Lifting and pregnancy outcomes: feasibility of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The highest incidence of preterm birth (18%) occurs in Africa but the causes are largely unknown. Some studies have reported adverse effects of maternal physical exertion on birth outcomes. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is proposed to determine the effectiveness of an intervention reducing lifting and carrying in pregnant women in reducing preterm birth and low birthweight. Aims: To test the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed lift-less intervention RCT. Methods: We recruited pregnant women and midwives from antenatal clinics within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The midwives were trained to administer the intervention during a 5-week trial. Four intervention trial sessions were organized at weekly intervals. Results: Seven pregnant women and six midwives participated. After piloting, we observed a reduction in participants' self-reported daily exposure to heavy lifting and carrying. The daily average frequency of lifting by a participant within the first seven days of the study was 3.5 (SD 1.7) with an estimated mean total weight of 41.1 kg (SD = 13.3 kg). This had decreased to 2.3 (SD = 1.0) and the amount to 13.4 kg (SD = 10.9) within the last seven days of the study. Conclusions: The findings provide insight into the daily physical exertion experienced by pregnant women in Ghana. The lift-less intervention trial is feasible with modifications and has the potential to reduce excessive physical exertion among pregnant women in Ghana to improve birth outcomes.

Barriers to spousal contribution to childbirth pain relief in Nigeria.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers inhibiting the use of spousal presence for childbirth pain relief in health facilities and recommendations from three perspectives: the midwife, the woman, and the spouse. BACKGROUND: Spousal presence is a non-invasive, participatory and inexpensive technique used in pain management during childbirth. Although it contributes to a large extent in relieving childbirth pain, it is underutilized in Nigerian hospitals. Overcoming the challenges impeding spousal presence and participation during childbirth will improve maternal outcome, satisfaction and midwifery care practices. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey conducted in four hospitals in Nigeria involving midwives (n = 100), women (n = 142) and their spouses (n = 142) from June to December 2014 using pretested questionnaires. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: poor infrastructural facility, lack of adequate pain management policy, lack of midwife pain management practices, midwives' attitudes towards spousal presence during childbirth and feelings about spousal presence during childbirth pain relief. CONCLUSION: Infrastructural defects in the health facilities resulting in the lack of privacy in maternity units for both spouses and partners negatively influence the presence of a spouse during childbirth and pain relief. Adopting effective strategies such as good infrastructural facilities, staff training and spouse-friendly hospital policies will encourage spouses to fully participate in and contribute to childbirth pain relief. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: This study identified poor staff attitudes towards pain relief and spousal presence during childbirth as barriers. Providing adequate policies on pain management, continuous staff education and orientation on spousal relationship will improve active spousal participation and maternal satisfaction during childbirth.

Nurses' hospital orientation and future research challenges: an integrative review.

AIM: This study aimed to describe the research on registered nurses' orientation processes in specialized hospital settings in order to illustrate directions for future research. BACKGROUND: The complex healthcare environment and the impact of nursing shortage and turnover make the hospital orientation process imperative. There is a growing recognition regarding research interests to meet the needs for evidence-based, effective and economically sound hospital orientation strategies. METHODS: An integrative literature review was performed on publications from the period 2000 to 2013 included in the CINAHL and PubMed databases. English-language studies were included. Themes guiding the analysis were definition of the hospital orientation process, research topics, data collection and instruments and research evidence. Narrative synthesis was used. RESULTS: Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria. The conceptualization of orientation process reflected the complexity of the phenomenon. Less attention has been paid to designs to establish correlations or relationships between selected variables and hospital orientation process. The outcomes of hospital orientation programmes were limited primarily to retention and job satisfaction. The research evidence therefore cannot be evaluated as strong. CONCLUSION: The lack of an evidence-based approach makes it difficult to develop a comprehensive orientation process. Further research should explore interventions that will enhance the quality of hospital orientation practices to improve nurses' retention and job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: To provide a comprehensive hospital orientation process, hospital administrators have to put in place human resource development strategies along with practice implications and research efforts. Comprehensive hospital orientation benefits and outcomes should be visible to policy makers.

Spouses' Perspective of their Participation and Role in Childbirth Pain Relief.

