Exploring Theatre of the Oppressed and Forum Theatre as pedagogies in nursing education.

BACKGROUND: Concepts such as racism, oppression and social justice are critical curricular inclusions in nursing education. However, traditional approaches to nursing education often fail to produce the desired reflection and change amongst students. There is an urgent need to develop nursing educators that can step outside the rigidity of the curricular status quo and engage students with pedagogies that support critical reflection, analysis and action. Participatory, experiential and interactive theatrical methods rooted in critical pedagogy, such as Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) and Forum Theatre (FT) may prove more effective at engendering reflection, analysis and action. OBJECTIVES: The study explores health care providers' (including nurses, nurse educators and allied health professionals) and nursing students' experiences, reflections and usefulness of TO and FT as nursing pedagogies. DESIGN: Influenced by Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, this study was conducted on a Western Canadian university campus. Two groups participated: one that included health care providers (HCP) (n = 8) and the second that included an audience of nursing educators and students (n = 7). HCPs participated in a two-day TO workshop, while nursing students participated as audience members in the FT performance. The data were drawn from sharing circles and group discussions and were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The findings from HCPs revealed that TO represents an opportunity for reflection and growth; strengthening relationships; and practicing vulnerability. Given that students only participated as audience members, they described practical applications for using TO and FT as pedagogies in nursing education including in simulation and in theory-based courses. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that TO and FT can play an important role in supporting HCPs' development as critical educators through embodied and reflective practice and that nursing students endorse the application of TO and FT in a broad range of learning contexts.

An Indigenous and arts-influenced framework for anti-racist practice in nursing education.

In this article, we share an innovative framework using Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed along with Indigenous sharing circles as a pedagogical approach to explore racism with nurses, nurse educators and allied health professionals. Theatre of the Oppressed is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of participatory and improvisational theatre techniques and games to facilitate dialogue about the problems and oppression that people face in their own lives and to rehearse solutions for acting on these problems (Boal, 2002). The purpose of this article is to detail the methodology of our Indigenous and arts-influenced framework. Using select dialogue that emerged from participants in the workshop, we illustrate how Theatre of the Oppressed, along with Indigenous sharing circles facilitated conversations and raised awareness and consciousness regarding racism, and provided opportunities for health care providers to reimagine race and confront racism within their own practices.

Undergraduate nursing students' perspectives of intercultural communication: A qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Problematic communication in nurse-client relationships is a contributory factor to healthcare disparities and negative health outcomes. Information and practice sessions about intercultural communication in nursing education are vital to equip the future health workforce. Limited evidence was located regarding undergraduate nursing students' perspectives on intercultural communication, which is crucial in determining the effectiveness and appropriateness of incorporating intercultural communication in nursing curricula. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students regarding intercultural communication in their nursing program. DESIGN: This study used a qualitative descriptive design guided by the Integrated Model of Intercultural Communication Competence. SETTING: A Western Canadian university. PARTICIPANTS: Ten fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: Participants volunteered to participate in a semi-structured, one-on-one interview. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis. Another data source was the first author's reflective journal. Member checks were conducted. RESULTS: Participants perceived that limited intercultural communication content existed in nursing curricula; however, they acknowledged that learning about and engaging in intercultural communication facilitated more empathetic and culturally safe nursing practice. Barriers identified during intercultural communication in students' clinical practice included language, power differentials, gender, and limited staffing. However, students' cultural background, experiences, social media, and learning within culturally diverse environments were perceived to enable them to facilitate intercultural communication. Based on the findings, recommendations were formulated to integrate a cultural component in health assessment protocols with the addition of active teaching strategies to equip nursing students with the requisite skills and knowledge for effective intercultural communication. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the perceived barriers, facilitators, and outcomes of intercultural communication education. Participating nursing students described how they developed empathetic intercultural communication skills and adjusted care with culturally diverse clients. Findings indicate that nurse educators use active teaching strategies that offer students opportunities to engage with culturally diverse clients.

Recombinant human TNFRSF1A (r-hTBP1) inhibits the development of endometriosis in baboons: a prospective, randomized, placebo- and drug-controlled study.

Endometriosis is associated with chronic inflammation, including an increased macrophage activity with increased secretion of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or TNF superfamily member 2, previously known as TNFalpha. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that recombinant human TNFRSF1A (r-hTBP1) can inhibit the development of endometriotic lesions in the baboon, an established model for the study of endometriosis. Endometriosis was induced using intrapelvic injection of menstrual endometrium in 20 baboons with a normal pelvis. In the first part of the study, 14 baboons were randomly assigned to subcutaneous treatment with r-hTBP1, placebo, or GnRH antagonist (positive control). In the second part of the study, menstrual endometrium from 6 baboons was randomly incubated with either PBS or r-hTBP1 before intrapelvic seeding. Video laparoscopy was performed 25 days later to document the number, surface area, and estimated volume of endometriotic lesions and adhesions; to calculate the revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) score and stage; and to confirm the histological presence of endometriosis. In the first part, baboons treated with r-hTBP1 or with Antide (Bachem) had a lower endometriosis rAFS score, a lower surface area and estimated volume of peritoneal endometriotic lesions, and a lower histological confirmation rate compared with controls. Because of less adnexal and cul-de-sac adhesions, the number of baboons with endometriosis of stage II, III, or IV was lower among baboons treated with r-hTBP1 or Antide than among controls. In the second part, the surface area of endometriotic lesions was lower, and less severe endometriosis was observed in r-hTBP1-treated baboons. No hypoestrogenic effects were observed in baboons treated with r-hTBP1. In conclusion, r-hTBP1 can effectively inhibit the development of endometriosis without hypoestrogenic effects in baboons.