Donovan Jones

Learning to be a midwife in the clinical environment; tasks, clinical practicum hours or midwifery relationships

Discussions continue within the midwifery profession around the number of and type of clinical experiences required to ensure competent midwifery graduates. Introduction of the three year Bachelor of Midwifery in Australia, almost two decades ago, was intended to reduce the pressure students were under to complete their academic requirements whilst ensuring students developed midwifery practice that encapsulates the philosophical values of midwifery. Currently, midwifery students are mandated to achieve a minimum number of clinical skills and Continuity of Care Experience (CCE) relationships in order to register upon completion of their degree. To achieve these experiences, universities require students to complete a number of clinical practicum hours. Furthermore students are required to demonstrate competent clinical performance of a number of clinical skills. However, there is no evidence to date that a set number of experiences or hours ensures professional competence in the clinical environment. The aim of this paper is to promote discussion regarding the mandated requirements for allocated clinical practicum hours, specified numbers of clinical-based skills and CCE relationships in the context of learning to be a midwife in Australia.

New Fathers’ Perinatal Depression and Anxiety—Treatment Options: An Integrative Review:

More than 10% of fathers experience depression and anxiety during the perinatal period, but paternal perinatal depression (PPND) and anxiety have received less attention than maternal perinatal mental health problems. Few mainstream treatment options are available for men with PPND and anxiety. The aim of this literature review was to summarize the current understanding of PPND and the treatment programs specifically designed for fathers with perinatal depression. Eight electronic databases were searched using a predefined strategy, and reference lists were also hand searched. PPND and anxiety were identified to have a negative impact on family relationships, as well as the health of mothers and children. Evidence suggests a lack of support and tailored treatment options for men having trouble adjusting to the transition to fatherhood. Of the limited options available, cognitive behavioral therapy, group work, and blended delivery programs, including e-support approaches appear to be most effective in helping fathers with perinatal depression and anxiety. The review findings have important implications for the understanding of PPND and anxiety. Future research is needed to address the adoption of father-inclusive and father-specific models of care to encourage fathers’ help-seeking behavior. Inclusion of male-specific requirements into support and treatment options can improve the ability of services to engage new fathers. Psychotherapeutic intervention could assist to address the cognitive differences and dissonance for men adjusting to the role of father, including male identity and role expectations.

An evaluation of perinatal mental health interventions: An integrative literature review

BACKGROUND National statistics related specifically to the mental health of women in the perinatal period is poorly acknowledged in Australia. Maternal deaths related to mental health in the perinatal period can be attributed to a lack of appropriate treatment and/or support. A barrier to womens help-seeking behaviors is the lack of discrete, perinatal specific interventions where women can self-assess and access support. AIM This review examines original research evaluating perinatal mental health interventions used by women to improve mental health. METHOD An integrative literature review was undertaken. A comprehensive search strategy using 5 electronic databases resulted in the retrieval of 1898 articles. Use of an inclusion and exclusion criteria and Critical Appraisal Skills Program tools resulted in 4 original research papers. Thematic analysis identified universal themes. FINDINGS Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Activation and Mindfulness-based interventions, specifically adapted to meet the needs of women in the perinatal period, demonstrate an overall improvement in mental health. Women involved in the interventions experienced both improvements in symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as secondary benefits from participating in the research. CONCLUSION To improve perinatal mental health outcomes, innovative modes of providing effective perinatal mental health interventions that address the unique needs of women in the perinatal period are needed. Future development of perinatal mental health interventions require adaptions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Activation and/or Mindfulness-based methods to address mental health outcomes for women in the perinatal period.

Analysis of the Empathic Concern Subscale of the Emotional Response Questionnaire in a Study Evaluating the Impact of a 3D Cultural Simulation

Abstract Abstract Background Empathic concern has been found to decline in health professional students. Few effective educational programs and a lack of validated scales are reported. Previous analysis of the Empathic Concern scale of the Emotional Response Questionnaire has reported both one and two latent constructs. Aim To evaluate the impact of simulation on nursing students’ empathic concern and test the psychometric properties of the Empathic Concern scale. Methods The study used a one group pre-test post-test design with a convenience sample of 460 nursing students. Empathic concern was measured pre-post simulation with the Empathic Concern scale. Factor Analysis was undertaken to investigate the structure of the scale. Results There was a statistically significant increase in Empathic Concern scores between pre-simulation 5.57 (SD = 1.04) and post-simulation 6.10 (SD = 0.95). Factor analysis of the Empathic Concern scale identified one latent dimension. Conclusion Immersive simulation may promote empathic concern. The Empathic Concern scale measured a single latent construct in this cohort.

