A Pilot Study on the Efficacy of Stress Relief Programs for Family Caregivers of Older People with Dementia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of stress-relief programs on positive aspects of caregiving and depression among caregivers of older people with dementia. A quasi-experimental design was employed. Participants in the experimental group received a 8-week period and 120 minutes each session cognitive-behavioral therapy. Participants in the control group received standard health education. Stress relief programs may alleviate depression and increase positive aspects of caregiving among family caregivers of older people with dementia. These findings will help health professionals to implement stress-relief strategies for family caregivers of older people with dementia, or to use those strategies to increase positive aspects of caregiving, or to alleviate depression in caregivers.

Taiwanese nurses' experiences of difficulties in providing patient education in hospital settings.

Taiwanese nurses face increasingly demanding working conditions along with a distinctive culture where family members participate in medical decisionmaking. This research explores Taiwanese nurses' perceptions of patient education, with a focus on the difficulties. Data were collected by in-depth focus group discussions with nursing staff (n=53) from the medical and surgical wards of two teaching hospitals. Transcripts were analyzed and revealed six themes: source of fulfillment and pressure; excessive workload; alternating between patients; not knowing who to teach; difficulty in communication; and disrupted confidence and work rhythm. Research findings could help managers understand the difficulties faced by nurses in providing health education. Nurses should broaden the scope of patient education activities to include family members. Additionally, nurses should discuss patients' desires and expectations from family members in medical treatment and decisionmaking.

Lived Experience among Patients Newly Diagnosed with Lung Adenocarcinoma Stage IV within One Year.

BACKGROUND: lung cancer (LC) is the fifth of the 10 leading causes of death in the world. LC is in first place for cancer-related mortality for both males and females in Taiwan. It is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and is often diagnosed at a late stage. Patients with stage IV are often unprepared for the diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To explore lived experience among patients newly diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma stage IV within one year. RESULTS: Twelve participants were recruited in this study. Content analysis of the interviews revealed four themes: (1) emotional roller coaster, (2) trying to find out causes, (3) adjusting my lifestyle, and (4) cancer fighter. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insight into the experiences of lung cancer patients y with newly diagnosed lung adenocarcinoma stage 4. These results will inform future supportive care service development and intervention research for patients with advanced stage cancer.

Cultural implications of managing chronic illness: treating elderly Chinese patients with heart failure.

Dietary patterns are associated with morbidity and mortality of heart failure. Volume overload was the most common cause for re-hospitalization for heart failure patients. However, recommended preventive strategies of restricting excessive dietary sodium and fluid intake were found to be in vain. This study looks at the preventive dietary instructions from a cultural context, and examined the effects of sodium and fluid restriction on twelve elderly Chinese patients hospitalized with heart failure through a qualitative design. Four themes emerged from the data: medicine-food homology, salt and sodium as synonymous, activity intolerance but still wanting social connections, and barriers to asking questions. Results suggested that living with heart failure is a complex and changeable process for both patients and caregivers. Many patients reported low levels of understanding concerning their symptoms and heart function deterioration. The findings found that good communication requires cultural sensitivity, objective listening to the patient's narrative, and helping patients find meaning between their experiences and symptom control.

Preceptor-guided clinical practica and the learning experiences of nursing students.

BACKGROUND: In Taiwan, nearly one third of newly graduated nurses quit their first nursing job within 3 months and many never return to nursing. Because traditional clinical practice designs do not offer adequate opportunities for students to work independently, many senior nursing students lack self-confidence in their nursing skills and are not familiar with the day-to-day realities of nursing even after completing all their required clinical practica. A model for a preceptor-guided clinical practicum was designed to address this concern. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the learning experiences of senior nursing students who worked with preceptors during their clinical practica. METHODS: Thirteen female nursing students were interviewed to discover their perceptions of their preceptor-guided clinical practicum. All interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. Descriptions were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the data that described the preceptorship experience in the clinical practicum: (1) information and new experience overload, (2) feelings of loneliness and stress, (3) questioning whether strict preceptors achieve the best results, and (4) beginning to feel like a nurse. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Findings suggest that it is important for nurse educators to be clear and precise about the expectations of the preceptorship experience. Orientation for both preceptors and students is essential. Support and encouragement throughout the entire practicum experience for preceptors and students is necessary to ensure program success.

The grief reactions of nursing students related to the sudden death of a classmate.

More than one-thousand adolescents are killed in accidents in Taiwan every year. Developmental factors shape young people's various reactions and responses to the death of their peers. While counseling research has been conducted in a few studies to address this issue of general bereavement, there remains a need for more knowledge on the grieving process and the needs of undergraduate nurse students who experience the loss of a classmate. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing student fears of death and their grief reactions in such a situation. The phenomenological method was used to uncover the meanings of eleven 19-year-old female nursing students' feelings and narratives about their grieving process in relation to the loss of a classmate, who died in a car accident. All interviews were tape recorded and then transcribed. Descriptions were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology (Colaizzi, 1978). The following core themes emerged from the data: morbid anxiety, helplessness after death, fear of disappearance, and thinking of one's own future. The study also found that, while nursing students could cope with their grief, they rarely shared their feeling with others. Young nursing students require careful step-by-step caring to pass successfully through the grieving process. In view of this gap, this study aspires to serve as a useful reference in understanding the sense of loss felt by grieving young people and providing effective and individualized bereavement counseling to nursing students.