Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Registered nurses, while carrying out their professional roles, regularly encounter situations with ethical components. While there are research findings reporting the types of ethical challenges nurses face, their level of involvement in ethical decision-making, and reasoning processes used, how nurses actually deal with situations that challenge them personally has not been specifically explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychosocial processes that can explain how registered nurses reason and make decisions when faced with ethical situations that challenge their personal values and belief systems. A grounded theory approach was used to conduct the study, allowing a substantive theory to be developed. Twenty-three nurses, currently working in metropolitan or regional areas in New South Wales, volunteered to participate in the study. Two methods of data collection were utilised, the first being semi-structured, in-depth interviews which were audio taped then transcribed. The second method used hypothetical vignettes with associated questions to which the participants were invited to anonymously return written responses. Data were managed by means of the computer program NVivo 2, while constant comparative analysis using open, axial and selective coding, as outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1998), was performed. The substantive theory which emerged from the data explains the processes used by nurses when they have to deal with ethical challenges to their personal values and beliefs. The basic psychosocial process (core category) of protecting client autonomy reveals a pattern of moral reasoning that gives priority to the client’s self-determined choices. This subsumes the key processes (subcategories) of: (1) being self-aware, (2) determining duties to other/s versus self, (3) engaging self as protector, and (4) restoring self from tension or anguish, which link to each other and to the core category to explain the various sub-processes used when protecting client autonomy is considered a priority. Findings in the study revealed that nurses who give primacy to client autonomy believe they should not impose their own preferred choices on to clients. Yet the emphasis on client autonomy is also paradoxical, since it may come at the cost of compromise and even denial of the nurses’ own autonomy and their deeply held values and beliefs. When they become aware that their personal values and beliefs are being challenged, they are at times prepared to compromise their own values or beliefs, yield to constraints, or put themselves at risk in order to protect the autonomy of clients. Such actions can leave nurses experiencing ethical tension or anguish for which they need to seek support. Opportunities to find appropriate support are not always available to them in the work environment. The findings in this study have important implications for both nurses and the nursing profession. The pattern of moral reasoning shows generosity and nurses’ commitment to their caring and advocacy roles. However, when nurses are regularly prepared to compromise their own values or beliefs because they give priority to protecting client autonomy, there is a risk they may be left with a sense of loss to their personal worth and in their ability to be moral agents. Further, in some situations it may occur out of complacency because they simply accept that it is the client’s choice, absolving the nurse of further moral responsibility. Appropriate support systems need to be available to nurses to help them deal with the consequences which may occur as a result of giving preference to clients’ choices, over their own.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a percepção do cliente quanto ao esclarecimento para tomada de decisão referente à realização de procedimentos estéticos. O estudo, do tipo descritivo, exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa dos dados, foi realizado com amostra de 44 clientes, freqüentadores da Clínica de Estética e Cirurgia Plástica. A coleta de dados foi realizada por intermédio de um instrumento com base na Escala de Likert, constituída por 28 proposições, classificadas em três categorias: Informação, Competência e Liberdade. Completaram o instrumento, duas escalas, com a finalidade de medir a percepção global dos clientes quanto ao esclarecimento das informações e a liberdade para tomada de decisão. Os resultados mostraram que, em relação ao grau de instrução, houve predomínio dos clientes de nível superior. Quanto à profissão/ocupação, a maioria enquadrou-se nos níveis III, IV e V, que corresponderam aos cargos de ocupação manual especializada, cargos de supervisão e gerência e profissionais liberais e cargos de alta administração, respectivamente; em referência à renda familiar, houve predomínio dos clientes com renda superior a R$ 8000,00 ou mais. Verificou-se também predomínio da faixa etária de 41 a 50 anos, com a maioria dos clientes do sexo feminino e, estado civil casado. Quanto ao tipo de tratamento, o clínico predominou sobre o cirúrgico. Analisadas as três categorias, identificou-se uma discreta superioridade do escore médio atribuído à categoria Competência em relação ao atribuído às categorias Informação e Liberdade, porém a maioria dos escores das três categorias foi bastante homogênea, sendo os escores médios das categorias superiores a 4,5, ou seja, variando de concordante à alta concordância. Os escores para Informação, Competência e Liberdade estão associados com o tipo de tratamento, mas não com a idade dos clientes. Constatou-se também que, em média, os clientes que se submeteram a tratamento clínico atribuíram escores menores do que os clientes que tiveram tratamento cirúrgico. Quanto às questões globais referentes ao esclarecimento das informações e à liberdade para tomada de decisão para o procedimento, temos médias de 9,41 e 9,70 respectivamente. Estes resultados mostram que os profissionais de saúde forneceram informações claras, suficientes e adaptadas às necessidades dos clientes, deixando-os livres e competentes para a tomada de decisão quanto ao procedimento estético / This paper aims at verifying client’s perception in relation to the information given for the decision making process relating to aesthetic procedures. The descriptive, exploratory, correlating, with a quantitative approach, was carried out with a sample of 44 clients of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Clinic. The data collection was carried out by means of an instrument based on the Likert Scales, consisting of 28 propositions, classified in three categories: Information, Competence and Freedom. Two other scales completed the instrument so as to measure clients’ global perception concerning the elucidation of given information and freedom to make a decision. The level of significance was 5% and the results revealed that as far as education was concerned, most clients had university degrees. Concerning profession/occupation, most clients were positioned in levels III, IV and V, which refer to skilled manual work, supervision and management positions, self-employed professionals and high administrative positions, respectively. As far as family income was concerned, most clients had a monthly income above R$ 8000,00. It was also suggested that there was a slight predominance of clients from