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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Assessment Of Limb Perfusion By Measurement Of Toe Temperatures With A Skin Probe In Patients With Intraaortic Balloon Pumps, Jacqueline Hawkrigg Jan 1995

Assessment Of Limb Perfusion By Measurement Of Toe Temperatures With A Skin Probe In Patients With Intraaortic Balloon Pumps, Jacqueline Hawkrigg

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Assessment of peripheral perfusion is one of the most important aspects of care associated with nursing patients receiving intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy. The validity of traditional methods of assessing peripheral perfusion based on colour, warmth, circulatory return, and quality of pedal pulses has' been questioned because of their subjective nature. Consequently, there is a need to identify a reliable quantitative method of monitoring peripheral perfusion in patients with IABPs. Measurement of toe temperatures by use of a skin probe has long been established as a reliable quantitative indicator of the state of lower limb perfusion in critically ill patients …


The Lived Experience Of Nurses Caring For The Dying, David M. Byrne Jan 1995

The Lived Experience Of Nurses Caring For The Dying, David M. Byrne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study reported in this thesis describes and analyses the lived experience of caring for the dying amongst nine (9) nurses in a hospice setting. The research was established within the context of published literature on the subject of caring for the dying from nursing. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was chosen as the most appropriate for this study, in order to describe and interpret the understanding and shared meanings nurses have in the care of the dying. The major mode of data collection in this study was by in depth interview of nine (9) nurses, which was supplemented by the …


A Mathematical Model To Describe Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Within Western Australia, Kevin Dennis Jan 1995

A Mathematical Model To Describe Haemophilus Influenzae Type B Within Western Australia, Kevin Dennis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This work is primarily aimed at determining the effect that an immunisation policy Is likely to have on the incidence of Haemophllus influenzae Type B (HIB) and systematic HIB in Western Australia. There was a significant effort made to collect data pertinent to the estimation of parameter values but since HIB has only been a notifiable disease since 1992, there was a distinct lack of relevant data available. Private communication with individual’s such as Dr Jeffrey Hanna and Dr Beryl Wild resulted in practical information being obtained that was used to estimate certain parameters. The deterministic mathematical models within the …


An Examination Of Selected Factors Associated With Nurses' Behaviour And Intentions Related To Patient Teaching, Ian R. Mullins Jan 1995

An Examination Of Selected Factors Associated With Nurses' Behaviour And Intentions Related To Patient Teaching, Ian R. Mullins

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Patient teaching is integral in the provision of an effective health care service. Registered nurses in all settings, have a professional responsibility to contribute towards their clients’ health promotion and maintenance by providing those clients with the health education they require. This study investigated the patient teaching intentions and behaviours of 181 registered nurses employed in acute medical and surgical settings at three metropolitan hospitals in Perth Western Australia. Within the framework of Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) theory of reasoned action, the study examined the relationships between registered nurses’ intentions to teach patients, their patient teaching behaviours and selected factors …


Attitudes Of Nurses To Palliative Care In Nursing Homes In The Perth Metropolitan Region, Lynne Cohen Jan 1995

Attitudes Of Nurses To Palliative Care In Nursing Homes In The Perth Metropolitan Region, Lynne Cohen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Zanna and Rempel (1988) have proposed that attitudes are a summary evaluation of an attitude object based on three classes of information, namely: cognitive information, affective information and behavioural information. This model has mainly been tested in the social groups and social policies area investigating two classes of information: cognitive and affective, and therefore there is a need for research to test the validity of this model in other areas. The present study applies the model to the area of palliative care in nursing homes. 76 directors of nursing, 76 clinical nurse specialists, and 76 nursing assistants working in nursing …


Perceptions Of Discharge Planning Needs : A Study Of Discharge Planning In The Mental Health Setting, Michael P. Finn Jan 1995

