Abstract: Aims to establish evidence-based oral care guidelines for nurses, in order to improve oral care for dependent adults. Considers how interprofessional collaboration and education (IPC/IPE) might improve nursing oral care practice. Intends to use guidelines in a pilot programme with community nurses caring for older adults living at home or in aged residential care.

Abstract: Aims to gain insight into nursing students' views about assisted dying, given the questions surrounding nursing practices and responsibilities in relation to the service. Conducts a qualitative descriptive study using a paper-based questionnaire, among nursing students enrolled in a BN programme at a single tertiary institution in 2019. Identifies three categories of responses: approval of personal choice, disapproval due to personal beliefs, maintaining a professional stand.

Abstract: Aims to identify the cognitive skills required of surgical nurses to rescue the deteriorating patient, and to elicit insight into the potential errors in decision-making inexperienced nurses commonly make in the same situation. Conducts three sequential in-depth interviews with six experienced surgical nurses to identify five cognitive demands required of nurses to ascertain deterioration and the cognitive skills necessary to respond to these cognitive demands: the task diagram interview, the knowledge audit interview and the simulation interview.

Abstract: Aims to streamline a clinical referral pathway (flow chart) for difficult venous access (DVA). Conducts a review of current literature to provide a theoretical basis to support the project. Uses the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) Model to develop the project, collecting a six-month sample of referral data to identify trends. Identifies four key themes during daa analysis: patient clinical condition; difficult access; staff education and training; and urgency for treatment

Abstract: Alleviating patient suffering, providing comfort and pain relief are all central to the philosophical caring position nurses have always espoused. Despite this, patients continue to suffer pain although we have the means to provide pain relief. The author notes that research has identified that nurses have a knowledge deficit regarding pain and its management, as well an erroneous attitudes, which combined are blamed for an inability to make significant progress in this area. This study was undertaken to uncover the contextual aspects of working within a New Zealand health care institution that affect nurses' ability to manage their patient' pain effectively. It highlights the difficulties and the complicated nature of working within an institution in the 1990's health care environment, where accountability for pain is absent and where pain is often under-assessed and under-treated. By using focus group of nurses, the author notes she was able to uncover constructions on nursing practice, which, she suggests, have been missing from the literature, but prevent nurses from implementing their knowledge. Using a constructivist research, she used nurse's stories and current literature to argue one way forward in, what she terms, the pain management debacle. This study revealed a diverse range of contextual factors that prevent nurses from using their knowledge. Many of the constraints on nursing practice are the results of complex organisational structures within health reform, which have significantly affected the nurse's ability to provide quality-nursing care. One of the most important factors limiting the management of the patient' pain is the inability of the nurse to autonomously initiate analgesia. While nurses are largely responsible for the assessment of pain, they are usually powerless to access necessary analgesia, without a medical prescription. The author argues that once an initial medical diagnosis has been made, nurses are usually left responsible for patient comfort and the management of pain. To do so effectively, nurses need to able to prescribe both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures for the patient. Presently nurses are prescribing using a variety of illegitimate mechanisms, needing the endorsement of a doctor. To fulfil this role, nurses must be adequately prepared educationally and given the authority to either prescribe autonomously, of provided with extensive “standing orders”. While legislative changes in New Zealand in 1999 extended prescribing right to a few nurses within certain areas of care, the ward nurse is unlikely to gain prescribing rights in the near future. The author concludes that a way forward may be to encourage and further develop the use of protocols for managing pain via standing orders. Standing orders are common place within nursing practice today, have the support of the Nursing Council of New Zealand and are currently under-going legislative review. An institutional commitment to developing pain protocols for nurses would recognise the nurses active role and expertise in the management of pain and facilitate expedient relief for the patient.

Abstract: An analysis of the challenges for the nursing profession of the Government's health reforms. The findings of the 10-month Wellington Nurse Case Management Project 1991-1992, including the description of family nursing practice, what it achieved for health and the service delivery model that would position family nurses in the health reforms were used to provide an exemplar for the nuyrising contribution to health policy for the health reforms. The paper identified a vacum for the reorientating of health care provision to patients/clients and health need and the call to nursesw to take leadership in goving direction to the reorientation.

Abstract: An article adapted from the author's contribution as an invited member of the International Panel of Nurse Researchers leading the Special Research Seminar of the 1993 International Council of Nurses Quadrennial Congress, Madrid, Spain. The priorities of nursing research in New Zealand were derived from the findings of a semi-structured survey of the opinions of nurses in academic settings.

Abstract: An initial profile of the demographics and current practice of Australian trauma nurse coordinators (TNCs) was conducted in 2003. The study identified common and differing role components, provided information to assist with establishing national parameters for the role, and identified the resources perceived necessary to enable the role to be performed effectively. This article compares the findings of the 2003 study with a 2007 survey, expanded to include New Zealand trauma coordinators. Forty-nine people, identified as working in a TNC capacity in Australia and New Zealand, were invited to participate in February 2007. Participation in the research enabled an update of the previously compiled Australia/New Zealand trauma network list. Thirty-six surveys (71.5% response rate) were returned. Descriptive statistics were undertaken for each item, and comparisons were made among states, territories, and countries. Participants reported that most of their time was spent fulfilling the trauma registry component of the role (27% of total hours), followed by quality and clinical activities (19% of total hours), education, and administration. The component associated with the least amount of time was outreach (3% of total hours). Although the proportion of time has almost halved since 2003, TNCs still spend the most time maintaining trauma registries. Compared to the 2003 survey, Australian and New Zealand TNCs are working more unpaid overtime, spending more time performing quality and clinical activities and less time doing data entry. Despite where one works, the role components identified are fulfilled to a certain extent. However, the authors conclude that trauma centres need to provide the TNC with adequate resources if trauma care systems are to be optimally effective