Abstract: Studies the experiences of Plunket Nurses reporting suspected child abuse and/or neglect in uncertain situations, using hermeneutic phenomenology. Selects a purposeful sample to ensure participants could provide rich data through semi-structured, face-to-face and recorded telephone interviews. Guides data analysis using the framework developed by van Manen to formulate meaning from participant experiences.

Abstract: For nurses to have control over their practice they need to have input into policy development. Nurses having control over their practice has been linked to nursing empowerment. Therefore the question explored in this research project is: What can nurse leaders do to encourage an empowering environment for nurses working in the mental health area? The literature reviewed for this project includes empowerment, power, the history of nursing in relation to women's role in society, oppression and resistance, and literature on Critical Social Theory as the underlying theoretical and philosophical position which informs the research process. In order to answer the research question a single focus group was used to gather data from a group of registered nurses practising in mental health. Focus groups as a data collection method produce data and insights that would be less accessible without the interaction found in the group. The key themes to emerge from the data analysis were: power is an important component of empowerment and power relationships; and at a systems level, professional, organisational, and political influences impact on feelings of empowerment and/or disempowerment. These key themes are discussed in relation to the literature and the broader social and cultural context of the mental health care environment. The contribution this research makes to nursing includes a list of recommendations for nurse leaders who aim to provide an empowering environment for nurses practising in mental health.

Abstract: This paper presents an exploration of a foundational goal of palliative care nursing which is to help patients die with dignity. The paper presents this practice exploration as a journey to gain understanding of the concept of dignity; the author notes that it does not avoid the difficulties encountered in practice situations because dying with dignity is unique and curiously also invisible and different for everyone. Much of human life is conducted through stories and much of nursing involves telling and listening to stories. Many of our social institutions are comprised almost entirely of opportunities for telling and retelling stories. Nurses are constantly listening to patients telling them what is going on in their lives and because of this the stories related here are written bold and raw. The three stories explore and reveal in-depth details of nursing practice that evolved and changed after reflection. The paper also reveals and explores the untold and often painful stories that challenge nurses' capacity to offer dignified care. To deepen the exploration towards discovering ways to articulate the complexity of dignity, the author reflected on the nature of the practice changes documented in the stories and then used a range of diverse literature and her love of the paintings and philosophy of a New Zealander, Ralph Hotere, to support her ideas that dignity is indeed a complex phenomenon.

Abstract: A community based registered nurse from Waikato District Health Board's Older Persons Assessment Team (OPAT) presents her experiences of working with older people with dementia. She uses a case study approach to highlight the issue of wandering, behaviour which can be difficult to modify and can cause carer distress. She outlines a team approach to the condition which requires good communication and co-ordination. Key aspects of management included a risk assessment plan, support for caregivers, and encouraging activity.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine and compare Australian and New Zealand nurses' experience of workplace stress, coping strategies and health status. A postal survey was administered to 328 New South Wales (Australia) and 190 New Zealand volunteer acute care hospital nurses (response rate 41%) from randomly sampled nurses. The survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Nursing Stress Scale, the WAYS of Coping Questionnaire and the SF-36 Health Survey Version 2. More frequent workplace stress predicted lower physical and mental health. Problem-focused coping was associated with better mental health. Emotion-focused coping was associated with reduced mental health. Coping styles did not predict physical health. New South Wales and New Zealand scored effectively the same on sources of workplace stress, stress coping methods, and physical and mental health when controlling for relevant variables. Results suggest mental health benefits for nurses who use problem-solving to cope with stress by addressing the external source of the stress, rather than emotion-focused coping in which nurses try to control or manage their internal response to stress. Cultural similarities and similar hospital environments could account for equivalent findings for New South Wales and New Zealand.

Abstract: Oral history accounts of the care of the hospitalised child in the context of family are used to argue that current practice paradoxes in family-centred care are historically ingrained. The article looks at the post-war period, the intervening years, and current practice, centred on the changing concept of motherhood throughout that time. The conflict between clinical expediency versus family and child needs is explored.

Abstract: The author reconsiders the meaning of expert, specialist and advanced practice. She proposes that they are distinctive and complementary aspects of every nursing role and suggests a set of attributes for each. Expertise is discussed in terms of the quality of performance, speciality in relation to particularity of performance, and advanced practice with regard to the level of performance.