BACKGROUND: Childbirth is a period characterized by severe pain, and most women desire to ameliorate their pain among other things by having their spouses present and involved in the birthing process. In developing countries like Nigeria, spousal involvement is still an emerging concept in childbirth. AIM: To investigate and provide an insight into spousal perceptions toward their participation and role in labor pain relief during childbirth in Nigeria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 142 spouses was conducted in the maternity units of four hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria, from June to December 2014. Data were collected through a pretested interview-administered 24 item questionnaire, the Abuja Instrument for Parturient Spouse. The data were analyzed statistically using Chi-square test for association between the variables and content analysis for open-ended questions. RESULTS: Most (94.4%, 134/142) of the spouses had a positive perception toward labor pain relief. They believed that their presence and activities contributed to labor pain relief and are willing to be present at subsequent births. CONCLUSION: Findings in this study have revealed a positive trend in spousal perception and involvement during childbirth and pain relief, as contrast to the prevailing assumption that childbirth is an exclusive woman affair. Spousal presence during childbirth can be beneficial not only to the woman but also to the spouse and family.

The experience of older people living independently in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Globally, older people are living independently either alone or with their spouse, population continues to age. In Singapore, some may live with an unrelated older person in a public rental apartment. In Asia, these older people are associated with increased risks of poor health and social isolation, have poorer social support and a poor quality of life. Few studies have explored why these older people choose such living arrangements, the challenges they encountered and what has helped or may help them overcome these challenges. AIM: To explore older people's experiences of living independently or with an unrelated older person. METHODS: This descriptive qualitative study involved face-to-face interviews with 25 informants, 65 years or older in Singapore. Thematic analysis was adopted. RESULTS: Five themes emerged: (1) making own choice--participants decided to live apart from their families, (2) contending with concerns--the availability of external resources for participants was shrinking, (3) coping with the available assistance--depending on available external resources from the community, (4) holding on to their values--participants rely on their internal resources to manage, and (5) preparing for the inevitable--participants were planning for their final years of life and for their death. CONCLUSION: Older people have such living arrangements for many reasons. They attain well-being and quality of life by devising strategies, tapping on their limited external resources and relying on their values to manage their diminishing resources and the foreseeable death. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND/OR HEALTH POLICY: Understanding older people's experiences may help nurses and health professionals to develop health promotion programmes that support older people's everyday needs and help them to stay healthy. Public health policy must support older people to live in a safe environment near their extended family to reduce their need to relocate.

Spousal participation in labor and delivery in nigeriaa.

A male companion at antenatal care is unusual and spousal participation during labor and delivery in Nigeria is poor. This can be attributed to amongst other things the beliefs that labor is exclusively a women affair. Although there are few studies about male involvement in maternity care in Nigeria, no review has been conducted regarding spousal participation in labor and delivery. Therefore, majority of women desire their spouses as birth companions and attest to having emotional comfort and support when their spouses participate in their labor and delivery, the status and acceptability of spousal participation in labor and delivery in Nigeria is quite low due in part to socio-cultural drawbacks. This narrative review looks at existing research literatures identified through electronic sources such as Google Scholar, PubMed and EBSCO published in English between 1995 and 2013. The aim of this narrative review is to extract from these literatures the level of participation of Nigerian spouses in labor and delivery. Keys words used for the search include spouse, labor, delivery, Nigeria, maternal; childbirth and only English papers were included. Although presently weak, the spousal participation in labor and delivery in Nigeria should be encouraged and promoted as a deliberate health-care policy through the creation of an enabling environment and dissemination of information highlighting the pivotal role that spouses could play in labor and delivery.

Violent behaviour in a forensic psychiatric hospital in Finland: an analysis of violence incident reports.

The aim of this paper was to explore the frequency and provocation of physically violent incidents in a Finnish forensic psychiatric hospital. Three years (2007-2009) of violent incident reports were analysed retrospectively. The data were analysed by content analysis, and statistically by Poisson regression analysis. During the study period a total of 840 incidents of physical violence occurred. Six main categories were found to describe the provocation of violence where three of these categories seemed to be without a specified reason (61%), and three represented a reaction to something (36%). The risk for violent behaviour was highest for the civil patients (RR = 11.96; CI 95% 9.43-15.18; P < 0.001), compared to criminal patients (RR = 1). The civil patients represented 36.7% of the patients, and in 43.6% of the studied patient days, they caused 89.8% of the reported violence incidents. Patients undergoing a forensic mental examination did not frequently behave aggressively (RR = 1.97; CI 95% 0.91-4.28). These results can be used in the reorganization of health-care practices and the allocation of resources.

Vacuum-assisted deliveries and the risk of obstetric anal sphincter injuries-a retrospective register-based study in Finland.

