Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Linda Shields

Publications and source records attributed to Linda Shields.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion.

AIM: To 'own' a person is considered an infringement of human rights, but we suggest that concepts of ownership influence interactions between parents and staff when a child is admitted to hospital. This paper aims to stimulate debate and contains an explanation of the exploration of the literature for research and discussion of ownership of the child. METHOD: A wide variety of library indexes, databases and populist media were examined although it was impossible to examine all literature which may have contained references to this topic, and, apart from databases which contained abstracts in English, we could not include literature written in any language other than English, Swedish, and Icelandic. FINDINGS: We found no research that examines how concepts of ownership of a child affects communication between health professionals and parents and, ultimately, the delivery of health care. This paper begins discussion on the issues. DISCUSSION: Historical literature shows that ownership of humans has been a part of many cultures, and parents were once considered to own their children. Ownership of another has legal connotations, for instance in guardianship struggles of children during marriage breakup and in ethical debates over surrogacy and products of assisted conception. Within health care, it becomes a contentious issue in transplantation of body parts, in discourse on autonomy and informed consent, and for religious groups who refuse blood transfusions. In health care, models such as family centred care and partnership in care depend on positive communication between parents and staff. If a hospital staff member feels that he/she owns a child for whom he/she is caring, then conflict between the staff member and the parents over who has the 'best interests of the child' at heart is possible. CONCLUSION: We encourage debate about concepts of who owns the hospitalized child - the parents or the staff? Should it be argued at all? Is the whole concept of ownership of another, be it adult or child, the ethical antithesis to modern beliefs about human rights? Comment on this issue is invited.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Nursing and health care in Indonesia.

AIM: Indonesia, with its population of over 220 million, has health problems similar to those of other developing countries. In an attempt to provide nurses throughout the world with knowledge about Indonesia, we describe the country, its health system, and problems encountered by nurses and other health professionals. METHOD: We explain the way the health system works within Indonesian culture, discuss the effects of the international nursing shortage and outline the role of aid agencies. The ethical dilemmas faced by health professionals who care for patients within a poorly resourced system are examined. While the information pertains to the whole country, we focus on the main island of Java, as that is where we have worked and resided. FINDINGS: Nursing education is primarily conducted at senior high school, while medical education is similar to the university education offered in many countries, and allied health professionals are educated to varying standards. Indonesian health officials recognize that the low standard of nursing education contributes to poor health statistics, and they are working hard to improve this. There has been strong support from the government for the implementation of university education for nurses, and for courses within academies that bridge the gap between current standards and the levels of education required for the delivery of optimum health care. DISCUSSION: We both are nurses. One of us is an Indonesian and the other has worked for many years in Indonesia and coordinated a programme that organized exchanges of health professionals working in large tertiary referral hospitals and health departments in Indonesia and Australia. The information presented here is the result of many collaborative projects and gives information not available in published works.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed2003

An examination of the needs of parents of hospitalized children: comparing parents' and staff's perceptions.

The needs of parents of hospitalized children have received some attention in the health literature, but few studies have compared parents' perceptions of needs with staff's ideas about parents' needs. The aim of this study was to examine differences between the perceptions of the needs of parents of hospitalized children held by staff - nurses, doctors and allied health staff, and parents in a 150-bed paediatric hospital in Sweden. The convenience sample comprised 132 staff - nurses, doctors and allied health staff and 115 parents of children admitted to all the wards except intensive care. Kristjánsdóttir's "needs of parents of hospitalized children" questionnaire (NPQ) was the instrument of choice and was modified slightly for use with staff. Results indicated significant differences in perceptions of the importance of different needs of parents, of how well they were being met in the hospital and how much help the parents needed to have them filled. Differences between parents' and staff's perceptions of the importance of parental needs were found in areas relating to psychosocial needs, but in general, in that hospital, the needs were being adequately met. The main differences between staff's and parents' results were in the degree of independence shown by parents in requiring help to have their needs met. This demonstrates either that parents are much more independent than appraised by staff, or, that parents are sometimes unaware of the level of assistance available.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Costs of meals and parking for parents of hospitalised children in Australia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this investigation was to examine the cost of parents' food and parking during a child's admission to two paediatric health facilities in a capital city in Australia and to make recommendations to alleviate the cost of admission. METHODS: A survey was undertaken of hospital facilities and food outlets, recording the type and cost of food available, opening times of the facilities and parking costs. RESULTS: Costs for food and parking for one accompanying parent can exceed A$200 per week. At one hospital no full meals were available. For parents of children admitted for long periods or those on low incomes and/or social security benefits, this would be a large proportion of their weekly income. RECOMMENDATIONS: Funding to paediatric hospitals should include meals for parents, especially breastfeeding mothers. Access to staff canteens would afford parents the opportunity to eat proper meals. Parking for parents should be free.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing and health care in Sweden.

Sweden, one of the Nordic countries, has a long history of social justice and equality of access to health care. Nursing plays an important role in this and nursing education is of a high standard. The aim of this paper is to describe Sweden's health system and nursing within it, thereby giving Australian nurses information which may generate an interest in, and provide background for, collaborative work. It is part of a series initiated by the first author who visited Sweden, Iceland and England in 2000 under the auspices of a Churchill Fellowship, and who has returned to Sweden and England to continue work begun during the Fellowship. Sweden's health service is characterised by an ethic of egalitarianism and high standards; primary health care plays a large role and tertiary health care is easily accessible. Nursing in Sweden is of a high standard, with devolvement of responsibility and decision-making to those working in the wards and units. Nursing education has been influenced by the historical development of nursing in Europe and today, Swedish nurses enjoy a high standard of university education with government support readily available to make specialist education accessible. Because of the similarities in both the cultures, and nursing, in Australia and Sweden, Australian nurses would find Sweden a wonderful country in which to implement cross-cultural, collaborative work. This paper provides

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pilot study of a tool to investigate perceptions of family-centered care in different care settings.

BACKGROUND: Family-centered care (FCC) is widely used in pediatrics, but its applicability in all areas of pediatric care is little studied. AIMS: This study, based in Australia, aimed to develop and trial a tool to compare parents' and staff's perceptions of FCC in inpatient versus outpatient areas, hospital versus community, public (non-fee paying) versus private, areas with acute versus chronic admissions, and those with short-term versus long-term hospitalizations. METHODS: Based on two questionnaires used to examine concepts of FCC and using structured interviews and content analysis, a tool was designed that was subjected to rigorous validity and reliability testing. It was trialed with samples of 10 parents and 10 staff in each of the care areas. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The tool was found to effectively elicit valid responses that could be easily analyzed. Some data analysis was undertaken and significant results were found. However, because of the small sample sizes, few conclusions could be drawn.

Acute Disease↗