I am the Lecturer for Clinical Leadership in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and was awarded my PhD from the University of Sydney in 2009. I have qualifications in both general and mental health nursing and have 25 years clinical experience in mental health community, drug and alcohol, HIV/AIDS, Dementia and the management of challenging behaviours.
I began my research career at the Centre for Applied Nursing Research which is a joint facility between South Western Sydney Local Health District and UWS. In collaboration with other researchers, I developed evidence-based policies in nursing documentation, nursing clinical handover and the nursing support of patient nutrition. These policies have become official policies throughout both Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts.
My academic background is in the Humanities, in English literature specifically. This informs my special interest in communication systems in nursing, which is the basis of my ongoing research.
I am also interested in investigating how illness is portrayed in literary and historical writing. My experience in both nursing and the humanities gives me an excellent understanding of the art and science of nursing.
AimTo explore how nurses and nursing knowledge contributed to the success of an Australian nurse‐... more AimTo explore how nurses and nursing knowledge contributed to the success of an Australian nurse‐led medical hotel quarantine facility during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The facility was established to accommodate returning travellers who were COVID‐19 positive or at risk of becoming positive, to travellers requiring complex care and expanded to community members who could not quarantine at home.DesignThis descriptive qualitative study explored how nurses and nursing knowledge in the quarantine facility contributed to the low transmission incidence of COVID‐19 infection.MethodTwelve semi‐structured interviews were conducted via ZOOM from February to May 2022 with all levels of nursing staff (nurse managers to assistants in nursing) who had worked in the facility for 3 months or more. The nurses were asked to describe their experiences, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. The data were rich and were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six‐step thematic analysis.ResultsFour broad themes were generated demonstrating how nurses played a pivotal role in the success of the facility. First: nursing knowledge was evident through the development of policies, which minimized risks to nurses and patients. Second: a community of learning was developed as nurses supported upskilling and capacity building of staff, particularly new graduates with the facility. Third: a supportive management structure promoted teamwork and a positive workplace culture. And finally: the nurses were encouraged to develop techniques that promoted self‐care which enabled them to develop resilience.ConclusionThis was a nurse‐led service that developed strategies to manage care delivery and overcame unanticipated difficulties in a unique clinical setting.Reporting MethodThe quality of the research design was ensured by using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.
International Journal of Nursing Practice, Apr 1, 2010
The aim of this study was to synthesize all relevant information about nursing documentation and ... more The aim of this study was to synthesize all relevant information about nursing documentation and present the essential aspects of quality nursing documentation. Literature searches, limited to the English language, were conducted on both CINAHL (1982 to week 3, April 2008) and MEDLINE (1996 to April 2008) using the following search terms: attitude, audit, care, culture, documentation, guideline health, in service, legal, liability, medical, nurses, nursing, organizational, patient, personnel, planning practice, quality, records, research and training. One hundred and seventy-one papers were reviewed for their relevance to the clinical question. Twenty-eight articles were read by two researchers. Data informing the clinical question were extracted and categorized into key concepts by an analysis of similarities. The seven major themes (essentials) of quality nursing documentation were identified. This paper has reviewed contemporary literature, research evidence and local policies to identify the seven essential components of quality nursing documentation. Some of the barriers or more controversial aspects of the final policy are described.
ABSTRACT This volume honours Professor Dhira B. Mahoney who recently retired from the University ... more ABSTRACT This volume honours Professor Dhira B. Mahoney who recently retired from the University of Arizona and is well known for her rhetorical readings of late medieval literature. The volume is divided into four sections: Prologues and Pictures; Women and Rhetoric; Lyric, Song and Audience; and Arthurian Literature: Composition and Production. Each section represents a particular interest of Mahoney's and offers the reader a rich and diverse range of texts and readings. The range of texts covers Middle English, Latin, French, and German and authors such as Chaucer, Lydgate, Malory, Christine de Pisan, and Chretien de Troyes. What ties all these texts and authors together is that the essays presented in this volume are a response to Mahoney's scholarship. The opening chapter, a