Abstract
Background
Effective solutions that meet the diverse community health needs of older adult populations are of critical importance. To address these needs, a nationwide community connector ...team—tasked with providing referral support to older adult populations and completing an asset mapping resource inventory initiative centered around the needs of older adult populations—was developed in Taiwan. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore community connectors’ experiences and challenges.
Methods
Community connectors (
n
= 26) across four diverse sites participated in focus group interviews in July 2020. Interviews explored the challenges community connectors encountered in their roles; the strategies used to address these challenges; the asset mapping process; and on how they conceptualized their roles. Qualitative content analysis was applied.
Results
Three themes were uncovered: developing community ties, cross-organization interactions and professional conflicts. The findings show that community connectors face hurdles in uncovering community resources and that they experience considerable professional instability. The findings also shed light on the day-to-day approaches used to navigate on-the-job challenges and the steps taken to develop community partnerships.
Conclusions
The experiences of community connectors provide important insights and can serve to illuminate the development of similar initiatives that seek to use community connectors for community health related purposes.
For first-time mothers, not knowing how to interact with newborn infants increases anxiety and decreases the quality of the parent-infant interactions. A substantial lack of interactional knowledge ...can ultimately limit the adjustments necessary for a stable transition into motherhood. This study investigated how postpartum parenting education influenced first-time mothers' mother-infant interaction quality and parenting sense of competence.
Eighty-one healthy first-time-mother and infant dyads were recruited. The control group (n = 40) received postpartum care based on the medical and cultural norms practiced in Taiwan, while the experimental group (n = 41) received, on top of typical care, education by way of a 40-min videotape on infant states, behaviors, and communication cues, as well as a handout on play practices. Data were collected at five points: within the first week, and during follow-ups in the first, second, third, and sixth months after birth. We administered the Chinese versions of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and Edinburgh Perinatal Depression Scale, and used the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale to score videotaped mother-infant interactions.
We observed an increase in the quality of mother-infant interaction within the experimental group only. Furthermore, at the five assessment points, we observed no significant changes in perceived parenting competence. Among all subjects, there were correlations between postpartum depression scores, parenting competency, and quality of mother-infant interaction.
Our results indicate that first-time mothers in Taiwan who are provided with extra education on infants' abilities and how to effectively play with infants are likely to exhibit improvements in quality of interaction.
Nurses must have spiritual competence to provide holistic patient care. Therefore, the designed instrument to assess nurses' competence could be a practical guide for health care professionals. This ...study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the spiritual care competency scale (SCCS) for oncology nurses in Taiwan.
This study used a convenience sample from a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan from November 2017 to February 2019, who were asked to complete the SCCS. We employed scale-content validity index (S-CVI). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was also used to evaluate the structural factor of SCCS. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) verified the construct validity of SCCS scale for oncology nurses in Taiwan. Test-retest reliability were also measured in this study at 2-week interval.
The average S-CVI of SCCS was 0.96. The EFA produced four factors of 27 items, such as professionalization, improving the quality of spiritual care, personal support, patient counseling and referral, attitude towards patient spirituality and communication, assessment, implementation providing and evaluation of spiritual care. Fitting the 27 items yielded an acceptable model fit; X
/df = 2.41, RMSEA = 0.08, GFI = 0.80, AGFI = 0.80, CFI = 0.92, IFI = 0.92, NFI = 0.90, RFI = 0.90, TLI = 0.91, SRMR = 0.06. Cronbach's alpha values were between 0.93 and 0.95, and the total Cronbach's alpha was 0.96. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were between 0.43 and 0.88.
The result of this study demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability for the SCCS in the nursing field in Taiwan. Implications for practice in this study serves as a reference for effectively evaluating nursing competency in spiritual care.
Abstract
Background
Shared decision making (SDM) is a patient-centered nursing concept that emphasizes the autonomy of patients. SDM is a co-operative process that involves information exchange and ...communication between medical staff and patients for making treatment decisions. In this study, we explored the experiences of clinical nursing staff participating in SDM.
