AN OPPORTUNITY LOST IN TIME - THE FIRST GENERATION OF STUDENTS AT THE COLLEGE OF NURSING: SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ZAGREB, 1953/1954

The aim of this paper is to present the course of the transformation of the Nursing high school into the College of Nursing and its accession to the School of Medicine in Zagreb. The task of the paper is to present the organisation of schooling for the first generation of nursing students. The reconstruction of the data was based on the archival material stored in the files of the School of Nursing Mlinarska in Zagreb and the Society for Nursing History of the Croatian Nurses Association (CNA). Documents and photographs kept in private collections were used as well as already published literature related to the topic. For the purposes of oral history collection, a semi-structured questionnaire created in 2013 by the Society for Nursing History was used. The first program of the College of Nursing was launched at the initiative of Dr Andrija Stampar in the academic year 1953/1954. There were 17 students enrolled, 11 of whom graduated on time. The study program was comparable to the current world trends in nursing education. The analysis of the teaching staff reveals that the teachers were nurses with extensive experience and recognised university lecturers. The introduction of a higher education nursing program, comparable to the international nursing programs, speaks to the nurses' expectations and status. Compared to today's programs, it was very modern.

Nurses' involvement in developing NICE guidelines.

This article discusses the development of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, the contribution made by nurses to the guidelines and the importance of continuing to take an active role in this work. The challenges nurses face and the support provided to nurses involved in this work by the Royal College of Nursing are outlined. It is intended the article will stimulate interest and encourage nurses to contribute to guideline development.

Analytical study of the nurses licensure examination performance of graduates of Philippine Colleges of Nursing

@#<p style="text-align: justify;">Performance in the eight Nurse Licensure Examinations from December 2006 to December 2010 was analyzed to describe how graduates of colleges of nursing nationwide performed in the tests and to determine the factors that correlate with the examinees' scores. The study included all the graduates of colleges of nursing who participated in the eight Nurse Licensure Examinations. Data were collected through a review of secondary data from the Professional Regulation Commission - the passing percentage and average rating of schools, testing centers in the subjects tested and type of examinees. The variables from each NLE were categorized into Examinee variables, Institutional variables, and Program and Other variables. Based on the NLE results, the study concluded that those who took the examination for the first time (first timers) performed better, had higher passing percentage and significantly higher average rating than repeaters in all the NLEs. Among the repeaters, those who took the examination for at most two times showed higher passing percentage and average rating. Examinees from accredited schools also had higher passing percentage and average rating than examinees from non-accredited schools. Those from government-owned schools showed higher passing percentage in all NLEs and significantly higher average ratings in six (6) out of the eight (8) NLEs than examinees from non-government-owned schools. The study found that the accredited and government-owned schools had higher passing percentage and average rating compared to non-accredited and non-government-owned schools. Significant differences were found in the passing percentage and average rating of the examinees across regions and testing centers. Of the five subjects tested, the examinees performed best in Nursing Practice I and III. Their lowest passing percentage and average rating was in Nursing Practice IV. Number of examinees per school appeared not to have affected nor influenced either the passing percentage or average rating of schools in the eight (8) NLEs. The study reveals significant findings that correlate the performance of graduates of Philippine colleges of nursing in the 8 NLEs with selected variables and these findings may provide a better understanding of the issues and problems concerning the performance of examinees in the NLE.</p>

A vigilância epidemiológica dos acidentes por escorpiões: uma abordagem no campo da saúde coletiva / The epidemiological vigilance of accidents through scorpions: an approach in the field of public health