tribute to Mahoney, discusses how each section of the volume relates to her academic interests and scholarship. The first two sections are primarily concerned with what rhetorical devices within texts can tell the reader about those who constructed them. The first section contains three essays that examine this question. Ann Dobyn's 'Exemplars of Chivalry and Ethics in Middle English Romance' considers the prologues to three romances in the Thornton Manuscript to investigate how similar ethical concerns tie the romances together. The second essay, 'Jan der Enikel's Prologue as a Guide to Textual Multiplicity' by Maria Dobozy, turns from romance to the German chronicle tradition to examine how a text's reception can influence the way various prologues are constructed. The final essay in this section, 'Gifts and Givers that Keep on Giving: Pictured Presentations in Early Medieval Manuscripts' by Corine Schleif, studies visual representations of books being given to patrons to understand how the makers of texts wished to be seen by their audiences. The second section turns to issues of gender and authorship. The first essay, 'The Light of the Virgin Muse in John Lydgate's Life of Our Lady' by Georgiana Donavin, looks at the description of light in Lydgate's Life of our Lady. Light becomes a motif that persuades readers 'to envision the Virgin in the meditations' (p. 81) as Lydgate positions himself as an advocate of the Virgin. The following essay, 'Sisters under the Skin: Margery Kempe and Christine de Pisan' by Elizabeth Archibald, looks at the similarities between these two authors and the manner in which they constructed themselves as 'self-fashioned autobiographers' (p. 107) within their texts. The last essay in this section, 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Margery Kempe as Underground Preacher' by Rosalynn Voaden, looks at how Margery Kempe constructed herself as a woman who lived her life according to what Christ had willed for her (p. 121). Voaden argues that Kempe was not a woman driven by spiritual anxiety, but rather that her preaching was a conscious undertaking in obedience to Christ. The third section, Lyric, Song and Audience, is concerned with different rhetorical devices found in texts. Phyllis R. Brown's essay 'Rhetoric and Reception: Guillaume de Machaut's "Je Maudi"' discusses how the use of a curse in love poetry still affirms the power of love while drawing attention to human ridiculousness (p. 146). Christine Francis looks at how Chaucer uses music to define his characters in '"Maken Melodye": The Quality of Song in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales'. And finally John Damon examines the antiphon Estote fortes in bello as a means of legitimizing violence by Christians against those seen as heretics, such as the Lollards, in a wide range of texts. The final section of the volume turns to Arthurian literature, which is the area of literature for which Professor Mahoney is best known, particularly her work on the Grail legend. There are four essays in the section and the first two discuss the Grail. Anita Obermeier discusses images of fertility and sterility in medieval versions of the Grail legend. The second essay by Kevin J. Harty looks at Arnold Fanck's 1926 film, Der Heilige Berg, and discusses how the Grail became associated with Nazi ideology. The final two essays concentrate on Malory's Morte Darthur. Judith Lanzendorfer looks at folklore motifs and diminishing narrative time in Malory, while Alan Lupack discusses how Malory's use of prophesy, proverbs, letters...
Clear and accurate documentation is vital as a communication tool for all members of the health c... more Clear and accurate documentation is vital as a communication tool for all members of the health care team, because it improves the person’s health outcomes and is an essential component of patient safety. It is important because all members of the health care team need access to the most up-to-date patient information so that appropriate decisions can be made about the person’s care and treatment (Gebru, Ahsberg & Willman, 2007). Patient documentation also acts as evidence if you or another member of the health care team is called to explain their care in a legal setting. Therefore, all documentation in the person’s health care record should be presented so that any reader has a clear and accurate description of the person’s journey from admission to discharge. This journey should highlight how a person’s condition improves or deteriorates, and how these changes are managed by all members of the health care team, (Jefferies, Johnson & Nicholls, 2011). To ensure that patient information is documented in a clear and accurate manner, many different systems of documentation have been developed in response to professional standards and competencies. Each system is designed to demonstrate the nurses’ and other health care professionals’ accountability for the care they give to their patients. The ability to communicate information clearly, reliably and accurately is vital to providing the safest care possible
Review(s) of: Cultures of plague: Medical thinking at the end of the renaissance, by Cohn, Samuel... more Review(s) of: Cultures of plague: Medical thinking at the end of the renaissance, by Cohn, Samuel K. Jr, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009; hardback; pp. 360; 16 b/w illustrations, 1 map; R.R.P. 65.00 pounds; ISBN 9780199574025.