Methods
This study adopted a qualitative research design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 nurses at a medical center in northern Taiwan. All interview recordings were transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed to analyze the data.
Results
The findings yielded the following three themes covering seven categories: knowledge regarding SDM, trigger discussion and coordination, and respect of sociocultural factors.
Conclusions
The results of this study describe the experiences of clinical nursing staff participating in SDM and can be used as a reference for nursing education and nursing administrative supervisors wishing to plan and enhance professional nursing SDM in nursing education.
Bioaerosols produced by dental procedures may affect indoor air quality and cause infections in dental healthcare workers. To provide air quality data that can be used to protect dental healthcare ...workers, this study evaluated the air quality and its influencing factors in the dental department of the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. The study was a cross-sectional study design. Indoor air quality (IAQ) evaluations were conducted in six locations: pediatric dentistry, craniofacial orthodontic dentistry, periodontal dentistry, and general practice dentistry, instrument washing room, and patient waiting area. The measured air quality parameters included temperature, relative humidity, and concentrations of CO
2
, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), suspended particulate matter (PM), and bacteria. TVOCs concentrations at all six sampling stations were found to exceed the indoor air quality standards prescribed by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency. The highest concentrations of atmospheric PM
10
, PM
2.5
, and PM
1
were found in the periodontal dentistry department, while the lowest concentrations occurred in the patient waiting area. The detection rate for Gram-positive bacteria was highest in the pediatric department (25%) and lowest in the instrument washing room (9%).
Micrococcus luteus
and
Bacillus cereus
were the primary pathogens detected. The dental departments of the hospital had a serious TVOCs pollution. The air quality of dental departments deserves long-term surveillance and attention.
Increased maternal inflammatory response has been noted in women with pregnancies complicated by preterm birth and small-for-gestational age infants. However, the association between gestational ...exposure to air pollutants, maternal inflammatory response, and fetal growth remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and the concentration of inflammatory indicators in maternal and fetal circulations, as well as fetal growth. We recruited 108 healthy pregnant women living in northern (n = 55) and southern (n = 53) areas of Taiwan and prospectively collected information of exposure to outdoor air pollutants throughout gestation. Maternal blood from each trimester and umbilical cord blood after delivery were collected and analyzed for inflammatory indicators including high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Our results showed that exposure to particulate matter less than or equal to 10 μm (PM10) and ozone (O3) during the first trimester had a direct effect on reduction of birth weight, but the direct effect of PM10 mediated by hs-CRP and the direct effect of O3 mediated by TNF-α on fetal birth weight were not significant. Exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 during the second and third trimesters also directly affected birth weight. Furthermore, exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2) caused changes in the concentrations of TNF-α in maternal blood during the second trimester, which subsequently resulted in reduced fetal weight. Together, these results indicate that exposure to air pollutants may cause both direct and indirect effects on the reduction of fetal weight.
•The age and parity of pregnant women were not associated with birth weight.•Exposure to PM10 and O3 during the first trimester caused birth weight reduction.•PM exposure during different trimesters was associated with reduced birth weight.•Direct effect of SO2 mediated by TNF-α on birth weight was significant.
Culturally sensitive care has been identified as a best-practice approach for improving health outcomes. Hemodialysis patients require culturally sensitive care because it involves totally changing ...their previous life. The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of hemodialysis nurses in providing culturally sensitive care to hemodialysis patients.
A qualitative study was carried out in the hemodialysis center of a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Purposive sampling and semi-structured interview guidelines were employed to interview 23 hemodialysis nurses. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the resulting data were analyzed and summarized using content analysis by constant comparative methods.
Hemodialysis nurses exhibited the characteristics for delivering culturally sensitive care, which comprised five aspects: finding the true meaning of the behavior of the participants, recognizing and honoring individual psychological states, culturally sensitive communication in line with patients' values, customizing care content through cultural transformation strategies, and empowerment rather than prohibition.
