Kath Peters

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Western Sydney University

Workplace gender discrimination as perceived by women in nursing, is currently under researched. The aim of this article is to outline the development and validation of a scale designed to measure the perception of workplace gender discrimination for women nurses. The instrument was developed following a three‐stage process, consistent with recomme...

Aim To explore the experiences of significant others of adult patients with severe burn injury in the Intensive Care Unit. Specifically, this study explored the strategies implemented by significant others and obstacles faced that served to protect or placed them at risk of psychological sequelae during their experience of trauma. Design A qualita...

Background: Australia provides education services to international students which includes international students completing a health professional education (HPE) degree. Studying for a HPE degree can be challenging for most students. There are specific challenges for international students when completing a degree with clinical placements. The cha...

Introduction Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Arabic women and is often diagnosed in advanced stages, resulting in an increased likelihood of requiring a mastectomy. Despite this, there is a lack of contemporary literature exploring Arabic women’s experiences of breast cancer and its sequelae. Method Semi-structured interviews were condu...

Background The prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Taiwan is among the highest in the world. Although kidney transplant is the most effective treatment for ESRD, the willingness of patients with ESRD to undergo kidney transplantation is low in Taiwan. The factors associated with willingness to accept kidney transplantation remain unclea...

This qualitative study reports on the experiences of international students enrolled in a Health Professional Education program at a large Australia university. International students have long contributed to Australia’s economy. However, the sustainability of international students’ contributions to Australia’s economy is questionable. Challenges...

Overdiagnosis is a growing health issue, yet our understanding of medical students’ exposure to this concept within medical education is limited. Our aim was to explore students’ experience of diagnostic learning to identify how overdiagnosis may be understood by students. During in-person and online semi-structured interviews throughout 2021, we e...

Background Midwifery practice experience for midwifery students is an important component of education to enhance knowledge and skill development. Practicing midwives provide student support in the clinical setting, there is minimal literature relating to strategies midwives use to support students. Objective To explore midwifery student experienc...

Early detection of deteriorating mental health for women who are experiencing symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause is critical to ensure the well‐being of women. Unfortunately, many women during this phase of their lives find it difficult to access relevant and timely treatment. This concurrent mixed methods study using an online su...

Background Perimenopause and menopause can be accompanied by physical health issues that are known contributors to chronic health conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and oral health problems [1, 2, 3, 4]. It is also a critical phase for the onset of psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety [5, 6, 7]. The number of women in...

Aim: To examine the associations between self-efficacy, resilience and healthy ageing among older people who have an acute hospital admission. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Survey and medical record data were collected from older people on discharge from hospital. The survey measured self-efficacy with the 6-item General Self-Effic...

Introduction: Trans youth experience significantly higher rates of societal violence and ill-health compared to their cisgender peers. Although recent clinical guidelines for trans young people in health have paved the way for revolutionizing care, many trans young people still experience adversity in clinical settings. This discursive literature...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home became the new normal for many professionals. While this was beneficial in managing the rapidly spreading virus, it had varying impacts on the mental health of those previously not accustomed to remote work. This paper provides a critical reflection of the researcher’s experience of conducting...

Purpose To provide an understanding of the sexual and reproductive health issues for women who live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Methods Databases searched in this integrative review included: CINAHL Plus, Google Scholar, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. A defined research aim guided the search strategy and facilitated the accurate extracti...

Aim To critically synthesise the literature that explores the experiences of workplace gender discrimination from the perspective of registered nurses. Design Integrative review. Review Methods Primary research articles reporting on the experience of workplace gender discrimination towards registered nurses in any setting were eligible for inclus...

Aims To explore Australian healthcare providers' perspectives on factors that influence disclosure and domestic violence screening through the lens of Heise's (1998) integrated ecological framework. Design This paper reports the findings that were part of a sequential mixed methods study with survey data informing interview questions. Participants...

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected data collection for many researchers, in particular research that involves face-to-face interviews. Aim: To share learning about the challenges encountered when face-to-face interviews could not continue as planned in a study and how to adapt data collection so that it can continue despite se...

