The lived experiences of aboriginal adolescent survivors of childhood cancer during the recovering process in Taiwan: A descriptive qualitative research.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of Taiwanese aboriginal adolescent survivors of childhood cancer during the process of recovery. METHOD: A snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit participants from the pediatrics unit of a medical center in the eastern region of Taiwan. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 aboriginal adolescent childhood cancer survivors. The data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed three major themes with subthemes within each theme. The three major themes are: roots of resilience, transformation and growth, and meaning of traditional rituals for resilience. The three subthemes within "roots of resilience" include: "feeling secure through company of family, care and financial support", "receiving support from the important others and religion" and "learning to self-adjust". The three subthemes revealed within "transformation and growth" are: restructuring the relationship with peers, "appreciating parents' hard work", and "learning to seize the moment". The two subthemes within "meaning of traditional rituals to resilience" include: "feeling blessed with the power of ancestral spirits" and "strengthening ethnic identity". CONCLUSION: This study provided insight into the experiences of aboriginal adolescents as they recovered from childhood cancer. The experiences made positive impacts by inspiring growth in maturity and consolidating aboriginal ethnic identity. The adolescents were empowered by support from family, friends and clansmen, and by their participation in aboriginal rituals. As healthcare professionals care for the aboriginal adolescents, it is critical to consider this culturally and ethnically specific knowledge/experience of surviving cancer to improve quality of care.

Nurses' perceptions of e-portfolio use for on-the-job training in Taiwan.

Electronic portfolios can be used to record user performance and achievements. Currently, clinical learning systems and in-service education systems lack integration of nurses' clinical performance records with their education or training outcomes. For nurses with less than 2 years' work experience (nursing postgraduate year), use of an electronic portfolio is essential. This study aimed to assess the requirements of using electronic portfolios in continuing nursing education for clinical practices. Fifteen nurses were recruited using a qualitative purposive sampling approach between April 2013 and May 2013. After obtaining participants' consent, data were collected in a conference room of the study hospital by one-on-one semistructured in-depth interviews. Through data analyses, the following five main themes related to electronic learning portfolios were identified: instant access to in-service education information, computerized nursing postgraduate year training manual, diversity of system functions and interface designs, need for sufficient computers, and protection of personal documents. Because electronic portfolios are beginning to be used in clinical settings, a well-designed education information system not only can meet the needs of nurses but also can facilitate their learning progress.