Exploring the patterns, practices, and experiences of military women who managed genitourinary symptoms in deployed settings.

OBJECTIVE: To gain a better understanding of genitourinary (GU) health during deployment in the context of a military culture. DESIGN: An ethnographic study design was selected to understand how military women managed GU symptoms during deployment. SETTING: The deployed experiences were recalled from various locations around the world. PARTICIPANTS: The final sample consisted of 43 military women from the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Navy who were either deployed or had been deployed within the past year. METHODS: Audio recorded interviews ranged from 30 to 75 min in length. Semistructured interviews were used to gather women's stories about their illness behaviors in the deployed setting. Formal interviews, informal interviews, and field notes were included in the data analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: (a) life in the deployed setting described the location women were referring when they experienced GU symptoms; (b) the dynamics of trust described individuals or entities that were trusted sources of information, supplies, or support; and (c) the sphere of control described the activities utilized to maintain health or manage GU symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study is significant to nursing research because it exposes the influence of culture on GU symptom management. Recommendations from this investigation include the following: provide better incremental, predeployment, and in-theater education for women and medics; inform leaders about the need to ensure the supply of self-care treatments and women's feminine hygiene products are available; and promote the role of family support stateside as a resource for information, supplies, and emotional support.

Tobacco use in the Army: illuminating patterns, practices, and options for treatment.

Tobacco use by soldiers has been prevalent throughout the 20th century. Tobacco has been seen as a "right". Additionally, tobacco was viewed as a boost to a soldier's morale and to provide comfort, while reducing stress in austere conditions. Today, tobacco is known to increase healthcare costs, adversely affect readiness, and impact the military members' physical performance. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to describe patterns, practices, and experiences of active duty Army soldiers who use tobacco, have quit using tobacco, and have relapsed after a period of tobacco abstinence. Five themes were uncovered: (1) Experiences associated with use of tobacco, (2) Tobacco use in the Army, (3) Experiences of starting and restarting tobacco, (4) Balancing health risks with tobacco use, and (5) Tobacco use regulations and policies. Findings are consistent with the conclusion that the Army culture supports soldiers' tobacco use.

Injuries to the cervix in sexual trauma.

Research on genital injury in sexual assault is limited and few articles have documented injuries to the cervix in sexual assault victims. This review focuses on reviewing and critically evaluating available literature on injuries of the cervix associated with rape, sexual trauma, and some other circumstances. Based on this evaluation, topics for future research are suggested. Nursing and medical studies were examined for this review. The collective studies date from 1991 to 2004. Although multiple articles were identified pertaining to sexual assault and genital injury, only six articles that specifically referred to injuries associated with genital and cervical tissue were included.

Military tobacco use: a synthesis of the literature on prevalence, factors related to use, and cessation interventions.

Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable morbidity and premature death in the United States. As a result, military leaders are recognizing that tobacco can adversely affect military fitness levels, deployment readiness, and safety and can increase health care costs. Yet military members continue to use tobacco. Tobacco may be viewed as part of the military culture since military members have used tobacco for many decades for pleasure, comfort, and currency and as a morale booster. Most recently, the military has seen an increase in tobacco use among young military members. A number of research studies have examined the prevalence of tobacco and factors related to use in the military, and several have evaluated cessation and prevention interventions. This article provides a brief historical perspective of military tobacco use in the 20th century and a critical review of the literature published between 1991 and 2006 describing prevalence of tobacco use, factors influencing use, and cessation interventions in the military. Recommendations for future research and for interventions are provided.

A theory of nonphysical suffering and trust in hospice patients.

Suffering is a complex, dynamic experience that overarches life experiences and includes physical, social, spiritual, and emotional domains. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to uncover participants' experiences of nonphysical suffering and what was helpful during this time. Eighteen patients who were chronically ill participated in this grounded theory study. Trust was uncovered as a central issue within nonphysical suffering, whereas meaning was the vehicle that enabled the individual to move within the suffering. Participants acknowledged suffering through the identification of various meanings of a situation within their constructed reality and belief system. During individuals' suffering, time was altered and the experience occurred within an expanded present. The individual created an emotional space apart from the meaning of loss within suffering. Trust included the categories of dynamic experience, losing trust, and dealing to regain trust. Participants identified nurse trustworthiness as important for decreasing energy expenditures associated with suffering.

Being in tune with life: complementary therapy use and well-being in residential hospice residents.

UNLABELLED: Complementary therapies are commonly used by the public. Increasingly, complementary therapies are being used in hospices for symptom management; however, little research is available on their effect on patient well-being. PURPOSE: This study explores experiences of 15 hospice residents who received complementary therapies and describes the hospice cultural patterns where complementary therapies were delivered. METHOD: Ethnography was used to guide data collection. Data were collected by participant observations, formal and informal interviews, and complementary therapy charts in a residential hospice during 9 months. FINDINGS: Three themes of experiencing complementary therapies, reconnecting to life through caring, and presence in relationship were uncovered during data analysis. IMPLICATIONS: Study results suggest that presence may be more important to the patient's well-being than the physical responses of complementary therapies. Also, a caring culture may influence staff job satisfaction and retention.