Frank D. Hicks

The phenomenology of deciding about hemodialysis among Taiwanese.

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of making hemodialysis choices among Taiwanese with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method, 12 ESRD patients provided in-depth, audiotaped interviews that were then transcribed and analyzed. The results of the data analysis revealed three broad categories and ten themes. The first category, confronting the dialysis treatment, included four themes: fear caused by false beliefs, a sense of threat to life, concern about the impairment of self-concept, and fear of physical limitations. The second category, seeking further information, included three themes: getting opinions of family members, seeking professional confirmation, and exploring alternative treatments. The third category, living with dialysis, included three themes: worsening symptoms, support of the family, and law of causation. These categories and themes revealed the difficulties that ESRD patients dealt with and the influence these difficulties and their culture had on the treatment choice.

An ontological view of advanced practice nursing.

Identifying, developing, and incorporating nursings unique ontological and epistemological perspective into advanced practice nursing practice places priority on delivering care based on research-derived knowledge. Without a clear distinction of our metatheoretical space, we risk blindly adopting the practice values of other disciplines, which may not necessarily reflect those of nursing. A lack of focus may lead current advanced practice nursing curricula and emerging doctorate of nursing practice programs to mirror the logical positivist paradigm and perspective of medicine. This article presents an ontological perspective for advanced practice nursing education, practice, and research.

The Life After Gastric Surgery Index: Conceptual Basis and Initial Psychometric Assessment

Understanding the influence of symptoms on an individual’s life is important when providing nursing care. Currently, however, there are few clinically useful tools for assessing symptoms in individuals who have had surgery for gastric cancer. The Life After Gastric Surgery Index was developed to address this need by providing a multidimensional measure of symptom experience (frequency, severity, and bothersomeness) of 18 common symptoms patients may experience after gastroesophageal surgery for cancer. Initial psychometric assessment of the Life After Gastric Surgery Index has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability and strong face, content, and criterion-related validity on two small samples. This paper reviews the conceptual basis of the Life After Gastric Surgery Index, the results of its initial psychometric assessments, and the implications this measure has for clinical practice and research.