Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Women’S Priorities And Actions Mothering In The Context Of Intimate Partner Violence, Sharon Broughton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Being a mother is an important part of many women’s identities with consequences for women and children and shaping women’s priorities and actions when living in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, understanding the nature of women’s priorities, the actions women take to address these priorities, and the factors shaping those actions remains limited. Drawing on an intersectional feminist lens, this dissertation explored the nature of women’s priorities, what shapes them and how women mothering in the context of IPV go about living out what is important to them. To situate these issues broadly within the discipline of …

Understanding The Lived Experience Of Health Through The Exploration Of Well-Being Of Women With Multiple Sclerosis In Southwestern Ontario, Jennifer Howard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is increasing globally with 2.8 million cases worldwide as of 2021, with Canada experiencing the highest incidence for this disease (Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation [MSIF], 2021; Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada [MSSC], 2021). MS is an autoimmune disease that damages the myelin sheath in the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) which may result in problematic symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction and lead to physical disability (MSSC, 2021). There are over 90,000 Canadians with MS, impacting women on a ratio of 3:1 compared to men (MSSC, 2021; Statistics Canada, 2013). Current literature suggests …

The Discursive Construction Of Substance Use And Harm Reduction In Canadian Health Policy, Sibel Kusdemir

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Harm reduction as a philosophy has been widely recognized by healthcare professionals in Canada, yet the topic remains controversial in both political and public discourses. Understanding these discourses will allow health care providers to better respond to political and public concerns, as well as ensuring that services are aligned well with public health needs. This study explored the discursive use of the term “harm reduction” in Canadian health care and nursing policy documents’ contexts by using a Foucauldian framework and Bacchi’s ‘what’s the problem represented to be?’ approach. I propose three discursive themes: self-responsible citizen, evidenced-based practice, and what nurses …

“I Can’T Be The Nurse I Want To Be”: Stories Of Moral Distress In Pediatric Oncology Nurses’ Caregiving Narratives, Monica L. Molinaro

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis presents the caregiving narratives of nine pediatric oncology nurses that illustrate the embeddedness of their caregiving and moral distress within institutional contexts that limit their capacity to be the nurses they want to be. Informed by the concepts of moral distress, bearing witness, and narrative repair, a critical narrative methodology was employed to examine the nurses’ caregiving experiences in relation to broader discourses and neoliberal, corporatized health care settings. The nurses’ stories were marked by ambivalence and moral distress and are presented in four narrative themes, which illustrate: the nurses’ struggles to complete their tasks and address multiple …

Caring Revisited: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis On The Association Of Caring With The Profession Of Nursing, Margot Boulton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There have been numerous theories put forward by nursing theorists on the importance of caring in nursing. Very few studies have looked at the impact that this association has on the practice of nursing. This study will add to the existing literature by using a Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine the material effects that the caring discourse has on nurses’ ability to advocate for safe working conditions during a public health emergency. Using the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada in the Spring of 2020 as a context, this study seeks to establish caring as a discourse and examine how …

The Effect Of Authentic Leadership On New Graduate Nurses’ Organizational Identification, Trust In The Manager, Patient Safety Climate, And Willingness To Report Errors, Fatmah Fallatah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Error reporting has been identified as an important approach to improve delivery of both safe and quality care. However, existing evidence suggests that nurses are reluctant to report errors they make or fail to speak up about mistakes committed by others. Authentic leadership has been linked to improved work environments for nurses and enhanced quality of care. However, the question of how authentic leaders influence new graduate nurses’ willingness to report errors has received minimal attention.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test a theoretical model that examined the influence of authentic leadership on new graduate nurses’ …

Understanding The Nursing Practices And Perspectives Of Premedication And Transfusion Reaction Reporting: A Qualitative Description Study, Wenxin Miao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative description study is a sub-study of a knowledge translation (KT) project to implement evidence-based blood transfusion practices at an urban tertiary hospital. The goals of the KT project are to reduce the use of pre-transfusion medications (premedication) and to improve transfusion reaction (TR) reporting practices at this institution. This study explored the nursing practices and perspectives of premedication and TR reporting by conducting interviews with 25 nurses. The findings showed a lack of standardized premedication and TR reporting practices at this institution. A practice change is needed to achieve the goals of the KT project. The study also …

Exploring The Characteristics And Behaviours Of Nurses Who Have Attained Microcelebrity Status On Instagram, Hanna Kerr

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Instagram is a social media platform that enables users to share images and videos worldwide. Some nurses have utilized Instagram to document their experiences as a nurse and have subsequently gained microcelebrity status. In this qualitative content analysis, publicly accessible Instagram posts were analyzed to identify the characteristics and behaviours of nurses who have active microcelebrity status on Instagram.