Os acidentes escorpiônicos vêm se tornando cada vez mais frequentes, no Estado de São Paulo. Propiciados por condições ecológicas que lhe são favoráveis vão adquirindo paulatinamente um caráter urbano. Objetivou-se com esse estudo, caracterizar os acidentes por escorpiões no Estado de São Paulo, no período de 1998 a 2002, sob o enfoque da vigilância à saúde, correlacionando as regiões onde as ocorrências foram registradas, com o grau de desenvolvimento das mesmas, buscando, com isso, sensibilizar os serviços de saúde responsáveis pelos registros e pela intervenção sobre esses agravos, para a utilização de abordagens que incorporem os condicionantes do processo saúde-doença e novas tecnologias no desenvolvimento de seu processo de trabalho. Os dados de acidentes escorpiônicos, ocorridos no período sob estudo, atingiram todas as faixas etárias, porém a faixa mais expressiva foi a de 20 a 29 anos. O coeficiente de letalidade foi de 0,65%. A frequência foi de 3,5 vezes maior na área urbana que na área rural. Os dados revelaram que esses acidentes apresentam um padrão de sazonalidade, com maior frequência nos meses de outubro a abril. Tityus serrulatus foi o principal agente causador dos acidentes. A degradação ambiental consequente da ocupação desordenada do solo favorece a instalação de espécies que são dotadas de reprodução partenogenética. A distribuição espacial dos acidentes escorpiônicos revelou a existência de áreas onde a ocorrência é maior, assim como também as desigualdades sociais. Verificou-se a necessidade de mudança na forma de captação da realidade pela vigilância epidemiológica vinculada à superação dos saberes multicausais, que embasam as práticas de vigilância epidemiológica.

Scorpion accidents have gradually become more frequent in the State of São Paulo. Favored by ecological conditions, they have slowly acquired an urban character. The objective of this study was to point out the accidents caused by scorpions in the State of São Paulo in the period of 1998 to 2002, focusing on health vigilance, establishing a relationship with the regions where the occurrences have been registered and the degree of development between them. It aimed at sensitizing the health services, responsible for the registers and for the intervention on the injuries, to the use of approaches that incorporate the conditions related to the health-disease process and technologies in their work process. The data of accidents caused by scorpions, occurred in the period of this study, reached all age ranges, although the most significant group was found between 20 to 29 years of age. The coefficient of lethality was 0.65%. The frequency was 3.5 times higher in the urban area than the rural area. The data showed that those accidents occurred according to the time of year, most frequently from October to April. Tityus serrulatus was the main agent to cause the accidents. Ecological degradation, due to disorderly land occupation, promotes the installation of species endowed with partenogenic reproduction. The spatial distribution of accidents through scorpions revealed the existence of areas where the occurrence is higher, especially where there are social differences. The study confirmed the need for change in approaching to reality by epidemiological vigilance services, which is related to overcoming multi-causal knowledge paradigms which underlie epidemiological vigilance practices.

Issues involved in promoting patient autonomy in health care.

Respecting patient autonomy is a central part of the Royal College of Nursing's definition of nursing (RCN, 2003). Although autonomy is a fundamental ethical principle in health care, it stands alongside the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and justice (Wilmot, 2003), and these principles may be interpreted differently by individuals and professional groups. In seeking to promote patient autonomy, it is therefore necessary for nurses to consider how these principles interlink, and to understand the potentially differing interpretations that they may encounter in practice. This article sets out to address these issues and suggests that facilitating patient autonomy includes engaging in debates which include uncertainties, considering the resource implications of patient autonomy and the responsibilities that patients have themselves. It also identifies that nurses who aim to promote patient autonomy and holistic decision making need to be able to facilitate discussion that may include questioning the dominant biomedical view of health. This will be problematic if nurses do not themselves feel empowered or autonomous.

