Pain as a mutual experience for patients, nurses and families: a perspective from Shanghai, China.

The author of this article visited China for the purpose of helping the faculty of the School of Nursing learn research skills by participating in research--a kind of learn by doing. Both investigators had conducted quantitative studies in the US--one with children and one with adults--that were adapted for use in China. Seeking to also include a qualitative study, the investigators explored several possible research areas. Because pain is a universal phenomena, it was chosen as the subject for the study using the qualitative methodology reported in the first part of this article.

Pain as a mutual experience for patients, nurses and families: unique international perspectives from the Peoples' Republic of China, the United States, Malawi and Spain.

This article shares findings from a descriptive research study that explored pain recognition, pain intervention and perceived pain relief in laboring women, children and older adult patients from four very different countries. Researchers included co-investigators from each site and a team of more than 20 nurses from China, the United States, Malawi and Spain. This international, multi-site study investigated specific aspects of the phenomena of pain which are known to be of interest to nurses internationally. Critical issues related to feasibility of this study depended, in large part, on the ability of principle investigators to have access to a sample comprised of sub-samples of nationally different subjects that would represent the population of interest. Access to the four study countries was made possible through professional relationships previously developed by either one of the principal or co-investigators.

Pain as a mutual experience for patients, nurses and families: a perspective from New York.

New York was unique among the cities included in this study. The most striking finding was that the self-described ethnic background of both nurses and patients was so varied. Many patients and nurses were born elsewhere and were nonnative speakers. The results cannot be described as cross-countries when so many nations are represented. Multinational is, perhaps, a more accurate description, but even that seems inadequate to describe a population as diverse as was this one.

Handicapped and able-bodied children's ideas of health.

The findings of a study of 240 handicapped and able-bodied children's ideas of health and health self-concept are reported. Children ages six-14 were interviewed using a semistructured format to determine what the word "health" meant to them, how they could tell when someone was healthy, if they saw themselves as healthy, and whether a child with a broken leg, in a wheelchair, or after an operation could be healthy. The Child Health Self-Concept Scale (CHSCS) was administered to 100 children. Results revealed both handicapped (N = 104) and able-bodied (N = 136) children viewed health similarly, and ideas were influenced more by age than by handicap. Even when they declare someone else with a disability as unhealthy, both groups see themselves as healthy. Implications for research are presented and ideas about society's emphasis on physical fitness are discussed.

A developmental analysis of children's ideas of health.

This article analyzes children's ideas of health using a Piagetian developmental framework and draws implications for health education. Young children see health as a positive, enabling concept unassociated with illness. Older children associate health and illness but see health as long term and sickness as short term. The development of a concept of health follows a progression similar to that outlined by Piaget and verified by researchers looking at related concepts. An understanding of cause and effect, the ability to conserve ideas and reverse thinking, consider the future and formulate at least tentative hypotheses are processes which mature with age and experience. The concept of health expands and changes as these processes mature. This analysis suggests that health oriented educational programs which are consistent with the child's ability to process information might be more effective than traditional disease-oriented programs. It also raises several questions for future research.

Children's views of health: a developmental study.

Two hundred and sixty-four first, fourth, and seventh grade children were asked to define health, state what it felt like to be healthy and not healthy, and to give criteria they would use to judge another person's health status. A chi square analysis was done to compare differences for age, sex, intelligence, and socioeconomic status. Results indicated that children saw health as a positive attribute which enabled them to participate in desired activities, that a person was healthy if he could do what he wanted to do, and that health and illness were two different cncepts rather than on a continuum as is often cited in the literature. Mental health was not considered as part of being healthy except by a few of the oldest children. There were both qualitative and quantitative changes with age which were consistent with theories of concept development. It is recommended that future studies be conducted with both adults and health workers. (There is some evidence that consumers and health professionals do not have the same ideas about health.)