Berit Johannessen

Why do Norwegian nurses leave the public health service to practice CAM

This paper explores a number of issues associated with the recent increase in nurses choosing to leave the Norwegian health care system in order to become independent practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The paper suggests that in Norway, nurses perceive medical hegemony continues to persist. Nurses perceive restrictions in their ability to develop their professional roles and status. CAM would appear to offer many nurses, the opportunity to develop their clinical skills in an autonomous, egalitarian and more holistic environment.

Experiences with the use of complementary and alternative medicine in nursing homes: A focus group study

INTRODUCTION The use of complementary and alternative medicine is increasing outside the Norwegian public health service. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of nurses and auxiliary nurses with the use of CAM in care for nursing home residents. METHOD Focus group interviews with a total of thirteen nurses and auxiliary nurses from three nursing homes were conducted. Data were analyzed using systematic text condensation. RESULTS Participants had experiences from aromatherapy, plant medicine, music therapy and pet therapy. They experienced the use of CAM as effective, exciting and rewarding, but also challenging and dependent on supportive leaders. CAM supported person-centered and holistic care. The participants lacked competence and knowledge. CONCLUSION Nurses and auxiliary nurses were enthusiastic about using CAM in their care for nursing home residents, but they lacked knowledge about it. The status of CAM in nursing education programs must be examined.

Norwegian Nurses’ Choice to Work with Alternative/Complementary Therapy: How Will This Affect Their Professional Identity?

This article discusses professional identity among Norwegian nurses who choose to work with alternative/complementary medicine. Ethnographic fieldwork among nurses who worked with alternative/complementary medicine showed that the nurses still called themselves nurses. They felt that they were “more nurses” as alternative therapists than they were as registered nurses employed in the Norwegian public healthcare service. They argued that increasingly it was possible to meet patients holistically and that they could focus on patients more as persons than medical diagnoses. They emphasized the importance of focusing the patients’ self-healing abilities as stressed by Florence Nightingale. Nurses who work with alternative/complementary medicine have a strong identity as nurses. Some of them felt they had come home to the heart of nursing.

Teachers' experiences of adolescents' pain in everyday life: a qualitative study

Objectives More adolescents report pain now than previously. In Norway, episodic pain problems have been reported by 60% of children and adolescents aged 8–18 years, with 21% reporting duration of pain of more than 3 months. Since adolescents spend much time at school, the attitude and behaviour of teachers play important roles regarding the experience of pain felt by adolescents in everyday life. Yet research on how teachers perceive the pain experienced by adolescents in a school setting is limited. We therefore seek to gain insight to teachers’ classroom experiences with (1) adolescents self-reported pain symptoms; (2) adolescents management of their pain and (3) how to help adolescents manage their pain. Setting Teachers in 5 junior high schools in Norway representing municipalities in 3 rural areas and 2 cities. Research design A qualitative study with an explorative design comprising 5 focus group interviews. Each group consisted of 3–8 junior high school teachers. A semistructured interview guide was used to cover the issues. The transcribed text was analysed with qualitative content analysis. Participants 22 teachers participated (5 men, 17 women; age range 29–62 years) with teaching experience ranging from 3 to nearly 40 years. Results The main theme describing the experience of teachers with adolescents’ pain in everyday life is that pain and management of pain is a social, physical and psychological interwoven phenomenon. Through empirical analyses, 3 subcategories emerged: (1) everyday pain—expressing strenuous life; (2) managing pain—escaping struggle and (3) strategies of teachers—support and normalisation. Conclusions Teachers have a biopsychosocial understanding and approach to pain experienced by adolescents. This understanding influences the role of teachers as significant others in the lives of adolescents with regard to pain and management of their pain in a school setting.

Realization and Development of Self in CAM Nurses and CAM Treatment: A Qualitative Study

This article presents and discusses how nurses express the importance of self-development and self-realization through Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). The theoretical perspective is twofold: nursing and cultural science. Cultural science includes CAM in New Age and allows for a critical analysis of the actual phenomenon. Qualitative research interviews were conducted. Four subcategories emerged: (a) to work with CAM allows for self-development in the nurse, (b) the nurse’s own experience of being sick promotes self-development, (c) CAM nurses help people see their illness as an opportunity for self-development, and (d) development of self as therapy. Self-realization and development of self is a core issue in New Age and in holistic nursing; it is connected to psychological and spiritual aspects.

Oppringning før innleggelse fikk ikke flere ruspasienter til å gjennomføre avgiftning

Sykepleier og prosjektleder Avdeling for rusog avhengighetsbehandling, Sørlandet sykehus, Kristiansand

Acupuncture and Methylphenidate Drugs in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study of Self-Reported Symptoms

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been diagnosed in 3–6% of all children worldwide, and two-thirds of them will continue to be affected to some degree by this condition as adults [1]. Methylphenidate drugs have been shown to significantly reduce ADHD symptoms [2, 3]. Acupuncture is an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Acupuncture is the most well-known and commonly used treatment in complementary and alternative medicine in Norway and is offered in 37% of Norwegian hospitals [4]. Some studies have shown that acupuncture may reduce the symptoms of ADHD [5, 6]. There are no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which acupuncture is used together with methylphenidate drugs. This suggests that there is a need for further research about the combined use of these treatments. The present trial was designed as a pilot study to obtain new knowledge in preparation for a possible largescale trial. The research question asked in this pilot study was: ‘Is it feasible to conduct a trial to study the differences in self-reported symptoms in adult persons with ADHD treated simultaneously with a methylphenidate drug and by an acupuncturist compared with those treated only with a methylphenidate drug?’ Participants and Methods

“A bumpy road”: Kindergarten staff's experiences with an intervention to promote healthy diets in toddlers

This study explores the experiences of kindergarten staff with a multi-component kindergarten-based intervention, the aims of which were to reduce levels of food neophobia and to promote healthy diets in toddlers (aged 2-3 years). A qualitative design was chosen for the study, and the data are based on three focus group interviews. Altogether, 15 kindergarten staff were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The focus group interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Five main themes emerged from the interviews: i) Successful development of sensory knowledge, ii) Food neophobia, iii) Implementing new routines, a challenge for some, iv) Lack of cooking skills, and v) Inspired to continue. A main finding was that all kindergarten staff perceived the sensory education sessions as successful and reported that both toddlers and staff expanded their food vocabulary and increased their attention to sensory impressions of food. However, the staff reported that some toddlers were less willing to taste new lunch dishes than to taste new foods in the sensory education sessions. The staff also noted that the guidelines for feeding practices resulted in unfamiliar situations at the lunch table. The staff agreed that cooking novel foods was time consuming and left less time for other tasks. Finally, all kindergarten staff expressed that they would like to continue with portions of the food intervention. Our main interpretation is that the intervention presented several challenges, especially regarding cooking and feeding practices. If kindergartens are to be a place to promote healthy eating habits in the early years, sufficient time and resources for cooking seem to be needed and food and feeding practices included in the curriculum of kindergartens and higher education for kindergarten teachers. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN74823448.