The effects of the self-efficacy method on adult asthmatic patient self-care behavior.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of asthma and associated mortality is higher among adults than among children, as are associated morbidity and hospital readmission rates. The literature shows that promoting patient self-care behaviors and self-efficacy helps reduce recurrence and hospital readmission rates. Therefore, self-care behaviors and self-efficacy represent critical issues in successful asthma management. PURPOSE: This study was developed to investigate the effects of a self-efficacy intervention on (a) the self-care behaviors of adult asthma patients and (b) the self-efficacy of adult asthmatic patients. The study used a pretest-posttest experimental design. METHODS: A total of 60 asthma outpatients who visited the chest medicine division of a medical center in Kaohsiung City between March 2, 2009, and January 31, 2010, were assessed. Patients were randomly divided into two groups (experimental and control), with 30 patients assigned to each. Experimental group participants received the self-efficacy intervention program, which included watching a 15- to 20-minute DVD, received a healthcare booklet on self-efficacy for adult asthmatic patients, were asked to share their illness experience with support groups, and received medical follow-ups by telephone. Control group patients received conventional health education administered by the outpatient department. Study instruments included a self-care behavior scale for adult asthmatic patients (content validity index = .95, Cronbach's α = .82) and a self-efficacy scale for adult asthmatic patients (content validity index = .98, Cronbach's α = .82). RESULTS: The two key findings of this study were as follows: (a)There was a significant improvement in the self-care behaviors of patients who received self-efficacy intervention in terms of medication adherence (p= .008), self-monitoring (p= .000), avoidance of antigens (p = .001), regular follow-up visits (p = .000), and regular exercise (p = .016); and (b) the program improved participant self-efficacy in terms of both asthma attack prevention (p = .030) and management during asthma attacks (p = .017). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, self-efficacy intervention has been demonstrated a beneficial addition to adult asthmatic patient self-care regimens.

[The application of creative thinking teaching in nursing education].

Nursing education is increasingly expected to cultivate nursing student creative abilities in line with general Ministry of Education promotion of greater creativity within education and the greater leeway for creativity won domestically for nurses by professional nursing organizations. Creative thinking has been named by education experts in the United States as the third most important goal of nursing education. However, nursing students in Taiwan have been shown to test lower in terms of creativity than students enrolled in business management. Leaders in nursing education should consider methods by which to improve the creative thinking capabilities of nursing students. Articles in the literature indicate that courses in creative studies are concentrated in the field of education, with few designed specifically for nursing. The teaching of constructing creative thinking is particularly weak in the nursing field. The purpose of this article was to review literature on education and nursing in order to explore current definitions, teaching strategies, and evaluation approaches related to creativity, and to develop a foundation for teaching creativity in nursing. The authors hope that an appropriate creative thinking course for nursing students may be constructed by referencing guidance provided in this in order to further cultivate creative thinking abilities in nursing students that will facilitate their application of creative thinking in their future clinical practicum.

Efficacy of integrating information literacy education into a women's health course on information literacy for RN-BSN students.

Information literacy, essential to evidences-based nursing, can promote nurses' capability for life-long learning. Nursing education should strive to employ information literacy education in nursing curricula to improve information literacy abilities among nursing students. This study explored the effectiveness of information literacy education by comparing information literacy skills among a group of RN-BSN (Registered Nurse to Bachelors of Science in Nursing) students who received information literacy education with a group that did not. This quasi-experimental study was conducted during a women's health issues course taught between March and June 2004. Content was presented to the 32 RN-BSN students enrolled in this course, which also taught skills on searching and screening, integrating, analyzing, applying, and presenting information. At the beginning and end of the program, 75 RN-BSN student self-evaluated on a 10 point Likert scale their attained skills in searching and screening, integrating, analyzing, applying, and presenting information. Results identified no significant differences between the experimental (n = 32) and control groups (n = 43) in terms of age, marital status, job title, work unit, years of work experience, and information literacy skills as measured at the beginning of the semester. At the end of the semester during which content was taught, the information literacy of the experimental group in all categories, with the exception of information presentation, was significantly improved as compared to that of the control group. Results were especially significant in terms of integrating, analyzing, and applying skill categories. It is hoped that in the future nursing students will apply enhanced information literacy to address and resolve patients' health problems in clinical settings.

Effects of progressive muscle relaxation on blood pressure and psychosocial status for clients with essential hypertension in Taiwan.

This study examined the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on blood pressure and psychosocial status in clients with essential hypertension. The study, which used a quasi-experimental design, recruited a convenience sample of 40 subjects from a hypertension outpatient clinic. Twenty subjects received PMR training once a week and practiced at home daily for 4 weeks. PMR training had an immediate effect, reducing pulse rate 2.35 beats/min, systolic blood pressure 5.44 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure 3.48 mm Hg. After 4 weeks of PMR training, further decreases in pulse rate (2.9 beats/min), systolic blood pressure (5.1 mm Hg), and diastolic blood pressure (3.1 mm Hg) occurred. PMR significantly lowered patients' perception of stress, and it enhanced their perception of health. PMR is beneficial for patients with essential hypertension, and nurses may use it to enhance their independent function as well as their quality of life.

Perceived stress and physio-psycho-social status of nursing students during their initial period of clinical practice: the effect of coping behaviors.

Initial clinical practice is stressful. Nursing students entering clinical practice for the first time in a five-year associate degree program in Taiwan are young and have questionable coping skills, all of which can affect their own health. This study examined the following: (1) the degree of stress perceived and types of stressful events; (2) the physio-psycho-social status of nursing students during the practice; (3) the coping behaviors of these students; and (4) the effect of different coping behaviors on their physio-psycho-social health. The subjects were 561 nursing students who had completed their initial clinical practice at the largest nursing school in Taiwan. Three measurements, including Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Physio-Psycho-Social Response Scale (PPSRS), and Coping Behavior Inventory (CBI), were adopted. Results showed that stress for these students came mainly from the lack of professional knowledge and skills as well as caring of patients. The most common response to stress was social behavioral symptoms. Staying optimistic had a positive main effect, which reduced the occurrence of physio-psycho-social symptoms and improved physio-psycho-social status. Finally, problem-solving behavior also had a positive main effect, while avoidance had a negative main effect, which deteriorated physio-psycho-social status. This study has important implications for nursing educators in helping their students to overcome stress during clinical practice.