Connecting the research and nursing processes: making a difference in baccalaureate students' attitudes and abilities.

Student nurses are often intimidated by the research process. They also frequently have negative attitudes about working with the elderly, especially in long-term care settings. This article describes a clinical project designed to help students improve their attitudes, knowledge, and skills toward research and care of the elderly by connecting the research process and the nursing process. Students implement research-based clinical practice in a long-term care setting. Student evaluations indicate that project goals are achieved. Nursing staff evaluation data indicate that they find student projects interesting and useful in updating resident care plans.

[Patients with versus without psychological disorders in orthopedic rehabilitation]. / Patienten mit vs. ohne psychische Störung in der orthopädischen Rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: In this study it was examined whether orthopedic rehabilitants with versus without a comorbid mental disorder profit from inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation to the same degree. It was also investigated whether there were differential treatment effects between the traditional and behavioral-medical rehabilitation approaches. METHOD: Questionnaires which assess pain-specific and associated variables were issued to a total of 361 patients on admission and discharge from rehabilitation. RESULTS: In some aspects patients with a mental disorder benefited more from the treatment than patients without comorbidities. Differential treatment effects were found only in patients with a mental disorder and improvements were higher in the behavioral-medical than in the traditional rehabilitation approaches. CONCLUSION: Psychological interventions in the inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation are recommended in order to adequately deal with the higher rate of persons with comorbid mental disorders.

[The assignment of orthopaedic rehabilitants to the traditional or the behaviour-medical rehabilitation approach--is it clinically relevant?]. / Welche klinische Bedeutung hat die Vorabzuweisung von Patienten zur orthopädischen bzw. verhaltensmedizinisch-orthopädischen Rehabilitation durch den Rentenversicherungsträger?

Rehabilitants with chronic orthopaedic diseases are assigned to either the traditional or the behaviour-medical rehabilitation approach by consultant physicians of the rehabilitation department within the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (German pension insurance agency). The clinical relevance of this assignment was evaluated at the Rehazentrum Bad Pyrmont-Klinik Weser within a randomised controlled trial. In a sample of 363 rehabilitants the agreement of consultant physicians with the ratings of physicians and psychologists in the clinic was analyzed. We also tested whether rehabilitants treated in their assigned approach benefit more from the treatment than patients who by randomisation were not treated in their assigned approach. Results indicate that psychiatric comorbidity frequently is taken into consideration as a decision-making criterion in the assignment made by the consultant physicians. However, there is only little agreement between the assignment by consultant physicians and the ratings by treating physicians and psychologists. Further, rehabilitants treated in their assigned approach did not benefit more from the treatment than patients who due to randomisation had not been treated in their assigned approach but in the other. Therefore, the procedure applied so far for assigning rehabilitants to either the traditional or the multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach is not sufficiently valid. Concluding, implications for the modification of assignment criteria are discussed.