International nursing review en español: revista oficial del Consejo Internacional de Enfermeras, 2012
Objetivo: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un programa guiado de redaccion en una unid... more Objetivo: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un programa guiado de redaccion en una unidad hospitalaria para mejorar la calidad de la informacion del paciente en la documentacion de enfermeria. Antecedentes: Las omisiones en la informacion del paciente en las anotaciones de enfermeria hacen que sean una fuente poco segura para la planificacion de la atencion. Las estrategias para mejorar la calidad de la documentacion de enfermeria han sido infructuosas. Se probo un programa educativo, con un instructor personalizado en el ambito clinico. Metodo: Se utilizo un enfoque que combina metodos mixtos concurrentes incluyendo un diseno de intervencion y de control pre- y postest para el componente cuantitativo combinado con una perspectiva cualitativa utilizando focus group (ocho enfermeras). Los registros del hospital sanitario de 97 pacientes (intervencion) (46 pres- y 41 postest) y 88 pacientes (control) (51 pre- y 37 postest) fueron analizados utilizando la Herramienta de Auditoria de Contenidos de Enfermeria y Enfermeria Obstetrica para una documentacion de calidad de enfermeria. Dieciseis enfermeras de dos unidades de intervencion participaron en un taller introductorio de 2 semanas de instruccion. No se realizo intervencion en la unidad de control. Resultados: No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las unidades en los 14 criterios que representaban una documentacion de calidad; la mayoria de los criterios estuvieron presentes en el 75% o mas de los registros. Se demostraron mejoras tanto en las unidades de la intervencion como en las de comparacion. Los temas identificados en los focus groups incluyeron el impacto de estos cambios en enfermeras y pacientes, dificultades percibidas con la documentacion de enfermeria, aspectos medico-legales y los atributos de un instrumento de redaccion eficaz. Conclusion: La instruccion en redaccion es un metodo de apoyo para mejorar la documentacion de enfermeria. Ademas, la auditoria regular impulsa a las enfermeras a que mejoren la documentacion de enfermeria. Mas investigacion utilizando una muestra de mayor tamano puede confirmar o refutar estos resultados.
OBJECTIVE This paper reports findings from a study about women's experience of postpartum psy... more OBJECTIVE This paper reports findings from a study about women's experience of postpartum psychosis which affects 1-2 women in 1000 in the first four to six weeks following childbirth. Previous research reports many women are relucent to disclose symptoms of mental ill health to healthcare professionals, although they are most likely to discuss symptoms and concerns with a health professional known to them. DESIGN A qualitative interpretive study using semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS Ten women in Australia who had recovered from postpartum psychosis in the last ten years were interviewed. DATA ANALYSIS Data were analysed thematically by three researchers to enhance trustworthiness. RESULTS The women described their overall experience as traumatic and described what they saw as contributing factors such as a previous history of mental illness or a significant life event that was present before or during pregnancy; the women described how they made meaning of the symptoms they experienced, such as a lack of sleep or changes in their thoughts or behaviours; and the difficulties they experienced during recovery. The women also identified novel ways to support themselves and each other as they recovered. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Midwives require further education to recognise the symptoms of postpartum psychosis, to ask further probing questions to identify postpartum psychosis in its early stages and to support women as they recover from this illness.
ABSTRACT The objective of this volume of essays, edited by Slavica Rankovic, Leidulf Melve, and E... more ABSTRACT The objective of this volume of essays, edited by Slavica Rankovic, Leidulf Melve, and Else Mundal, is to explore how texts from the medieval era are spread across an oral-to-written continuum. The volume argues that it is impossible to classify texts as being from either the oral or the written tradition but that various aspects of texts fall somewhere on a continuum between these two axes. To make this point, the essays are divided into three sections, each making a significant contribution to an understanding of this concept. The first part attempts to conceptualize the continuum and contains three essays. The first essay by John Miles Foley explores the features of three different types of texts, oral, written, and electronic. This inquiry finds that the oral and electronic texts have more in common with each other and the written text stands alone. Rankovic's contribution identifies how oral texts, and literary texts derived from the oral tradition, have many similar features when they are plotted on the continuum as a model for viewing the relationship between the oral and the written mediums. Finally Leidulf Melve's essay examines the 'textualisation' of society and its impact upon the reporting of events from the Investiture Contest in the eleventh century, through the Becket controversy, to the English Baronial Rebellion in the thirteenth century. Having developed an understanding of what the oral-written continuum means in the medieval text and how it can be measured or analysed, the next part of the volume, Oral Texts and Textual Performance: Verbal Art along the Continuum, explores features of orality found in texts. Each essay presents a case study of a particular text or writers, generally from Scandinavia. The first three essays examine how events or persons are memorialized through various genres, such as skaldic poetry (Judith Jesch), memorial discourse (Joseph Harris), and Rune stones (Kristel Zilmer), emphasizing how all three genres have made use of features from both traditions. Next Else Mundal looks at the influence of oral performance on written texts and Judy Quinn takes the motif of 'drinking in' fluid as a metaphor for the transfer of knowledge in the poetic Edda. Another discussion of the Edda by Vésteinn Ólasan concludes that it is impossible to say that these poems were composed exclusively in the oral context but were a result of a long-lasting interplay between the two traditions. Other genres examined to identify how the oral tradition remains visible in the written text in the second part of the volume include the poetic curse in an essay by Bernt Øyvind Thorvaldsen, the Legend of St Hallvard by Aslaug Ommundsen, fragments found in the Cena Cypriani and Summarium Bible by Lucie Doležalova, and prologues found in Old Icelandic prose literature by Jürg Glauser. The final part of the volume moves away from Scandinavian literature to consider the oral-written continuum in administrative writing. Anna Adamska looks at how chronicles about the Bohemian King Venceslas and the Polish duke, Przemysl in the thirteenth century approached documents. An examination of these sources discusses the difference between a duke who was literate and who would get up during the night to read and a king who was illiterate and had documents read to him. The next essay by Theodore M. Anderson looks at how Charlemagne instituted a programme to ensure that language was written correctly. The last five essays examine the development of literacy in administrative writing in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Frisia in order to uncover how literacy grew throughout all sections of society. This volume presents a comprehensive survey of how the oral and written traditions are presented in medieval texts. Although most essays are concerned with texts from Scandinavia, there are individual essays exploring these issues in other European contexts. This volume would be of most interest to researchers and postgraduate students interested in how oral and written traditions interact in medieval texts. However, the first three chapters in Part I offer an interesting description of how the oral-written continuum can be conceptualized and how both these traditions can be measured in texts. From this point of view, this volume would have a wide appeal to...
