Academic literature on the topic 'Fields of Research – 320000 Medical and Health Sciences – 321100 Nursing'

The Nurses Amendment Act 1990 enabled midwives in New Zealand/Aotearoa to care for women throughout normal childbirth on their own responsibility, without the supervision of a medical practitioner, as had previously been the case. The Act brought about significant changes to midwives' scope of practice, pay and status which had important implications for women's care, midwifery, the relationship between midwifery and medicine and the structure of maternity services. Three years after the passage of the Act, in July 1993, major restructuring of the health system along market principles began. From this time, consultation began for new maternity services arrangements, which fitted within the philosophy and structure of the new health system and which aimed to rectify some of the perceived problems resulting from the initial implementation of the 1990 Act. The consultation process was to take three years. This thesis describes and critically analyses changes to midwifery and maternity services, particularly in the greater Auckland region, in the six years from the passage of the Nurses Amendment Act in August 1990 until the official introduction of the new maternity structure in July 1996. This was a period in which midwifery was establishing itself in a medically-dominated domain while, simultaneously, a significant ideological shift was occurring in the philosophy and structure of the health system. Using an ethnographic approach, which included extensive key informant interviews and participant observation at a range of meetings over a period of three years I investigated in depth both the process of change and the relations of power between interest groups (consumer representatives, midwifery, medicine, hospital managers and regional health authorities) within local and national maternity services arenas. These findings were analysed using Foucault's later work on power and his concept of governmentality. A range of factors, including some of the trends occurring within the public sector, weakened the medical profession's control of normal childbirth and facilitated midwifery's entry as a competing provider of maternity care. Strategies used by midwifery representatives to maintain and develop the occupation's autonomous status were often effective, albeit constantly challenged. Despite ongoing conflict and some polarisation between medicine and midwifery, in general, relations of power between the various interest groups in both local and national settings were found to be complex and contestable with unstable alliances forming around particular issues. However, the fluidity of these power relations and the gains made by midwifery operated within constraints imposed by the influence of neo-liberal policies on the development of the new maternity structure. This gave the government's agents, the regional health authorities, the controlling influence on maternity services policy. Although the professed aim of the new structure was a more women-centred service, there were limits to consumer influence on maternity services policy and fiscal imperatives took precedence over some consumer interests. KEYWORDS: Midwifery; Maternity Services; Nurses Amendment Act 1990; Health Reforms; Power; Foucault; Professions; New Zealand; Aotearoa.

Te Arawhata o Aorua – Bridge of two worlds is a theory about Maori mental health nurses. The aim of this study was to explore what was occurring amongst Maori mental health nurses and dual competencies. A grounded theory informed by a Maori centred research approach was adopted and conducted with three focus groups of ten Maori mental health nurses situated in one metropolitan and two provincial cities. The research design was informed by Mason Durie?s Maori centred concepts of whakapiki tangata (enablement), whakatuia (integration) mana Maori (control) and integrated with grounded theory to guide the collection and analysis of the data. Audio taping and field notes were used to collect the data and the processes of constant comparative analysis, theoretical sampling and saturation were used to generate a middle range substantive Maori centred grounded theory. One core category was identified as two worlds which describes the main issue that they are grappling with. The basic social psychological process of bridging of tension explains how the two worlds are managed through two subcategories of going beyond and practising differently. Going beyond consists of two components, being Maori and enduring constant challenge that set the philosophical foundation to practice. Practising differently describes three key components as kaitiaki of wairua, it?s about whanau and connecting each are blended into each other and fused into nursing practice. The impressions of the Maori mental health nurses have been interpreted and explained by this theory. The substantive grounded theory provides a model to guide health services appreciation of Maori mental health nurses, for professional development of Maori mental health nurses and to policy writers.