the 41-50 year-old age group, being most of them married women. In relation to the treatment, there was a slight predominance of clinical treatments, when compared to the surgical ones, and the procedures chosen were first peeling, 22%, followed by botulinum toxin and filling, 16% each. Among the surgical procedures, the most common was liposuction - 14% of the clients, followed by breast surgeries, 12%. During the analysis of the three categories a slight superiority of the average score given to the ‘Competence’ category was identified, when compared to the scores given to the ‘Information’ and ‘Freedom’ categories, although the average scores for the three categories were quite homogeneous, being all above 4.5, that is, varying from ‘agree’ to ‘totally agree’. The ‘information’, ‘competence’ and ‘freedom’ scores are related to the type of treatment, but not to the clients’ age. The survey also confirmed that on average the clients who underwent clinical treatment gave lower scores than the ones who underwent surgical treatment. In relation to global questions, concerning elucidation of information and freedom to make the decision regarding the procedures, we have the average of 9.41 and 9.70 respectively. These results reveal that health professionals provided clients with clear, sufficient and relevant information based on their clients’ needs, leaving them free and competent to take the best decision in relation to aesthetic procedures

Este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar a percepção do cliente quanto ao esclarecimento para tomada de decisão referente à realização de procedimentos estéticos. O estudo, do tipo descritivo, exploratório, com abordagem quantitativa dos dados, foi realizado com amostra de 44 clientes, freqüentadores da Clínica de Estética e Cirurgia Plástica. A coleta de dados foi realizada por intermédio de um instrumento com base na Escala de Likert, constituída por 28 proposições, classificadas em três categorias: Informação, Competência e Liberdade. Completaram o instrumento, duas escalas, com a finalidade de medir a percepção global dos clientes quanto ao esclarecimento das informações e a liberdade para tomada de decisão. Os resultados mostraram que, em relação ao grau de instrução, houve predomínio dos clientes de nível superior. Quanto à profissão/ocupação, a maioria enquadrou-se nos níveis III, IV e V, que corresponderam aos cargos de ocupação manual especializada, cargos de supervisão e gerência e profissionais liberais e cargos de alta administração, respectivamente; em referência à renda familiar, houve predomínio dos clientes com renda superior a R$ 8000,00 ou mais. Verificou-se também predomínio da faixa etária de 41 a 50 anos, com a maioria dos clientes do sexo feminino e, estado civil casado. Quanto ao tipo de tratamento, o clínico predominou sobre o cirúrgico. Analisadas as três categorias, identificou-se uma discreta superioridade do escore médio atribuído à categoria Competência em relação ao atribuído às categorias Informação e Liberdade, porém a maioria dos escores das três categorias foi bastante homogênea, sendo os escores médios das categorias superiores a 4,5, ou seja, variando de concordante à alta concordância. Os escores para Informação, Competência e Liberdade estão associados com o tipo de tratamento, mas não com a idade dos clientes. Constatou-se também que, em média, os clientes que se submeteram a tratamento clínico atribuíram escores menores do que os clientes que tiveram tratamento cirúrgico. Quanto às questões globais referentes ao esclarecimento das informações e à liberdade para tomada de decisão para o procedimento, temos médias de 9,41 e 9,70 respectivamente. Estes resultados mostram que os profissionais de saúde forneceram informações claras, suficientes e adaptadas às necessidades dos clientes, deixando-os livres e competentes para a tomada de decisão quanto ao procedimento estético / This paper aims at verifying client’s perception in relation to the information given for the decision making process relating to aesthetic procedures. The descriptive, exploratory, correlating, with a quantitative approach, was carried out with a sample of 44 clients of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Clinic. The data collection was carried out by means of an instrument based on the Likert Scales, consisting of 28 propositions, classified in three categories: Information, Competence and Freedom. Two other scales completed the instrument so as to measure clients’ global perception concerning the elucidation of given information and freedom to make a decision. The level of significance was 5% and the results revealed that as far as education was concerned, most clients had university degrees. Concerning profession/occupation, most clients were positioned in levels III, IV and V, which refer to skilled manual work, supervision and management positions, self-employed professionals and high administrative positions, respectively. As far as family income was concerned, most clients had a monthly income above R$ 8000,00. It was also suggested that there was a slight predominance of clients from the 41-50 year-old age group, being most of them married women. In relation to the treatment, there was a slight predominance of clinical treatments, when compared to the surgical ones, and the procedures chosen were first peeling, 22%, followed by botulinum toxin and filling, 16% each. Among the surgical procedures, the most common was liposuction - 14% of the clients, followed by breast surgeries, 12%. During the analysis of the three categories a slight superiority of the average score given to the ‘Competence’ category was identified, when compared to the scores given to the ‘Information’ and ‘Freedom’ categories, although the average scores for the three categories were quite homogeneous, being all above 4.5, that is, varying from ‘agree’ to ‘totally agree’. The ‘information’, ‘competence’ and ‘freedom’ scores are related to the type of treatment, but not to the clients’ age. The survey also confirmed that on average the clients who underwent clinical treatment gave lower scores than the ones who underwent surgical treatment. In relation to global questions, concerning elucidation of information and freedom to make the decision regarding the procedures, we have the average of 9.41 and 9.70 respectively. These results reveal that health professionals provided clients with clear, sufficient and relevant information based on their clients’ needs, leaving them free and competent to take the best decision in relation to aesthetic procedures

The content of this master thesis project is about design and implementation of intelligent client application for Music Player Daemon (MPD), which searches and presents the metadata related to played content. The actual design precedes the theoretical analysis, which includes analysis of agent systems, methods of data classification, web communication protocols and languages for describing HTML document. At the same time is analyzed the MPD server and communication protocol used by clients application. Furthermore, this work describes the current client applications that presents metadata. In the last chapters of the thesis describes the design and implementation of intelligent client. It describes the methods of solution the implementation and solution of problems. Lastest chapters describes the testing result.