Richard W. Kaeuper describes the subject of his book as an investigation into how chivalry could ... more Richard W. Kaeuper describes the subject of his book as an investigation into how chivalry could fit into a Christian framework (p. 5). He comes to his subject not by examining the clerical notions of knightly piety but by examining how the knights themselves came to justify their violent profession within Christianity. Although clerical responses to knightly violence are discussed in Chapter 1, Kaeuper acknowledges this is an area that has attracted much scholarly interest (p. 6). He also notes the church's pervasive influence in all aspects of ...
JEFFERIES D., JOHNSON M., NICHOLLS D., LANGDON R. & LAD S. Evaluating an intensive ward‐b... more JEFFERIES D., JOHNSON M., NICHOLLS D., LANGDON R. & LAD S. Evaluating an intensive ward‐based writing coach programme to improve nursing documentation: lessons learned. International Nursing Review59, 394–401Aim: This study aimed to develop a ward‐based writing coach programme to improve the quality of patient information in nursing documentation.Background: Omissions in the patient information make nursing notes an unreliable source for care planning. Strategies to improve the quality of nursing documentation have been unsuccessful. An education programme, with one‐to‐one coaching in the clinical environment, was tested.Method: A concurrent mixed methods approach including a pre–post test intervention and control design for the quantitative component combined with a qualitative approach using a focus group (eight nurses) was used. Healthcare records for 87 patients (intervention) (46 pre and 41 post) and 88 patients (control) (51 pre and 37 post) were reviewed using the Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool for quality nursing documentation. Sixteen nurses from two intervention wards participated in an introductory workshop with 2 weeks of coaching. No intervention was given to the control ward.Results: No significant differences were found between the wards across the 14 criteria representing quality documentation; most criteria were present in 75% or more of the records. Improvements were demonstrated in both the intervention and comparison units. Themes identified from the focus groups included the impact these changes had on nurses and patients, perceived difficulties with nursing documentation, medicolegal aspects and the attributes of an effective writing coach.Conclusion: Writing coaching is a supportive approach to improving nursing documentation. Also, regular auditing prompts nurses to improve nursing documentation. Further research using larger sample sizes can further confirm or refute these findings.
The Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool (NMCAT) was developed to monitor the quality of nurs... more The Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool (NMCAT) was developed to monitor the quality of nursing documentation.
Skip to Main Content. Wiley Online Library will be disrupted 3 Mar from 10-13 GMT for monthly mai... more Skip to Main Content. Wiley Online Library will be disrupted 3 Mar from 10-13 GMT for monthly maintenance. ...
Abstracts Background Childhood overweight/obesity has been rising around the world. However, ther... more Abstracts Background Childhood overweight/obesity has been rising around the world. However, there is a paucity of literature discussing nurses' nursing students' attitudes and beliefs toward overweight/obese children. This paper provides a discussion of the development of a survey tool (Mandarin version) used to measure nursing students' attitudes and beliefs. Aims To describe the development and psychometric analysis of a tool (Mandarin version) to measure the attitudes and beliefs of nursing students toward childhood overweight/obesity in Taiwan. Methods The Mandarin version of a 26 item tool was used to measure nursing students' attitudes and beliefs about childhood overweight/obesity on a five-point Likert Scale. The reliability of the tool for attitudes and beliefs was assessed by Cronbach's Alpha. Exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation was performed. Findings One hundred and fifteen responses were received. Following factor analysis, the 26 items were reduced to 19 for the Mandarin version. Factor analysis revealed three factors: self-concept, social relationships and poor eating behaviour. The reliability for the 13 items on the attitude subscale was 0.760, and the 6 item beliefs subscale was 0.756. Discussion This study has demonstrated that the Mandarin version of this tool is reliable and valid. Both the attitude and belief scales were found to have internal consistency and reliability. Conclusion This is the first study to describe the psychometric testing of a tool of nursing students' attitudes and beliefs about childhood overweight/obesity (Mandarin version). Evidence of the reliability and validity of the items has been established. The tool is easily administered and can be used to identify nurses or nursing students' attitudes and beliefs to childhood overweight/obesity.
