Margaret Landers

The importance of critical care nurses’ caring behaviours as perceived by nurses and relatives

AIM OF PAPER This paper will report a research study conducted to compare the perceptions of nurses and relatives of critically ill patients on the importance of the caring behaviours of critical care nurses. BACKGROUND The concept of caring is central to the nature of nursing with many approaches to defining and describing it in the nursing literature. Caring in critical care nursing involves affective, cognitive and action processes. It is the action processes or caring behaviours that are most evident to nurses, patients and relatives. METHOD This descriptive, comparative, quantitative study was conducted in an Irish critical care setting. Convenience sampling was used to recruit n=40 nurses and n=30 relatives of critically ill patients. Data were collected over a 3-week period in 2006 using an adapted version of the Caring Behaviours Assessment Tool. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. FINDINGS There was congruence between nurses and relatives on the most and least important caring behaviours of critical care nurses. Both groups placed a higher value on caring behaviours which demonstrate technical competence, the altruistic and emotional aspects of caring. CONCLUSION The results of this study have demonstrated that there are more similarities than differences between the perceptions of nurses and relatives on the importance of the caring behaviours of critical care nurses. The results of this study will give critical care nurses a greater understanding of how their caring behaviours are perceived by others. Incorporating the views of relatives into the delivery of care in the context of critical care will allow nurses to create a patient-centered service.

Testicular Cancer Awareness and Screening Practices: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To critically appraise empirical evidence gathered from studies that (a) explored mens knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward testicular cancer (TC) and its screening; (b) addressed their testicular self-examination (TSE) practice; and/or (c) highlighted barriers and facilitators to this practice.
. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, and EMBASE®.
. DATA SYNTHESIS 25 articles met the inclusion criteria. Knowledge deficits regarding TC and its screening were seen. Participants who did not perform TSE often were uninformed about this practice. The majority of men perceived TC education as a positive step toward raising awareness about this malignancy.
. CONCLUSIONS Very few men were informed about TC and TSE. Future studies should include valid and reliable tools to assess TC knowledge and screening, address the means through which TC knowledge is delivered, explore the individuals experience with TC screening, and focus on TC awareness and screening among minority groups. 
. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Although regular screening for TC is a controversial issue, nurses should encourage young men to seek medical attention in the event of discovering scrotal abnormalities.

Self-care strategies for the management of bowel symptoms following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer.

The primary aim of this article is to identify the self-care strategies that patients use to manage bowel symptoms experienced following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer. Comparisons will be made with self-care strategies used by patients to manage chronic fecal incontinence and the bowel symptoms associated with other chronic bowel diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Published studies and conceptual literature from 2000-2010 were the data sources. Three major themes emerged from the literature reflecting the self-care strategies used by patients to manage bowel symptoms: functional self-care strategies (e.g., taking medication), social activity-related self-care strategies (e.g., planning social events), and alternative self-care strategies (e.g., complementary therapies). An analysis of studies highlighted that, through the process of trial and error, patients learned the strategies that were most effective in the management of their bowel symptoms. Knowledge of such strategies will be beneficial to healthcare professionals when educating patients about effective management of bowel symptoms following sphincter-saving surgery.

Person-Centered Nursing Practice With Older People in Ireland

This column presents an analysis of McCormacks conceptual framework for person-centered practice with older people as a theoretical basis for the delivery of care of older adults in an Irish context. The evaluative process is guided by the framework proposed by Fawcett (2000) for the analysis and evaluation of conceptual models of nursing. The historical evolution, philosophical claims, and an overview of the content of the model are addressed. The following criteria are then applied: logical congruence, the generation of the theory, the credibility of the model, and the contribution of the model to the discipline of nursing.

Promoting Testicular Cancer Awareness and Screening: A Systematic Review of Interventions.

Background: Testicular cancer (TC) is a relatively curable malignancy that predominantly affects young males. Key decision makers discourage TC screening because of lack of evidence about the benefits of this practice, whereas others argue that men must be aware of normal versus abnormal testicular findings. Despite the debate on TC surveillance, a number of research efforts are still being made to increase men’s awareness of TC and its screening. Objective: The aim of this study was to systematically review studies that were conducted to enhance men’s knowledge and awareness regarding TC and its screening and increase their TC screening intentions and practices. Methods: Studies published in English between 2004 and 2014 were reviewed using 3 e-databases, and interventions that were in line with the review aims were selected. Results: A total of 3076 records were screened for eligibility, and 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the reviewed interventions successfully enhanced men’s awareness of TC and its screening and increased their intentions to perform testicular self-examination. Examples include videos about TC, shower gel sachets, stickers, and posters, a television show, a university campaign, and high self-efficacy messages about TC screening. Men at risk of health disparities were underrepresented in the reviewed literature. Conclusions: A number of interesting channels through which men can learn about TC were identified. Examples include social media and mass media. Implications for Practice: Given the controversy that surrounds TC screening, nurses can play a key role in increasing men’s awareness of TC rather than advising periodical TC self-examination.

Males' Awareness of Benign Testicular Disorders: An Integrative Review.