Perceptions Of Discharge Planning Needs : A Study Of Discharge Planning In The Mental Health Setting, Michael P. Finn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Major mental disorder, with prolonged periods of dysfunction that require long term care, is an issue of concern amongst mental health professionals. Although substantial effort and resources are devoted towards returning mentally ill individuals to the community, one of the most distinctive and consistent features of the persistently mentally ill (PMI) is their high rate of readmission to hospital. Existing studies into discharge planning revealed that no research had been undertaken to determine if this is the case in Western Australia. This study sought to investigate perceptions of discharge planning held by patients, carers, nurses and allied health workers involved …


Triage In Health Department Of Western Australia Accident And Emergency Departments, Geraldine M. Riordan Jan 1995

Triage In Health Department Of Western Australia Accident And Emergency Departments, Geraldine M. Riordan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A survey of triage systems used in Health Department of Western Australia accident and emergency departments was undertaken to examine differences in practices between departments with and without designated triage nurses (TNs). One questionnaire surveyed 93 nurses in seven departments with TNs, a similar second questionnaire surveyed 89 nurses in 16 departments without TNs, and a third questionnaire was used in a structured telephone interview of receptionists in hospitals without TNs. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and ranges with common themes identified for open ended questions. The study was guided by Donabedian's systems evaluation model. The …


Life At A Rural Psychiatric Hostel : The Experience Of A Group Of Male Residents, Rosalie R. Van Aken Jan 1995

Life At A Rural Psychiatric Hostel : The Experience Of A Group Of Male Residents, Rosalie R. Van Aken

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study reported in this thesis describes and analyses the experience of 15 men with long term mental illness, living and/or working at a rural farm and hostel complex. The research was set in the context of recent studies and literature focussing on the transfer of care of people with mental illness from large psychiatric hospitals to community based care and the consequent quality of life issues. A phenomenological approach was chosen as the most appropriate for the study, in order to understand the meaning of the residents' experience. Data was obtained from three sources: in-depth interviews with 2 key …


Factors Influencing Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses In Discharge Planning, S. R. Suiter Jan 1995

Factors Influencing Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses In Discharge Planning, S. R. Suiter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A descriptive quantitative study was conducted to determine what factors nurses considered when discharge planning, and how these factors compared with factors identified in the literature as being effective in planning for discharge. This study was undertaken because with the intended Prospective Payment System (PPS) of funding to hospitals, it is essential that Western Australian Clinical Registered Nurses are able to prepare patients for discharge effectively to prevent the financial burden of cost outliers and re-admissions. Anderson and Steinberg ( 1984) in their studies of factors that influence the cost of hospital care for the elderly, found that the results …


A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson Jan 1995

A Phenomenological Study Of Infertility : The Couple's Perspective, M. Imeson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the experience of infertility from the perspective of infertile couples, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how it affects their lives. Ten to twenty per cent of the global population share the experience of infertility, however, little is known of their experiences and perceptions related to infertility. Literature to date mainly focuses on the physiological effects of infertility and does not take into account the context in which the experience takes place, or the meanings that people assign to this experience. To be effective, health carers need …


Art Therapy In The Paediatric Oncology Setting: An Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Art Therapy To Address The Psychosocial Needs Of Paediatric Cancer Patients, Anthea Carboni Jan 1995

Art Therapy In The Paediatric Oncology Setting: An Assessment Of The Feasibility Of Art Therapy To Address The Psychosocial Needs Of Paediatric Cancer Patients, Anthea Carboni

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It is well recognised that children with cancer have special needs. Art therapy has been shown to be effective in meeting some of these needs. An exploratory study was conducted to assess the feasibility of art therapy to address the psychosocial needs of paediatric cancer patients in a medical setting where art therapy has not been practised before. A qualitative research design was used to investigate the research questions, using interviews as the main instrument. Subjects were recruited from the oncology team of a metropolitan children's hospital. The sample of thirteen informants consisted of representatives from the medical, nursing and …