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Biomedical subjects

E Rideout

Publications and source records attributed to E Rideout.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Self-directed learning: faculty and student perceptions.

This article reports the results of a qualitative study that explored faculty and student perceptions of self-directed learning (SDL) and investigated factors that facilitate or impede it. This study was conducted at McMaster University with faculty and students in a 4-year undergraduate nursing program. Data were collected from 47 faculty and 17 students by means of focus groups that were audiotaped and transcribed. Content analysis was conducted to identify common themes in faculty and student transcripts. The themes that emerged provide insight into the educational strategy of self-directed learning and can be summarized by the following major points: (1) commitment to SDL requires students and faculty to understand the value of empowering learners to take increased responsibility for decisions related to learning; (2) students engaged in self-directed learning undergo a transformation that begins with negative feelings (i.e., confusion, frustration, and dissatisfaction) and ends with confidence and skills for lifelong learning; and (3) faculty development is important to ensure high levels of competency in facilitating self-directed learning.

Attitude↗
PubMed1997

Women and heart attack: a study of women's experiences.

Cardiovascular disease in general, and myocardial infarction (MI) in particular, is the major health problem of females after 50 years of age. To date, heart disease research has focused primarily on males. The limited evidence suggests that the physical, psychological, and social ramifications of MI for women are significant, and different from those of men. Since the specific rehabilitation needs of women are not yet clear, this study was designed to explore the unique experiences and needs of women following a first MI. A phenomenological study using focus groups was used to explore the experiences, questions, concerns, and preferred interventions of women after a MI. Participants were female volunteers (n = 14) who had been hospitalized for a MI within the previous 6 months. Focus groups were audio taped and analysed by the investigators. Four major themes emerged: validation; perceived gender differences; role expectations/role tensions; and helps and hindrances to recovery.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Nurses' work: balancing personal and professional caregiving careers.

Forty full-time nurses who were also responsible for providing care to individuals in their private lives volunteered for a qualitative study of combined caregiving careers. Each respondent kept a diary of caregiving activities during two representative 24-hour periods, and was interviewed prior to, and after diary-recording. Most nurses experienced high levels of stress associated with caregiving in both their professional and private lives. In general, they were relatively satisfied with their lives in both spheres, and felt a slightly greater sense of control in their work lives than in their home lives. Regarding the tensions/conflicts they alluded to, the following themes emerged: an ethic of high expectation, feeling torn between two worlds, a sense of working in isolation, and working in overdrive. The rewards/benefits included remuneration, recognition and self-esteem, opportunities for personal growth, and opportunities for family growth.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

Misuse of the emergency department by the elderly population: myth or reality?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the use pattern of the emergency department by people 65 years of age and older. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey from chart audits and personal interviews of all people older than 64 years attending an emergency department in a Canadian teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All patients older than 64 years attending the emergency department during the months of February, May, August, and November. Comparison samples of adults aged 16 to 64 years attending the same emergency department and patients older than 64 years attending the emergency department of a similar hospital during the same period were obtained. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of the total population attending the emergency department in 1 year were 65 years of age and older (N = 1744). The average age was 75 years; 57% were female, 53% were married, and 40% were widowed. Eighty-four percent lived in their own homes and 6% lived in nursing homes. Twenty-two percent were classified as emergent, 75% as urgent, and 3% as deferrable; 45% were admitted. The discharge diagnoses were widely divergent, with the most common being soft-tissue injury (9.1%), fracture (7.1%), arteriosclerotic heart disease (6.1%), congestive heart failure (4.1%), and abdominal pain (3.4%). Patients tended to appear in the emergency department more frequently during the day shift (60%) and less frequently on weekends. Forty-five percent had never attended the emergency department or been admitted to hospital in the previous year; 30% had attended or been admitted once. CONCLUSION: Elderly persons do not misuse the services of the emergency department. They come because they are acutely ill; they are not frequent attenders, and their presenting complaints do require intervention (frequently hospitalization). The study findings are generalizable to the older population in the Hamilton-Wentworth region and raise such questions as whether some hospital admissions could have been avoided by earlier interventions in the community.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Chronic heart failure and quality of life: the impact of nursing.

Chronic heart failure has been called the final common pathway of all heart diseases. It is a long-term illness, often associated with disability and characterized by life-threatening exacerbations, that results in multiple problems for patients and their families. This paper will provide a framework for nursing action designed to maximize the quality of life of chronic heart failure patients and their families. The approaches suggested by Strauss et al. (1984) and the principles of self-care as outlined by Levin, Katz and Holst (1979) provide the theoretical basis for the suggested nursing actions. A brief overview of the pathophysiology and current treatment of heart failure is also included.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

A controlled trial of digoxin in congestive heart failure.