Objectives This systematic review aims to improve our knowledge of enablers and barriers to implementing obesity-related anthropometric assessments in clinical practice. Design A mixed-methods systematic review. Data sources Medline, Embase and CINAHL to November 2021. Eligibility criteria Quantitative studies that reported patient factors assoc...

Aim To explore the international literature related to women's knowledge and experience of perimenopause and menopause and to inform future directions for research and individualised healthcare delivery. Background Menopause is a normal physiological process experienced by most women. Despite this, care and support is fragmented and the implicatio...

Aim The aim of this study was to explore predictors of nurses' willingness to handle abuse of older people. Background Abuse of older people is a long-discussed healthcare issue worldwide. Although nurses are considered capable of identifying and reporting cases of abuse of older people, no study has been conducted in Taiwan on nurses' willingness...

This retrospective cohort study aimed to identify heterogeneous cognition, depression, and life satisfaction trajectory groups, and to examine the independent contributions of watching television and reading to these trajectories among middle‐aged and older adults. A sample was taken from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA) with measures...

Background : Nursing shortages are a persistent and concerning problem for the nursing workforce worldwide. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional stressors and workloads and has worsened nursing shortages. Aim : To investigate interrelationships among emotional intelligence, job performance, and turnover intentions of nurses during...

Aims and objectives To develop a gendered understanding of sexual and reproductive health for Australian women following traumatic brain injury. Background The intersection of socialised normative expectations of sexuality and sexual health, and being a woman with a disability, can lead to inequity and a misconception that a woman with a disabilit...

Aims To explore the experience of physical restraints during mechanical ventilation in intensive care from the perspectives of patients and family members. Design This research was a qualitative study with a naturalistic inquiry framework adhering to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines. Method In‐depth, semi‐st...

Objective Excess weight and related health complications remain under diagnosed and poorly treated in general practice. We aimed to develop and validate a brief screening tool for determining the presence of unknown clinically significant weight-related health complications for potential application in general practice. Design We considered 14 sel...

Background High-quality general practice has been demonstrated to provide cost-effective, equitable health care and improve health outcomes. Yet there is currently not a set of agreed comprehensive indicators in Australia. We have developed 79 evidence-based indicators and their corresponding 129 measures of high-quality general practice. This stud...

Background: Rising health costs and health inequity are major challenges in Australia, as internationally. Strong primary health care is well evidenced to address these challenges. Primary Health Networks (PHNs) work with general practices to collect data and support quality improvement; however, there is no consensus regarding what defines high q...

Aim and objectives This scoping review presents an exploration of literature on the relationship between treatment attitudes and adherence in adults experiencing schizophrenia. Background Strategies to address adherence and improve treatment outcomes are described in literature. However, adherence remains a challenge for people experiencing mental...

Background: It can be challenging to recruit participants for qualitative research. Recruitment can be affected by factors such as systemic barriers, as well as potential participants being reluctant to enrol in research they view as time-consuming and burdensome - particularly research exploring sensitive topics. Aim: To analyse and describe th...

Aim To explore the experiences of female registered nurses (RNs), who encounter workplace gender discrimination in nursing. Design This study used a qualitative exploratory design informed by feminist perspectives and was underpinned by social constructionism. Methods Women who were RNs (N = 10) and employed in New South Wales (NSW) were purposiv...

Objective The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) is based on weight related health complications among individuals with overweight and obesity requiring clinical intervention. We aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of a new screening tool based on the EOSS for activating weight management discussions in general practice. Methods We enrolle...

Background: The appreciative inquiry (AI) interview follows a specific format and needs to be planned and developed before implementation. AI questions are designed to draw on the interviewee's experiences, commencing with general questioning and progressing to more focused questioning. Aim: To explain how to plan and undertake AI interviews, an...

Background: Breastfeeding supports infant health, growth and development, and promotes maternal attachment and sensitive caregiving. Maternal separation due to child protection concerns can result in termination of breastfeeding with associated adverse outcomes. How to preserve breastfeeding when infants are placed in out-of-home care is an issue...

Past studies have shown that acculturation and self-efficacy can affect respite care knowledge, which are notable issues among immigrant caregivers due to the rapid increasing aging family members. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships among acculturation, self-efficacy, and respite care knowledge in immigrant caregivers, and to de...

