A Community's Awareness and Perceptions of Genomic Medicine.

BACKGROUND: Focus groups were conducted in a mid-sized community to explore community members' awareness and perceptions of genomic medicine and identify effective methods to educate the public about this topic. METHODS: Thirteen focus groups were conducted with a demographically representative pool of 121 participants using a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts were analyzed through a computer assisted approach with Atlas TI consisting of coding, categorizing, comparing, and contrasting relevant data. RESULTS: Identified categories were organized into 6 main themes, which were similar across the groups and included: a lack of awareness, perceived benefits, concerns about genomic medicine, reasons for poor health related behavior, the potential impact of genetic information on health behavior, and the best ways to educate the community. Common concerns included lack of affordability, unanticipated physical harm, mistrust of the government and researchers, downstream effects like overpopulation, playing God/disturbing the natural order, lack of regulations, loss of privacy, genetic discrimination, and moral dilemmas posed by genetic engineering, cloning, choosing traits, and abortions resulting from genetic information. Participants also discussed ways to educate the community. CONCLUSIONS: While individuals recognized that diseases run in families, personal experience was a driving factor in participants' level of knowledge. Many expressed optimism about genomic medicine. However, the lack of depth in responses and their misconceptions reflect a deficiency of knowledge, which along with their personal, moral, and global concerns could impede acceptance and utilization of genomic medicine. Many community members are receptive to learning more about genomic medicine, and many of their concerns and misconceptions can be addressed through a well designed education strategy.

Nurses as working women.

Women today make up nearly half of the nation's workforce. A number of these women have children at home, and women also often are responsible for providing care to older adult family members or friends. The different roles assigned to women in today's society are burdensome, particularly for nurses who deal with the stress of managed care, downsizing, the nursing shortage, caring for increasingly ill patients, long and irregular hours, and daily crises. There are ways that nurses can modify their work situation, however, to help them cope with the rigors of the workplace and the home.

Relational experiences of elderly women living alone in rural communities: a phenomenologic inquiry.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop a beginning description of the relational experiences of elderly women living alone in rural communities. Relational theories provided the conceptual framework. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews of 8 elderly Caucasian women. Using Colaizzi's (1978) descriptive phenomenologic methodology, two central themes emerged from the written transcripts: connectedness and the need for control. Connections were to family, friends, the community, and God. The women in this study controlled their relational boundaries, balancing their need for connection with the desire for solitude and privacy. The women also exhibited strong independence and the desire to continue to live alone at home.