Mindfulness for men with pregnant partners

Intuition is a quality that nurses have traditionally valued, but nowadays evidence-based research climate is often denigrated. Because it is difficult to investigate and quantify, intuition has tended to be seen as unreliable, unscientific and unsuitable for nursing practice. However, intuition, like caring, cannot be subjected to measurement and should not be overlooked as an important tool. Intuition is identified as a useful tool that needs to be recognized in nursing. At the same time, intuition is described as an important type of nursing knowledge and a valid way of knowing in clinical nursing practice. It is knowing something or deciding to do something without having a logical explanation. Intuition in practice has been linked to enhanced clinical judgment, effective decision making and crisis aversion. The inability to provide rationale for an action or decision makes intuition challenging for nurses to describe, explain or openly acknowledge. In the nursing literature, intuition is recognized as an important component of decision-making theories. In the literate outlines the two predominant theoretical approaches to decision making: the systematic positivistic approach and the intuitive humanistic approach. Both approaches are valuable and emphasise the need to investigate quantitatively the intuitive humanistic approach in decision making. To understand the intuitive approach to decision making, nurses need to first identify intuitive feelings and intuition use in their clinical practice. Qualitative studies demonstrate intuition use in expert decision making and label it as a source of knowledge coming from feelings, sensations and connections. Intuition is a component of decision-making models applied in nursing practice. Empirical research which requires nurses to recognize intuition and utilize it effectively in nursing practice. Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale Nursing Faculty, Turkey *Corresponding author Aysel Özsaban, Research Assistant, Department of Fundamentals of Nursing, Istanbul University, Florence Nightingale Nursing Faculty, Turkey, Tel: 90(212) 440 00 00 (27134); E-mail: ayselates87@gmail.com Submitted: 02 Nov 2016; Accepted: 04 Dec 2016; Published: 08 Dec 2016Reflective practice has gained prominence within the health, education and social care sectors in particular within the United Kingdom (UK). This prominence has been driven and shaped by differing assertions and counter-assertions about the relevance of reflective approaches in shaping collaborative enterprises that may help meet patient satisfaction and outcomes agendas. Given the competing assertions within the literature discourse, an emerging model is proposed in order to make a connection between the significance and relevance of reflective practice meetings (RPMs) as an aspect of inter-professional education and its application within clinical contexts. Emphasis is placed on how professionals engage with the cross-disciplinary viewpoints in order to help understand the nature of caring in differing caring contexts. Notably, some contributors within the literature sources posit that a divergence of opinion about the contribution of RPMs as an aspect of inter-professional education exists. For example, some note that inter-professional education (IPE) represents a particular challenge for those engaged with the task of facilitating knowledge construction and knowledge transfer due to the social power issues, real or perceived, as reflected within different professional disciplines. Advocates for IPE postulate that individuals have to utilize IPE as something that helps professionals from diverse and distinct disciplines to identify the different lenses that help to foster a collaborative ethos within a context of shifting priorities. Consequently, engaging with the differing viewpoints within an RPM context may contribute to how IPE is conceptualized for example is it about informing, conforming or transforming professional discourse. This paper reports on a Qualitative study conducted within a Secure Forensic Adolescent Mental Health setting in the UK. The study offers findings that have a potential to aid an understanding of the theoretical and practical implications of utilizing Reflective Practice Meetings as an aspect of IPE. The study explored the processes that occur during the weekly inter-professional reflective practice meetings within a Secure Forensic Mental Health Adolescent Unit. The study was informed by a case study approach underpinned by ethnographic tenets. Data collection methods utilized included discursive methods complemented by Participant Observations (PO). Additionally, data was gathered through Reflective logs and one-to-to semi-structured interviews. Data collection triangulation methods for completeness of the phenomenon were utilized. An eclectic data analysis process was utilized notably; the analytical lens utilized within this study was informed by a combination of grounded theory approaches with social-psychology discourse analysis framework.Background & Objectives: Elderly in long-term care institute are suffering from constipation and most of them are using psychological medication to treat insomnia, anxiety, or even psychotic conditions as well. This study is one of pilot studies of “Medication review and constipation problem solving for elderly with chronic disease” research. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the prevalence of psychological medication used and the association of constipation among the elderly residents of a nursing home.CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study 1 1.2 Chapterisation 4 CHAPTER TWOREVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1 Review of Literature 5 2.2 Job satisfaction 5 2.2.1. Predictors of job satisfaction 9 2.3 Quality of Work life 12 2.3.1 What is Quality of Work Life 13 2.3.2 Dimensions of Quality of Work Life 14 2.3.3 Predictors of Quality of Work 15 2.4 Quality of Nursing Work Life 17 2.4.1 What is Quality of Nursing Work Life 17 2.4.2 Importance of Quality of Nursing Work Li 18 2.4.3 Predictors of Quality of Nursing Work Life 19 2.5 Rationale of the study 20Purpose: The aim of this study is to carry out the validit y and reliability test of Powe’s Breast Cancer Fata lism Scale in Turkish language. Method: This methodological study was carried out in Janu ary – June, 2014. The sample of the study consisted of 136 women from four different regions of Turkey who were not previously diagnosed with breast cance r. The data of the study were collected through a socio-de mographic information form and Powe’s Breast Cancer Fatalism Scale. The scores that could be obtained f rom the scale ranged between 0-11, and increased sc ores indicated increased fatalism. After the translation process and content validity steps were completed, Ku er Richarson – 20 coefficient and item-total correlati ons were analyzed. Results: The ages of the participants ranged between 19 an d 80 and the average age was 37.51 ± 14.69. The content validity index in the study was 0.80. Kuder Richarson – 20 coefficient was 0.797 and item-tota l correlations ranged between 0.264 and 0.530. Conclusions: After the psychometric evaluation, Powe’s Breast Cancer Fatalism Scale was determined to be a valid and reliable instrument in Turkish language. It is recommended that Powe’s Breast Cancer Fatali sm Scale can be used in the evaluation of the perception of fatalism, one of the factors affecting women’s brea st cancer early detection attitudes.