Psychometric evaluation of the perceived prejudice in health care scale-modified (PPHC-M) among baccalaureate student nurses.

PURPOSE: Discrepancy in quality of health care for patients with diverse backgrounds contributes to health outcome disparities. BSN students reveal surprise regarding the presence of health care disparities. Critical social theory guided this study. The psychometric properties of the Perception of Prejudice in Health Care Scale­Modified (PPHC-M) were evaluated,and the relationship between perceived discrimination in health care delivery and cultural sensitivity awareness was explored. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey of 146 Midwest BSN students was conducted using Cultural Competence Assessment (CCA), PPHC-M, and the Marlowe­Crowne Social Desirability Scale. RESULTS: PPHC-M demonstrated reliability(α = .781.) Cronbach's alphas for General Perception of Prejudice (GPP) and Personal Experience of Prejudice (PEP) were.759 and .756, respectively. Construct validity was supported by contrasted groups. The PPHC was not significantly correlated with the CCA scores. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: PPHC-M shows promise in measuring perceived prejudice in health care.

Infant sleep and feeding.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct an integrated review of the literature on the relationship between infant sleep and feeding; hence, health care providers have accurate information to provide anticipatory guidance to parents making decisions regarding feeding and sleeping. DATA SOURCES: Computerized searches of MEDLINE and CINAHL databases, as well as references lists from published articles on infant sleep and feeding methods from 1982 to 2007. Search terms were "infant sleep" and "infant feeding." STUDY SELECTION: Literature was selected from refereed publications in the areas of nursing, medicine, psychology, sociology, and lactation. A total of 48 publications were used in this review. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted using keywords pertinent to infant sleep parameters and the relationship to feeding method. A total of 161 articles were reviewed for inclusion, and only 37 met inclusion criteria. Eleven additional articles were retrieved from the references of these 37 articles. DATA SYNTHESIS: Articles that focused on early infant sleep development and sleep were utilized. Those that focused exclusively on premature or older infants or toddlers or whose primary focus was on sudden infant death syndrome were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Infants have unique sleep patterns causing adjustment for new parents. Sleep is biopsychosocially influenced, and the interactions between parent and baby have a profound effect on the sleeping and feeding methods and patterns of the infant. When health care providers appreciate these influences and individual nuances of infant sleep, they can share information to appropriately guide and reassure the developing family.

In-depth mental health evaluation of a community sample of nonreferred infants with feeding difficulties.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the clinical characteristics of feeding difficulties in 30 community (i.e., nonreferred) infants in the first 2 years of life, and their correlation with mother/child interactions. METHOD: An "in depth" mental health evaluation of feeding difficulties, and the psychosocial functioning of the child in other areas. The mother-infant relationship and the feeding interactions were also assessed. RESULTS: Four "groups" were identified. (1) Young infant with difficulties in regulating states and sucking. (2) Older infant with difficulties in self-regulation, focusing, hyper-alert, and with aversion to feeding. (3) Older infants hypersensitive to stimuli (taste, odor) and with difficulties in chewing. (4) Group of with varied and unique feeding problems (pica, rumination). CONCLUSION: Feeding problems tend to have patterns according to the age of the baby in a nonreferred sample. They are not associated with an altered parent-infant relationship nor poor feeding technique. Parents often adapt successfully to the uniqueness of the baby to maintain weight gain.