Because of conflicting results from studies examining the usefulness of digoxin in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients in sinus rhythm, a cross-over trial was conducted in which 20 patients received 7 weeks of digoxin titrated to a level of 1.54 to 2.56 nmol/liter and 7 weeks of matched placebo. The order of treatments was determined by random allocation and patients, clinicians and research staff were blind to allocation. In patients with deteriorating condition, the treatment period was terminated and outcome measures were obtained. If deterioration occurred during the first period, the patient was crossed over without the code being broken. Seven patients required premature termination of study periods because of increasing symptoms of CHF. All 7 were taking placebo at the time (p = 0.016). Small differences in dyspnea (p = 0.044), walking test score (p = 0.055), clinical assessment of CHF (p = 0.036) and ejection fraction (p = 0.004) favored the digoxin treatment group. Patients with more severe CHF were more likely to benefit from digoxin administration. It was concluded that oral digoxin, in doses titrated to produce a serum level of 1.54 to 2.56 nmol/liter, improved quality of life and functional exercise capacity in some patients with CHF in sinus rhythm.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Hope, morale and adaptation in patients with chronic heart failure.

Clinical observation of a population of patients with chronic heart failure suggested that some patients adapt to their disease more effectively than others. This difference in response appeared to be more related to psychosocial variables, including a positive future orientation, than to variation in severity of disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the psychosocial variables of hope and morale, the level of function of the individual, and the physiological status of that individual. The sample for this descriptive study was patients who met inclusion criteria and who attended the Heart Failure Clinic at St Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (n = 23). Data were collected at one point in time. Population characteristics were obtained by chart extraction and patient interview. The Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Philadelphia Geriatric Centre Morale Scale, and an adapted version of the McMaster Health Status Index were administered. Physiological status was determined by clinical signs and symptoms in accordance with a scale devised by Lee. Patients who scored higher on the scales assessing hope and morale also scored higher on social function. There was very little relationship between these psychosocial variables and the physical variables of physiological status and physical function. These findings suggest that patients who are more hopeful maintain their involvement in life regardless of physical limitations imposed by their heart failure. Nursing interventions must continue to include the enhancement of hope for the future and active participation with others.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Epidemiologic comparison of persistent pain sufferers in a specialty pain clinic and in the community.

Most research into the causes and management of chronic pain has come from specialized chronic pain clinics, where patients have been selected through referral. Because it is assumed that persistent pain problems result in important socioeconomic and medical problems, it seemed important to determine whether the problems reported by patients in specialty pain clinics are characteristic of those reported by persistent pain sufferers in general. An epidemiologic study compared two groups of individuals with self-reported persistent pain complaints. One group was drawn randomly from a typical family medical group practice and the other was drawn from a specialized multidisciplinary pain clinic. The two groups were similar in most demographic variables, the length of the pain history, and the most commonly reported sites of pain. However, patients from the pain clinic were more likely to have had work-related accidents, to report greater health-care utilization, and to complain of more constant pain and greater levels of disability. Patients from the pain clinic reported greater impairment on the indices constructed to measure psychologic, social, and performance consequences of the pain experience. What most distinguished patients from the pain clinic was not medical factors alone, but reported impairment in function, and psychosocial difficulties. The implications are that patients referred to specialized pain clinics may not be representative of individuals in general who suffer persistent pain; the former likely require an interdisciplinary approach that includes attention to psychosocial and disability issues, not just medical or surgical treatments for pain.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pediatric use of emergency departments.

This cross-sectional survey examined the use of emergency services by children, from birth to 16 years of age, in two urban teaching hospitals. A retrospective chart survey design was used to obtain data on the prevalence of types of patient problems; the pattern of use, including time of day and day of week; and decisions regarding patient disposition. A random sample of 10% of the average monthly pediatric emergency visits was obtained for a 12-month period and relevant data were extracted by trained research assistants. Variation in the presenting health care problems by age group, season of the year, and by time of day and day of the week was found. Approximately 50% of visits involved such primary health care problems as soft tissue injuries, and respiratory and digestive tract infections. Possible reasons for this use of emergency departments for primary care needs are discussed and strategies are suggested for the provision of a better "fit" between consumer demand and health care services.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of personal and situational variables on career patterns among nurses from three types of educational programs.

Relationships between educational preparation and employment choices were investigated in a study of the career paths of nursing graduates from three types of educational programs: a community college diploma program, a generic baccalaureate program, and a postdiploma baccalaureate program. Selected personal and work-related correlates of career paths for the three groups also were explored. All available graduates for the years 1984 to 1990 from the three programs (n = 1,544) were sent a self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected concerning demographic variables, employment details, ongoing professional development, and level of satisfaction with nursing. Analysis of the data demonstrated clear variations in the career paths of the three groups of graduates, supporting the belief that the type of educational program does indeed have a steering effect on the subsequent career choices of these nurses.

Adult↗