scholarly journals Critical thinking by nurses on ethical issues like the termination of pregnancies

Curationis ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Botes

This research forms part of a larger interdisciplinary research project on the termination of pregnancies. The focus of this part of the project is on the ethical issues related to termination of pregnancies. The practice of the professional nurse is confronted with ethical dilemmas and disputes. Whether the nurse chooses to participate in the termination of pregnancies or not, the core function of the nurse is that of counseling and ethical decisionmaking. Effective counseling requires empathy, respect for human rights and unconditional acceptance of a person. Making ethical decisions implies making critical decisions. It is self-evident, therefore, that such decisions should be based on sound arguments and logical reasoning. It is of vital importance that ethical decisions can be justified on rational ground. Decision-making is a critical thinking approach process for choosing the best action to meet a desired goal. The research question that is relevant for this paper is: Are nurses thinking critically about ethical issues like the termination of pregnancies? To answer the research question a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used (Mouton, 1996:103-169). Registered nurses were selected purposively (Creswell, 1994:15). 1200 registered nurses completed the open-ended questionnaires. Focus group interviews were conducted with 22 registered nurses from a public hospital for women and child health services. Data analysis, using secondary data from open-ended questionnaires and transcribed focus group interviews, were based on the approach of Morse and Field (1994:25-34) and Strauss and Corbin (1990). The themes and categories from open coding were compared, conceptualized and linked with theories on critical thinking (Paul, 1994; Watson & Glaser, 1991 and the American Philosophical Association, 1990). The measures of Lincoln and Guba (1985) and Morse (1994) related to secondary data analysis were employed to ensure trustworthiness. Based on these findings the researcher concluded that nurses are not thinking critically when making ethical decisions concerning the termination of pregnancies. Recommendations are made as a possible solution for this problem.

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpho G. Chipu ◽  
Irene Kearns ◽  
Wanda E. Nel

The researcher observed that nurses prefer not to nurse patients with an open abdomen as they fear that the abdominal contents will protrude. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of registered nurses taking care of patients with an open abdomen in intensive care in an academic hospital in Gauteng, and to provide recommendations for registered nurses when taking care of patients with an open abdomen. The research design used was a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design. Focus group interviews were conducted with each group comprising six participants. The research question was: What are the experiences of registered nurses caring for patients with an open abdomen in an intensive care unit? What recommendations can be made to assist registered nurses in taking care of patients with an open abdomen in an intensive care unit? The data was analysed using Tesch's method. Three themes emerged: Difficulty in nursing care, complications such as fistula and infections, and poor hospital administration. Recommendations for assisting registered nurses in taking care of patients with an open abdomen were then made based on the findings of the four focus group interviews. Ethical principles and measures of trustworthiness were adhered to throughout the research study.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margareta Karlsson ◽  
Anne Kasén ◽  
Carola Wärnå-Furu

AbstractObjective:When registered nurses care for patients at the end of life, they are often confronted with different issues related to suffering, dying, and death whether working in hospital or community care. Serious existential questions that challenge nurses’ identities as human beings can arise as a result of these situations. The aim of our study was to describe and gain a deeper understanding of nurses’ existential questions when caring for dying patients.Method:Focus-group interviews with registered nurses who shared similar experiences and backgrounds about experiences in end-of-life care were employed to gain a deeper understanding about this sensitive subject. Focus-group interviews were performed in hospice care, in community care, and in a palliative care unit in western Sweden. A qualitative hermeneutic approach was employed to interpret the data.Results:Nurses’ existential questions balanced between responsibility and guilt in relation to their patients, between fear and courage in relation to being professional caregivers and fellow human beings, and between hope and despair in relation to the other's and their own death.Significance of results:Nurses in end-of-life care experience various emotions from patients related to things physical, spatial, and temporal. When nurses encounter these emotions as expressing a patient's suffering, they lead to challenges of balancing between different feelings in relation to patients, as both professional caregivers and fellow human beings. Nurses can experience growth both professionally and as human beings when caring for patients at the end of life.


