This study describes the results of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) education program for adolescents. Questions addressed were: "Is there a relationship between predisposing factors of age, gender, education, ethnicity, and knowledge and enabling factors of self-efficacy and knowledge sharing?" and "Is there a difference in participants' predisposing factor of knowledge and enabling factors of self-efficacy and knowledge sharing before and after the AIDS education program?" A portion of the PRECEDE model was used to evaluate relationships among factors thought to be influenced by health education. No significant relationship was found between the predisposing factors of age, gender, ethnicity, and education and the enabling factors of self-efficacy and knowledge sharing. At outcome there was a significant negative correlation between knowledge and self-efficacy, but no significant relationship between knowledge and knowledge sharing. There was no statistical significant difference from baseline to outcome measurement for the variables of knowledge, self-efficacy, and knowledge sharing.

Early recognition and treatment of fluid imbalance are essential in the prevention and treatment of complications and traditional methods for assessing fluid balance in the surgical population may be inappropriate for use in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to describe the fluid status of ambulatory surgery patients using and hourly fluid balance formula. A retrospective charte review was conducted on 45 patients having elective, outpatient surgery under general anesthesia. The data were collected related to age, weight, gender, surgical group, fluid administration, prescriptive and nonprescriptive medications, heart rate, and systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressures. Descriptive statistics and tests of difference were used to analyze the data. The sample was equally distributed between three surgical groups. Eighteen subjects were in the clinical phase of early dehydration upon admission to the operating room. Forty-two subjects were in the state of fluid balance at the time of discharge. The estimated fluid requirement formula was found to be a clinically useful tool.

The results of this study determined the defining characteristics for the diagnosis Alteration in comfort: pain in patients unable to communicate discomfort due to neurologic injury or administration of anesthesia. Sixty nurse-participants from three New England hospitals completed a written questionnaire, rating 17 literature-based items, identifying how frequently each sign occurs when pain is diagnosed, and the perceived importance of each sign. Using Fehring's (1986) Diagnostic Content Validation (DCV) model, three major defining characteristics were validated: increase in arterial blood pressure, increase in heart rate, and restlessness; and eight minor defining characteristics were validated: increase in respiratory rate, facial mask of pain, resistance to movement, moaning, rigid muscle tone, withdrawal from stimulus, tears/crying and diaphoresis. High rank order correlations in the identified defining characteristics were evident between post-anesthesia recovery and neurologically impaired patients, as well as high correlations between DCV scores and perceived importance scores.

The purpose of this study was to investigate decision-making, health locus of control, and birth satisfaction among women who chose to have a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) versus women who had a repeat cesarean section (RCS) births. Subjects included 22 pregnant women at 36 weeks gestation (or greater) who delivered by cesarean section with their last pregnancy. The women were considered to be low risk for this pregnancy. There were no statistically significant differences between the VBAC or RCS groups regarding decision-making, HLOC, and birth satisfaction. Women's perceptions about decision-making were consistent with previous investigations. The primary reason women chose a VBAC delivery was to experience a vaginal delivery. The primary reason women chose an RCS was the fear of labor pain with a failed trial of labor.

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to identify and describe the nursing diagnoses and associated defining characteristics for outpatient radiation therapy clients with either head and neck cancer (n = 15) or digestive organs cancer (n = 15). Based on patients' self-reported symptoms, a series of three panels clustered defining characteristics with adaptive modes, next formulated nursing diagnoses based on those characteristics, and lastly validated the compiled list of nursing diagnoses, defining characteristics, and adaptive modes. The findings of 28 nursing diagnoses generated for head and neck cancer and 25 diagnoses for digestive organs cancer indicated that radiation clients experience a gamut of patient care needs which require nursing management. Results of the comparison between the original study using Gordon's Functional Health Patterns and this one using Roy's Adaptation Model as the conceptual framework suggest that a universal set of nursing diagnoses exist for the cancer client experiencing external beam radiation therapy.

A two-part study was performed to determine the effect of periodic turning and oscillation therapy on the mechanically ventilated patient's airway clearance. A secondary analysis of data was performed to compare the effect on airway clearance between subjects on an air-flotation, continuous oscillating bed, the BiodyneTM (n = 8), and subjects on a standard hospital bed manually turned every two hours (n = 10). Airway clearance was evaluated over a three-day period: (1) frequency of suctioning, (2) description of secretions, (3) a/APO₂ ratio, and (4) respiratory compliance measures. The secondary analysis findings indicated no statistically significant differences between the BiodyneTM group and the standard group. A third group of subjects, the RotorestTM bed subjects (n = 7), was retrospectively assessed for effective airway clearance and reported as a descriptive study. The RotorestTM group's sputum appearance, which changed from "purulent-bloody" to "clear-light yellow," demonstrated significant clearing over three days (χ² = 4.24, df = 1).

A descriptive research design was utilized to identify the quality of life perceived by 46 male veterans, ages 55 to 75 years. They resided in a domiciliary. The data analyses of the four quality of life subscales showed human dignity, the living environment, and health and medical care with more positive outcomes than activities of body and mind. The subjects also viewed their self-assessed health and self-assessed quality of life as positive. The care of increasing numbers of aging veterans in institutional settings is a major responsibility and concern of the nursing profession. Nurses need to be cognizant of the perceptions veterans have regarding their quality of life. Only then can nurses develop appropriate care plans and interventions to enhance their quality of life. Nursing's goal is to assist the veteran to function at the highest level of which he is capable.

An exploratory descriptive design was used to describe the differences in reported incidents, falls, and proportion of falls with serious injuries before, during transition, and after a nursing home became restraint-free. The setting was a 60-bed nursing home in rural northwestern United States. Monthly and quarterly incident report summaries for the months of August, 1989, through April, 1991, were retrospectively reviewed to describe frequencies of incidents, falls, types of falls, and serious injuries from falls. Data analysis included paired t-tests to describe significant increases in incidents and falls after the facility became restraint-free, but a paired z-test found no significant difference in the proportion of serious injuries from falls. These study findings were consistent with the literature. The results of this study offer nurses in long term care an opportunity to utilize alternatives to physical restraints, thereby enhancing the dignity of their elderly residents.

This study was designed to identify social life characteristics associated with the variance in charges and penalties against chemically dependent registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in Arizona. Black's (1976) theory on the behavior of law was used as the basis for the conceptual framework of the study. Data were collected from a sample of 203 chemical dependency misconduct records at the Arizona State Board of Nursing. LPNs were more likely to have licenses revoked than RNs. Nurses holding staff positions were more likely to have licenses revoked than nurses holding administrative, supervisory or head nurse positions. Significant differences were also found between chemically dependent nurse offenders and non-offenders when comparing RNs to LPNs; married nurses to separated/divorced nurses; full-time nurses to part-time nurses; diploma or associate degree prepared nurses to baccalaureate or higher degree prepared nurses and male to female nurses.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe Taiwanese nurses' knowledge about and attitudes toward persons with AIDS (PWAs). One hundred and two subjects were recruited from three large medical centers in Taiwan during December, 1992 and January, 1993. A backtranslated Chinese version AIDS Vulnerability Survey (AVS) was used to measure Taiwanese nurses' knowledge of AIDS and attitudes toward persons with AIDS. Findings of this study indicated that Taiwanese nurses lack knowledge of AIDS, have negative attitudes toward PWAs, and perceived themselves highly vulnerable to AIDS. A positive relationship was found between attitudes toward PWAs and length of work experience (r = -.28, p ≤ .05). Significant differences were found between marital status and attitudes toward PWAs (t = -2.58, p ≤ .05), indicating that married nurses had more positive attitudes toward PWAs than single nurses.