Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2007. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 180 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-109).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2005. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 208 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Today, intrauterine devices (IUDs) are used by over 100 million women worldwide, making it the most popular reversible method of birth control. Approximately only 2% of American women, however, choose to use this method of birth control. The purpose of this study was to explore clinical services providers' (CSP) behavioral intention to provide the IUD. An instrument based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA) surveyed National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH). A total of 695 participants appropriately completed the survey, resulting in approximately a 30% response rate. Pearson Product Moment Correlations assessed the linear relationship(s) among summed scales and individual instrument items. Hierarchical regression identified the level of variance accounted for by TRA scales and the knowledge scale. Consistent with TRA tenets, statistically significant associations were found among TRA constructs and behavioral intention; whereas knowledge, while a statistically significantly correlated variable with behavioral intention, was not a predictor of behavioral intention. Future research should continue to explore factors of IUDs use, including those not a part of TRA. Health educators should plan programs to assist in health information delivery, and develop social marketing campaigns to help women seeking family planning services become effective consumers of health information about IUDs.

Critical thinking ability is imperative for nurse practitioners in the multidimensional unfolding health care arena. Consensus as to what critical thinking entails has yet to be articulated. This non-empirical study thus set out to clarify the concept "critical thinking. Walker and Avant's (1995) proposal for conducting a concept analysis was used within the qualitative research paradigm. Literature selected from the fields of education, philosophy, nursing and psychology was consulted as the main source of data. Thematic and theoretical sampling of literature were also embarked upon during the later stage of the research to add density to emergent categories and themes. Categories were organised according to the Strauss and Corbin (1995) paradigmatic model; indicating the antecedents, disposition of the thinker, attributes and critical attributes, and outcomes of critical thinking. The findings indicate that critical thinking is a complex, multidimensional, dynamic, existential and context dependent mental operation. The essence of critical thinking is further illuminated by the construction of a model case and additional cases. The concept critical thinking is finally succinctly defined. The implications that critical thinking holds for nursing education and practice are spelled out. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Degree In Masters in Health Sciences (Nursing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2018. / This qualitative research study was conducted to explore and describe leadership competencies of the newly registered professional (NRP) nurses during the first year of registration with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) in selected provincial hospitals in the eThekwini health district. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data; open- ended questions provided participants with an opportunity to provide rich and detailed information about selected experiences as qualified professional nurses. The main objective of the study was to build on prior work in order to explore and describe selected leadership competencies of the NRP nurses, particularly those related to inability to manage conflict, uncertainty and fear of having to delegate, and observing unethical practice. Benner’s model of Novice to Expert nurse was used as the organising framework. The purposive sample comprised eight R425 trained professional nurses in their first year of registration with the SANC, who were working in the selected regional hospitals of eThekwini health district. All participants had completed one year of practice and reported believing that they were at Stage 3: Competent of Benner’s Stages of Clinical Competence model – from Novice to Expert. Six themes emerged, namely: support; uncertainty and fear of having to delegate; competence; transition to professional nurse; observed unethical practices; fear of victimisation; and difficult relationships. From the above stated themes fifteen sub-themes emerged. The results found that nurses are continuing to transition into Benner’s Stage 5: which requires continued support and integration as they evolve in their roles as professional nurses. / M

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Cur. (Nursing Management) / Assertiveness is the ability to express oneself and one’s rights without violating the rights of others (http: www.naidex.co.uk/page.cfml/link). The need for assertiveness is widely acknowledged in different work settings, and in order to manage the stress of working as part of a team every day, one has to become assertive. Acquiring and using assertiveness involves a simple and effective technique whose main object is to promote and maintain one’s personal health, self-esteem and healthy relationships with other people (Booyens, 2005:395). In the course of her work as a nurse manager in an academic hospital, the researcher became aware in an academic hospital setting that some professional nurses and nurse managers in an academic hospital setting were lacking assertive behaviour in their interactions and relationships with their colleagues. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the kinds of assertive behaviour of professional nurses and nurse managers in the nursing units of two academic hospitals in the Pretoria region, in order to identify guidelines for effective assertive behaviour in such contexts. In this study a quantitative, descriptive and explorative design was used in order to obtain information from permanent professional nurses and nurse managers working in units of two academic hospitals in Pretoria. All of the nurse managers (n = 80) in these units were included in the study as the total sample. Four hundred and forty (n = 440) professional nurses and eighty (n = 80) nurse managers were eligible to participate in the study. Simple random sampling of the professional nurses was conducted to obtain a sample (n = 110). The method of data collection was a self-administered, structured questionnaire whose purpose was to explore and describe the assertive behaviour of professional nurses and nurse managers in academic hospital settings in the Pretoria region (Burns & Grove, 2005:398).Validity and reliability were ensured by using the principles of Riley, Wood, Clark, Wilkie and Szivas (2004:126) as well as the principles of Goddard and Melville (2001:46). Ethical standards for nurse researchers were adhered to. Descriptive statistics were arrived at by using SPSS (Version 20)