Aims and objectives The aim of this integrative review was to investigate current literature exploring relationships between general self‐efficacy and the healthy ageing of older people. Background Enhancing the health and well‐being of older adults, while mitigating consequences of illness and frailty are important priorities in healthy ageing. G...

Background There is an extensive body of literature detailing the career paths of male registered nurses and the benefits they receive in nursing. Whilst there are individual studies which have examined workplace gender discrimination in nursing, there are no reviews which have reported collectively on the findings. Aim The aim of this integrative...

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of a musical fitness programme (MFP) intervention in improving neuropsychiatric symptoms, depression, upper‐limb muscle strength and cognition of older adults with cognitive impairment in long‐term care (LTC) facilities. Background Because of population ageing, the number of older adults with cognitive im...

Background: Severe burn injury is a traumatic experience for both patients and their significant others. Although research has focused on the experience of people with burn injury, there is a paucity of research focusing on the experiences of the significant other. Significant others are frequently expected to advocate and make decisions on behalf...

Aim To explore the experiences of Registered Nurses who administered medications to patients using the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) in Electronic Record for Intensive Care (eRIC) at one adult intensive care unit (ICU) in NSW, Australia. Design The study research design used a qualitative descriptive exploratory approach that...

Parental substance misuse and mental health issues are major factors associated with infant placement into out-of-home care. Such placements may result in disruption and/or cessation of breastfeeding. Provision of breastmilk to infants in out-of-home care (OOHC) is desirable in terms of infant health and development, and also in supporting maternal...

Aims and objectives This study explored the experiences of nurses using physical restraints on mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care. Background Physical restraints are frequently used to prevent treatment interference and maintain patient safety in intensive care units worldwide. However, physical restraints are found to be ineffecti...

The postnatal period is crucial for infants in establishing a connection with and security in primary caregivers and can have enduring effects on attachment patterns. However, due to the need for symptom management, many infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may be separated from primary caregivers and cared for in a neonatal in...

The global incidence of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has increased significantly in the last decade. Symptoms of NAS manifest from the central and autonomic nervous systems as well as the gastrointestinal system and vary in severity and duration. The clinical management of infants experiencing NAS is dependent on symptoms and may include both...

Aim To explore perspectives of Australian women who had sustained a traumatic brain injury to develop a gendered understanding of their experiences. Design Qualitative findings from a concurrent mixed methods study. Methods Australian women who had sustained a traumatic brain injury participated in conversational interviews. Data were collected f...

Community and primary health care nursing is a rapidly growing field. Founded on the social model of health, the primary health care approach explores how social, environmental, economic and political factors affect the health of the individual and communities, and the role of nurses and other health care practitioners in facilitating an equitable...

Patient-centred care by a coordinated primary care team may be more effective than standard care in chronic disease management. We synthesised evidence to determine whether patient-centred medical home (PCMH)-based care models are more effective than standard general practitioner (GP) care in improving biomedical, hospital, and economic outcomes. M...

Nurses and midwives of Australia now is the time for change! As powerfully placed, Indigenous and non-Indigenous nursing and midwifery professionals, together we can ensure an effective and robust Indigenous curriculum in our nursing and midwifery schools of education. Today, Australia finds itself in a shifting tide of social change, where the voi...

Background Patient-centred care by a coordinated primary care team may be more effective than standard care in chronic disease management. We synthesised evidence to determine whether patient-centred medical home (PCMH)-based care models are more effective than standard general practitioner (GP) care in improving clinical, hospital, and economic ou...

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify factors that contribute to high turnover rates of nurses working in emergency departments. Review methods/data sources: The search strategy for the review complied with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematics Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Electronic databases, Medical Lit...

Background: End-of-life (EOL) decision-making in the intensive care unit (ICU) can be emotionally challenging for both doctors and nurses, who are sometimes placed in difficult positions where they are required to make decisions on behalf of patients. With an ageing population and advances in medical technology, there is an increase in such decisi...

Aims: To explore the types of nursing skills that are learnt through work as nursing assistants in aged care; and determine how these skills help to prepare novice nurses for new graduate practice as a Registered Nurse. Background: Issues surrounding patient care currently plague the aged care sector in Australia. Undergraduate Assistants in Nur...