OBJECTIVES: To identify and quantify the risks of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASIS) separately in nulliparae, including women admitted for a first vaginal delivery after a previous caesarean section for their first birth, and multiparae delivered by vacuum extraction in Finland where the type of episiotomy is exclusively lateral. DESIGN: A retrospective population-based register study. METHODS: Nulliparous and multiparous women with OASIS were compared separately with women without OASIS using stepwise logistic regression analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk of OASIS. RESULTS: Among a sample of 16,802 women whose infants were delivered by vacuum extraction between 2004 and 2007, the incidence of OASIS was significantly higher among nulliparous women (475 of 13,981, 3.4%) than multiparous women (40 of 2821, 1.4%), with adjusted odds ratio 2.44 (95% CI 1.77-3.39). Lateral episiotomy was associated with 46% decreased incidence of OASIS (adjusted odds ratio 0.54, 95% CI 0.42-0.70) in nulliparae delivered by vacuum extraction. There was no statistically significant association for multiparous women. An increase of 1000 g in birthweight increased the OASIS incidence 2.10-fold for nulliparae and 2.83-fold for multiparae. CONCLUSIONS: Nulliparous women with infants delivered by vacuum extraction had an increased risk of OASIS compared with multiparous women. Lateral episiotomy was associated with a decreased incidence of OASIS, especially in women with large babies and long second stage. These results support liberal use of lateral episiotomy at vacuum extraction for nulliparous women at high risk of OASIS, but the role of episiotomy should be re-investigated in interventional randomised trials.

Hospital nurses' work environment, quality of care provided and career plans.

BACKGROUND: In several European countries, the availability of qualified nurses is insufficient to meet current healthcare requirements. Nurses are highly dissatisfied with the rising demands of the healthcare environment and increasingly considering leaving their jobs. AIM: The study aims to investigate the relationships between the characteristics of hospital nurses' work environment and the quality of care provided, and furthermore to examine Dutch nurses' career plans. METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey of registered nurses (n = 334) working in the academic and district hospitals was conducted in 2005/2006. Previously validated questionnaires translated into the participants' language were used. Factor and regression analysis were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Overall, nurses rated their work environment rather favourably. Five work environment characteristics were identified: support for professional development, adequate staffing, nursing competence, supportive management and teamwork. Significant relationships were found between nurses' perceptions of their work environment characteristics and quality of care provided and nurses' career plans. When work environment characteristics were evaluated to be better, nurse-assessed quality of care also increased and intentions to leave current job decreased linearly. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest that nurses' perceptions of their work environment are important for nurse outcomes in hospital settings. Further research is needed to explore the predictive ability of the work environment for nurse, patient and organizational outcomes in hospitals.

Preventive child-focused family work: development of instrument in adult psychiatry.

It is well-known that a parent's mental disorder has a significant psychosocial influence on the development of her or his children. This study reports the development process and psychometric testing of the preventive child-focused family work (PCF-FW) questionnaire in adult psychiatric settings. The PCF-FW instrument was developed to measure support for parenting, dependent children and family relationships in order to promote child development and mental health in adult psychiatry. A 133-item PCF-FW questionnaire was developed; the content validity, construct validity and reliability of the instrument were ensured by expert review, pilot test and internal consistency. The final instrument was distributed to all nurses (n= 608), including registered nurses (n= 373) and practical mental health nurses (n= 235), working in 45 adult psychiatric units in five university hospitals in Finland. Some 51% of all nurses responded. Correlation variables in each subscale varied between 0.1 and 0.8. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.55-0.95 in each subscale, demonstrating the moderate to excellent internal consistency of the instrument. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire instrument was 0.94. In spite of some caveats, such as possible response biases, the present study suggests that the PCF-FW instrument is a valid and reliable tool for studying preventive child-focused family working in adult psychiatry.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients' knowledge of the disease and its treatments: a descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient education is to increase patients' knowledge levels. However, there are only a limited number of studies available concerning these patients' knowledge of their disease and its various treatments. The purpose of this study was to describe RA patients' understanding of their disease and its treatments. METHODS: A total of 252 RA patients participated in this survey in August 2004 (response rate 53.2%). The knowledge levels of the patients and their physical functioning were measured using self-reported questionnaires. The data were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods. RESULTS: RA patients' knowledge of the disease and its treatments was, on average, good. However, the total scores of the Patient Knowledge Questionnaire ranged from 2 to 29 (maximum score 30). The patients knew well the aetiology and symptoms of RA, the blood tests and the physical exercise; they knew moderately well the facts relating to joint protection, energy conservation and how to use anti-rheumatic drugs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Young patients, women and patients with a long disease duration knew the most. There was a weak correlation between patient knowledge and physical functioning: the weaker the patient's functioning, the higher the knowledge level. CONCLUSIONS: RA patients' knowledge of their disease and its treatments varied from poor to good in this group. These results can be used for advancing RA patient education. However, more research is needed to evaluate RA patients' knowledge levels.

