Faculty of Nursing
Research Activities in 2000
Throughout the year 2000 the Faculty has
continued to build infrastructure to support research and consultancy
activities. The Centre for Nursing Research and Practice Development aims
to capitalize on existing Faculty research strengths and links with the
University of Alberta. The Centre now manages the Faculty's four focus
areas for research and consultancy activities namely: Maternal, child and family
nursing; Mental health and chronic illness; Acute care nursing; and Aged care
nursing.
The Centre has now been separated from the
Faculty's consultancy and overseas enterprises and restructured to
reinforce and focus the Faculty's commitment to research initiatives. A
research academic and administrative assistant in the Centre provide research
and support services to academic staff, post-graduate students and nurse
clinicians associated with the Faculty and assist in other research-related
activities. Drawing on the Centre's facilities, members of the
Faculty are continuing to work towards a better publication record in books and
refereed journals and an improved track record in the achievement of externally
funded grants.
The appointment of Foundation Professor
of Nursing continues to have a positive impact on research activities both
within the Faculty and within the University. Two professorial appointments in
clinical nursing research have provided leadership and focus on new developments
in research. These include the position co-sponsored by the Hunter Area Health
Service in Paediatric, Youth and Family Health Nursing, and the position jointly
sponsored with the Baptist Community Services NSW & ACT in Aged Care.
Overall the Faculty of Nursing is developing research of international and
national standing in the context of professional and educational development of
nurses and nursing practice, and in relation to nurses' inclusion of consumers
in health care delivery.
Major research projects
The advances in research activity have been
reflected in the research projects completed in 2000. These have included the
development of guidelines for registered nurses and enrolled nurses regarding
the boundaries of professional practice; A survey of the needs of families with
children with disruptive behaviour and autistic disorders; A pilot project,
supporting nurses to involve consumers in their health care; Project to review
professional conduct matters and develop case studies for the ongoing education
of registered and enrolled nurses.
Other research and consultancy projects
underway include the following with a practice development
focus:
An examination of service delivery of
residential aged care facilities in NSW. In this study current clinical
practices in high dependency aged care facilities and low dependency facilities
were examined. Through focus groups of residents, relatives and staff, themes in
service delivery were identified and a model of care was articulated.
The effect of clinical nurse educator
support on both critical thinking skills and confidence in decision-making for
new graduate nurses. Two area health services were compared: one with
clinical educator support on all shifts for new graduate nurses, and the second
with no clinical educator support. While the findings generally indicated that
critical thinking skills and levels of confidence did not differ among new
graduate nurses in the two health services after one year of employment, the
study raised important questions for future research.
Project to explore what Koori women
know, feel, believe and perceive about cervical cancer. The project aims
identify barriers that prevent Koori women from having PAP smear tests and to
encourage regular PAP smears. Included in the project was the development of a
video titled “Murrak-keen, Ngaroe-gayeen (Young Women, Old Woman)”
which is supported by the NSW Health Department and the NSW Cervical Screening
Program. A related project is conducted in conjunction with the Hunter
(Aboriginal) Cervical Screening Program. The project draws on the stories and
experiences of Koori women in the Upper Hunter Valley to encourage PAP smears
for early detection of cervical cancer.
A project that focused on a
competency-based approach to assessment was undertaken in the Republic of
the Maldives. The study aimed to develop competency standards for Maldivian
beginning general nurses. Data were collected from nurses' stories that
described patient care situations. The stories were later examined in focus
groups to discuss the attributes of the nurse, their level of behaviour and the
broad competencies formed by the behaviours. The Australian Nursing Council
Incorporated competencies were used as a framework to group the behaviours under
specific categories. Thematic and content analysis yielded 13 competency
statements and several elements and performance criteria.
The development and piloting of a
national continence-training package for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Workers. This two-part project is aimed at improving continence
management in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The first part
consists of the development of a continence education module to be included in
the TAFE Level IV course for Aboriginal Health Workers. The second part of the
project focuses on the development of three (3) teaching aids for the use by
trained Aboriginal Health Workers in delivering continence education to their
communities.
The development of a guide for
continence products. This project used focus groups with consumers, carers
and health professionals to discuss the use and effectiveness of a range of
continence aids. A guide to continence aids was developed in print, CD-ROM and
web site formats. Abridged versions of the guide are to be published in various
formats and languages.
Graduate Weeks
The bi-annual on-campus graduate weeks for
research higher degree students continue to provide opportunities for students
to present their work in progress and seminars. Professor Lyn Richards conducted
two seminar/workshops on the use of software packages for qualitative data
analysis. Professor Richards also conducted a short introduction to NUD-IST4
and N'VIVO packages in an open session to the rest of the University
community. The Faculty has continued its commitment to providing enrolment
opportunities for postgraduate research students from Australia and other
countries. Numbers of research higher degree students have more than doubled
within the past five years, and in 2000 there were 21 PhD and 17 Master of
Nursing students.
Looking Ahead
In keeping with its aspirations for a high
level of clinical relevance and research excellence, the Faculty is committed to
achieving national recognition for excellence in selected areas of nursing
research and higher degree teaching. Collaboration with nurse clinicians to
disseminate and encourage research skills and initiatives, and with clinicians
and practitioners in related disciplines in order to contribute to the wider
field of health care research, is an essential component of this aim. The
Faculty has become part of a national network focussing on evidence-based
practice and consideration will be given to the consolidation of these
initiatives.