Background: Anecdotally, the number of Australian women who choose unregulated birthworkers to support a homebirth without a registered midwife present is increasing. Aim: To explore the experiences and reasons why some women choose unregulated birthworkers for a homebirth, and examine what they might do if changes in legislation removed this ch...

Background Early detection of gynaecological issues improves health outcomes and reduces mortality. Such early detection is best achieved via regular, proactive health screening. Like other disadvantaged groups, women with physical disability have much lower gynaecological screening rates than the general population. Aim The aim of this paper is t...

Background Individuals who have lived with childhood parental mental illness are at increased risk of developing mental health concerns. Yet there is limited knowledge about how a person’s childhood experiences of parental mental illness may influence their subsequent parenting roles. Methods This narrative study generated parenting narratives of a...

Background: Domestic violence against women is a global endemic that can commence or escalate during pregnancy and continue postpartum. Pregnant and postpartum women generally access health care providers more at this time than at any other time in their lives. Despite this, little is known about primary health care providers' screening practices...

Background: In Australia, the provision of homebirth services by unregulated birthworkers (doulas, ex-registered midwives, traditional midwives and lay workers) has increased. Accessing a homebirth with a registered midwife via mainstream services is limited. Concern is growing that new legislation aimed at prohibiting unregulated birthworkers pra...

Aims To determine how undergraduate assistant in nursing employment in aged care helps to prepare new graduates for clinical work as a registered nurse. Background The amount and quality of clinical experience afforded by university programs has been the subject of constant debate in the nursing profession. New graduate nurses are often deemed ina...

Background: Although more men than women sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), approximately one quarter of people with TBIs are women. The experiences of TBI reported in the literature are informed from the masculine perspective and do not adequately represent women's experiences. Pragmatism provides an overarching methodological framework to e...

Background: Physical restraints (PRs) are commonly used in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide for the prevention of treatment interference. While PRs are fundamentally used to maintain patient safety, they can negatively impact the experiences of patients and their families and cause moral and ethical dilemmas for ICU nurses. Objectives: The...

Aim: To explore registered nurses' reflections on transitioning from acute to primary health care employment, and future career intentions. Background: Reforms in primary health care have resulted in increasing demands for a skilled primary health care nursing workforce. To meet shortfalls, acute care nurses are being recruited to primary health...

ISBN 978-1-74361-337-5. Sydney, NSW: Office of Learning & Teaching, Australian Government.

ISBN 1 74079 0243. Liverpool, New South Wales: South Western Sydney Area Health Service

Background Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent carcinoma among women. Stringent screening is the most effective strategy of reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer, however barriers to such screening exist. South West Sydney is primarily populated by ethnic minority groups and those with lower socioeconomic sta...

Children who have lived with parental mental illness experience long-standing reduced health and social outcomes, alongside ongoing personal distress. While there has been some dialogue regarding interventions to support children who are living with parental mental illness, there remains a paucity of knowledge regarding adult children's experiences...

Aim: To describe midwifery students' practice experience and to explore facilitators and barriers to positive clinical learning experiences. Background: Practice experience is a vital component of every midwifery course. Course dissatisfaction and attrition of midwifery students has been attributed to sub-optimal practice experiences. Events or...

Aim: This paper describes the experiences of acute care registered nurses transitioning to primary health care (PHC) settings. Background: The worldwide increasing demand for PHC services has resulted in skilled acute care nurses transitioning to PHC settings to meet workforce requirements. Little is known about the experiences and challenges as...

Aims and objectives: To explore the nature of collaboration between registered nurses and general practitioners in Australian general practice. Background: There is international recognition that collaboration between health professionals can improve care coordination, enhance health outcomes, optimise the work environment and reduce healthcare...

Aim: To describe the experiences of registered nurses who transition from acute to primary health care (PHC) employment. Background: Internationally the provision of health care in PHC settings is increasing. Nurses are moving from acute care employment to meet the growing demand for a PHC workforce. However, little is known about the transition...

