Zenobia C.Y. Chan

Revisiting the melamine contamination event in China: implications for ethics in food technology.

Food technology is a burgeoning field of applied science, invading many areas of the food industry and making contributions to economic advancement; however, little research has focused on ethical aspects in this field. This article attempts to fill this knowledge gap by revisiting the tainted milk event in China in 2008, followed by a detailed discussion of the application of food technology ethics in industrial contexts. Through the lesson learnt in the Chinese food industry, it is hoped that more global concerns on ethical issues in food technology will be raised, thereby creating a more humane food production industry.

Poetry writing: A therapeutic means for a social work doctoral student in the process of study

Poetry writing was found to be therapeutic during my doctoral study by relieving stress, promoting self-understanding and filling my emptiness. Twelve poems are selected and categorized into six thematic areas: the sense of loss and social isolation; the persistent studying; the fantasy world; the mother-son relationship; the bodily symptoms; and the omnipresent gaze. The background of the prewriting experience and the functions of each poem are presented. The paper ends by offering some implications for education and calls for the use of poetry writing as a therapeutic aid for graduate students in the process of their study.

Family themes of food refusal: disciplining the body and punishing the family.

A problematic issue in studying anorexia nervosa (AN) has been the absence of a qualitative study that probes the deep meanings of food refusal. We attempt to close this gap by studying the family meanings of food refusal by a single case study of a family in Hong Kong with an AN daughter. Eight videotapes of family therapy sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, were intensively reviewed, transcribed verbatim, and content analyzed. Two family themes of food refusal were discerned: the AN daughter disciplined her body and punished her family. The conclusions imply a need to revisit the Chinese gender role expectation in understanding AN patients and their families.

A systematic review of suicidal behaviour in old age: a gender perspective

AIM This article presents the findings of a systematic review of the literature on suicidal behaviour in old age, specifically examining gender differences. Background.  Numerous studies have reported that older people are at a higher risk for suicide than other age groups in most countries. Rarely do they examine whether there are differences in suicidal behaviour among older males and females. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify English language reports of research about suicide and suicide attempts in old age. Studies were assessed for inclusion based on inclusion criteria. Key results concerning suicide in old age were extracted and synthesised. RESULTS Twenty-two gender-specific studies on suicidal behaviour in old age were identified. All studies were of the quantitative type. Five factors affecting suicide by gender in old age were identified from the selected papers. CONCLUSIONS Most findings concluded that older males had a higher risk of suicide than older females. Some findings nevertheless revealed that the risk factors for one socio-demographic group may be less relevant to others and that people operate differently in different social contexts. Further in-depth exploration on the gender-specific characteristics in old-age suicide is recommended. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Health professionals are encouraged to increase their knowledge of the risk factors leading to suicide in old age in their local contexts and to be able to identify potential victims and render timely and appropriate intervention. They should also be ready to open up their service boundaries and develop collaborative partnerships with local agencies and the general public.

Gender differences in the academic and clinical performances of undergraduate nursing students : a systematic review

OBJECTIVES Nursing is often regarded as a female-dominated profession. Many nursing curricula are received by mainly female students. It is uncertain how male students behave in this environment of nursing education in hospitals and universities. This article aimed to review gender differences in the academic and clinical performances of undergraduate nursing students. DESIGN A systematic review was assessed and different themes were extracted by inductive approach. DATA SOURCES A search strategy was carried out for the period 2006-2011 utilising six computerised databases: Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and the Wiley Online Library. REVIEW METHODS Research studies were included and screened by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline. All articles in English that met our aim were selected and relevant results were abstracted and thematised. RESULTS Fifty-five articles were included. Five themes were generated from the literatures, including the differences of academic, clinical, psychological, nursing profession identity and health concept between male and female nursing students. CONCLUSIONS Both genders performed similarly in different aspects. Most studies revealed that the clinical placement satisfaction of male students was similar to that of female, despite the negative experiences the former faced during obstetric placement. Further research is needed to examine the gender differences in studying and make changes in the nursing curricula to accommodate with male students.

Role performance of psychiatric nurses in advanced practice: a systematic review of the literature.

