ABSTRACT
UK health policy has used the terms 'frailty' and 'complexity' synonymously but there is no common definition for either. Understanding these concepts is important if demand for health care created by the increasing number of older people in society is to be managed effectively. This paper explores some findings from a study into how mental health nurses who work with older people construct and operationalize the concept of 'age-related complexity'. Constructivist grounded theory was used. Audio-taped interviews were undertaken with 13 registered nurses and were analysed using a constant comparative method. This paper addresses the relationship between frailty and complexity, which was identified as a theme within the category 'dynamic complexity'. The findings suggest that nurses understand important differences between the two concepts. Frailty is exclusively used to describe physical states while complexity is a more encompassing term that has resonance and relevance in mental health services. The dynamic nature of complexity means that older people can become both more and less complex and this has implications for nursing practice that require further study.
Subject(s)
Frail Elderly , Activities of Daily Living/psychology , Aged, 80 and over , Attitude of Health Personnel , Frail Elderly/psychology , Frail Elderly/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Nurse's Role/psychology , Psychiatric NursingABSTRACT
Literature reports that cognitive understanding and social support can mitigate stress in both adults and adolescents. As a subcomponent of the Carolina Adolescent Health Project (CAHP), this research evaluated the efficacy of a Cognitive Social Support (CSS) group protocol designed to mitigate the disaster stress of adolescents who had been exposed seriously to Hurricane Hugo. A purposive sample of 259 students participated in and evaluated the CSS. This article reports the specific structure, content, process, rationale, and cost of the CSS. Evaluations indicated that 82% of the students evaluated the small-group component of the CSS as "very good" or "excellent," while 70% rated the large-group component as "very good" or "excellent."
Subject(s)
Clinical Protocols/standards , Disasters , Psychology, Adolescent , Psychotherapy, Group/standards , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/prevention & control , Adolescent , Humans , Psychotherapy, Group/organization & administration , South Carolina , Stress, Psychological/psychologySubject(s)
Fingers/anatomy & histology , Hand Injuries/diagnosis , Tendons/anatomy & histology , Ultrasonography , Finger Joint/anatomy & histology , Finger Joint/pathology , Fingers/pathology , Hand Injuries/pathology , Humans , Tendons/pathology , Ultrasonography/instrumentation , Ultrasonography/methodsABSTRACT
A comparison is made of the efficiency and precision of various high-level languages in data-acquisition programs for microcomputers.
