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NURSING IS A CARING SCIENCE – A REFELECTION * Juliet Sylvia, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Nursing is a practice discipline. Caring is the essence of excellent nursing practice. Care complements cure. Caring has special significance for nurses. To make a difference in patients, nurses must sustain this caring relationship. In order to delineate the specific and unique contributions nurses make in the health care system, one must be able to define the care provided. This article explains the meaning and dimensions of caring, theoretical views of nursing as a caring science and the challenges of caring. GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME: A MEDICAL EMERGENCY * Nirmala Emmanuel, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a degenerative disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Though the incidence is rare it causes a serious disorder in an individual's life as the onset is sudden and the progression is very quick. It is an autoimmune disorder which is triggered with any type of bacterial or viral infection, trauma or surgery. The medical management is focused on controlling the disorder and rehabilitating the patient. Intensive care is required during the acute phase of the disease. Supportive care is the only aim of treatment till the myelination of nerves take place. Early identification and prompt management may lead to a very good prognosis. Nursing care is based on complete assessment findings and collaborative management with other disciplines to rehabilitate the patient. This article aims at imparting knowledge on Guillain-Barre Syndrome in order to help the nurses provide comprehensive care to patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING SEXUALITY AMONG WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER * Preety Sircar, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding sexuality and to compare the sexual practices of women with breast cancer before the diagnosis and during treatment and follow up. A descriptive design was used to conduct the study. Fifty four women with breast cancer were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by interviewing the subjects with a questionnaire developed by the investigator. The conceptual framework was adopted from Ludwig von Bertalanfy's System's Theory (1968). The mean age of the subjects was 42.03 years and most of the subjects (75.9%) were married for 11 to 30 years. Twenty eight out of the 54 subjects were on treatment for breast cancer while the others had come for their follow up after completing treatment for breast cancer. Overall, majority (63%) of the subjects had inadequate knowledge regarding sexuality. However, younger women seemed to have better knowledge regarding sexuality than the older women. But none had unfavorable attitude regarding sexuality. Findings suggested that there was significant difference in mean score on sexual practices of women with breast cancer before diagnosis (Mean=81.4) and during treatment and followup (Mean=55.7) diagnosis. Sexual practices were found to be more satisfactory among women who had completed treatment and had come for follow up. The findings of the study demonstrate the need for adequate education about sexuality related issues for women with breast cancer. EFFECTIVENESS OF TRANSDERMAL ANESTHETIC CREAM ON PAIN PERCEPTION IN CHILDREN DURING VENIPUNCTURE * Karthika Devi, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT The effectiveness of the Eutetic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics (EMLA) cream upon pain perception during venipuncture among children was studied at the Apollo hospitals, Chennai, Tamilnadu. An experimental post test only design was used. Pain was assessed using Modified FLACC scale and Wong Baker Faces Pain Rating scale. The experimental group had significantly less pain that was demonstrated by both the scales. The difference was statistically significant at p <0.001 level. The results can be attributed to the effectiveness of transdermal anesthetic cream. The findings of the study indicate that the transdermal anesthetic cream (EMLA) is effective in pain reduction during venipuncture among children. Nurses should be made aware of the various pain management strategies that are available for the children. FORMULATING RESEARCH PROBLEMS, QUESTIONS, OBJECTIVES AND HYPOTHESES * Punitha Ezhilarasu, M.Sc (N)., Ph.D (N) ABSTRACT Nurses are challenged to provide evidence for nursing practice. Disciplined research is on the top of evidence hierarchy in making clinical decisions. Formulating research questions and hypotheses is a key step in the research process. This article proposes sources and methods by which a research idea is generated as well as how a research problem is identified. The formulation of research questions, objectives and hypotheses is discussed in detail. It is aimed to provide the readers working knowledge of research problems, questions, objectives and hypotheses, standards for writing and criteria for evaluating them. PERINATAL ASPHYXIA - A NEONATAL EMERGENCY * Ebenezer Ellen Benjamin, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Perinatal asphyxia occurs in the uterus, during labour and delivery. There are numerous causes and clinical manifestations of perinatal asphyxia. Neonates, who experience mild asphyxia may show no neurologic injury. However severe asphyxia may be fatal in the uterus or immediately after birth, with survivors showing extensive neurologic sequelae with or without cognitive deficits. Management is aimed at restoration and maintenance of ventilatory, circulatory and metabolic homeostasis. Nurses play an important role in the prevention of asphyxia in the newborn. Recognizing the risk factors in the parturient women is the key factor in prevention. Careful monitoring of fetal condition during labour will help in early identification of fetal distress. This article aims to prepare the nurses to anticipate the arrival of newborns at risk of asphyxia. EFFECT OF CHEST PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS OF CHILDREN WITH RESPIRATORY DISORDERS * Sumathi P. V, M.Sc (N) ABSTRACT Chest physiotherapy is an important adjuvant therapy in the management of respiratory illnesses in children. The effect of Chest Physiotherapy (CPT) on the respiratory symptoms was assessed among children with respiratory disorders in the Institute of Maternal and Child Health, Kozhikode, Kerala. A quasi experimental study was undertaken using pretest- posttest control group design. Sixty children with respiratory disorders were selected using non probability purposive sampling technique and assigned to control (n=30) and experimental (n=30) groups. A pre-assessment was done in all the children and the experimental group was subjected to CPT. CPT was performed three times a day for three consecutive days. It was found that CPT resulted in significant reduction of respiratory rate and thereby increased oxygen saturation. SCREENING FOR EARLY DETECTION OF CANCER CERVIX: AN EXPERIENCE * Jothi Sophia C, M.Sc (N)., Ph.D (N) ABSTRACT Cancer cervix is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. It affects relatively young women with incidence increasing rapidly from the age of 25 to 45, following a progressive course from epithelial dysplasia to carcinoma. There is an urgent need for cancer cervix screening programme in the high risk rural population of India. Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) technique is a low technology, non-cytology based, single visit screening and treatment approach which can be used to identify the precancerous cervical lesions. This article highlights the experience of the author at a rural medical camp in early detection of cancer cervix using VIA technique. |