As the baby boomer generation move inexorably towards retirement and the requirement for health care services increases, the supply of nurses available to provide care at the patient bedside is forecast to fall significantly short of demand. This thesis has explored the perspectives of midlife nurses, asking what it would take to keep them in bedside practice until retirement. These nurses have provided insights which offer employers of valuable senior nurses, suggestions for maximising their potential. Through the use of questionnaires and focus groups nurses aged 45 years and over were asked what the employer can do to ensure that they are able to continue to work at the patient bedside until they reach the age of retirement. The results of this research demonstrate a workforce of nurses who are passionate and committed to their profession, but feeling disillusioned and disempowered. The nursing environment has changed over the span of their career and they find the increased workload, together with increasing professional demands, too hard to cope with. They feel they have no control over their workload, their shift patterns, or the expectations of their patients and colleagues. They want their experience to be recognized but they do not want to have to prove competency; they want to have a voice but they are unwilling to pursue postgraduate education to learn how to become visible and emancipated.

The Well Child/Tamariki Ora Health Book (the Plunket book) is a small booklet given to New Zealand mothers on the birth of a child. It has been used by nurses as a tool to record growth and development from birth to five years since the 1920s. Although use of the book decreases over time, it is frequently kept within the family and handed on from mother to child. Utilising an oral history approach, this study has traced the development of the Plunket book over time and explored the experiences of a group of 34 women and one man who have reflected on their ownership of, or involvement with, Plunket books. The study found that the Plunket book remains an effective clinical tool for mothers and nurses. Mothers have used the book as a tool to link past with present, to maintain kinship ties across generations, to deal with change intergenerationally, and in a manner that contributes to their self-identity as woman and mother. Although mothers were able to use the book to affirm their own knowledge and that of their mothers, a medically dominated discourse persists in the book. The book has also played a role in facilitating the interaction between mother and nurse, providing an opportunity to explore the relationship in detail. The study found that the most successful relationships at any time were those that bordered the division between a professional relationship and a personal one: it was not the information that nurses offered but the interaction and resulting care they provided that was important to the mothers in the study. The study recommends that nurses and other health professionals continue to use the Plunket book as a clinical tool mindful of the fact that the book remains in use beyond the health professional’s immediate involvement with the mother and child, playing an important role in the context of the New Zealand family across generations. Future versions of the book should contain written reference to the strengths and abilities the mother holds as she cares for her child, reaffirming her role and identity as mother not only when her children are younger but as they grow and become parents themselves.

Ngā Kairaranga Oranga – The Weavers of Health and Wellbeing is a theory about the health and wellbeing of Māori women. Health data about Māori women indicate that their health status is less than that of the non-Māori population despite the right to experience equality in health outcomes. Māori women’s health and wellbeing influences the nature of their health outcomes, varies across their lifetime. ‘What is happening for Māori women, their health and interactions with ‘mainstream’ health services?’ is the question that guided the research with Māori women. A grounded theory informed by a Māori centred approach was developed that utilised Mason Durie’s Māori-centred concepts of mana Māori (control), whakapiki tangata (enablement) and whakatuia (integration), and integrated Glaserian grounded theory to guide the collection and analysis of the data. Twenty-three women who identified as Māori within the Te Arawa rohe, and who were between the ages of 18 and 80 years were formally interviewed as either a group, pairs or individuals, with a further 15 informally interviewed during the process of theoretical sampling. Semi-structured interviews and field notes were used to collect the data, and the processes of constant comparative analysis, theoretical sampling and saturation were used to generate a middle-range substantive Māori centred grounded theory. Three core categories were identified relating to the health and wellbeing of Māori women: (a) Mana Māori, which describes what is important for their health and wellbeing; (b) The Way It Is, which outlines the resigned acceptance they have of their reality and life circumstances, and the barriers and challenges that are encountered; and (c) Engaging with Health Services, which describes what they require from ‘mainstream’ health services to improve the access and use of these services. The basic social psychological process of ‘weaving health and wellbeing’ integrates these core categories. The interpretations Māori women have of health and wellbeing, and health-related actions are explained by the theory generated. This substantive grounded theory provides a model to guide the education and practice of health care providers working within ‘mainstream’ health services.