The findings of this study on the culturally sensitive care provided by hemodialysis nurses can be utilized by nursing educators and administrators as a reference to develop and enhance the nursing education related to culturally sensitive care for hemodialysis professionals.
This study was aimed at understanding the relationship among menstrual pattern, dysmenorrhea, life style and working conditions in nurses. The nurses were randomly selected from a medical center in ...Northern Taiwan. Each subject completed daily records including life and working conditions during the study period. The study showed that there were statistically significant differences in work years, daily working hours and type of work shift among nurses that worked at different units in the hospital. In the perceived regular cycle group, nurses that worked the night shift only exhibited the shortest menstrual cycles, less than 25 d. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) among the nurses' menstrual cycles. Many life factors (such as passive tobacco smoke exposure, perceived life satisfaction and perceived life stress) and working factors (such as work years, perceived work satisfaction and perceived work stress) were not significantly related to menstrual cycle regularity. In addition, 30% of the nurses complained of dysmenorrhea. Some factors including age, marital status and perceived life satisfaction were significantly related to dysmenorrhea. However, other life factors (such as passive tobacco smoke exposure, smoking, coffee, alcohol, cold drink habits, exercise and perceived life stress) and working factors (such as working places, type of work shift, daily work hours, perceived work satisfaction and perceived work stress) showed no correlation with dysmenorrhea. This study indicates that women should pay attention to their menstrual function and dysmenorrhea phenomenon.
Globally, different age groups in the elderly population have experienced major shifts over time. Human life expectancy doubled from the 19th to the twentieth century and has increased to 80 years in ...the twenty-first century. These conditions imply economic challenges and the increasing prevalence of certain health conditions. Old age is associated with increased care needs in various aspects of daily life. This study assessed the health care needs of elderly patients with lung, liver, and colorectal cancer in Taiwan and analyzed the factors underlying their needs.
This cross-sectional descriptive survey assessed 234 elderly patients with diagnosis of lung, liver, and colorectal cancer in Taiwan. We investigated their health care needs and daily living functions by using the Supportive Care Needs Survey and Karnofsky Performance Status, respectively.
Patients required the most assistance in physical functioning and daily living. Patients aged ≥85 years required more care than those aged 65-74 years in terms of information access and sexuality needs. Patients with poor functional status required more care than those capable of undertaking normal activities. Patients diagnosed as having liver cancer required more care than those with lung or colorectal cancer. Patients with advanced cancer required more physical and daily care than those with early-stage cancer.
Patients' health care needs differed with age, primary cancer site, and functional status. Patients aged ≥85 years and those with poor function, primary liver cancer, and advanced cancer had higher care needs.
This study examined seasonal changes in indoor Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 (Der p 1)/Blattella germanica 1 (Bla g 1) antigen concentrations in the homes of atopic asthmatic and atopic ...nonasthmatic children. Possible associations between environmental allergen exposure and levels of exhaled breath indices were also evaluated.A total of 38 atopic children were recruited for this cross-sectional study: 22 were asthmatic and 16 were nonasthmatic. Home visits were conducted for indoor air and dust sampling each season. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO)/spirometric measurements were taken and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was collected after sampling of the domestic environment.The highest Der p 1 concentrations were on the top of mattresses in the homes of recruited children. The floors of kitchens and living rooms had the highest Bla g 1 concentrations in the homes of atopic asthmatic children. A positive correlation was found between Der p 1 exposure of mattress, bedroom floor, and living room floor and eNO levels in the atopic asthmatic children. The Der p 1 concentrations on the surfaces of mattress and bedroom floor were positively related to high eNO levels in the atopic asthmatic children after adjusting for season. No association was found between Der p 1 exposure and EBC pH values in the recruited children.A positive correlation was found between Der p 1 exposure and high eNO levels in atopic asthmatic children, especially in Der p 1 exposure of mattress and bedroom floor.
PDF
