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JAN – JUN 2012 VOL-13, NO.1 SAVING LIVES: HOSPITAL PREPAREDNESS TOWARDS EMERGENCY * Ravikumar T. Samuel, M. Sc (N) ABSTRACT Man-made and natural disasters are on the rise requiring the hospitals to be in a prepared state to care for the victims. Apart from preparedness, patient and hospital safety are considered as mandatory requirements for accreditation by statutory bodies. Therefore, the hospitals have to set standards, train the personnel, provide the needed resources and periodically evaluate the preparedness status of the hospital. The role of hospital in developing and implementing hospital safety cell, emergency response plan, emergency response team, and disaster management plan are discussed in this article. OBJECTIVE STRUCTURED CLINICAL EXAMINATION: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ASSESS CLINICAL COMPETENCE * Chitra Radhakrishnan., M. Sc (N) ABSTRACT Assessment of clinical practice skills in health profession's education poses several challenges in terms of its objectivity. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is one form of objective evaluation method that is gaining more importance and is being adopted by educators of various disciplines. The merits of OSCE outweigh the demerits and motivates student learning. It involves use of cognitive skills like critical thinking and problem solving. OSCE also enhances good interaction between the teacher and the student. Although OSCE is practised worldwide in nursing education, its practice in India and other developing countries is scarce. The nurse educators from India and other developing countries should be encourged to utilize this form of evaluation. This article aims to provide a basic understanding about OSCE, its components, advantages, limitations, steps, and the process of conducting it. CARDIAC REHABILITATION AND ROLE OF NURSES * Vimala Edwin, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death in the world and also a major cause of physical disability, particularly in the rapidly growing population of elderly persons. Cardiac rehabilitation is a set of activities with specific goals intended to help cardiac patients regain good health and prevent secondary heart disease. The need for cardiac rehabilitation program is increasing due to stressful environment, physical inactivity and changes in dietary habits. This article aims to help the nursing professionals to understand cardiac rehabilitation, its goals, benefits, core components, phases, and nurse's role in cardiac rehabilitation. RELATIONSHIP OF HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL TO PERCEPTION OF HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR TO PREVENT CERVICAL CANCER * Jaicy, M. Sc (N) ABSTRACT A cross sectional descriptive study to determine the relationship of health locus of control to perception of health seeking behaviour to prevent cervical cancer among female attendants was conducted at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. A sample of 200 female attendants staying with the patients in the Obstetrics and Gynaecological wards was included in the study. A multidimensional health locus of control scale to assess health locus of control, and a structured questionnaire to assess the perception of health seeking behaviour to prevent cervical cancer were used to collect the data. Subjects were classified according to the three dimensions of health locus of control (internal, external, and chance) based on their highest standardised Z-score. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that subjects with an internal health locus of control had a higher score on perception of health seeking behaviour to prevent cervical cancer than subjects with external or chance health locus of control (p<0.0001). However, among the 200 subjects, only 34.5% had an internal health locus of control. It necessitates the need to educate and motivate the women to shift their locus of control internally, thus increase participation in preventive health behaviour against cervical cancer. VALIDATING THE TAMIL VERSION OF THE EDINBURGH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION SCALE IN SOUTH INDIAN SETTING * Rogina J. S. Savarimuthu, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Depression occurring during the postpartum period can range from mild “postpartum blues” to “severe postpartum depression”. The symptoms may be affective (feeling gloomy, depressed, irritable, and sad) and/or cognitive (insomnia, lack of appetite, disturbance in concentration, and loss of libido) in nature. The objective of this study was to validate the Tamil version of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 Primary Care Version (10th Revision) among the rural postpartum women in a South Indian setting. These scales were employed to identify women with postpartum depression. A Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to obtain the best threshold value for screening. The sensitivity and specificity of the Tamil Version of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale was high. The instrument can be utilised by nurses especially the Public Health Nurses in the screening of postpartum depression with a threshold of 6/7 in the community. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS * Punitha Ezhilarasu, M. Sc (N)., Ph.D ABSTRACT Experimental research is an objective, systematic, and highly controlled investigation that predicts and controls the phenomena in nursing practice. The effectiveness of nursing interventions is tested using experimental and quasi-experimental designs. A well designed single experimental design provides level II evidence in relation to evidence-based practice. The various types of experimental designs, their main characteristics, strengths, and limitations are presented in this article using exemplars. CONTINUING EDUCATION SERIES NO: 22 POSTOPERATIVE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN CARDIAC SURGERY: ROLE OF NURSES * Bala Seetharaman, M. Sc (N) ABSTRACT Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most frequent complications of cardiac surgery affecting more than one third of patients. Postoperative AF is an important prediction of patient morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and increased hospital cost. Many factors have been identified as being associated with postoperative AF and the most consistent variable identified across studies is increasing age. AF is the common cause for prolonged stay and hospital re-admissions. Nurses working with postoperative patients in the ICU are required to be knowledgeable and skillful in identifying the possible causes or risk factors for AF, implementing preventive measures, recognizing AF and intervening promptly. This article describes the epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of postoperative AF. The nursing management is discussed in detail using a case study. DELUSIONAL DISORDER: AN OVERVIEW * Harikrishna G. Lalithakumari, B.Sc (N) ABSTRACT In the field of psychiatry, delusional disorder is a disease where delusion is presented as a discrete system. It comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders of unknown etiology whose hallmark and chief features are the presence of a single delusional system. Although delusions remain one of the basic problems in psychopathology, attempts to understand its pathogenesis have been dominated by unsubstantiated speculation. This article explores the dynamics involved in delusional disorder presenting its epidemiology, etiology, types, clinical presentation, management, and prognosis. KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS ON HIV/AIDS IN A SOUTH INDIAN SETTING * Josephine J. Mary, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT A comparative descriptive study was conducted among engineering students with the objective to assess their knowledge and attitude regarding HIV/AIDS. A total of 150 first year engineering students were selected using convenience sampling technique. A knowledge questionnaire and an attitude scale were designed by the researcher and the content validity was tested with the help of experts. The reliability of the knowledge questionnaire was 0.93 (split half method) and the attitude scale was 0.8 (Cronbach's alpha). The data were collected using these self administered instruments. A comparison of knowledge between men and women students revealed that only 4 % of men students had adequate knowledge and 44 % of them had moderately adequate knowledge, whereas 15% of women students had adequate knowledge and 40 % moderately adequate knowledge. A higher percentage of women students (60%) expressed positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS compared to men students (40%). No significant association was found between selected demographic variables and knowledge and attitude of students related to HIV/AIDS. |