Author(s):  
Mads P. Sørensen ◽  
Tine Ravn ◽  
Ana Marušić ◽  
Andrea Reyes Elizondo ◽  
Panagiotis Kavouras ◽  
...  

AbstractThe widespread problems with scientific fraud, questionable research practices, and the reliability of scientific results have led to an increased focus on research integrity (RI). International organisations and networks have been established, declarations have been issued, and codes of conducts have been formed. The abstract principles of these documents are now also being translated into concrete topic areas that Research Performing organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding organisations (RFOs) should focus on. However, so far, we know very little about disciplinary differences in the need for RI support from RPOs and RFOs. The paper attempts to fill this knowledge gap. It reports on a comprehensive focus group study with 30 focus group interviews carried out in eight different countries across Europe focusing on the following research question: “Which RI topics would researchers and stakeholders from the four main areas of research (humanities, social science, natural science incl. technical science, and medical science incl. biomedicine) prioritise for RPOs and RFOs?” The paper reports on the results of these focus group interviews and gives an overview of the priorities of the four main areas of research. The paper ends with six policy recommendations and a reflection on how the results of the study can be used in RPOs and RFOs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-224
Author(s):  
Siv Gundrosen Aalbergsjø ◽  
Per Øyvind Sollid

This study analyses pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs’) experiences of working with models and modelling and their ideas about their usefulness in science education. Although several studies have investigated pre- and in-service teachers’ views on models and modelling, research is lacking in the Norwegian context. This study addresses this gap by exposing PSTs to a one-day course on modelling in chemistry and exploring their ideas through focus-group interviews. We found that teaching using modelling-related activities promoted PSTs’ understanding of models and modelling, especially relating to the scope and limitations of models. Additionally, the PSTs increased their understanding of why such learning activitiesare important and how to incorporate them while teaching science. Norwegian PSTs responded positively to modelling-based teaching, which seemed to promote metacognition and critical thinking. Therefore, modelling-based teaching could be an effective tool for educating science teachers in how to promote such skills in their classrooms.


Author(s):  
Ana Wládia Silva de Lima ◽  
Fábia Alexandra Pottes Alves ◽  
Francisca Márcia Pereira Linhares ◽  
Marcelo Viana da Costa ◽  
Maria Wanderleya de Louvor Coriolano-Marinus ◽  
...  

Objective: to analyze the perception and manifestation of collaborative teamwork competencies among undergraduate health students who experienced the curricular internship’s integration module from the perspective of interprofessional education. Method: qualitative study, developed with the intervention research strategy. Twenty-eight students from five undergraduate health courses participated. Data were collected in three focus group interviews conducted with the undergraduate students at the end of each semester. For data analysis, the technique of intervention research and dialectical hermeneutics adopted was based on the theoretical framework of interprofessional education in health. Results: uniprofessional culture, the experience of integration of different fields of knowledge and collaborative competencies were manifested by the students in their reports and in the actions developed by the multidisciplinary team with individuals and families, during the experience of the curricular internship’s integration module. Conclusion: the experience of integration of the curricular internship from the perspective of interprofessionality favored the perception and manifestation of collaborative competencies that are necessary for teamwork among the students.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Ah Song ◽  
Myonghwa Park ◽  
Jaewon Park ◽  
Hong Jin Cheon ◽  
Mihyun Lee

The purpose of this study was to identify family caregivers’ experiences in managing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) with particular focus on their interpersonal interactions with patient with dementia. Data were collected through focus-group interviews with 15 family caregivers from three local dementia-support centers located in Seoul. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Three main themes were identified through data analysis: triggers of BPSD, family caregiver’s actions in response to BPSD and patient’s reactions, and the effect of BPSD on family caregivers. Findings demonstrated that BPSD depended on the complex interplay of family caregivers and patients, including their interaction style. This information could help nurses when counseling and educating family caregivers to improve or modify their attitudes and approaches to behavioral symptoms of patients.