Do nurses working in adult psychiatry take into consideration the support network of families affected by parental mental disorder?

The aim of this study was to gain information about registered and practical mental health nurses' activities concerning support network of families affected by parental mental illness. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to all 608 practical and registered mental health nurses working in adult psychiatric units in five Finnish university hospitals. A total of 311 nurses returned completed questionnaires (response rate 51%). Sixty per cent (n = 222) of registered nurses and 36% (n = 88) of practical mental health nurses responded. Information about family relationships and socio-economic situation was gathered regularly by all nurses. The nurses' individual characteristics, such as being a parent, further family education and use of family-centred care, were significantly related to their activeness in discussing the family's support network with the parents. Discussing family relationships and families support networks forms part of patient care in adult psychiatric nursing with families with dependent children (under 18 years of age). Nurses can work directly with the parents to aid them to strengthen their support network for themselves and their children.

Nonpharmacological methods in relieving children's postoperative pain: a survey on hospital nurses in Finland.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to describe nurses' use of selected nonpharmacological methods in relieving 8-12-year-old children's postoperative pain in hospital. METHODS: The convenience sample consisted of 162 nurses working on the paediatric surgical wards in the five Finnish university hospitals. An extensive questionnaire, including a five-point Likert-scale, on the nurses' use of selected nonpharmacological methods and demographic data was used as a method of data collection. The response rate was 99%. Descriptive statistics as well as nonparametric Kruskall-Wallis ANOVA and the chi-squared test were used as statistical methods. RESULTS: The study indicates that emotional support, helping with daily activities and creating a comfortable environment were reported to be used routinely, whereas the cognitive-behavioural and physical methods included some less frequently used and less well known strategies. The results also show that attributes, such as the nurses' age, education, and work experience, the number of children the nurses had, the nurses' experiences of hospitalization of their children as well as the hospital and the place of work, were significantly related to the use of some nonpharmacological methods. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses used versatile nonpharmacological methods in children's postoperative pain relief, although some defects could be observed. More research is needed on the methods used by nurses to relieve children's pain in different patient groups and the factors which hinder or promote nurses' use of pain alleviation methods in the clinical practice.

Hope, despair and hopelessness in living with HIV/AIDS: a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Hope, despair or hopelessness have been detected in several research reports as important elements of the lives of persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLWA). However, there is an obvious gap in the literature suggesting a need to study the overall dynamics of hope (including both hope and despair or hopelessness) along the HIV spectrum from PLWHs' and PLWAs' perspective. AIM: The purpose of this study was to describe the dynamics of hope in living with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: The data were collected through interviewing 10 PLWHs/PLWAs and analysed using a grounded theory method. FINDINGS: The dynamics of hope is a multifaceted and complex combination of 'hope', 'despair' and 'hopelessness'. It comprises balancing between 'believing life to be worth living at the present and in the future', 'losing one's grip and sinking into narrowing existence vs. fighting against sinking' and 'giving up in the face of belief in nonexisting future'. A dynamic alternation between hope, despair and hopelessness takes place in the presence of factors that contribute to the 'folding' and 'unfolding' possibilities in everyday life. Factors contributing to the folding possibilities include 'losing', 'fear', 'uncertainty', 'problems in care', 'HIV/AIDS in close ones', 'difficulties in relationships' and 'negative public images and attitudes concerning HIV'. Factors contributing to the unfolding possibilities are 'constructive life experiences', 'wishing not to have HIV while uncertain', 'constructive relationships', 'ability to control one's life', 'finding the meaning of life and zest for life', 'caring', 'noticing one's improved health and the continuance of life', 'increasingly positive attitudes concerning HIV-positive people' and 'protection by law'. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamics of hope discovered in this study present new conceptualization, where hope, despair and hopelessness are viewed in relation to each other. The emerged definitions may be used in clinical practice to identify these phenomena in individuals with HIV/AIDS. The discovered factors contributing to the folding and unfolding possibilities can be used in clinical practice to help the individuals along the dynamics of hope.

Voluntary caregivers' observations on the dynamics of hope across the continuum of HIV/AIDS: a focus group study.

