No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Background: Antigua and Barbuda is a Caribbean nation consisting of two islands with a total of 94,298 inhabitants. It is a high-income country, yet healthcare is resource-limited. The nursing process is an evidence-based approach to systematically care for patients in a person-centered way. Having limited resources affects the application of the nursing process. The nursing process and the nursing role are understudied areas in Antigua and Barbuda. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses’ experiences of applying the nursing process in their daily work in Antigua and Barbuda. Method: A qualitative interview study was conducted by interviewing four nurses at a public hospital in Antigua. The data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: Empowering the patient, Applying the nursing competence, and Utilizing available resources. Conclusion: The nurses were highly competent and used the nursing process with emphasis on family involvement, however, the lack of staffing was evident. The result of staffing shortage created a stressful working environment. The nurse’s expertise was not always recognized in interprofessional collaboration. Therefore, the nursing role must be strengthened, and the number of nurses must increase to improve person-centered nursing care. / Bakgrund: Antigua och Barbuda är ett land i Karibien bestående av två öar med totalt 94 298 invånare. Det är ett höginkomstland, trots detta har sjukvården begränsat med resurser. Omvårdnadsprocessen är ett evidensbaserat arbetssätt för att systematiskt vårda patienter på ett personcentrerat sätt. Till följd av begränsade resurser påverkas tillämpningen av omvårdnadsprocessen. I Antigua och Barbuda är omvårdnadsprocessen och sjuksköterskerollen områden med begränsad forskning. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att tillämpa omvårdnadsprocessen i sitt dagliga arbete i Antigua och Barbuda. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes genom att intervjua fyra sjuksköterskor på ett offentligt sjukhus i Antigua. Data analyserades med Braun och Clarkes tematiska analys. Resultat: Tre teman identifierades: Stärkande av patienten, Tillämpande av sjuksköterskekompetensen och Utnyttjande av tillgängliga resurser. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskorna var högkompetenta och arbetade utifrån omvårdnadsprocessen, där stor vikt lades på att involvera familjen, trots tydlig brist på personal. Konsekvenserna av personalbristen skapade en stressframkallande arbetsmiljö. Inom det interprofessionella samarbetet beaktades inte alltid sjuksköterskors expertis. Sjuksköterskerollen måste därför stärkas och antalet sjuksköterskor bör öka för att förbättra personcentrerad omvårdnad.

While there is general agreement about its importance, the construct of educational readiness is nebulous with much debate about what constitutes readiness. Readiness has been found to be a multidimensional psychological construct from a psychometric perspective. However, there is a growing awareness that this psychometric focus is lopsided, and that readiness does not only reside in the child. Further, there is an accompanying appreciation that readiness research may need to focus more on the subjective experience of individuals within the context of their environment. This phenomenological study, using Bronfenbrenner's social-ecological model, explored how Antigua and Barbudan students experienced readiness as they prepared to take the 2017 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Exam (CSEC). In an interview, each of the 12 participants recounted their experience as they readied themselves for the CSEC. The data were analyzed through content and framework analysis. The results support findings in the literature that showed that readiness is a complex and iterative process. It is the result of the dynamic interplay of various inputs of a host of individuals functioning at different levels of the readiness system. These results can then provide a point of entry for both national dialogue and policy formulation culminating in the provision of comprehensive services to support students' readiness experiences. The ultimate hope is that readiness for the CSEC Exam will lead to actual success on the exams, which in turn will translate into improved life chances of Antigua and Barbudan students.

Antigua and Barbuda, in the eastern Caribbean, is one of several countries with exclusive low breastfeeding rates and premature weaning. Researchers have demonstrated that babies exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life are better protected from childhood diseases and experience a better quality of life into adulthood, while early weaning is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, at 6 weeks postpartum, only 30% of Antiguan and Barbudan mothers are exclusively breastfeeding. Researchers have explained why mothers in general cease exclusive breastfeeding prematurely: insufficiency of breast milk, returning to paid employment, lack of social support; but an explanation specific to Antigua and Barbuda has not been identified. This qualitative phenomenological study, therefore, initiates research concerning breastfeeding attitudes and practices specific to this country. It explores the experiences and perceptions of 13 Antiguan and Barbudan 1st-time mothers on exclusive breastfeeding and weaning. The theory of planned behavior provided the theoretical framework. Data collected from semistructured interviews were coded using key word as themes. Manual analysis of the research data was also conducted. The findings indicated inadequate lactation education and counselling for mothers, poor levels of lactation education among nurses, and minimal statutory maternity leave as the reasons for premature weaning among the research participants. The findings of this research can contribute to social change in Antigua and Barbuda by providing evidence-based information to strengthen breastfeeding policies and interventions and become part of regional scholarship on this issue.