The Faculty of Nursing is currently the
Australian representative for the International Institute for Qualitative
Methodology, a multidisciplinary Institute developed to provide leadership
to address the issues in qualitative inquiry and to facilitate the development
of qualitative methods. The Institute also aims to promote excellence in
qualitative research through education and research, and to provide a forum for
collaboration among international experts in the field of qualitative inquiry.
Through the work of Faculty members and their students, the Faculty is helping
to define the agenda for nursing research and practice for a new generation of
nurses.
A cross-cultural study examining how
elderly clients, their families and health care professionals interact to
facilitate health care decisions is being undertaken in conjunction with
Yamaguchi University, School of Medicine, Japan. The project was initiated
following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for a program of academic
collaboration, co-operation and exchange between the two institutions. A report
on health care reforms in Aged Care in Australia presented at a symposium at
Yamaguchi University provided further stimulus for the project. The Faculty was
invited as one of ten international presenters at the three-day seminar focusing
on Health Care for the Elderly.
The Faculty also provides membership to the
Newcastle Institute for Public Health and maintains links with the Centre for
Health, Ethics and Law Policy and the Hunter Institute of Ageing Research. Dr
Kichu Nair through the Baptist Community Services partnership with the
University of Newcastle has established a teaching and research Development
Centre to promote multidisciplinary approaches to care of the elderly. The site
for the Centre is the Warabrook facility in Newcastle.
Areas of Research Strength
Research Areas of International Standing
Aged care nursing.
Continence management, both generally and with particular reference to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Service delivery of residential
aged care facilities; Experience of older people as patients in acute care
hospitals; Relocation; Ageing in place; Models of care.
Research Areas of National Standing
Paediatrics, youth and family health
nursing. Needs of families with children with disruptive behaviours.
Developing Areas of Research
Pain and symptom management.
Detection and management of pain in elderly nursing home residents.
Nursing roles in the quality use of
medications. Action research to reduce medication errors.
Mental health nursing and chronic
illness. Health outcomes; Management of aggression; Care models for
nurses working with clients with serious mental illness; Effects of mental
illness on the family.
Research Income
The Faculty's research income for 2000
was:
|
$
|
|
Industry and Other
Funding:
|
68,344
|
|
TOTAL
|
68,344
|
This funding included the following major
grants.
Australian Nursing Federation
|
$
|
|
Keatinge, D.R.
|
Project to Support Nurses to Involve
Consumers in Their Health Care
|
19,960
|
Nurses Registration Board of NSW
|
|
Keatinge, D. R.
|
Project to Review Professional Conduct
Matters and Develop Case Studies for the Ongoing Education of Registered and
Enrolled Nurses
|
48,384
|
University Funded Research
The Faculty also received University
research funding of $13,540 in 2000, which compares with $17,715 in 1999.
Publications
The publication of research is an essential
part of the peer review processes that ensure the integrity of research, and is
an important function in the dissemination of knowledge. For 2000, the Faculty
publications were:
|
Publication type
|
2000
|
|
Book chapter
|
1.00
|
|
Article in refereed
journal
|
3.21
|
|
Major review
|
1.00
|
|
Full written conference paper -
refereed
|
2.00
|
|
Total
|
7.21
|
Further information on publications
including details of authors, titles and publishers can be found on the Research
Web Site.
Consultancy Activities
Members of the Faculty contribute their
particular expertise through a range of consultancies, conference participation
and committee memberships at the local, national and international
levels.
Most senior members of academic staff
provide services on an honorary basis to health organisations and also serve on
advisory boards, working parties and review committees. Professorial
appointments within the Faculty include those who are appointed jointly by the
University and local hospitals or health organisations, providing opportunities
for direct input to the local and regional communities.
Organisations benefiting from consultancy
activities in 2000 include the Nurses Registration Board of New South Wales, and
the Department of Health and Aged Care.
Research Higher Degree Students
There were 17 research Masters and 21 PhD
students in the Faculty in 2000; this compared with 18 Masters and 27 PhD
students in 1999.
Scholarships
There were four higher degree students
fully supported by research scholarships in 2000, the same number as in
1999.
Higher Degrees Awarded in 2000
Doctor of Philosophy
Terence Vincent McCann, BA(Open),
MA
Thesis Title: Care Provider-Facilitator:
Community Mental Health Nurses and Young Adults with an Early Episode of
Psychotic Illness
Kamolrat Saksomboon, BNsg (Chonburi
Nursing College), MNurs (Mahidol)
Thesis Title: Contemporary and Future
Nursing Education: An Evaluation of the Baccalaureate Nursing Program Undertaken
in Nursing Colleges within the Ministry of Public Health,
Thailand
Kim Penelope Wylie, BHealthSc
(C.Sturt), MN (Aust.Cath.)
Thesis Title: Valuing Sensation and
Sentience in Dementia Care
Master of Nursing
Helen Lorraine Bellchambers, BN
(Monash)
Thesis Title: Clinical Indicators on the
Quality Use of Medications by Nurses: Field-Testing for Value and
Utility
Hyun-Sun Kang, BNurs
Thesis Title: Interaction Between Nurses
and the Confused Elderly in a Nursing Home
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