Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Nolan.
This article introduces the Framework for Action in Dementia (FADE), a new strategy aimed at the mild stage of dementia. It suggests that empowering people with dementia from the onset of their illness is a crucial role for nurse practitioners.
This article provides a brief overview of the various sources and types of nursing knowledge, highlighting their similarities and differences. The authors investigate the underlying principles and the strengths and weaknesses of such knowledge. This should enable the professional to decide which is the most appropriate source (both to the patient/client and the professional) to meet a particular demand.
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The management of chronic illnesses represents a major health challenge with interventions still being dominated by approaches that are more appropriate to acute conditions. Nurses have a key role to play in meeting the health needs of people with chronic illnesses and yet place little value on this type of care. This article reviews the Corbin and Strauss model of nursing which has proved effective in the management of a wide range of chronic illnesses.
The complex and confusing literature on nursing theories and theory building is considered in this article. The distinction between facts and theories is explained.
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A sufferer's perspective on ways of coping with the initial and evolving impact of dementia is a largely unexplored area of theory and practice. This article, the first of two parts, outlines the development of a new instrument: the Index for Managing Memory Loss (IMMEL), which considers the early sufferer's response to the experience of dementia and can be used to assist practitioners assess individuals' coping strategies. Some additional avenues for professional intervention are also suggested.
This article considers the issue of theory testing, using the hypothetico-deductive model. The nature and purpose of hypotheses are explored and the varying types of hypotheses are described.
People in the early stages of dementia have support needs that are often not fully addressed. This article, the second of two parts, suggests that early intervention by practitioners, coupled with the use of appropriate assessment instruments, could make a significant contribution to improving sufferers' quality of life.
This article discusses the importance of measurement in research and in nursing generally. The process of operationalisation is described and different levels of measurement are outlined.
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This article considers the nature of validity and further explores the relationship between validity and reliability. The different forms of validity are discussed and the importance of developing more valid measures of nursing activity is highlighted.
Last year, the British Journal of Nursing published a series of articles outlining some of the major concepts underpinning the research process. This article is the first in a second series which will develop further a number of themes. This series begins with a description of broad methodological approaches before moving on to consider specific methods. The main aim is to assist nurses to improve their research literacy so that they may become more informed and critical readers of research. Before beginning the series proper this article identifies some of the main barriers to research utilization and argues that, in order to overcome these barriers, both decision-driven and knowledge-driven approaches are required.
This article discusses randomized clinical trials, double blind designs and factorial designs and describes and explains their main requirements. It is shown that the randomized clinical trial is not a different experimental design, but is one that reflects the purpose for and the scale on which the post-test only or pre-test/post-test designs are often used. A common method for the prevention of experimenter bias in clinical trials is the double blind trial. Factorial designs make the simultaneous manipulation of two or more independent variables possible, thus producing data about their effect on the development variable.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In complex naturally occurring health-care situations, it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, for ethical and/or practical reasons to meet the requirements of manipulation and control needed in true and ideal group experiments. If researchers wish to investigate causal relationships in such circumstances then quasi-experimental designs are recommended. The designs represent approximations of true experiments because they do not meet all the necessary requirements, such as random allocation of subjects to groups, control and manipulation. Consequently, quasi-experimental designs are not as powerful as true experimental designs in establishing causal relationships but nevertheless allow such relationships to be considered by a process of rejecting rival hypotheses. This article outlines the two main approaches to quasi-experimental designs and provides an example of each. Other methods related to the quasi-experiment are also highlighted.
This article, the first in a two-part series, considers a number of factors that influence quality of life in older age. It highlights the tensions between objective and subjective dimensions regarding the quality of life. It emphasizes the differences between those definitions used by professionals and those employed by older people themselves. The authors argue that there is a need to gain a broader understanding of how people adjust to and interpret their own ageing before the appropriate services can be designed. Assimilation, accommodation and immunization are presented as useful concepts to improve understanding in this important area.