The application of family-nursing assessment skills: from classroom to hospital ward among final-year nursing undergraduates in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: There is little research on nursing students' application of family health assessment in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of an elective course, Family in Health and Illness (FHI), on year 4 nursing students' family health assessment and practice. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used. One hundred and twenty students completed pre- and post-course questionnaires, after taking FHI (n=49) or a course in Women's Health (WH; n=71) in a baccalaureate nursing program in Hong Kong. Students rated their interest in family assessment and appraised their own confidence and competence in practicing family nursing before the courses commenced, immediately after, and three months post course completion. In addition, their perceived ease of applying family assessment in practice was measured. RESULTS: Students who had taken FHI reported significantly higher interest than those who had not immediately after the course and three months later. The perceived ease of functional assessment immediate after the course was the only predictor of confidence and competence in practicing family nursing (B=0.76, 95% CI=1.37-8.23, p=0.011) at the 3-month follow-up after controlling for age and baseline measures. Level of interest (B=0.44, 95% CI=4.55-0.13, p=0.040) was an additional predictor of nurse-patient relationship at the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Educational input to nursing students may foster their interest and confidence in working with families in clinical settings. Further studies are needed to examine the factors impeding actual application of family nursing assessment.

Student nurses' experiences and challenges in providing health education in Hong Kong.

Despite a call for increased emphasis on health education within the Hong Kong acute healthcare setting, in reality nurses conduct only minimal health education and do not model good educational practice for students. At the baccalaureate level, nursing education programmes aim to provide students with practical experience of best practice and international standards of care. This study describes the experiences of nursing students in providing health education to in-patients at an obstetric unit in Hong Kong. A qualitative research study using a phenomenological approach was conducted at a major public hospital. Data were collected using participant observation, debriefing notes, students' reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) effective knowledge building, (b) being a professional nurse, (c) refining learned skills, and (d) greater cultural awareness. The student experiences were further influenced by the patients' responses, the expectations of both patients and nurses concerning the health educator's role, and the role of the clinical teacher. Study findings highlight the experience of the students in conducting health education, something which has not been adequately examined previously, and demonstrates the benefits of independent clinical learning.

Improving older adults' knowledge and practice of preventive measures through a telephone health education during the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong posed many challenges for health promotion activities among a group of older adults with low socio-economic status (SES). With concerns that this vulnerable group could be at higher risk of contracting the disease or spreading it to others, the implementation of health promotion activities appropriate to this group was considered to be essential during the epidemic. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of delivering a telephone health education programme dealing with anxiety levels, and knowledge and practice of measures to prevent transmission of SARS among a group of older adults with low SES. DESIGN: Pretest/posttest design. SETTINGS: Subjects were recruited from registered members of a government subsidized social service center in Hong Kong and living in low-cost housing estates. PARTICIPANTS: The eligibility criteria were: (1) aged 55 or above; (2) able to speak Cantonese; (3) no hearing impairment, and (4) reachable by telephone. Of the 295 eligible subjects, 122 older adults completed the whole study. METHODS: The interviewers approached all eligible subjects by telephone during the period of 15-25 May 2003. After obtaining the participants' verbal consent, the interviewer collected baseline data by use of a questionnaire and implemented a health education programme. A follow-up telephone call was made a week later using the same questionnaire. RESULTS: The level of anxiety was lowered (t=3.28, p<0.001), and knowledge regarding the transmission routes of droplets (p<0.001) and urine and feces (p<0.01) were improved after the intervention. Although statistical significant difference was found in the practice of identified preventive measures before and after intervention, influence on behavioral changes needed further exploration. CONCLUSION: The telephone health education seemed to be effective in relieving anxiety and improving knowledge of the main transmission routes of SARS in this group, but not the practice of preventing SARS. Telephone contact appears to be a practical way of providing health education to vulnerable groups when face-to-face measure is not feasible and may be useful in raising health awareness during future outbreaks of emerging infections.

Hong Kong nurses' perceptions of and participation in continuing nursing education.

As medical technologies change, practicing nurses need to update their knowledge and skills to ensure quality health care for patients and to minimize possible health hazards in the workplace. This article describes a study that explored Hong Kong hospital nurses' perceptions of and participation in continuing nursing education. It found that Hong Kong nurses participate actively in continuing education out of a sense of professional responsibility and personal interest. However, consistent with findings from other studies, the major factors hindering nurses' participation are finances, family commitments, and time.

The knowledge level and precautionary measures taken by older adults during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong.

The study aims to examine the knowledge and the practice of the precautionary measures taken by older adults in Hong Kong against the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Overall, more than half the participants responded correctly that droplet transmission is one of the main transmission routes of SARS. Those who received formal education demonstrated that they acquired greater knowledge of the sources and precautionary measures for SARS. The types of precautionary measures used and the factors affecting their behaviours were discussed. The results of the study could help the health-care professionals develop appropriate health promotion and disease prevention programmes for older adults.