AimTo explore how nurses and nursing knowledge contributed to the success of an Australian nurse‐... more AimTo explore how nurses and nursing knowledge contributed to the success of an Australian nurse‐led medical hotel quarantine facility during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The facility was established to accommodate returning travellers who were COVID‐19 positive or at risk of becoming positive, to travellers requiring complex care and expanded to community members who could not quarantine at home.DesignThis descriptive qualitative study explored how nurses and nursing knowledge in the quarantine facility contributed to the low transmission incidence of COVID‐19 infection.MethodTwelve semi‐structured interviews were conducted via ZOOM from February to May 2022 with all levels of nursing staff (nurse managers to assistants in nursing) who had worked in the facility for 3 months or more. The nurses were asked to describe their experiences, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them. The data were rich and were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six‐step thematic analysis.ResultsFour broad themes were generated demonstrating how nurses played a pivotal role in the success of the facility. First: nursing knowledge was evident through the development of policies, which minimized risks to nurses and patients. Second: a community of learning was developed as nurses supported upskilling and capacity building of staff, particularly new graduates with the facility. Third: a supportive management structure promoted teamwork and a positive workplace culture. And finally: the nurses were encouraged to develop techniques that promoted self‐care which enabled them to develop resilience.ConclusionThis was a nurse‐led service that developed strategies to manage care delivery and overcame unanticipated difficulties in a unique clinical setting.Reporting MethodThe quality of the research design was ensured by using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.
International Journal of Nursing Practice, Apr 1, 2010
The aim of this study was to synthesize all relevant information about nursing documentation and ... more The aim of this study was to synthesize all relevant information about nursing documentation and present the essential aspects of quality nursing documentation. Literature searches, limited to the English language, were conducted on both CINAHL (1982 to week 3, April 2008) and MEDLINE (1996 to April 2008) using the following search terms: attitude, audit, care, culture, documentation, guideline health, in service, legal, liability, medical, nurses, nursing, organizational, patient, personnel, planning practice, quality, records, research and training. One hundred and seventy-one papers were reviewed for their relevance to the clinical question. Twenty-eight articles were read by two researchers. Data informing the clinical question were extracted and categorized into key concepts by an analysis of similarities. The seven major themes (essentials) of quality nursing documentation were identified. This paper has reviewed contemporary literature, research evidence and local policies to identify the seven essential components of quality nursing documentation. Some of the barriers or more controversial aspects of the final policy are described.
ABSTRACT This volume honours Professor Dhira B. Mahoney who recently retired from the University ... more ABSTRACT This volume honours Professor Dhira B. Mahoney who recently retired from the University of Arizona and is well known for her rhetorical readings of late medieval literature. The volume is divided into four sections: Prologues and Pictures; Women and Rhetoric; Lyric, Song and Audience; and Arthurian Literature: Composition and Production. Each section represents a particular interest of Mahoney's and offers the reader a rich and diverse range of texts and readings. The range of texts covers Middle English, Latin, French, and German and authors such as Chaucer, Lydgate, Malory, Christine de Pisan, and Chretien de Troyes. What ties all these texts and authors together is that the essays presented in this volume are a response to Mahoney's scholarship. The opening chapter, a tribute to Mahoney, discusses how each section of the volume relates to her academic interests and scholarship. The first two sections are primarily concerned with what rhetorical devices within texts can tell the reader about those who constructed them. The first section contains three essays that examine this question. Ann Dobyn's 'Exemplars of Chivalry and Ethics in Middle English Romance' considers the prologues to three romances in the Thornton Manuscript to investigate how similar ethical concerns tie the romances together. The second essay, 'Jan der Enikel's Prologue as a Guide to Textual Multiplicity' by Maria Dobozy, turns from romance to the German chronicle tradition to examine how a text's reception can influence the way various prologues are constructed. The final essay in this section, 'Gifts and Givers that Keep on Giving: Pictured Presentations in Early Medieval Manuscripts' by Corine Schleif, studies visual representations of books being given to patrons to understand how the makers of texts wished to be seen by their audiences. The second section turns to issues of gender and authorship. The first essay, 'The Light of the Virgin Muse in John Lydgate's Life of Our Lady' by Georgiana Donavin, looks at the description of light in Lydgate's Life of our Lady. Light becomes a motif that persuades readers 'to envision the Virgin in the meditations' (p. 81) as Lydgate positions himself as an advocate of the Virgin. The following essay, 'Sisters under the Skin: Margery Kempe and Christine de Pisan' by Elizabeth Archibald, looks at the similarities between these two authors and the manner in which they constructed themselves as 'self-fashioned autobiographers' (p. 107) within their texts. The last essay in this section, 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Margery