Disorders that affect the testes can range from painless and benign to debilitating and life threatening. Despite the availability of literature on the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of benign testicular disorders (BTD), very little is known about men’s awareness of these conditions. The aim of this review was to extract and analyze evidence from studies that explored males’ awareness of BTD. Four e-databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and PubMed) were thoroughly searched and four articles met the review inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was appraised and data were extracted and cross-checked using a standardized data extraction table. It was determined that participants lacked education about testicular self-examination and scrotal signs and symptoms which contributed to their lack of awareness of BTD. Help seeking in the event of scrotal abnormalities was suboptimal which is alarming given the acuteness of some BTD such as testicular torsion. Individuals who are at risk for health disparities were underrepresented in the reviewed literature. Findings from this review highlight the need to address barriers to BTD knowledge and help seeking. This could be achieved through making use of past interventions that succeeded in increasing men’s awareness of testicular cancer such as university campaigns and mass media. From a practical standpoint, clinicians must be encouraged to educate young men about BTD. This could be attained through tailoring creative educational interventions that are sensitive to the needs of individuals who are at risk for health disparities.

Exploring awareness and help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms among heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men in Ireland: A qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND The incidence of malignant and benign testicular disorders among young men is on the rise. Evidence from three reviews suggest that mens knowledge of these disorders is lacking and their help-seeking intention for testicular symptoms is suboptimal. Qualitative studies have addressed mens awareness of testicular cancer, with none exploring their awareness of non-malignant diseases such as epididymitis, testicular torsion, and varicocele and none including sexual minorities. OBJECTIVE To explore, in-depth, heterosexual, gay, and bisexual mens awareness of testicular disorders and their help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms in the Irish context. DESIGN This study used a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected via face-to-face individual interviews and focus groups. SETTINGS Participation was sought from a number of community and youth organisations and one university in Southern Ireland. PARTICIPANTS Maximum variation and snowball sampling were used to recruit a heterogeneous sample. A total of 29 men partook in this study. Participants were men, aged between 18 and 50 years, and residents of the Republic of Ireland. METHODS All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflective field notes were taken following each interview. A summary of the interview was shared with selected participants for member-check. Data were analysed and validated by three researchers. Inductive qualitative analysis of manifest content was used. Latent content was captured in the field notes. Data analysis yielded two key themes. RESULTS The themes that emerged from the interviews were: Awareness of testicular disorders and their screening, and help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms. Although most participants heard of testicular cancer, most did not know the different aspects of this malignancy including its risk factors, symptoms, treatments, and screening. Several men had a number of misconceptions around testicular disorders which negatively impacted their intentions to seek prompt help. Intentions to delay help-seeking for testicular symptoms were often linked to a number of emotional factors including fear and embarrassment, and social normative factors such as machoism and stoicism. In this study, culture was perceived by some participants as a barrier to awareness and help-seeking. In contrast, many believed that young men, especially those who self-identify as gay, are becoming increasingly interested in their own health. CONCLUSION Findings suggest the need to educate young men about testicular disorders and symptoms. This could be achieved through conducting health promotion campaigns that appeal to younger men, drafting national mens health policies, and normalising open discussions about testicular health at a young age.

Challenges in recruiting participants in a multi-centre study on symptom experiences and self care strategies of bowel symptoms following colo-rectal surgery

Aim: the purpose of this paper is to present some of the challenges found to be problematic in recruiting individuals following sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer for a multi-centre study. While the focus of the study is on symptom experience and self-care strategies of bowel symptoms following colo-rectal surgery, the paper will concentrate solely on the challenges experienced in recruiting a sample for the study. Background: recruitment of an adequate number of participants is a challenge for researchers in any area of research involving patients. Enrolment of patients treated for rectal cancer poses particular challenges, because the total population of this group in a given country can be small. The use of multiple centres was required to obtain the required number of participants for the current study. Findings: in multi-centre studies, researchers can encounter substantial challenges in obtaining ethical approval, accessing clinical sites and gaining direct access to patients. These challenges are embedded in a convoluted process involving many systems of communication, which can vary from one centre to another. Conclusions: the process of obtaining ethical approval is prolonged in the absence of a central ethical review committee. A central review process based on a standard application for researchers seeking ethical approval for multi-centred studies is necessary. Establishing and maintaining access to clinical sites requires co-operation from many individuals during the development of the proposal and continuing throughout the data collection process.

A Conceptual Model of Nursing: A Model of Personhood for Irish Nursing

A model of personhood for nursing in Ireland based on Celtic society, Irish language, Irish customs, and the Catholic religion is discussed. Concepts central to the model are presented bilingually as a means of capturing the essence of nursing care in an Irish context. The adequacy of the model is considered from the perspective of the following evaluative criteria: social utility, social congruence, and social significance.

Feasibility and usability of a virtual reality intervention to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT)

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men younger than 50, and benign testicular disorders such as torsion and epididymitis can be life-threatening if left untreated. Men’s awareness of testicular disorders is lacking, and their intentions to see help for symptoms of testicular disease are low. This study aimed to describe the development, feasibility, and usability of a virtual reality (VR) intervention designed to enhance men’s awareness of testicular disorders (E-MAT). We designed E-MAT as a three-level VR experience and tested its feasibility and usability with 15 men recruited from a university. Following exposure to the intervention, participants filled a 43-item questionnaire. Participants agreed that the technology was comfortable to use, testicular disorders were well represented, the use of light humor was appropriate, and the scientific facts were easy to understand. Participants also agreed that the intervention was suited for men from different sociodemographic backgrounds and felt confident using VR. Overall, participants perceived the intervention as user-friendly, enjoyable, and aesthetically appealing. To the best of our knowledge, VR has not been used to promote men’s health in the past, let alone increasing their awareness and help seeking for testicular disorders. We recommend testing the effectiveness of E-MAT and making it available on public platforms that men can access at their own leisure. VR can be used in future interventions to educate men about various health topics.