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Beginning with the question, "what are the forces and voices influencing the meaning of the concept, and the development of advanced nursing practice in New Zealand in the 1990s”, this thesis uses an historical sociological approach to explore what New Zealand nursing is becoming and what it is ceasing to be. Through the examination of New Zealand nursing history from 1860 through the first years of the 21st century, seven historical understandings of the meaning of 'advanced' nursing practice emerged: nurses with higher education; nurses with more than one type of registration; community nurses; nurse educators and administrators; specialty nursing; a career hierarchy based on further education, experience and clinical focus; and the contemporary Nurse Practitioner. The thesis argues that each of the earlier historical connotations of advanced nursing practice is reflected in the Nurse Practitioner. The analysis of this broad scope of New Zealand nursing history, including a case study of the interpretation and implementation of contemporary advanced nursing practice, reveals essential themes of profession and professionalisation; politics and political sophistication. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from sociology, political science, and nursing, these concepts are further analysed, and developed into a representational framework. This conceptualisation depicts critical factors for nursing to achieve its preferred position in the context of time. Therefore, this study is also an exploration of New Zealand nursing's professional project A professional project is the process through which an occupational group gains control over the education and entry to practice of practitioners; secures legitimacy through the state and the public; achieves self-regulation over its practice; and secures, maintains and extends a market, or jurisdiction for itself. This thesis illustrates that while the course of action of a professional project is not always clear or deliberate for all the members of the profession, it nevertheless has a coherence that may be seen ex post facto. It is argued that what became the drive for the development of New Zealand's Nurse Practitioner and the expansion of nursing's jurisdiction at the turn of the 21st century, began long before the 1990s. The importance of history to understanding the past, the relevance of history to the shape of the present, and the significance of history's influence on the future are affirmed.

The aim of this study was to explore the practice of flexible learning for postgraduate nurses. Flexible learning is a contemporary approach to learning that utilises the benefits of technology. Flexible learning can be understood as a continuum, from fully on-line or web-based courses, to those that are on-campus and supported by technology. Internationally, the rise of flexible learning has been influenced by increased demand for higher education and competition among providers within the context of reduced education funding. The study population, New Zealand postgraduate nurses are accessing higher education in increasing numbers to advance their practice and to position themselves for new roles and opportunities. These are often experienced nurses yet inexperienced in higher university education, who combine study, work and other commitments. The study employed a qualitative case study design because it enabled multiple perspectives to be gained. Data included documentation, participant observation, survey, students’ assessed work and interviews with key stakeholders: student, teacher and the organisation. Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously as an iterative process. Thematic analysis was conducted on reviewed documentation, participant observation and interviews. The survey was analysed using descriptive statistical analysis techniques. Finally, a rubric was constructed as a matrix for analysing assessed work. The study identifies the elements that contribute to flexible learning and the interconnectedness between the elements within the dynamic context of a university to illustrate that effective flexible learning can be provided by using a student centred approach to ensure the learning needs of postgraduate nurses are met. Flexible learning was found to improve access, choice, and provide an emphasis on the student as central to learning. In response to these findings the weighting of recommendations are toward the organisation as it is at this level where greater change can be made to improve support for flexible learning provision.

