Research in Nursing & Health (RES NURS HEALTH)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Predicting sexual risk behaviors among adolescent and young women using a prospective diary method.

  Dianne Morrison-Beedy, Michael P Carey, Changyong Feng, Xin M Tu
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  ABSTRACT: We describe the sexual risk behaviors, psychological distress, and substance use of 102 late adolescent girls and identify predictors of protected and unprotected vaginal sex. Participants completed questionnaires assessing hypothesized predictors and then daily behavioral diaries for 12 weeks. Protected intercourse was predicted by baseline sexual behavior, greater knowledge, positive condom attitudes, lower perceived condom-use difficulty, greater condom-use intentions, more drinking days, less binge drinking, less Ecstasy use, and lower psychological distress. Unprotected intercourse was predicted by baseline sexual behavior, binge drinking, Ecstasy and opiate use, fewer drinking days, and fewer daily drinks. These findings suggest that psychological distress, substance use, and sexual risk behavior are interconnected and should be considered collectively in interventions for adolescent females.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):329-40.
• Article: Issues and rules for authors concerning authorship versus acknowledgements, dual publication, self plagiarism, and salami publishing.

  Judith Gedney Baggs
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):295-7.
• Source

  Available from: umich.edu

  Article: Nurse dose: what's in a concept?

  Milisa Manojlovich, Souraya Sidani
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  ABSTRACT: Many researchers have sought to address the relationship between nursing care and patient outcomes, with inconsistent and contradictory findings. We conducted a concept analysis and concept derivation, basing our work on theoretical and empirical literature, to derive nurse dose as a concept that pulls into a coherent whole disparate variables used in staffing studies. We defined nurse dose as the level of nursing reflected in the purity, amount, frequency, and duration of nursing care needed to produce favorable outcomes. All four parameters of nurse dose used together can facilitate our understanding of how nursing contributes to patient outcomes. Ongoing investigation will help to identify the parameters of nurse dose that have the greatest effect on outcomes.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):310-9.
• Article: Translational research: essential contributions from interpretive nursing science.

  Catherine A Chesla
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  ABSTRACT: Translating research into practice is a central priority in the National Institutes of Health Roadmap. Nurse scientists must reevaluate how proposed research fits within and contributes not only to the development of new knowledge, but to the translation of that knowledge to the care of diverse communities and populations. Key barriers to the translation of evidence based practices in health programs and initiatives have been identified in the health services and nursing literature. Contributions that interpretive research approaches enable in addressing those barriers are articulated.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):381-90.
• Article: The role of nursing unit culture in shaping research utilization behaviors.

  Shannon D Scott, Carolee Pollock
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  ABSTRACT: We conducted a focused ethnography of a pediatric critical care unit to examine the role of nursing unit culture related to research utilization. Four significant aspects of the unit culture shaped nurses' research utilization. A hierarchical structure of authority, routinized and technology-driven work at the bedside, a workplace ethos that discouraged innovation, and an emphasis on clinical experience acted together to teach nurses both that they were to do as they were told and that they were not expected to use research. Nurses perceived that the behaviors expected of them were arbitrarily determined by physicians and managers in charge. Consequently, they were reluctant to step outside of routine and physician-ordered nursing care. This left little opportunity for research utilization.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):298-309.
• Article: Is there a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research?

  Gina Novick
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  ABSTRACT: Telephone interviews are largely neglected in the qualitative research literature and, when discussed, they are often depicted as a less attractive alternative to face-to-face interviewing. The absence of visual cues via telephone is thought to result in loss of contextual and nonverbal data and to compromise rapport, probing, and interpretation of responses. Yet, telephones may allow respondents to feel relaxed and able to disclose sensitive information, and evidence is lacking that they produce lower quality data. This apparent bias against telephone interviews contrasts with a growing interest in electronic qualitative interviews. Research is needed comparing these modalities, and examining their impact on data quality and their use for studying varying topics and populations. Such studies could contribute evidence-based guidelines for optimizing interview data.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):391-8.
• Source

  Available from: unc.edu

  Article: Testing the Theory of Self-care Management for sickle cell disease.