2004 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Rabiee

In recent years focus-group interviews, as a means of qualitative data collection, have gained popularity amongst professionals within the health and social care arena. Despite this popularity, analysing qualitative data, particularly focus-group interviews, poses a challenge to most practitioner researchers. The present paper responds to the needs expressed by public health nutritionists, community dietitians and health development specialists following two training sessions organised collaboratively by the Health Development Agency, the Nutrition Society and the British Dietetic Association in 2003. The focus of the present paper is on the concepts and application of framework analysis, especially the use of Krueger's framework. It provides some practical steps for the analysis of individual data, as well as focus-group data using examples from the author's own research, in such a way as to assist the newcomer to qualitative research to engage with the methodology. Thus, it complements the papers by Draper (2004) and Fade (2004) that discuss in detail the complementary role of qualitative data in researching human behaviours, feelings and attitudes. Draper (2004) has provided theoretical and philosophical bases for qualitative data analysis. Fade (2004) has described interpretative phenomenology analysis as a method of analysing individual interview data. The present paper, using framework analysis concentrating on focus-group interviews, provides another approach to qualitative data analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 127-138
Author(s):  
Ana Sevilla-Pavón ◽  
Kyria Rebeca Finardi

This article reflects on the experiences of language teachers from Brazil, Spain, France, Cyprus, Costa Rica and Taiwan during the pivot to emergency remote/online instruction during the 2020 pandemic. The research question motivating the study was what language teachers’ perceptions regarding online teaching during the pandemic were. Data were analyzed qualitatively, contrasting data from a questionnaire shared in an asynchronous online form with data from focus group interviews carried out via videoconferencing. The analysis of the questionnaire data showed that the vast majority of respondents used different digital technologies to teach online, both synchronously and asynchronously, but felt unprepared to work in this modality, mostly because of lack of institutional support and training. The analysis of the focus group interviews suggested that most teachers expressed concerns as to the limitations of online teaching for interaction and exams. In addition, some teachers displayed negative attitudes towards online teaching due to the lack of preparation and institutional support. This was aggravated by political implications of migrating to online education that could result in precariousness of the teacher profession. The positive aspects highlighted were the possibility of developing more self-directed and autonomous learning, as well as experimenting with different technologies and approaches. Overall, the analysis of the data suggests that, after the pandemic and with due preparation and support, some of the digital technologies and approaches experimented with will be incorporated into pedagogical practices in blended approaches, which represent a real trend and possibility for language teaching in the post-pandemic context.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-254
Author(s):  
Elisabet Trengereid Olsen

This article elaborates on the subject; Deaf and refugee - a different situation, and is based on theoretical- and empirical material collected for the master thesis Mediated Interaction. The thesis’ data was collected by focus group interviews, answering the following research question: What do interpreters do when they interpret between deaf and hearing people? - with emphasis on deaf immigrants. With information about Deaf People and Sign Language as a backdraft, the article aims to describe the situation for deaf refugees in Norway. The focus is on access to communication, and how elements such as trust, cultural differences and continuous language barriers influence interpreted situations and deaf refugees’ inclusion into society. Findings show that language is the key to autonomy in a new land. In this process, the national Deaf Community plays an important role for deaf refugees. In addition, do both hearing and deaf interpreters reduce language barriers? In this process, they need flexibility when facilitating communication between hearing- and deaf interlocutors


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-32
Author(s):  
Daniel Antonio Arias Casas

This study aimed to reveal the critical thinking development process of third English level students at a Languages Institute in a public University in Colombia when using the implicit content of songs through problem-based activities. A set of problem-based activities became the mechanism to achieve the prime goal of this study. The instruments from which the data was collected were video-recordings, focus group interviews and students’ artifacts. The findings revealed three main aspects according to the purpose of the research: the teacher must set up appropriate conditions to engage students in a critical thinking process, the participants’ critical thinking process can vary according to the different perspectives and activities implemented in the classroom and songs in university contexts can be used purposefully to activate thinking in the learning process.


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