Data analysis revealed five themes of Instagram posts: (a) engaging Instagram users; (b) educational opportunities and insights; (c) nursing related humour; (d) emotions experienced by nurses; and, (e) media and narratives including patient details or work context. Messages were primarily positive …

Health Professional Students' Understanding Of Oral Health In Traumatic Brain Injury, Samira Omar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Oral health is a significant consideration in recovery following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) as it is associated with overall health. Health-care providers play an essential role in rehabilitation following TBI. Thus, using qualitative descriptive research and focus groups, this thesis examined the experiences and perceptions of eight final-year health-professional students in nursing, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology with respect to oral health in TBI. Results suggest that health-professional students lack a deep understanding of i) what constitutes oral health, ii) common oral health challenges that may be faced by persons with TBI, and iii) optimal oral care in persons …

The Effects Of Authentic Leadership And Organizational Commitment On Job Turnover Intentions Of Experienced Nurses, Alexis E. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

High levels of turnover continue to pose a challenge to the nursing workforce amidst growing patient acuity and budget constraints. The presence of strong nursing leadership may address the need for healthy work environments that contribute to retention outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of authentic leadership of managers, on experienced nurses’ affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment, and ultimately job turnover intentions. This study used secondary analysis of data collected in a non-experimental survey of 478 registered nurses in Canada. Hayes’ PROCESS version 3 SPSS macro for mediation analysis was used to test the …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Conscientious Objection For Registered Nurses In Ontario., Christina Lamb

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Nursing is an ethical profession in which nurses are called to act ethically, be moral agents and function with moral integrity. Contemporary nursing practice is morally pluralistic and at times, nurses may be faced with a conflict of conscience that motivates them to voice their ethical concerns about patient care provision that they perceive to be unethical. This concern can result in the format of a conscientious objection. Conscientious objection involves an individual objecting to doing something they deem unethical and to refrain from participating in that unethical action.

The aim of the question guiding this research study was to …

A Systematic Review Of The Antecedents, Mediators And Outcomes Of Authentic Leadership In Healthcare, Bayan Alilyyani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Authentic leadership is a relational leadership style derived from the field of positive organizational behavior and is purported to promote healthy work environments that influence staff performance and positive organizational outcomes. The aim of this thesis was to conduct a systematic review to describe the state of the evidence on the relationship between authentic leadership, staff, and patient outcomes in healthcare. Published English-only research articles that examined the antecedents, mediators and outcomes of authentic leadership practices of leaders/managers in healthcare settings were selected from eleven online bibliographic databases. Quality assessments, data extraction and analysis were completed on all included studies. …

Health Information System Implementation In A Complex Acute Care Environment: A Sociotechnical Analysis, Maximillian D. Besworth

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With the increase of information systems in health care, there is a growing need to better understand factors that contribute to the implementation and use of such technology. This secondary analysis explored the implementation of a health information system in a large acute care hospital from the perspective of hospital leadership and the health information system developers. The purpose of this study was to: (a) explore a group of interprofessional leaders’ perceptions of social and technical factors which impacted an HIS implementation within an acute care hospital organization; and, (b) uncover how the various social and technical forces contributed to, …

Nurses' Workplace Social Capital: Development And Validation Of A Self-Report Questionnaire, Emily A. Read

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Social capital refers to resources created by and embedded in social relationships and has been identified as an important aspect of nurses’ work life. There is limited empirical evidence regarding its role and currently no valid and reliable self-report instruments to measure workplace social capital comprehensively.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and test a self-report questionnaire to measure nurses’ workplace social capital and examine the nomologicial network of the concept including authentic leadership and structural empowerment as precursors of social capital and team effectiveness and patient care quality as outcomes.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1,000 Registered Nurses …

Mothers Experiencing Homelessness: Social Exclusion, Resistance, And Health, Sarah Benbow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background and Purpose: Mothers experiencing homelessness in Canada are faced with unique challenges in achieving health. The purpose of this two-phase study was to critically examine the socio-political context, health needs, exclusionary and inclusionary forces, and strategies of resistance demonstrated by mothers experiencing homelessness.

Methodology: This study falls under the critical paradigm informed by the theoretical perspective of intersectionality. Methodologies employed included critical narrative and critical discourse analysis. Data were collected at various homeless shelters and programs that provide services for women and mothers who are homeless in Southern Ontario. A purposive sample of women experiencing homelessness, and service …

Exploring The Career Pathways, Professional Integration And Lived Experiences Of Regulated Nurses In Ontario, Canada, Godfred O. Boateng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the context of an enduring shortage of nurses, this study explores the career pathways and experiences of immigrant and Canadian-born nurses in two Ontario cities utilizing a qualitative research design consisting of 70 in-depth interviews. Differences in career entry and experiences of workplace conflict across immigration status and race are explored.

First, I explore successful immigrants’ pathways into the nursing profession and their social and economic integration into the Canadian economy in light of the traditional assimilation and segmented assimilation theories. The study reveals distinct career pathways taken by foreign-born nurses and Canadian born nurses. While Canadian-born nurses have …

The Professional Practice Leader: The Role Of Organizational Power And Personal Influence In Creating A Professional Practice Environment For Nurses, Sara L. Lankshear

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Professional Practice Leadership (PPL) roles were introduced in response to health care professionals’ concerns about the loss of professional autonomy and other possible negative consequences on professional practice arising out of the widespread implementation of program management during health care restructuring. Despite the extensive implementation of the PPL role in Ontario, there is a paucity of empirical studies examining the impact of the PPL role. The main purpose of this study was to address this knowledge gap by determining the role of organizational power and personal influence in enabling the PPL to fulfill their role functions toward creating a positive …