Kempe as Underground Preacher' by Rosalynn Voaden, looks at how Margery Kempe constructed herself as a woman who lived her life according to what Christ had willed for her (p. 121). Voaden argues that Kempe was not a woman driven by spiritual anxiety, but rather that her preaching was a conscious undertaking in obedience to Christ. The third section, Lyric, Song and Audience, is concerned with different rhetorical devices found in texts. Phyllis R. Brown's essay 'Rhetoric and Reception: Guillaume de Machaut's "Je Maudi"' discusses how the use of a curse in love poetry still affirms the power of love while drawing attention to human ridiculousness (p. 146). Christine Francis looks at how Chaucer uses music to define his characters in '"Maken Melodye": The Quality of Song in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales'. And finally John Damon examines the antiphon Estote fortes in bello as a means of legitimizing violence by Christians against those seen as heretics, such as the Lollards, in a wide range of texts. The final section of the volume turns to Arthurian literature, which is the area of literature for which Professor Mahoney is best known, particularly her work on the Grail legend. There are four essays in the section and the first two discuss the Grail. Anita Obermeier discusses images of fertility and sterility in medieval versions of the Grail legend. The second essay by Kevin J. Harty looks at Arnold Fanck's 1926 film, Der Heilige Berg, and discusses how the Grail became associated with Nazi ideology. The final two essays concentrate on Malory's Morte Darthur. Judith Lanzendorfer looks at folklore motifs and diminishing narrative time in Malory, while Alan Lupack discusses how Malory's use of prophesy, proverbs, letters...
Clear and accurate documentation is vital as a communication tool for all members of the health c... more Clear and accurate documentation is vital as a communication tool for all members of the health care team, because it improves the person’s health outcomes and is an essential component of patient safety. It is important because all members of the health care team need access to the most up-to-date patient information so that appropriate decisions can be made about the person’s care and treatment (Gebru, Ahsberg & Willman, 2007). Patient documentation also acts as evidence if you or another member of the health care team is called to explain their care in a legal setting. Therefore, all documentation in the person’s health care record should be presented so that any reader has a clear and accurate description of the person’s journey from admission to discharge. This journey should highlight how a person’s condition improves or deteriorates, and how these changes are managed by all members of the health care team, (Jefferies, Johnson & Nicholls, 2011). To ensure that patient information is documented in a clear and accurate manner, many different systems of documentation have been developed in response to professional standards and competencies. Each system is designed to demonstrate the nurses’ and other health care professionals’ accountability for the care they give to their patients. The ability to communicate information clearly, reliably and accurately is vital to providing the safest care possible
Review(s) of: Cultures of plague: Medical thinking at the end of the renaissance, by Cohn, Samuel... more Review(s) of: Cultures of plague: Medical thinking at the end of the renaissance, by Cohn, Samuel K. Jr, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009; hardback; pp. 360; 16 b/w illustrations, 1 map; R.R.P. 65.00 pounds; ISBN 9780199574025.
International nursing review en español: revista oficial del Consejo Internacional de Enfermeras, 2012
Objetivo: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un programa guiado de redaccion en una unid... more Objetivo: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un programa guiado de redaccion en una unidad hospitalaria para mejorar la calidad de la informacion del paciente en la documentacion de enfermeria. Antecedentes: Las omisiones en la informacion del paciente en las anotaciones de enfermeria hacen que sean una fuente poco segura para la planificacion de la atencion. Las estrategias para mejorar la calidad de la documentacion de enfermeria han sido infructuosas. Se probo un programa educativo, con un instructor personalizado en el ambito clinico. Metodo: Se utilizo un enfoque que combina metodos mixtos concurrentes incluyendo un diseno de intervencion y de control pre- y postest para el componente cuantitativo combinado con una perspectiva cualitativa utilizando focus group (ocho enfermeras). Los registros del hospital sanitario de 97 pacientes (intervencion) (46 pres- y 41 postest) y 88 pacientes (control) (51 pre- y 37 postest) fueron analizados utilizando la Herramienta de Auditoria de Contenidos de Enfermeria y Enfermeria Obstetrica para una documentacion de calidad de enfermeria. Dieciseis enfermeras de dos unidades de intervencion participaron en un taller introductorio de 2 semanas de instruccion. No se realizo intervencion en la unidad de control. Resultados: No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las unidades en los 14 criterios que representaban una documentacion de calidad; la mayoria de los criterios estuvieron presentes en el 75% o mas de los registros. Se demostraron mejoras tanto en las unidades de la intervencion como en las de comparacion. Los temas identificados en los focus groups incluyeron el impacto de estos cambios en enfermeras y pacientes, dificultades percibidas con la documentacion de enfermeria, aspectos medico-legales y los atributos de un instrumento de redaccion eficaz. Conclusion: La instruccion en redaccion es un metodo de apoyo para mejorar la documentacion de enfermeria. Ademas, la auditoria regular impulsa a las enfermeras a que mejoren la documentacion de enfermeria. Mas investigacion utilizando una muestra de mayor tamano puede confirmar o refutar estos resultados.
