Empowerment in Nursing Literature: An Update and Look to the Future.

This review was conducted to describe empowerment theories that have influenced nursing practice, education, and research. Multiple perspectives of empowerment including structural, psychological, and group have contributed to the failure to consistently describe and measure this complex concept. The majority of empowerment literature originates from nonnursing theoretical frameworks. This review suggests that the nursing theory of work team/group empowerment, a midlevel nursing theory based upon King's conceptual framework of nursing, may be used to better understand and improve nurses' work team's/group's empowerment within healthcare organizations.

Nursing Group Empowerment: Instrument Revision.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Empowerment with Organizations (SKAGEO) has demonstrated consistent reliability and validity, although past participants reported the need for revisions to further improve its clarity and ease of use in research. The purpose of this research was to use focus groups to revise the SKAGEO. METHODS: Two focus groups were held (seven RNs and one student nurse). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the focus group discussions. RESULTS: Five major themes, and eleven subthemes, were identified as areas for future revisions to further improve the instrument's clarity and use in research. CONCLUSIONS: Revisions in the SKAGEO, based on the areas identified by the focus groups, would result in an instrument that would more easily be understood and incorporated into research.

Aromatherapy massage versus reflexology on female elderly with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue and abnormalities in cardiovascular parameters are recognized as major problems for patients with acute coronary syndrome. Non-pharmacological nursing interventions are useful for controlling this fatigue and reducing patients' suffering during hospitalization. AIM: The present study compared the effects of aromatherapy massage and reflexology on fatigue and cardiovascular parameters in older female patients with acute coronary syndrome. DESIGN: This study was a randomized clinical trial. METHODS: The study was conducted with 135 older female patients with acute coronary syndrome who were hospitalized in a cardiac care unit in 2014. They were invited to participate in the study and then were randomly divided into three groups: 'aromatherapy massage', 'reflexology' and 'control'. The fatigue severity and cardiovascular parameters were assessed using the Rhoten fatigue scale and a checklist. Measurements in the groups were performed before and immediately after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical statistics via the SPSS software. RESULTS: Aromatherapy massage significantly decreased fatigue, systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and O2 saturation more than the reflexology intervention. However, reflexology reduced patients' heart rates more than an aromatherapy massage (P < 0·05). Moreover, no significant changes were observed in patients' diastolic blood pressures when compared to the control group (P = 0·37). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of both aromatherapy massage and reflexology has positive effects on the fatigue and cardiovascular parameters of patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, aromatherapy massage can be more beneficial to use as a supportive approach in coronary diseases. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The need for reducing fatigue in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in a cardiac care unit is evident. The implementation of aromatherapy massage and reflexology had positive effects on patients' fatigue as related to both physical and mental health.

Nurse's use of power to standardise nursing terminology in electronic health records.

AIMS: To describe nurses' use of power to influence the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. BACKGROUND: Little is known about nurses' potential use of power to influence the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. METHODS: The theory of group power within organisations informed the design of the descriptive, cross-sectional study used a survey method to assess nurses' use of power to influence the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. The Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations© and Nursing Power Scale was used. A total of 232 nurses responded to the survey. RESULTS: The mean power capability score was moderately high at 134.22 (SD 18.49), suggesting that nurses could use power to achieve the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. The nurses' power capacity was significantly correlated with their power capability (r = 0.96, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nurses may use power to achieve their goals, such as the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse administrators may use their power to influence the incorporation of standardised nursing terminology within electronic health records. If nurses lack power, this could decrease nurses' ability to achieve their goals and contribute to the achievement of effective patient outcomes.

Group power through the lens of the 21st century and beyond: further validation of the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations.

AIM: The purpose was to determine the content validity of a semantic revision of items on a reliable and valid instrument, the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations (SKAGPO). BACKGROUND: Research participants expressed negative perceptions regarding the use of the concept of 'power' in SKAGPO items. The SKAGPO is the only instrument measuring a nursing group's power or outcome attainment. METHOD: Using a survey method, the instrument and grading scale were sent to 12 expert judges. Six participants completed the grading scale. RESULTS: The Content Validity Index (CVI) for seven questions was at or above 83% agreement. Overall, the CVI for the eight revised questions was 93.75%. Subsequently, the instrument was renamed the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Outcome Attainment within Organizations (SKAGOAO). CONCLUSIONS: The semantic revision demonstrated content validity for the revised SKAGOAO. When used by nursing groups to assess their level of outcome attainment, the instrument should continue to be psychometrically evaluated. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: A nursing group of any size can use the SKAGOAO to both assess the group's level of outcome attainment or empowerment and direct plans to further improve that level.

Measuring nursing power within organizations.

PURPOSE: To describe the Sieloff-King Assessment of Departmental Power (SKADP) instrument and the psychometric evaluation of both the SKADP and its revision: the Sieloff-King Assessment of Group Power within Organizations (SKAGPO) instrument. DESIGN: A survey of 357 chief nurse executives in the United States to psychometrically evaluate the SKAGPO. METHODS: Psychometric evaluation of the SKAGPO included: (a) internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, split-half with the equal-length Spearman Brown Correction Formula, and item analysis; (b) concurrent criterion-related validity; and (c) factor analysis. FINDINGS: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the SKAGPO was .92. Subscales' alphas ranged from .63 to .88. Item-total correlations ranged from .24 to .68, with an average item-total correlation of .48 (n = 334). Concurrent criterion-related validity was supported. CONCLUSIONS: The SKAGPO and the related subscales showed initial reliability and validity.

King's conceptual system and theory of goal attainment: past, present, and future.

Imogene King is universally recognized as a pioneer of nursing theory development. Her interacting conceptual system for nursing and her theory of goal attainment have been included in every major nursing theory text, are taught to thousands of nursing students, form the basis of nursing education programs, and are implemented in a variety of service settings.