural and an anti-racist approach, which reflects philosophically diverse opinions about what should be included in the nursing curriculum. The outcome of this tension is reliant on providing evidence about the experiences of students and tutors and whether the problem is one of difficulties in cross-cultural communication or racism. Recommendations from the literature for the teaching of multiculturalism and/or anti-racism are synthesised and discussed in light of the tension existing between the two philosophies.

Cultural Diversity↗

PubMed2004

Emergency care and narrative knowledge.

BACKGROUND: Nursing knowledge is a composite of many influences. In an attempt to strengthen nursing knowledge and practice, there have been significant developments in the codification of nursing knowledge as part of the evidence-based practice movement. Using established research techniques; this has the capacity to enhance clinical practice. However, not all knowledge can be incorporated into this type of academic discourse, and there is growing interest in narrative knowledge. This paper contributes to this sometimes implicit and sometimes explicit critique of dominant paradigms. AIM: The aim of this paper is to examine the usefulness of narrative as a means of exploring the world of emergency nursing practice and its contribution to the emotional lifeworld of clinicians. METHOD: A discourse analysis of nursing narratives in their natural settings was carried out. This involved exploration of stories that were not produced for the purposes of research. FINDINGS: Narratives can open up social worlds, which escape or be deliberately erased by more formal methods. Contingent and subversive knowledge can contribute to understanding the emotional impact of emergency care. CONCLUSION: These narratives have their own 'truth', which should be incorporated into an understanding of what constitutes the lifeworld of emergency nurses.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

The politics of beds.

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Centralized Hospital Services↗