Accessible summary Psychiatric advanced practice nurses perform multifaceted roles and demonstrate significant results in managing clients with depression and psychological stress, and community-dwelling individuals with mental health-care needs. Psychiatric advanced practice nurses can potentially develop collaborative partnerships with non-mental health service providers, services that are more accessible to users of mental health-care service, and services that enhance the quality of inpatient care. Psychiatric advanced practice nurses need to demonstrate their competence in providing cost-effective interventions through well-designed studies or randomized controlled trials. Abstract This paper discusses findings from a systematic review of literature pertaining to the role performance of psychiatric nurses in advanced practice. A search of 11 electronic databases was conducted to identify research involving interventions by psychiatric (or mental health) nurses in advanced practice. A total of 14 studies were identified. In this review, the role performance of psychiatric nurses in advanced practice was categorized into three themes: (1) the provision of psychosocial interventions; (2) the provision of nurse-directed services in health-care contexts; and (3) the provision of psychiatric nursing consultation services. Our results document that psychiatric nurses in advanced practice perform multifaceted roles and provide mental health-care services in various contexts. This systematic review reveals that the nurses obtain significant results in managing clients with depression and psychological stress, and demonstrates their value when developing partnerships with non-mental health service providers. One study, however, showed that the nurses had insignificant results in performing transitional care for pre-discharged mental health service users.This paper discusses findings from a systematic review of literature pertaining to the role performance of psychiatric nurses in advanced practice. A search of 11 electronic databases was conducted to identify research involving interventions by psychiatric (or mental health) nurses in advanced practice. A total of 14 studies were identified. In this review, the role performance of psychiatric nurses in advanced practice was categorized into three themes: (1) the provision of psychosocial interventions; (2) the provision of nurse-directed services in health-care contexts; and (3) the provision of psychiatric nursing consultation services. Our results document that psychiatric nurses in advanced practice perform multifaceted roles and provide mental health-care services in various contexts. This systematic review reveals that the nurses obtain significant results in managing clients with depression and psychological stress, and demonstrates their value when developing partnerships with non-mental health service providers. One study, however, showed that the nurses had insignificant results in performing transitional care for pre-discharged mental health service users.

Exploration of artistry in nursing teaching activities

BACKGROUND By promoting hope and providing care to patients, nurses serve as both artists and professionals in clinical contexts. However, current nursing education mainly emphasises the teaching of medical knowledge and skills. AIM The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of year one nursing undergraduates on the definitions of artistry and the relationship of artistry with the sciences and nursing care. DESIGN A qualitative approach with content analysis was adopted in this study. METHODS Seventeen students from a nursing problem-based learning (PBL) class participated in three artistic activities, namely composing songs, writing poems, and drawing, and in two rounds of interviews. Content analysis and peer checking was implemented to ensure that the generated results were trustworthy. RESULTS According to the participants, it is probable that the artistic activities encouraged them to relate the arts to their daily lives. Some participants stated that they would like to show their consideration for patients through the arts. CONCLUSIONS Although there was no consensus among the participants on the relation between artistry and the sciences/nursing, most of the students gained a better understanding of artistry and some were able to link nursing care with artistry. Nursing educators are encouraged to think beyond the boundaries of traditional teaching approaches and nurture their students with the artistry of clinical practice.

Beyond Sole Longevity: A Social Perspective on Healthspan Extension

Pursuance of longevity is not only combating decrepitude but it is also extending the health span; otherwise longevity would result in a universal medical and social burden. As revealed by the literature, the attainment of a healthy life could be impacted by the social milieu. An inquiry of this kind could hardly be settled by mere laboratory endeavors, and thus serious discussion of the social dimension of life span extension is imperative. However, little attention has been paid to this need in the biogerontological field. In view of this gap, the aim of this article is to explore the health relationship of the social milieu by using social relations as an example and to raise the awareness within our biogerontological community of the relevance of the social milieu to our existing efforts on longevity pursuance. It is hoped that through this article and with the success of antiaging therapies, not only could collaborative work between biogerontologists and scholars in other disciplines be stimulated, but indefinite extension of both life span and health span could also be achieved in the future.

Voices From a Minority: Experiences of Chinese Male Nursing Students in Clinical Practice

In Hong Kong, males constituted only about 10.2% of the nursing workforce in 2010. The learning experiences of male nursing students in Hong Kong during their clinical practicum have rarely been explored. If these students cannot maintain their psychological well-being and psychological health in formal education and clinical placements, then their physical health will also suffer. This ethnographic qualitative study gave male nursing students in Hong Kong a chance to voice their experiences during their clinical practicum. Selected through snowball sampling, 18 male nursing students from a local university participated in individual face-to-face semistructured interviews. The data were processed with content analysis. The findings indicated that male students not only received more support and understanding from male rather than female members of staff but endured a certain amount of oppression while working in female wards. According to the students’ comments on nursing culture, the work climate of male nursing students could be improved by reorganizing the clinical placements and providing extra support to male nursing students.

An ethnographical study on the academic experiences of Chinese male nursing students

Because there have been very few recent studies focusing on the nursing studies of Chinese male learners in Hong Kong, this paper reports some findings on the educational experiences of such students from a local university, giving them a chance to voice out their concerns and express their feelings. In this qualitative ethnographical study, 18 second- to fourth-year male nursing students were recruited by purposive snowball sampling and invited to participate in individual semi-structured interviews for the collecting of data. The taped recordings were transcribed and translated. Following this, five themes were identified for content analysis. The findings of this study suggest that people would be more likely to accept male nurses; and male nursing students would be more able see their role as nurses with the acceptance of some feminine subjects in the nursing curriculum. This study provided male nursing students the chance to express their thoughts and experiences on nursing education, which will suggest further modifications to the curriculum design and implementation.