OBJECTIVE This paper reports findings from a study about women's experience of postpartum psy... more OBJECTIVE This paper reports findings from a study about women's experience of postpartum psychosis which affects 1-2 women in 1000 in the first four to six weeks following childbirth. Previous research reports many women are relucent to disclose symptoms of mental ill health to healthcare professionals, although they are most likely to discuss symptoms and concerns with a health professional known to them. DESIGN A qualitative interpretive study using semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS Ten women in Australia who had recovered from postpartum psychosis in the last ten years were interviewed. DATA ANALYSIS Data were analysed thematically by three researchers to enhance trustworthiness. RESULTS The women described their overall experience as traumatic and described what they saw as contributing factors such as a previous history of mental illness or a significant life event that was present before or during pregnancy; the women described how they made meaning of the symptoms they experienced, such as a lack of sleep or changes in their thoughts or behaviours; and the difficulties they experienced during recovery. The women also identified novel ways to support themselves and each other as they recovered. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Midwives require further education to recognise the symptoms of postpartum psychosis, to ask further probing questions to identify postpartum psychosis in its early stages and to support women as they recover from this illness.
ABSTRACT The objective of this volume of essays, edited by Slavica Rankovic, Leidulf Melve, and E... more ABSTRACT The objective of this volume of essays, edited by Slavica Rankovic, Leidulf Melve, and Else Mundal, is to explore how texts from the medieval era are spread across an oral-to-written continuum. The volume argues that it is impossible to classify texts as being from either the oral or the written tradition but that various aspects of texts fall somewhere on a continuum between these two axes. To make this point, the essays are divided into three sections, each making a significant contribution to an understanding of this concept. The first part attempts to conceptualize the continuum and contains three essays. The first essay by John Miles Foley explores the features of three different types of texts, oral, written, and electronic. This inquiry finds that the oral and electronic texts have more in common with each other and the written text stands alone. Rankovic's contribution identifies how oral texts, and literary texts derived from the oral tradition, have many similar features when they are plotted on the continuum as a model for viewing the relationship between the oral and the written mediums. Finally Leidulf Melve's essay examines the 'textualisation' of society and its impact upon the reporting of events from the Investiture Contest in the eleventh century, through the Becket controversy, to the English Baronial Rebellion in the thirteenth century. Having developed an understanding of what the oral-written continuum means in the medieval text and how it can be measured or analysed, the next part of the volume, Oral Texts and Textual Performance: Verbal Art along the Continuum, explores features of orality found in texts. Each essay presents a case study of a particular text or writers, generally from Scandinavia. The first three essays examine how events or persons are memorialized through various genres, such as skaldic poetry (Judith Jesch), memorial discourse (Joseph Harris), and Rune stones (Kristel Zilmer), emphasizing how all three genres have made use of features from both traditions. Next Else Mundal looks at the influence of oral performance on written texts and Judy Quinn takes the motif of 'drinking in' fluid as a metaphor for the transfer of knowledge in the poetic Edda. Another discussion of the Edda by Vésteinn Ólasan concludes that it is impossible to say that these poems were composed exclusively in the oral context but were a result of a long-lasting interplay between the two traditions. Other genres examined to identify how the oral tradition remains visible in the written text in the second part of the volume include the poetic curse in an essay by Bernt Øyvind Thorvaldsen, the Legend of St Hallvard by Aslaug Ommundsen, fragments found in the Cena Cypriani and Summarium Bible by Lucie Doležalova, and prologues found in Old Icelandic prose literature by Jürg Glauser. The final part of the volume moves away from Scandinavian literature to consider the oral-written continuum in administrative writing. Anna Adamska looks at how chronicles about the Bohemian King Venceslas and the Polish duke, Przemysl in the thirteenth century approached documents. An examination of these sources discusses the difference between a duke who was literate and who would get up during the night to read and a king who was illiterate and had documents read to him. The next essay by Theodore M. Anderson looks at how Charlemagne instituted a programme to ensure that language was written correctly. The last five essays examine the development of literacy in administrative writing in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Frisia in order to uncover how literacy grew throughout all sections of society. This volume presents a comprehensive survey of how the oral and written traditions are presented in medieval texts. Although most essays are concerned with texts from Scandinavia, there are individual essays exploring these issues in other European contexts. This volume would be of most interest to researchers and postgraduate students interested in how oral and written traditions interact in medieval texts. However, the first three chapters in Part I offer an interesting description of how the oral-written continuum can be conceptualized and how both these traditions can be measured in texts. From this point of view, this volume would have a wide appeal to...