Correlations Among the Stroke Patient Family's Health Status, Burden and of Life / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study is used to investigate the correlation among a stroke patient family's health, burden and quality of life. METHOD: Data was collected from one hundred twenty family care-givers registered at K and H Hospital in Seoul. Questionnaire data was drawn up by personal interviews aided by the staff nurses. The analyses of collected data are based on the rate of 100 percentage to the average, t-test, ANOVA, DMR, Pearson Correlation. Result: (1) The influential factors on physical health proved to be age, sex, academic career, matrimonial status, present occupation, economic situation, the relationship with the patient, the patient-caring term, and the family-formation. The psychological health issues were age, final academic career, matrimonial status, the relation with patient and the family-formation. Burdens were shown to be age, matrimonial status, the relation with patient, and the patient-caring term. The quality of life was determined by age, final academic career, matrimonial status, and the relationship with the patient, the patient- caring term, and the family-formation. (2) The rate of the physical condition was 2.87, the psychological condition 2.43, the sense of burden 3.08, and the quality of life was 2.42. (3) The rate of correlation between the burden and the quality of life was (r= -.547), the psychological health and the burden was (r= -.531), the physical health and the burden was (r= -.263), physical health and quality of life was (r= .301), psychological health, and quality of life was (r= .413). CONCLUSION: It follows from this study that there is a very close correlation among the stroke patient family's health, the burden, and quality of life. Therefore it is necessary that we should find various nursing intervention ways in order to mitigate the burden of family when caring for the stroke patients.

Strikes, nurses and the law in the UK.

This paper explores the law relating to strikes and other industrial action in the UK and the problems faced by nurse practitioners. It also reviews the advice given to nurses by the professional associations. If any employee takes part in industrial action, he or she could personally face four arenas of accountability for this action: disciplinary proceedings before the employer; criminal proceedings; civil proceedings for negligence; and professional conduct proceedings.

A right to strike?

During 1995, there was a major shift in the United Kingdom in the debate of whether it is right for nurses to strike. The Royal College of Nursing, the former advocate of a non-industrial action policy, moved towards the UNISON position that industrial action is ethical in some circumstances, as well as the necessary thing to do. The authors, both nurses and UNISON officials, look at the reasons for this change and why UNISON's historical position sees industrial action as an effective weapon in defending services, as well as wages and jobs. It can be right to strike.

Persistent vegetative state: ethical issues for nursing.

This paper is an attempt to set out some of the issues which the RCN Council Nursing and Ethics Sub-committee has discussed recently with regard to nursing involvement in the care of patients who have been classified as being in a vegetative state, particularly in the event that the withdrawal of treatment is under consideration. It aims to encourage nurses to debate this issue openly and contribute their views.

Some dilemmas of living wills.

The question of care of terminally ill patients is, as we all know, fraught with difficulties which become more rather than less intense with new developments in medical systems. Once, doctors were not faced with the question of whether to keep someone alive when it was scarcely in their power to intervene in nature's course. Today, with new powers to keep people alive, the question arises, with ever greater urgency, when and whether those powers should be used.

Nurses' views of the decision not to resuscitate a patient.

The decision not to resuscitate a patient is a complex issue and there is little guidance for nurses on how such a decision is made. The aim of this study was, therefore, to explore the views and working practices of staff in relation to current guidelines and theories, using a situational analysis. Overall, the staff seemed to meet the criteria outlined in the guidelines, although there was little awareness of the guidelines. Nurses in the clinical area should be both educated in the recommendations for practice and should be consulted and involved in developing such recommendations.

Patient involvement in resuscitation decisions.

The dilemma over whether patients should be involved in resuscitation decisions is a crucial issue as it brings into question some of the fundamental principles on which we base our practice. Nurses have a vital role to play in protecting patients' autonomy.

Innovative treatment or ethical headache? Fetal transplantation in Parkinson's disease.

Current drug therapies have limitations in controlling Parkinson's disease in the long term. Early results of fetal cell transplantation are encouraging, suggesting it may help many sufferers. The technique raises ethical considerations, particularly with regard to collection of fetal tissue. Nurses must form their own opinions on the technique, and while they may opt out of the actual operations involved, they still have a duty of care to these patients.

Thinking the unthinkable at Easingwold.

KIE: An incoming director of a section of Britain's National Health Service describes a course sponsored by the Home Office on civil preparedness in the event of war, including nuclear war. The author found the course, which was developed for health practitioners, to be well conceived and valuable. Kay believes that the allocation of health service funds for the civil defense stockpiling of analgesics and other medical supplies could be a useful means of deterring an attack.^ieng