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Biomedical subjects

Barbara Paterson

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara Paterson.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Embedded assumptions in qualitative studies of fatigue.

Qualitative researchers have long recognized that fatigue is a common concern among those with chronic illness; however, the insights derived from this body of inquiry have not been synthesized into a coherent body of clinical knowledge that could provide direction for nursing practice. Using a synthesis approach of meta-study, the authors identify four predominant assumptions embedded in qualitative studies that have influenced the way researchers have interpreted and made sense of their findings about fatigue in chronic illness over the past two decades. They argue that these assumptions may have inhibited the development of more dynamic, comprehensive understandings of fatigue. They conclude that addressing some of the methodological issues within this body of research might lead to a more accurate portrayal of the complexity, fluidity, and contextual nature of the fatigue experienced in chronic illness.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2002

Complementary/alternative medicine in chronic illness as informed self-care decision making.

The reasons that persons with chronic illness explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have not been well understood. Using data from a study of self-care decision making in chronic illness, we conducted a qualitative secondary analysis to interpret the rationale underlying decisions to experiment with and use various CAM practices and products. The findings confirm that CAM use can be understood as a critical component of self-care management in general, and not as a rejection of conventional medicine or an unrealistic search for cure. In contrast, it represents personal responsibility for health, reframing the measures by which therapeutics are evaluated, and adopting a pragmatic approach to living as well as possible in the context of a chronic condition.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Critical issues in interviewing people with traumatic brain injury.

People with cognitive impairments often cannot effectively recall and articulate experiences, feelings, and perceptions. Therefore, interviewing them can be fraught with pragmatic and methodological difficulties. Given this situation, the authors' experience in a study on the allocation of rehabilitative services to survivors of traumatic brain injury is discussed. Participants had physiological impairments affecting their ability to focus on interview questions. The authors discuss the unique challenges, including participants' recall of events, intolerance to stimuli, and image management and offer strategies for mitigating these concerns. The traditional view that reality is captured only in the subjective accounts of articulate people who can remember events in a precise and reflective manner is challenged.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed2002

Chronic illness experience: insights from a metastudy.

Concurrent with the recent enthusiasm for qualitative research in the health fields, an energetic call for methods by which to synthesize the knowledge has been generated on various substantive topics. Although there is an emerging literature on meta-analysis and metasynthesis, many authors overestimate the simplicity of such approaches and erroneously assume that useful knowledge can be synthesized from limited collections of study reports without a thorough analysis of their theoretical, methodological, and contextual foundations and features. In this article, the authors report some of the insights obtained from an extensive and exhaustive metastudy of qualitative studies of chronic illness experience. Their findings reveal the complexities inherent not only in any phenomenon of interest to health researchers but also in the study of how we have come to know what we think we know about it.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed2002

Disease-specific influences on meaning and significance in self-care decision-making in chronic illness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the everyday self-care decision-making of individuals with chronic illness for the purpose of developing a comparison of decision-making processes between chronic diseases and to identify criteria by which persons with various chronic conditions evaluate the quality of self-care decisions. A sample of 21 individuals with either Type II diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or multiple sclerosis, who were nominated as expert self-care managers by their clinicians, recorded the decisions they made in their daily self-care over a 1-week period and were interviewed in depth to elaborate on the decisions, the processes by which they made them, and the factors that influenced them. This process was repeated to obtain depth and detail in relation to decisions and decision-making processes. The findings revealed that although participants shared similar elements in their self-care decision-making, they differed in the perceived meaning and significance of their decisions, depending on disease-specific attributes relating to timeliness, biomarkers, interaction within a social context, the construction of healthy practices, and available relevant information. Findings were analyzed and compared to suggest future directions for research and educational interventions to enhance the quality of self-care decision-making in chronic illness by considering the influence of disease-specific attributes in self-care management.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A descriptive study of peripheral intravenous catheters in patients admitted to a pediatric unit in one Australian hospital.

Over a 5-month period, 496 peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVs) inserted into neonates, infants, and children were prospectively studied. Data were collected on demographic patient characteristics, PIV indications for use, dwell time, and reasons for removal, together with nursing actions. The results showed that most PIVs were removed within 72 hours. In 6.6% of cases, some degree of phlebitis was present at PIV removal. The risk of phlebitis increased when the PIV remained in place longer, the child was younger, or medication was administered. The greatest risk was age, with neonates being 5(1/2) times more likely to have some degree of phlebitis than non-neonates.

Adolescent↗