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McCallum, C. (2002). Balancing technology with the art of caring. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(7), 21–23.
Abstract: The author examines the role of technology in high dependency units, which can alienate nurses from patients. The ethical issues raised by technology are reviewed, particularly the allocation of expensive interventions, and the implications of life-sustaining technology on the application of informed consent. The author highlights the challenge facing nurses to bridge the gap between medical technology and humane caring.
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Wilkinson, J. A. (2002). Creating a culture of workplace safety. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(6), 14–15.
Abstract: This study investigated the safety of working environments of a group of urban district nurses. Six district nurses were interviewed and participated in a focus group. The findings focus on the risks associated with client behaviour and with the organisational structure in which district nurses work. Recommendations for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of harm to nurses working in isolation in the community are presented. The author describes her personal background in district nursing, which prompted the study.
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Woods, M. (2002). Dissecting a brave new nursing world. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(10), 20–22, 36.
Abstract: This article critiques the 'Strategic Review of Undergraduate Education' commissioned by the Nursing Council. The premise of the review is examined, along with the foundations of nursing practice and the role of nursing education.
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Sadlier, C. (2002). Gaining insight into the experience of diabetes. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(1), 14–16.
Abstract: This article reports a research project that investigated the experience and expectations of Maori who were newly-diagnosed with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Four people diagnosed with NIDDM were interviewed over 12 months. Participant recommendations are incorporated into suggested improvements for managing the condition.
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Lowe, L. (2002). Linking housing and health status. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(9), 26–27.
Abstract: The author examines the impact of poor housing on health, and looks at how the situation can be improved. Ways that nurses can work towards improving housing standards and thus health are discussed.
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Christie, J. (2002). Managing febrile children: When and how to treat. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(4), 15–17.
Abstract: The author describes the nursing of febrile children in a general paediatric ward at Tauranga Hospital. She focuses on the cooling methods used and their efficacy. Ward practice is compared with clinical trials and the literature to determine best practice and evidence-based guidelines. Also discussed are fans and clothes removal, tepid sponging, paracetamol, and brufen.
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Hales, A., & Dignam, D. (2002). Nurse prescribing lessons from the US. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(10), 12–15.
Abstract: The researchers present a survey of a sample population of 32 advanced practice nurses (APN) in the US about their experiences of acquiring and implementing prescriptive authority. The issues relevant to nurse practitioners in New Zealand are discussed, around acquiring knowledge and education, relationships with other professionals, establishing the role, and retaining the nursing role. The intent and scope of APN prescribing in the US is also discussed.
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Crowe, M., O'Malley, J., & Bigwood, S. (2002). Nursing mental health consumers in the community. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(8), 14–15.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to describe the characteristics of community mental health nursing care in the community. Twenty six nurses were enrolled in a study consisting of semi-structured interviews about the nature of their care. Responses were analysed to identify categories of skills. These were characterised as: establishing connectedness; promoting individual and family resilience, promoting citizenship; and addressing structural issues. Responses from the nurses are used to illustrate these categories.
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Brinkman, A. (2002). Occupational stress in hospitals: A nursing perspective. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(6), 21–23.
Abstract: This article examines the environmental stressors that cause occupational stress for many nurses, particularly the health reforms and the Employment Contracts Act (ECA). The concept of stress is reviewed and theories of occupational stress are described, including the demand-control theory and the transactional model. Nurses are advised to become aware of occupational stress in their workplaces, citing a study by the author showing high levels of stress among hospital nurses.
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Hansen, G. (2002). The role of massage in the care of the critically ill. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 8(7), 14–16.
Abstract: This article looks at the research on the benefits of massage for alleviating the anxiety of patients in critical care. The author draws on her own experiences with cardiac patients and affirms the lasting psychological benefit of massage. She provides advice on which parts of the body to massage on patients in critical care, which to avoid and how to know when it is contraindicated.
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Burrell, B. (2003). Mixed-sex rooms: Invading patients' privacy? Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 9(4), 26–28.
Abstract: The author considers the issue of mixed-sex rooming (MSR) in New Zealand hospitals. A review of the literature is presented, with a focus on the attitudes and experiences of patients in the UK, where the issue has been most practised and studied. Findings of a survey of a group of New Zealand female patients are presented. The patients feelings of embarrassment and loss of dignity and privacy are discussed. The legal issues are explored, with the practice evaluated against the patient's rights detailed in the Code of Health and Disability Services and the Privacy Act 1993.
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Brinkman, A., & Caughley, B. (2004). Measuring on-the-job stress accurately. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 18(8), 12–15.
Abstract: The authors discuss the usefulness of a generic tool to measure job stress in New Zealand workplaces, and report on a study using one such generic tool. The study involved sending questionnaires to all staff (193) who had worked at a regional women's health service for a minimum of six months. The mailed package contained the Job Stress Survey (JSS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), demographic questions (including cultural safety), shift work questions, and a blank page for “qualitative comment”. Over 12,000 pieces of data were collected from the study but this article focuses only on the results of the JSS. The JSS can be used to determine a “job stress index” and can also be used to measure “job pressure” and “lack of organisational support”. For this study, job stress index scores were calculated and organised by occupational groupings. Midwives, nurses and doctors all cited inadequate or poor quality equipment, excessive paperwork, insufficient personal time, and frequent interruptions, as their top stressors. Three of these four stressors fall within the job pressure index. The results of the survey prompted organisational changes, including: extensive discussions; equipment being updated; management being made aware of the depth of concern felt by staff; the creation of a place for staff to have personal time; and coping intervention strategies were initiated. The authors suggest that no generic measure of job stress can fully evaluate stressors unique to a particular work setting. They support additional items being constructed and administered to assess stressors that are idiosyncratic to a particular occupational group.
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Evans-Murray, A. (2004). Meeting the needs of grieving relatives. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 10(9), 18–20.
Abstract: This article examines the role of nurses working in intensive care units who may need to work with families as they face the death of a loved one. How the nurse communicates with relatives during these crucial hours prior to the death can have profound implications on their grief recovery. Universal needs for families in this situation have been identified in the literature, and include: hope; knowing that staff care about their loved one; and having honest information about their loved one's condition. A case study is used to illustrate key skills and techniques nurses can employ to help meet these universal needs. In the first stage of grief the bereaved is in shock and may feel a sense of numbness and denial. The bereaved may feel confused and will have difficulty concentrating and remembering instructions, and they may express strong emotions. Studies on families' needs show that honest answers to questions and information about their loved one are extremely important. It is often very difficult for the nurse to give honest information when the prognosis is poor. Good communication skills and techniques are discussed, in which hope is not offered at the expense of truthfulness, and the nurse facilitates the process of saying goodbye and expressing emotions. Practical techniques, such as including the family in basic care such as foot massaging and simple hygiene routines, may also be used to move the family from being bystanders to the impending death, to comforters.
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Harding, T. S. (2004). Male nurses: The struggle for acceptance. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 9(4), 17–19.
Abstract: This article describes the role of men in the nursing profession in New Zealand from colonial times to the 1970s. It considers attitudes towards male nurses, the provision of training for men and the various laws and regulations dealing with the issue.
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Murphy, R. (2005). A day in the life of an acute hospital psychiatric nurse. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 11(9), 24–25.
Abstract: A nurse presents a personal account of a typical day at Middlemore Hospital's 50-bed acute inpatient mental health unit Tiaho Mai. The article covers aspects of shift handover, working with multidisciplinary teams, developing care plans, working with families, and responding to emergencies.
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