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McKey, A., & Huntington, A. D. (2004). Obesity in pre-school children: Issues and challenges for community based child health nurses. Contemporary Nurse, 18(1-2), 145–151.
Abstract: In this paper, literature related to childhood obesity in New Zealand and internationally is explored to identify current issues, and the implications for nurses in community based child health practice are discussed. Themes that emerged from the literature relate to the measurement of obesity, links between childhood and adult obesity and issues for families. Studies that investigated maternal perceptions of childhood obesity found that mothers identified their child as being overweight or obese only when it imposed limitations on physical activity or when the children were teased rather than by referring to individual growth graphs. The implications for nursing in the area of child health practice are discussed. Understanding of the complex and emotive issues surrounding childhood obesity is required when devising health promotion strategies.
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Clendon, J. (2004). Demonstrating outcomes in a nurse-led clinic: How primary health care nurses make a difference to children and their families. Contemporary Nurse, 18(1-2), 164–176.
Abstract: The study outlined here explored outcomes from the provision of primary health care to children aged 5-13 years in a nurse-led clinic based in a primary school in Auckland. This multi-faceted study collected both qualitative and quantitative data, however it is the results of the quantitative arm of the study that are presented here. Data were collected from a variety of sources concerning conditions seen, age and ethnicity of users, types of services provided and impact on hospital usage. Findings demonstrate that the provision of comprehensive primary health care by the nurse at the clinic impacts positively on hospital visitation by children from the area where the clinic is located.
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DeSouza, R. (2005). Transforming possibilities of care: Goan migrant motherhood in New Zealand. Contemporary Nurse, 20(1), 87–101.
Abstract: This paper reports on a study of the maternity care experiences of women from Goa (India) in Auckland. Multiple research strategies were incorporated into the process to prevent reproduction of deficiency discourses. Interviews were carried out with Goan women who had experiences of migration and motherhood. The findings revealed that as a consequence of motherhood and migration, migrant mothers were able to reclaim and re-invent innovative solutions. Nurses and other health professionals can have a significant role in supporting women and their families undergoing the transition to parenthood in a new country and develop their knowledge and understanding of this dual transition.
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O'Brien, A. J., Hughes, F., & Kidd, J. D. (2006). Mental health nursing in New Zealand primary health care. Contemporary Nurse, 21(1), 142–152.
Abstract: This article describes the move in mental health from institutional care to community arrangements. It draws on international literature and New Zealand health policy, which gives increased emphasis to the role of the primary health care sector in responding to mental health issues. These issues include the need for health promotion, improved detection and treatment of mild to moderate mental illness, and provision of mental health care to some of those with severe mental illness who traditionally receive care in secondary services. These developments challenge specialist mental health nurses to develop new roles which extend their practice into primary health care. In some parts of New Zealand this process has been under way for some time in the form of shared care projects. However developments currently are ad hoc and leave room for considerable development of specialist mental health nursing roles, including roles for nurse practitioners in primary mental health care.
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McKenna, B., Simpson, A. I. F., & Coverdale, J. (2006). Best practice management strategies for mental health nurses during the clinical application of civil commitment: An overview. Contemporary Nurse, 21(1), 62–70.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to outline best practice management strategies for nurses during the clinical application of civil commitment of mentally ill persons. A literature search on 'coercion' and 'civil commitment' was undertaken. Published and unpublished research undertaken by the authors in New Zealand on this topic was drawn upon. This research considered the use of civil commitment during admission to acute mental health services, acute forensic mental health services and community mental health services. The experience of coercion by service users coincides with the degree of restriction associated with the service they are involved in. Socio-demographic factors, clinical factors and the experience of coercive events have little bearing on the amount of coercion experienced. Rather, it is the pattern of communication and the use of 'procedural justice' that has the potential to ameliorate the amount of perceived coercion. The authors conclude that 'Procedural justice' aligns with the emphasis placed on the therapeutic relationship in mental health nursing and is an important consideration for nurses during the clinical application of civil commitment
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Simon, V. N. (2006). Characterising Maori nursing practice. Contemporary Nurse, 22(2), 203–213.