  Coretta M Jenerette, Carolyn Murdaugh
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  ABSTRACT: Factors predicting health outcomes in persons with sickle cell disease (SCD) were investigated within the framework of the theory of self-care management for SCD, which proposes that vulnerability factors negatively affect health care outcomes and self-care management resources and positively mediate the relationship between vulnerability factors and health care outcomes. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to test the model with a sample of 232 African American adults with SCD. Results supported the negative effect of vulnerability factors on health outcomes. The overall model was supported, however, self-care management resources did not mediate the relationship between vulnerability and health care outcomes. The findings provide support for interventions to increase self-care management resources to improve health care outcomes.
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):355-69.
• Article: Development and testing of the Diabetes Self-management Instrument: a confirmatory analysis.

  Chiu-Chu Lin, Robert M Anderson, Chao-Sung Chang, Bonnie M Hagerty, Carol J Loveland-Cherry
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a new instrument for measuring self-management of adults with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected from 634 diabetic adults recruited from three teaching hospitals in Taiwan. Construct validity was determined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Tests of internal consistency and test-retest were used to assess the reliability of the diabetes self-management instrument (DSMI). Initial results of CFA did not fully support the proposed five-factor model. After the model was modified, the fit indices indicated that this model fits the data best. This model was further cross validated in a second sample. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the DSMI total scale was .94. The test-retest correlations for the DSMI total scale were acceptable (r = .73, p < .01).
  Research in Nursing & Health 09/2008; 31(4):370-80.
• Article: Using saliva to measure endogenous cortisol in nursing home residents with advanced dementia.

  Diana Lynn Woods, Christine R Kovach, Hershel Raff, Laura Joosse, Alicia Basmadjian, Kathleen M Hegadoren
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  ABSTRACT: Two research teams determined the feasibility of saliva collection for cortisol measurement in nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Study aims were to: (a) determine if sufficient saliva could be obtained for assay and (b) examine whether cortisol values exhibited range and variability for meaningful interpretation. Useable samples were consistent across sites, suggesting that saliva collection for cortisol assay is a viable method in this setting. Cortisol values showed range and variability. More than half of the residents showed the normal adult pattern of high morning levels decreasing throughout the day. A third of the participants demonstrated an increase in the evening cortisol levels, while the remaining profiles were flat, suggesting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysregulation in this population.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):283-94.
• Article: Comparison of symptomatology in Taiwanese women pregnant with and without assisted reproductive technology.

  Pi-Chao Kuo, Nancy L Chu, Yueh-Chih Chen, Tsann-Jun Su, Chung-Hey Chen
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  ABSTRACT: We compared the symptoms of 91 Taiwanese women, 50 pregnant by assisted reproductive technology (ART), with those of 41 women, pregnant without assistance. They completed a self-administered demographic questionnaire and symptomatology inventory (SI) during each trimester. The ART group had a higher frequency of complications and hospitalizations than the unassisted women. No significant differences were found in physical and affective symptoms in the ART group across three trimesters, but significant differences were found in the unassisted group. In addition, ART and non-ART women differed in types of individual symptoms experienced each trimester. These findings suggest the need for nurses to assess each group for the presence of specific symptoms throughout pregnancy and to provide individualized symptom management.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):208-16.
• Article: Metaphors in qualitative research: shedding light or casting shadows?

  Jacque Carpenter
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  ABSTRACT: The use of metaphors in qualitative research provides an opportunity to examine phenomena from a unique and creative perspective. Metaphors can be used to provide structure to the data; to understand a familiar process in a new light; to identify situation-specific interventions; and to evoke emotion. Misuse of metaphors may detract from the intended research message. Mixing metaphors, failing to follow through with metaphors, and using metaphors that do not fit the data can misrepresent the data. The choice to use metaphors should not become a self-serving attempt at creativity that supersedes subject and substance. At their best, metaphors illuminate the meanings of experiences; at their worst, metaphors distort or obscure the essences of them.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):274-82.
• Article: Development of the Social Capital Questionnaire in Greece.

  George Kritsotakis, Antonis D Koutis, Athanassios K Alegakis, Anastas E Philalithis
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  ABSTRACT: The Greek version of the social capital questionnaire (SCQ-G) was evaluated in a sample of 521 adults drawn from three different urban areas in Greece. Exploratory factor analysis followed by multi-trait scaling yielded six factors: Participation in the Community, Feelings of Safety, Family/Friends Connections, Value of Life and Social Agency, Tolerance of Diversity, and Work Connections. The factor solution is similar to the patterns identified originally in Australia and the US. Variations suggest that social capital does not share the same structure in different countries. The SCQ-G is a useful scale to measure individual-level social capital in Greece. Social capital measurement tools should be validated in each cultural or national setting in which they are used.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):217-25.
• Article: The relationship of nursing staff to the hospitalization of nursing home residents.

