Effects of using videotaped vignettes on enhancing students' critical thinking ability in a baccalaureate nursing programme.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of using videotaped vignettes in promoting nursing students' critical thinking abilities in managing different clinical situations. BACKGROUND: The impetus for undertaking this study came from recognition of the need to develop the level of students' critical thinking within clinical nursing practice. Eight videotaped vignettes that simulated clinical situations were developed to promote baccalaureate nursing students' critical thinking abilities in managing clinical situations. Guidelines were also developed to stimulate students' discussion. DESIGN/METHODS: A pre-test/post-test design was employed to determine the effectiveness of videotaped vignettes in promoting critical thinking skills among these students. A final sample of 83 students completed all the pre-test and post-test questionnaires on critical thinking skills and nursing knowledge test specific to a vignette. RESULTS/FINDINGS: The findings indicate that students' post-test knowledge scores were significantly higher than the pre-test knowledge scores. While the post-test critical thinking skill test scores were slightly higher than those of the pre-test for the students, the difference was not significant. One reason for such findings may be the limited exposure students had to these new types of videotaped vignettes. After the course had been completed both students and teachers were asked to reflect and to indicate their level of satisfaction with the new approach. There was overall satisfaction with the new approach to teaching clinical skills as reflected in the interview data from both teachers and students. CONCLUSIONS: While there were positive outcomes in terms of helping students to relate nursing principles to clinical situations, more time for students to learn using videotaped vignette in tutorial hours remains a challenge for teachers in planning the lectures.

Downregulation of phospholipase C delta3 by cAMP and calcium.

Four different isoforms of mammalian phospholipase C delta (PLCdelta) have been described. PLCdelta1, the best-understood isoform, is activated by an atypical GTP-binding protein. It has been suggested that it is a calcium signal amplifier. However, very less is known about other subtypes, including PLCdelta3. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the expression of PLCdelta3 in different human tissues. Moreover, the cellular underlying regulation for PLCdelta3 was studied in different cell lines. Our study showed that the mRNA and protein levels differed significantly among human tissues. The human PLCdelta3 gene was composed of 15 exons and 1 putative cAMP response element in the 5'-end promoter region. PLCdelta3 mRNA expression was downregulated by cAMP and calcium in both the human normal embryonic lung tissue diploid WI38 cell line and the glioblastoma/astrocytoma U373 cell line. However, mRNA expression showed no impact by PKC activators or inhibitors. This study shows the human PLCdelta3 expression pattern and is the first report that PLCdelta3 gene expression is downregulation by cAMP and calcium.

An assessment of the patients' needs in mental health education.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to identify the specific educational needs of Chinese patients with schizophrenia using a Chinese version of the Educational Needs Questionnaire. BACKGROUND: Patient education provides adequate clinical information to patients, increases understanding of their illness condition and encourages their health-promoting behaviour. A full understanding and satisfaction of patient needs in relation to specific illness has played an important part in the development of an education programme for psychiatric patients. However, psychiatric patients' perceptions of their specific educational needs and whether or not these needs are being met have seldom been explored for the purposes of optimizing the effects of patient education programmes. This study served the purpose of assessing the learning needs of Chinese patients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hong Kong with 192 Chinese outpatients with schizophrenia. The principles for determining the equivalence of translated tools were applied to the development of the Chinese version of the questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients gave high importance to gaining information about mental illness, strategies for improving social relationships and solving daily problems. Socioeconomic factors including education level and membership in a mutual support group correlated significantly with need importance and the unmet-need score. Length of illness negatively correlated with need importance, indicating the adverse effect of illness on patients' interests in fulfilling needs. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of mental health consumers' perceptions of their specific educational needs and tailoring patient educational curricula to the expressed needs appear essential. The importance of validity testing of a translated tool is also highlighted in this study.

Disposition towards critical thinking: a study of Chinese undergraduate nursing students.

The purpose of this study was to explore empirically whether undergraduate nursing students at a selected university in Hong Kong display a disposition towards critical thinking. The California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) was used to measure the key theoretical aspects of the overall dispositional dimension of critical thinking. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to examine 122 Chinese students who were completing their 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of a university baccalaureate nursing programme. In the majority of sub-scales of CCTDI, students showed a negative disposition towards critical thinking. A one-way ANOVA indicated that year 3 students scored significantly lower than their junior counterparts (P < 0. 001). Pearson product moment correlation coefficient yielded a significant positive relationship between critical thinking dispositions and term grade point average (P < 0.05). Consistent with the findings of western studies, the students scored lowest on the truth-seeking sub-scale and highest on the inquisitiveness. Discussion of the findings with regard to nursing education, curriculum and research is delineated.