Abstract: This paper summarises research which addresses the question What might constitute Maori nursing practice? The research design adopted was influenced by kaupapa Maori methodology and used a semi-structured, qualitative, in-depth interview process. It was found that by understanding the current experiences of Maori registered nurses, their reflections on their preparation for practice, and their current practice, it is possible to identify the present and future training and practice needs of Maori nurses. Maori nursing practice can be characterised as having five features: the promotion of cultural affirmation including cultural awareness and identity; the support of, and access to Maori networks; the adoption of Maori models of health; the enabling of visibility and pro-activity as Maori nurses; and, the validation of Maori nurses as effective health professionals. Three recommendations for promoting Maori nursing practice are made in relation to staff in the workplace and in nurse education programmes: all nursing staff need to be alert to: 1. the impact of western scientific models on Maori healthcare; 2. the (often passive) non-acceptance of Maori within mainstream institutions; and iii) the benefits of valuing indigenous nursing programmes.
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Smye, V., Rameka, M., & Willis, E. (2006). Indigenous health care: Advances in nursing practice. Contemporary Nurse, 22(2), 142–154.
Abstract: In this introduction to a special issue on nursing with indigenous peoples, the authors affirm the need for continued application of tools and strategies for thinking critically about issues of culture, history and race. Without these things, evidence of discriminatory policies and practices in the health system remain hidden to many health professionals. Attention to socio-political structures is as essential to promoting health and preventing illness as are nurses' activities with the individual clients. To develop critical consciousness in nursing requires educational strategies and frameworks that focus on the responsibilities and implications of practicing nursing in a postcolonial context where race and power continue to create patterns of inclusion and exclusion in health care settings. The authors suggest that many contemporary nursing programmes fail to provide such strategies and frameworks, and argue that nursing must view critical analyses of these issues as central aspects of nursing education, research, theory and practice. They go on to engage with the notion of cultural safety as a means of fostering a critical political and social consciousness in nursing to create an opportunity for social transformation.
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Lawless, J., & Moss, C. (2007). Exploring the value of dignity in the work-life of nurses. Contemporary Nurse, 23(2), 225–236.
Abstract: In this paper the authors draw attention to the value and understandings of nurse dignity in the work-life of nurses. A review of nursing literature and a theoretical lens on worker dignity derived from recent work by Hodson (2001) was used to explore these questions. In the context of current and international workforce issues associated with recruitment and retention, analysis of the construct of worker dignity within the profession takes on a strong imperative. Findings of this inquiry reveal that while there is a degree of coherence between the nursing research and elements of Hodson's (2001) research on worker dignity, the dignity of nurses, as a specific construct and as an intrinsic human and worker right has received little explicit attention. Reasons for this may lie partly in approaches that privilege patient dignity over nurse dignity and which rely on the altruism and self-sacrifice of nurses to sustain patient care in environments dominated by cost-control agendas. The value of dignity in the work-life of nurses has been under-explored and there is a critical need for further theoretical work and research. This agenda goes beyond acceptance of dignity in the workplace as a human right towards the recognition that worker dignity may be a critical factor in sustaining development of healthy workplaces and healthy workforces. Directing explicit attention to nurse dignity may benefit the attainment of both nurse and organisational goals. Hodson's (2001) framework offers a new perspective on dignity in the workplace.
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Wilson, D., & Neville, S. J. (2008). Nursing their way not our way: Working with vulnerable and marginalised populations. Contemporary Nurse, 27(2), 165–176.
Abstract: This paper uses the findings of two studies to explore the nature of nurses' practice when working with vulnerable and marginalised populations, particularly with regard to the attributes of holism and individualised care. The first study was with the elderly with delirium and used a critical gerontological methodology informed by postmodernism and Foucault's understanding of discourse. The other study with indigenous Maori women utilised Glaserian grounded theory informed by a Maori-centred methodology. The findings show that a problem focussed approach to health care is offered to patients that does not incorporate individual health experiences. In addition, the social context integral to people's lives outside of the health care environment is ignored. Consequently, the foundations of nursing practice, that of holism, is found to be merely a rhetorical construct.
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