The purpose of this study was to describe voluntary caregivers' observations on the dynamics of hope across the continuum of HIV/AIDS. Three focus group interview sessions were conducted with 10 voluntary caregivers in 1998. The data were analyzed using the grounded theory method described originally by Glaser and Strauss. Closing and opening emerged as the core categories in the dynamics of hope. Closing means closing down in despair and to the process of life, whereas opening means opening up to hope and the process of life. Nursing interventions that prevent closing and enable opening are helpful for these people. Conceptual clarification and the differentiation between the concepts of hope, wish, despair, and hopelessness presented in this study require further elaboration. Further research on the dynamics of hope in fearing HIV/AIDS or living with HIV/AIDS and being a significant other to a person with HIV/AIDS from different perspectives is also needed.

Giving birth. Perceptions of Finnish childbearing women.

PURPOSE: To describe the lived experience of childbirth with women giving birth in Finland. DESIGN: Phenomenology. METHODS: Twenty Finnish women who had recently given birth were interviewed within 2 weeks following childbirth, sharing their perceptions of meaning of their childbirth experiences. Culturally appropriate strategies for qualitative data collection were employed. Trustworthiness of the data was ensured. RESULTS: The richness and diversity of the childbirth experience emerged from the data. One theme identified was a sense of awe at the creation of a new life within the context of birth as a bittersweet paradox. A strong sense of maternal confidence or self-efficacy was identified, which influenced the women's perception of and management of childbirth pain. Feelings of self-actualization were articulated as Finnish women successfully negotiated a challenging life event. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Perinatal nurses should increase their sensitivity to the socio-cultural context of giving birth by acknowledging women's experiences as legitimate sources of knowledge.

Knowledge, assessment and management of pain related to nursing procedures used with premature babies: questionnaire study for caregivers.

The aim of the study was to discover how much Finnish nursing staff know about the pain experienced by premature babies and about pain assessment. The types of helping methods used by caregivers in the nursing of premature babies were also studied. A semistructured questionnaire was sent in autumn 1995 to all registered nurses, practical children's nurses and medical laboratory technologists who take heel blood samples (n = 280) working in paediatric intensive care units in all Finnish university hospitals. The response rate was 70.4%. The structured questions were processed quantitatively at Kuopio University with the SPSS/PC+ data processing program (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA), and the open questions were processed using quantitative content analysis. The results indicate that the respondents have rather extensive knowledge about the pain experienced by premature babies, pain assessment, pain management and about nursing and helping methods. Pain was assessed mostly on the basis of behaviour and physiological changes, and only infrequently on the basis of biochemical changes. The respondents described the helping methods they use in considerable detail. The most common was to increase the baby's feeling of security. The answers to the open questions revealed that the actions used by the respondents in pain assessment and pain management were not completely consistent with their knowledge. The results demonstrate that caregivers do not use their knowledge adequately in their pain management practices. Future studies should observe the three groups of caregivers in order to discover how they treat premature babies' pain.

Dynamically fluctuating hope, despair and hopelessness along the HIV/AIDS continuum as described by caregivers in voluntary organizations in Finland.

The purpose of this study was to describe the dynamics of hope in a) people fearing a diagnosis of HIV or living with HIV/AIDS and b) their significant others, from the perspective of caregivers working in voluntary organizations in Finland. Individual interviews with eight caregivers were analysed using the grounded theory method. Living with the fluctuating waves of hope, despair, and hopelessness based on factors constructing them emerged as the core category describing the dynamics of hope in a person fearing a diagnosis of HIV, becoming aware of HIV contagion, and living with HIV/AIDS. Mirroring the fluctuating waves of hope, despair, and hopelessness based on factors constructing them emerged as the core category describing the dynamics of hope in a significant other of a person fearing a diagnosis of HIV, or living with HIV/AIDS. It is important to take into consideration the dynamics of hope in taking care of people fearing a diagnosis of HIV or living with HIV/AIDS and their significant others.

Finnish nursing research: issues and challenges.

Finnish nursing science has advanced by leaps and bounds during the past two decades. The overriding objective of nursing research has been to increase our understanding and knowledge of nursing phenomena to better promote the health and well-being of individuals and, by the same token, influence the nation's public health. This article provides an overview of issues and challenges of Finnish nursing by using the results of recently published evaluation reports of Finnish nursing research, nursing education and nursing organizations.

A description of birth in Finland.

The health care of women and children living in Finland is described. In the Finnish health care delivery system, perinatal health care is family centered, maximizing professional support through use of nurses in the delivery of primary care across the childbearing year and technological interventions are judiciously used based on evidence of efficacy.