Richard W. Kaeuper describes the subject of his book as an investigation into how chivalry could ... more Richard W. Kaeuper describes the subject of his book as an investigation into how chivalry could fit into a Christian framework (p. 5). He comes to his subject not by examining the clerical notions of knightly piety but by examining how the knights themselves came to justify their violent profession within Christianity. Although clerical responses to knightly violence are discussed in Chapter 1, Kaeuper acknowledges this is an area that has attracted much scholarly interest (p. 6). He also notes the church's pervasive influence in all aspects of ...
JEFFERIES D., JOHNSON M., NICHOLLS D., LANGDON R. & LAD S. Evaluating an intensive ward‐b... more JEFFERIES D., JOHNSON M., NICHOLLS D., LANGDON R. & LAD S. Evaluating an intensive ward‐based writing coach programme to improve nursing documentation: lessons learned. International Nursing Review59, 394–401Aim: This study aimed to develop a ward‐based writing coach programme to improve the quality of patient information in nursing documentation.Background: Omissions in the patient information make nursing notes an unreliable source for care planning. Strategies to improve the quality of nursing documentation have been unsuccessful. An education programme, with one‐to‐one coaching in the clinical environment, was tested.Method: A concurrent mixed methods approach including a pre–post test intervention and control design for the quantitative component combined with a qualitative approach using a focus group (eight nurses) was used. Healthcare records for 87 patients (intervention) (46 pre and 41 post) and 88 patients (control) (51 pre and 37 post) were reviewed using the Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool for quality nursing documentation. Sixteen nurses from two intervention wards participated in an introductory workshop with 2 weeks of coaching. No intervention was given to the control ward.Results: No significant differences were found between the wards across the 14 criteria representing quality documentation; most criteria were present in 75% or more of the records. Improvements were demonstrated in both the intervention and comparison units. Themes identified from the focus groups included the impact these changes had on nurses and patients, perceived difficulties with nursing documentation, medicolegal aspects and the attributes of an effective writing coach.Conclusion: Writing coaching is a supportive approach to improving nursing documentation. Also, regular auditing prompts nurses to improve nursing documentation. Further research using larger sample sizes can further confirm or refute these findings.
The Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool (NMCAT) was developed to monitor the quality of nurs... more The Nursing and Midwifery Content Audit Tool (NMCAT) was developed to monitor the quality of nursing documentation.
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Abstracts Background Childhood overweight/obesity has been rising around the world. However, ther... more Abstracts Background Childhood overweight/obesity has been rising around the world. However, there is a paucity of literature discussing nurses' nursing students' attitudes and beliefs toward overweight/obese children. This paper provides a discussion of the development of a survey tool (Mandarin version) used to measure nursing students' attitudes and beliefs. Aims To describe the development and psychometric analysis of a tool (Mandarin version) to measure the attitudes and beliefs of nursing students toward childhood overweight/obesity in Taiwan. Methods The Mandarin version of a 26 item tool was used to measure nursing students' attitudes and beliefs about childhood overweight/obesity on a five-point Likert Scale. The reliability of the tool for attitudes and beliefs was assessed by Cronbach's Alpha. Exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation was performed. Findings One hundred and fifteen responses were received. Following factor analysis, the 26 items were reduced to 19 for the Mandarin version. Factor analysis revealed three factors: self-concept, social relationships and poor eating behaviour. The reliability for the 13 items on the attitude subscale was 0.760, and the 6 item beliefs subscale was 0.756. Discussion This study has demonstrated that the Mandarin version of this tool is reliable and valid. Both the attitude and belief scales were found to have internal consistency and reliability. Conclusion This is the first study to describe the psychometric testing of a tool of nursing students' attitudes and beliefs about childhood overweight/obesity (Mandarin version). Evidence of the reliability and validity of the items has been established. The tool is easily administered and can be used to identify nurses or nursing students' attitudes and beliefs to childhood overweight/obesity.
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Papers by Diana Jefferies