Objective: This narrative review will draw attention to the current limitations within the literature related to women following traumatic brain injury in order to stimulate discussion and inform future directions for research. Background: There is a wide-ranging body of research about traumatic brain injury with the higher incidence of brain injur...

Critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) often require many invasive procedures and medical devices (Martin and Mathisen 2005). While these interventions are a necessity, they can potentially cause patients a great amount of pain and discomfort, often leading to restlessness and agitation (Langley et al. 2011).

Background In Australia the choice to birth at home is not well supported and only 0.4% of women give birth at home with a registered midwife. Recent changes to regulatory requirements for midwives have become more restrictive and there is no insurance product that covers private midwives for intrapartum care at home. Freebirth (planned birth at ho...

Background.: An increased incidence of chronic and complex conditions in the community is placing pressure on human resources in general practice. Improving collaboration between GPs and registered nurses may help alleviate workforce stressors and enhance health outcomes. Objective.: To explore the facilitators and challenges of collaboration be...

p>The process of curriculum development can be informed by seeking the views of stakeholders, including employers, academics, students and recent graduates, about the skills, attributes and personal characteristics required by various professions. The views of several stakeholders may also be compared to help ensure reliability of results and ident...

Background Before beginning any research project, novice researchers must consider which methodological approach will best address their research questions. The paucity of literature describing a practical application of naturalistic inquiry adds to the difficulty they may experience. Aim To provide a practical example of how naturalistic inquiry w...

Aims and objectives: The aim of this paper is to explore women's stories of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from a male partner and elucidate the gendered constructs and violence experienced that made the women vulnerable to these infections. Background: Violence against women can result in both physical and psychological consequenc...

Approximately 4.2% of pregnant women consume illicit drugs during pregnancy (AIHW, 2011). Drug exposed infants are more likely to be born small for gestational age, be pre-term, and be admitted to special care or intensive care nurseries (AIHW, 2007).

Background: If work integrated learning (WIL) is intended by universities to meet the demand for work-ready graduates, identification of skill requirements is a necessary first step. Health services management specific employability skills (ES) perceived to be important by managers and recent graduates working in the field and their perceptions of...

Background The collection of sensitive data can arouse emotional reactions and researchers may have difficulty distancing themselves from personal stories. Debriefing can address the emotional effect of an experience on researchers. Aim To explore the debrief responses of three research assistants who were involved in the review of retrospective ch...

Background Conceptual frameworks are important to ensure a clear underpinning research philosophy. Further, the use of conceptual frameworks can support structured research processes. Aim To present a partnership model for a reflective narrative for researcher and participant. Discussion This paper positions the underpinning philosophical framework...

Research would not be possible without participants. While this may seem like an obvious statement, all too often researchers underestimate the importance of the participants in their work, and the impact that researcher relationships can have on participation and data quality.

Background In Australia, a significant percentage of bachelor of nursing students are employed in the aged care sector, or in aged care settings, as assistants in nursing (AINs) or personal care assistants. However the value of aged care in nursing education is often overlooked. Aim To outline the adaptation and validation of a survey, originally d...

I read with interest the recent editorial ‘In defence of patients’(Jackson et al. 2016) relating to terminological usage. This isnot a new debate to those of us working in the mental healthfield. We conducted a systematic review of the literature(Dickens & Picchioni 2012) and found 11 studies which hadexamined the evidence. Studies, all of which we...

There is a limited body of research that focuses on experiences of families of people with mental illness. While the body of knowledge concerning children of parents with mental illness is increasing, there remains limited discourse surrounding the experiences of adults who have lived with childhood parental mental illness. This paper examined one...

Individuals who are bereaved by suicide and other traumatic natured deaths are thought to be at greater risk of psychological complications, than people bereaved by other means. While it is recognized that interventions can influence the bereavement process, there remains limited communications about both helpful responses and those that may advers...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women internationally and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of women annually. Early detection of breast cancer is integral to ensure early intervention which increases survival rates and health outcomes for women. Despite the availability of breast cancer screening (BCS), previous research has id...

To explore the perceptions of early career nursing academics on leadership in academia. There is growing emphasis on leadership capacity building across all domains of nursing. However, there is limited evidence on leadership capacity in early career academics. This study tested an intervention to develop leadership capacity amongst early career nu...