College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/2328/2977

We are at the heart of advanced learning in health sciences, nursing and midwifery.

The College of Nursing and Health Sciences has strong partnerships to industry, community and the healthcare sector.

In fact, we’re world renowned for multidisciplinary research and improving health care, where our high-quality programs and professional practices continue to expand what we can do to address emerging health issues.

We base our innovation on the very best teaching methods, using the latest equipment and facilities.

But most of all we seek to change and improve practice through our research and through our graduates.

We see it as thinking bravely.

Browse

Browsing College of Nursing and Health Sciences by Subject "1103 Clinical Sciences"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Can volunteer companions prevent falls among inpatients? A feasibility study using a pre-post comparative design
    (2006) Giles, Lynne Catherine; Bolch, Denise; Rouvray, Robyn; McErlean, Beth; Whitehead, Craig Hamilton; Phillips, Paddy Andrew; Crotty, Maria
    Background : Falls in hospital are frequent and their consequences place an increased burden on health services. We evaluated a falls prevention strategy consisting of the introduction of volunteers to 'sit' with patients identified as being at high risk of falling. Methods : Two four bed 'safety bays' located on medical wards in two hospitals within southern Adelaide were used. Ward fall rates (expressed as falls per 1000 occupied bed days) were compared in the baseline period (February-May 2002) with the implementation period (February – May 2003) using incident rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The number of hours of volunteered time was also collected. Results : No patient falls occurred on either site when volunteers were present. However, there was no significant impact on overall ward fall rates. In the baseline period, there were 70 falls in 4828 OBDs (14.5 falls per 1000 OBDs). During the implementation period, there were 82 falls in 5300 OBDs (15.5 falls per 1000 OBD). The IRR for falls in the implementation versus baseline period was 1.07 (95%CI 0.77 – 1.49; P = 0.346). Volunteers carried out care activities (e.g. cutting up food), provided company, and on occasions advocated on behalf of the patients. Volunteers donated 2345 hours, at an estimated value to the hospitals of almost $57,000. Conclusion : Volunteers may play an important and cost-effective role in enhancing health care and can prevent falls in older hospital patients when they are present. Full implementation of this program would require the recruitment of adequate numbers of volunteers willing to sit with all patients considered at risk of falling in hospital. The challenge for future work in this area remains the sustainability of falls prevention strategies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Central venous dialysis catheter care: an Australian survey
    (2005) Bennett, Paul Norman; Janko, A; Whittington, R
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Empowerment for people with end stage renal disease: A literature review
    (2007) Tims, Sarah J; King, Lindy; Bennett, Paul Norman
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Engaging educators and students in the national roll-out of a new assessment tool (COMPASS).
    (University of South Australia, 2008) McAllister, Sue Margery; Ferguson, Alison; Lincoln, Michelle; McAllister, Lindy
    This paper presents key results of an evaluation of a project (funded by ALTC), that led the integration of a newly developed competency based assessment tool (COMPASS™) within all 13 speech pathology education programs nationally. As part of the roll-out process, workshops were provided to close to 1,000 speech pathology clinical educators and students were introduced to the new tool through their lectures and tutorials. In order to provide formative feedback in the early stages of the project (end 2006 – early 2007); a questionnaire (designed to elicit both quantitative and qualitative data) was used following the first 6 workshops (214 educators) and after the first lectures to students at 2 universities (145 students). Most educators (95-97%) and students (74-85%) reported understanding the main concepts that inform key components of COMPASSTM (behavioural descriptors, generic competencies, and use of the Visual Analogue Scale). Qualitative feedback indicated a need for further support in relation to understanding the need for direct observation and the use of the Visual Analogue Scale. Toward the completion of the project (end 2007 – early 2008), a similar questionnaire was distributed to clinical educators (33 respondents) and to students in 3 universities (76 respondents). Results continued to be positive for understanding of main concepts for educators (79-100%) and for students (75-92%). An important finding was the close similarity between educators and students in relation to their understandings about the tool, the areas in which they reported wanting more support/training, and the ways in which they would like to obtain further experience. The implications of these findings for the further embedding of the new assessment tool are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Engaging speech pathology students in design and validation of competency based assessment in the workplace.
    (University of South Australia, 2008) McAllister, Sue Margery; Lincoln, Michelle; Ferguson, Alison; McAllister, Lindy
    In Australia, the discipline of speech pathology has been engaged in competency based education in a sustained manner for 15 years. Speech pathologists are university educated professionals who work in the health and education sectors, with people experiencing communication and/or swallowing difficulties. Speech pathology programs have, from their inception, combined university and workplace based education (practicum) strategies. University courses are accredited by Speech Pathology Australia (SPA), so that their graduates are deemed ‘eligible’ for membership of SPA. This accreditation process has been guided by the CBOS Competency Based Occupational Standards for Speech Pathologists - Entry level (SPAA, 2001) (known as CBOS, pronounced cee-bos). The CBOS were developed through a national collaborative project (Dawson, 1993a, 1993b) and subsequently revised in 2001. CBOS identifies concepts and descriptions of professional competence, and makes statements about what level of performance is required for entry into practice (Ferguson, 2006).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A haemodialysis nutritional screening tool for nurses: a pilot study
    (2005) Bennett, Paul Norman; Breugelmans, Leo; Meade, Anthony; Parkhurst, Dee
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Nutritional status of adults participating in ambulatory rehabilitaion
    (2008) Kaur, Supreet; Miller, Michelle Deanne; Halbert, Julie Anne; Giles, Lynne Catherine; Crotty, Maria
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    What are the essential medications in palliative care? - A survey of Australian palliative care doctors
    (2006) Good, Phillip D; Cavenagh, John D; Currow, David Christopher; Woods, David A; Tuffin, Penelope H; Ravenscroft, Peter J