Biomedical subjects

Su-Fen Cheng

Publications and source records attributed to Su-Fen Cheng.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A Chinese view of the Western nursing metaparadigm.

The purpose of this article is to reveal Chinese-rooted meanings present within the Western nursing metaparadigm and to illustrate some similarities with Rogers's Science of Unitary Human Beings. Confucian and Taoist beliefs have the potential to illuminate the basic constructs inherent in holistic nursing. The Western nursing metaparadigm of four concepts--person, nursing, health, and environment--was explored through the lens of a Chinese worldview and led to the presentation of a broadened view for an integrated model of nursing. Asian and Western worldviews of human beings and health are not mutually exclusive. The Chinese holistic worldview of Taoism and Confucianism resonates theoretically and cosmically with the dynamic nature of the human-environment mutual relationship basic to Rogers' unitary view. This strong, theoretical link, when elaborated for its similarities and implications, can broaden the knowledge base to guide contemporary nursing practice, education, and research, particularly relevant for holistic nursing.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2006

[Reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome through safe sleep practices].

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained sudden death of an infant under one year of age. In Taiwan, although the number of SIDS cases decreased between 1997 and 2003, the ratio for the number of such cases to infant mortality has been consistently increasing. Even though the cause of SIDS is unknown, risk factors have been identified in the literature on the subject. Nurses may help in reducing the risk of SIDS by educating parents about the risk factors. The purpose of this paper is to describe SIDS and to recommend nurses to implement the new recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to reduce the risk of SIDS. Released in 2005, these emphasize the importance of the prone position, the use of a pacifier during sleep, and the dangers of using soft bedding and of bed sharing. Side position is no longer recommended as a rational alternative of prone position. The recommendations also indicate the need to educate secondary caregivers and health care providers about SIDS.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

The effects of reminiscence in promoting mental health of Taiwanese elderly.

This study examined the effects of reminiscence on four selected mental health indicators, including depressive symptoms, mood status, self-esteem, and self-health perception of elderly people residing in community care facilities and at home. A longitudinal quasi-experimental design was conducted, using two equivalent groups for pre-post test and purposive sampling with random assignment. Each subject was administered pre- and post- tests at a 4 month interval but subjects in the experimental group underwent weekly intervention. Ninety-four subjects completed the study, with 48 in the control group and 46 in the experimental group. In the experimental group, a statistically significant difference (p = 0.041) was found between the pre-post tests on the dependent variable, depressive symptoms. However, no statistical significance was found in subjects' level of mood status, self-esteem, and self-health perception after the intervention in the experimental group, but slightly improvement was found. Reminiscence not only supports depression of the elderly but also empower nurses to become proactive in their daily nursing care activities.

Affect↗

PubMed2005

Developing a family function questionnaire for families with developmentally delayed children.

The purpose of this study was to develop a "Family Function Questionnaire for Families with Developmentally Delayed Children". The questionnaire was created by sampling 300 parents with developmentally delayed children. Initially, families and early intervention services were observed and a qualitative interview with the child's family was conducted. The researchers created a family function database reflecting these steps and by referral to relevant literature. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 42 items in 11 categories: cohesion, education, problem solving, affective involvement, independence, action participation, family support, recreation, rules implementation, collaboration, and financial management. The questionnaire had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.9326.

Child↗

PubMed2004

[A review of children's pain assessment and management].

Pain is a subjective experience, thus, whenever the children stated they are in pain, the pain is existed. In the case of children under 3 years old, however, or those who have difficulty expressing themselves or controlling their behavior, nurses are required to make a judgment about whether they are just moody or are truly experiencing pain; an accurate assessment must be made before pain relief is administered. To relieve pain is one of the obligations of nurses. The purposes of this paper are not only to describe current trends in children's pain assessment and management in the clinical setting, but also to discuss issues related to pain assessment tools. Pain assessment should include a history of pain experience, self-reported measures, behavioral observation measures and physiological measures. Pain management includes pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. A multi-method approach for managing children's pain is needed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Assessment of the convergent validity of pain intensity in the Pain Sensory Tool.

The purpose of this study was to examine the convergent validity of the Pain Sensory Tool with the Poker Chip Tool. Both tools were used to assess children's pain intensity (ages 5 to 14 years). A total of 104 hospitalized Taiwanese children with acute pain were asked to participate in this study. All children were required to use both the Pain Sensory Tool and the Poker Chip Tool to measure their pain. The results of Pearson correlation revealed a coefficient of.79 to.88. The convergent validity of the Pain Sensory Tool with the Poker Chip Tool was therefore supported. No significant differences in preferences of using the PST and the PCT were found by age group and sex. The findings of this study also demonstrated that the Poker Chip Tool can be used to measure Taiwanese children's pain intensity. In addition, the Pain Sensory Tool and the Poker Chip Tool were reliable instruments to measure pain intensity of Taiwanese children (ranged from 5 to 14 years of age). However, 27 % of five-year-old children failed to understand the instructions of the PST although these children were dropped from the study. This raises concerns about the validity of the PST for five-year-old children. It is not clear whether these five-year-old children were outliers or whether the PST is difficult for younger children. The authors suggested duplicating this study and specifying the five-year-old age group for the validity test.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2003

A qualitative inquiry of Taiwanese children's pain experiences.

Little information was found in studying Taiwanese children's pain experiences. Because pain is culturally shaped, health care providers should not assume Taiwanese children's pain to be identical to those of children in the US. Thus, a qualitative descriptive study with semi-structured interview of 90 hospitalized Taiwanese children with acute pain was conducted to understand Taiwanese children's pain experiences. Krippendorff's (1980) content analysis was used to guide the data analysis. Seven themes from the interview data were presented, including definition of pain, quality of pain, previous pain experiences, pain expectation, pain acceptance, causes of pain and meaning of pain. Surprisingly, the results of this study revealed few differences in the experiences and meanings of pain. Most results are consistent with the studies done in the US. Differences are minor, including the interpretation of children's crying and how Taiwanese parents talk with their children about pain, and are probably related to the sample sizes and methodology of the studies. Further research is necessary about the influence of culture upon children's pain experiences.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A review of factors predicting children's pain experiences.

Despite decades of research, hospitalized children continue to suffer from unrelieved pain. Failure to apply state-of-the-art knowledge to clinical practice has been termed one of the greatest paradoxes in modern medicine (Kenny, 2001). Clearly, effective pain management requires state-of-the-art knowledge about the pain experience. This article reviews research over the past two decades related to the predictors of age, gender, prior pain experiences, pain expectation, pain acceptance, and pain tolerance. The review underscores implications for clinical practice and indications for future research.

Adolescent↗