This study investigates the factors most likely to support effective communication in clinical placements for ESL nursing students in New Zealand. The experiences of ESL students as they complete a clinical placement are examined and compared with data from the students‟ clinical lecturers and preceptors. Data for the study was collected through interviews with individual students before, during and after their Transition to Practice placement. Interviews were also held with two of the students‟ preceptors, and a focus group was held with clinical lecturers who had experience of working with ESL students. Results from the study underline the importance of facilitating students‟ entry to the placement community of practice, and access to its interactions. A number of factors supported or inhibited students‟ participation and learning within the placement community. The study identified two critical factors intrinsic to the student, and two extrinsic to the student. Intrinsic factors included the student‟s proficiency with English language: in particular, the sophisticated sociopragmatic language skills used by nurses in their daily interactions. The student‟s use of learning strategies, including the proactive approach best suited to learning on placement, was also critical. Extrinsic factors likely to support the student‟s integration within the community of practice were the quality of the preceptor, in terms of attitude to and training for the preceptoring role, and the tone of the placement environment. The major outcomes of this study point to the importance of providing direct instruction for ESL students in the kinds of language and learning styles required for placement. There are also implications for the selection and training of preceptors and for the placing of students in appropriate clinical environments. The study concludes with suggestions for a specific communication programme for ESL students.

In New Zealand Maori are less likely to engage in tertiary level education and less likely to complete a tertiary level qualification than non Maori. These issues of recruitment and retention are reflected in other areas for Maori such as health, where Maori have worse levels of health Maori are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status. The initial findings of recent research indicate that Maori nursing students find it a struggle to remain on the Bachelor of Health Science in nursing degree programme. This study is designed to explore further what might be occurring for Maori nursing students by obtaining a snapshot of their health. Aim: To describe the health status of Maori nursing students. Participants: 75 nursing students undertaking nursing degree programmes in New Zealand, who identified as Maori. Method: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with Maori nursing students completing nursing degrees from thirteen of sixteen tertiary institutions in New Zealand. Instrument: A questionnaire comprising demographic data, SF-36, and two cultural questions was used for students to self assess their health status. Participants were also invited to write relevant comments on the survey. Findings: Descriptive statistical data revealed participants with a stronger cultural identity as Maori were more likely to have their cultural needs met whilst studying compared to participants with a weaker Maori cultural identity. Participants in a relationship had more income than those who were not in a relationship. Participants’ overall health was worse than one year prior and their physical health was better than their mental health. More specifically, for physical health, general health, tiredness and lack of vitality were most affected, while roles and relationships were most affected for mental health. Implications: Institutions providing cultural support and kaupapa Maori programmes may assist in improving the recruitment and retention of Maori in nursing programmes. These results revealed a snapshot picture of the health 3 status of Maori nursing students and identified issues around their health status which is consistent with the literature.

Minimal literature exists relating to the experiences of Maori within the New Zealand public hospital system. Maori are highly represented in morbidity and mortality statistics and are high users of the secondary health care system. A Case Study methodology with a Maori centred approach was used to describe Maori experiences of hospitalisation. Multiple sources of evidence were gathered, including participant interviews, statistical data from the New Zealand Health Information Service, and international literature relating to indigenous experiences of hospitalisation. Eleven people (nine female and two males) identifying as Maori, of various iwi (tribal) affiliations and from a range of regions, participated in the interviews. All participants had either been admitted, or cared for by a family member who had been admitted to a medical or surgical ward in a public hospital anywhere in New Zealand within the last 15 years. Participants were aged between 20 to 75 years. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and then thematically analysed. A retrospective interrupted time series design was used to examine length of stay for Maori patients receiving treatment in the secondary medical and surgical setting, from 1989-2004. The data included the records of all medical and surgical discharges for Maori and non-Maori from the New Zealand public hospitals. Medical and surgical admissions were screened to include those over the age of 17 years and who had a length of stay greater than 1 day and less than 90 days. From the analysis of all the data three key interpretations emerged: 1. Maori are marginalised within the mainstream health system. 2. Maori believe that the hospital environment is not conducive to healing. 3. Maori experiences in hospital contribute to their decision to leave as soon as possible. The recommendations include the integration of more culturally acceptable and appropriate interventions within secondary and tertiary health services, and a review of the effectiveness of cultural safety education in practice and inclusion/revision of the cultural competence for all health care workers.