  Frederic H Decker
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  ABSTRACT: Researchers have found registered nurse (RN) staffing unrelated to the prevention of hospitalizations of nursing home residents. Although most nursing home admissions are from hospitals, their studies involved residents who probably were not admitted from hospitals. In this study I examined data on 6,623 discharges of nursing home residents admitted or not admitted from a hospital. For patients with longer stays (>30 days), higher RN staffing levels in nursing homes reduced hospitalizations only for residents admitted from hospitals. Higher RN levels reduced hospitalizations more than higher licensed nurse levels or skill mix. Only among longer-stay residents not admitted from hospitals was RN staffing unrelated to hospitalizations. Researchers may have found RN staffing unrelated to hospitalizations because samples were primarily longer-stay residents not admitted from hospitals.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):238-51.
• Article: Regularity of preventive foot care in persons with diabetes: results from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study.

  Marjolein M Iversen, Truls Ostbye, Elizabeth Clipp, Kristian Midthjell, Sverre Uhlving, Marit Graue, Berit R Hanestad
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study was to examine the regularity of preventive care for persons with diabetes in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study to identify associated demographic, lifestyle, and disease-related factors. Among 1,972 persons with diabetes, 1,459 (74%) answered questions related to preventive foot care. The final sample included 1,312 persons with known diabetes, but without a self-reported history of foot ulcer. Almost 85% reported receiving regular clinical diabetes examinations, 31.7% reported regular foot inspection by health care personnel, and 66.3% reported foot self-inspection. Only 58.8% reported regular clinical diabetes examination combined with foot inspection. Males, patients not using insulin, and those with shorter diabetes duration or macrovascular complications were more likely to report less regular preventive care.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):226-37.
• Article: The relationship of military imposed marital separations on maternal acceptance of pregnancy.

  Karen L Weis, Regina P Lederman, Anne E Lilly, Judith Schaffer
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  ABSTRACT: The effect of military deployment and perceived availability and source of community support on women's acceptance of pregnancy were examined in each trimester of pregnancy at four military bases. The sample was 503 primigravida or multigravida women eligible for care in the military medical system. Military deployment and community support had a statistically significant effect on pregnancy acceptance. Gravidas with deployed husbands had higher conflict for accepting pregnancy than gravidas without deployed spouses. Community support had a significant positive effect on pregnancy acceptance. Women perceiving support predominantly from off-base versus on-base communities had significantly higher conflict with acceptance of pregnancy. Findings point to improved maternal acceptance of pregnancy with paternal presence and community support in the event of military deployment.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):196-207.
• Article: Patients' and health care practitioners' attributions about adherence problems as predictors of medication adherence.

  Paul F Cook
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  ABSTRACT: Patients and healthcare practitioners (HCPs) each have theories about the causes of medication adherence problems. Traditional patient education focuses on correcting patients' inaccurate beliefs, but more recent models suggest working within patients' theories. Secondary data from a telehealth medication adherence program were analyzed to determine whether patients' or HCPs' causal theories better predicted adherence, and the effect of discrepancy between HCP and patient theories. Patients with osteoporosis (N=402) or endometriosis (N=2,015) received telephone counseling. Adherence levels and patients' and HCPs' causal attributions were recorded at each call. Hierarchical linear modeling showed associations between patients' attributions and current-session adherence, but HCP-patient attribution discrepancies predicted better subsequent adherence in three of six empirical tests performed.
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):261-73.
• Article: Justifying qualitative research.

  Margarete J Sandelowski
  Research in Nursing & Health 07/2008; 31(3):193-5.
• Article: Home healthcare practice environment: predictors of RN satisfaction.

  Susan Tullai-McGuinness
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  ABSTRACT: Since 2000, Medicare-certified home healthcare agencies have undergone significant regulatory changes that directly affect registered nurses. The satisfaction of 201 nurses from 19 home healthcare agencies was examined. Home healthcare nurses reported slightly lower satisfaction than hospital nurses and were approximately 50% less satisfied than they were in 2000. Satisfaction had a negative relationship with years worked as a home healthcare nurse (r= -.25, p< .01). Controlling for years of home healthcare experience, control over practice decisions and practice setting decisions were significant predictors of satisfaction. With the demand for home healthcare nurses expected to increase 109% by 2020, development of a National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators for home healthcare that includes satisfaction as a nurse-sensitive outcome might be helpful.
  Research in Nursing & Health 06/2008; 31(3):252-60.