A systematic review of nurse-related social network analysis studies.

BACKGROUND: Nurses frequently work as part of both uni- and multidisciplinary teams. Communication between team members is critical in the delivery of quality care. Social network analysis is increasingly being used to explore such communication. AIM: To explore the use of social network analysis involving nurses either as subjects of the study or as researchers. METHODS: Standard systematic review procedures were applied to identify nurse-related studies that utilize social network analysis. A comparative thematic approach to synthesis was used. Both published and grey literature written in English, Spanish and Portuguese between January 1965 and December 2013 were identified via a structured search of CINAHL, SciELO and PubMed. In addition, Google and Yahoo search engines were used to identify additional grey literature using the same search strategy. RESULTS: Forty-three primary studies were identified with literature from North America dominating the published work. So far it would appear that no author or group of authors have developed a programme of research in the nursing field using the social network analysis approach although several authors may be in the process of doing so. LIMITATIONS: The dominance of literature from North America may be viewed as problematic as the underlying structures and themes may be an artefact of cultural communication norms from this region. CONCLUSIONS: The use of social network analysis in relation to nursing and by nurse researchers has increased rapidly over the past two decades. The lack of longitudinal studies and the absence of replication across multiple sites should be seen as an opportunity for further research. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: This analytical approach is relatively new in the field of nursing but does show considerable promise in offering insights into the way information flows between individuals, teams, institutions and other structures. An understanding of these structures provides a means of improving communication.

Analysis of a global random stratified sample of nurse legislation.

AIM: To identify, compare and contrast the major component parts of heterogeneous stratified sample of nursing legislation. BACKGROUND: Nursing legislation varies from one jurisdiction to another. Up until now no research exists into whether the variations of such legislation are random or if variations are related to a set of key attributes. METHODS: This mixed method study used a random stratified sample of legislation to map through documentary analysis the content of 14 nursing acts and then explored, using quantitative techniques, whether the material contained relates to a number of key attributes. These attributes include: legal tradition of the jurisdiction; model of regulation; administrative approach; area of the world; and the economic status of the jurisdiction. FINDINGS: Twelve component parts of nursing legislation were identified. These were remarkably similar irrespective of attributes of interest. However, not all component parts were specified in the same level of detail and the manner by which the elements were addressed did vary. A number of potential relationships between the structure of the legislation and the key attributes of interest were identified. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY: This study generated a comprehensive and integrated map of a global sample of nursing legislation. It provides a set of descriptors to be used to undertake further quantitative work and provides an important policy tool to facilitate dialogue between regulatory bodies. At the individual nurse level it offers insights that can help nurses pursue recognition of credentials across jurisdictions.

[Suicide in the elderly]. / El suicidio en la tercera edad.

Being the suicide a conduct very old, it's at present a problem with the epidemic characteristics and it's for this question that it has aroused a great interest. But, we have observed that the interest is only about the suicide youngest persons. They are little the factors and tendencies suicides studies in years old persons ("third age"), though also the suicide in years old persons is augmenting. We have analyzed 74 suicides in greater 60 years old persons occurred in our community. We have studied several epidemiological factors: sex, age, civil condition, the suicide mechanism, place where it's occurred, hour, day, month, the pathological antecedents and the other case antecedents.

[Prison psychosis: apropos of a case]. / Psicosis carcelaria: a propósito de un caso.

We have realized a review and actualization of prisons psychosis; an important problem at present in prison's ambit because it generates a great number of recoveries and graves questions to prison's doctors and psychiatry's doctor which they work in this world. Also, this problem origins a numbers judicial's questions in relation with the imputability. Further, we expose a clinic case of our practice.