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Biomedical subjects

Sonia Semenic

Publications and source records attributed to Sonia Semenic.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Do Canadian prenatal records support evidence-based practices to reduce maternal smoking?

OBJECTIVES: Maternal smoking remains the most important modifiable risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes. Integrating evidence-based screening questions and intervention guides for maternal smoking into standardized prenatal records may improve the identification and treatment of pregnant smokers. This study sought to identify and compare how prenatal records across Canadian provinces and territories currently address the issue of maternal tobacco use. METHODS: Content analysis of prenatal record forms from 11 provinces and territories was used to identify assessment questions and intervention prompts related to maternal smoking or exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Findings were evaluated in light of current best-practice recommendations for maternal smoking cessation and prevention of relapse. RESULTS: The content of prenatal records related to maternal smoking varies widely among Canadian provinces and territories. Most of the prenatal records surveyed lacked prompts to support key practices for the effective screening and treatment of maternal tobacco dependence, such as providing multiple response options to determine whether the pregnant woman or her partner smokes, monitoring maternal smoking patterns throughout the course of pregnancy, and referring pregnant smokers to specialized resources for smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: Simple changes to Canadian prenatal record forms may lead to improved population-wide screening and counselling of pregnant smokers.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Sharing empirical knowledge to improve breastfeeding promotion and support: description of a research dissemination project.

BACKGROUND: Effective transfer of research findings to health care settings is a shared priority among researchers, clinicians, and decision makers. A multidisciplinary, multi-method investigation conducted in 2001 that explored breastfeeding practices and support within a large immigrant community in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, bore numerous implications for practice. Peer-reviewed funding was subsequently granted to support dissemination of these findings to relevant stakeholders. METHOD: Key steps in implementing this research dissemination project included (1) identifying and attracting target audiences from hospitals, community health settings, and government agencies; (2) tailoring tools for communication of research findings to the various needs of audiences; (3) designing interactive workshops to facilitate knowledge uptake; and (4) integrating the project outcomes within a government-sponsored regional breastfeeding committee for longer-term impact. FINDINGS: Despite organizational challenges, more than 90 health care providers, decision makers, and breastfeeding support volunteers participated in the project workshops. Through feedback loops, the dissemination activities contributed new layers of understanding to the original research findings. The activities also engaged audience members to identify more effective breastfeeding support interventions and led to the adoption of breastfeeding support priorities shared by hospital, community, and government stakeholders. CONCLUSION: This dissemination project provided unique opportunities for researchers and stakeholders to share in the interpretation of research findings and to strategically plan for future interventions to promote and support breastfeeding within ethnically diverse communities. Further research dissemination work should continue to be theoretically grounded, include systematic, long-term assessment of dissemination outcomes, and be adequately financed throughout.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed2003

The pain of childbirth: perceptions of culturally diverse women.

The pain experiences of culturally diverse childbearing women are described based on a secondary analysis of narrative data from phenomenologic studies of the meaning of childbirth. Study participants were interviewed in the hospital after giving birth or in their homes within the first weeks after having a baby. Transcripts of interviews with childbearing women who lived in North and Central America, Scandinavia, the Middle East, the People's Republic of China, and Tonga were analyzed. Participants described their attitudes toward, perceptions of, and the meaning of childbirth pain. Culturally bound behavior in response to childbirth pain was also articulated. A variety of coping mechanisms were used by women to deal with the pain. Understanding the meaning of pain, women's perceptions of pain, and culturally bound pain behaviors is fundamental in order for nurses to facilitate satisfying birth experiences for culturally diverse women.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Collaborative international research.

The current age of globalization poses challenges as to how to promote professional interaction to further international scholarly efforts in nursing. Models of global research are defined. Global health priorities are explicated, with recommendations for the conduct of outcomes-focused research leading to the generation of cost-effective interventions that contribute to the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and nations throughout the world. The challenges and opportunities in international collaborative nursing research are described based on the experiences of the authors during nearly two decades of collaborative work. International partnerships in globally relevant research, which respect and value equity between nurse researchers practicing in developed and developing countries, are essential.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