This study concerned itself with planned teaching in the hospital emergency department, that area of the hospital health care system that is becoming increasingly popular for short-term ambulatory care. However, the nursing care provided by this department has been largely unexplored by research. The purpose of this experimental study was to determine whether planned teaching involving verbal and written instructions given to a mother prior to the discharge of her child from the emergency department following treatment for a traumatic limb fracture requiring cast application, would enable her to cope more adequately with the home care of her child than the mother not receiving this planned teaching. The Null hypothesis was tested: there is no significant difference in the coping abilities of the mothers of the experimental group as compared with the mothers of the control group. Using five general hospital emergency departments, twenty mothers were assigned to alternate experimental and control groups, with the experimental subjects receiving the planned teaching before discharge. Through home visit interviews with all subjects, the mothers' coping abilities were assessed by the number of specified care objectives they had achieved. The individual totals were ranked and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, the results of which led to the rejection of the Null hypothesis with p = .001, thus indicating a greater ability to cope by the mothers receiving the planned teaching. The total achievement scores of each objective were analyzed using the Fisher Exact Probability Test, resulting in five of the twenty objectives achieving significance at the .05 level. As four of the control subjects received routine written instructions before discharge from one hospital, the evaluation scores of these were compared with the remaining control subjects using the Mann-Whitney U test. No significant difference was found suggesting the ineffectiveness of written instructions without explanatory verbal instructions as well. Selected personal characteristics of the subjects and their children provided a description of the study population. The study's findings suggested that there is a lack of planned patient teaching in emergency departments although literature sources indicate that such teaching is necessary if patients and their families are to assume full responsibility for their own care. The study recommends that nurse practitioners be made aware of their teaching function and be encouraged to achieve competence and confidence in this function through inservice programs. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

Because of the expense associated with hospital admissions, the use of observation status has grown. One of the most consistently measured outcomes in observation is the patient length of stay (LOS). Research supports the positive impact that nurse practitioners (NP) have on LOS when added to other service lines that could be applied to observation. Banner Desert Medical Center (BDMC) is currently attempting to decrease their observation LOS. Adding acute care nurse practitioners (ACNP) to the care delivery model is a potential intervention. The purpose of this project was to develop an executive summary to inform staff of current evidence that supports the addition of ACNPs to observation. Then, via a survey, the project aimed to determine the level of staff support by identifying the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) Stage of Change and to recommend appropriate stage-matched interventions for staff based on TTM processes of change. The 10 Likert scale survey questions were adapted from two validated TTM surveys. The final question asked for the pros and cons of the intervention to determine the Decisional Balance (DB). The registered nurse (RN) cohort demonstrated consistently strong support for the proposed intervention with an average mean response of 6.57 on affirmative questions and a correspondingly low average mean of 2.2 on negative questions. When compared to the RN cohort, the physician cohort had lower mean responses with an average of 4.29 on every affirmative, a higher average mean response of 3.85 on the negatively worded questions. The DB for RNs was 19 pros to two cons. The DB for physicians was eight cons to three pros. These finding reflect that nurses are in the Preparation Stage of Change and are ready to move forward with adding ACNPs. An appropriate stage-matched intervention for registered nurses would be the development of change teams. In contrast, the physician cohort is in the Precontemplation stage and is not ready to proceed with adding ACNPs. Appropriate stage-matched interventions for physicians would include facilitating consciousness-raising activities such as an open forum to communicating information about the proposed change and to explore concerns and questions regarding the intervention.