Aim: To review the literature about the Canadian experience with nurse practitioner role implementation and identify influencing factors.
Background: Although nurse practitioners have been in existence for more than 40 years, their integration into healthcare systems has been challenging. While frameworks exist to guide implementation of these roles, clear identification of factors influencing role implementation may inform best practices.
This study was done to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of individualized, problem-solving counseling provided by baccalaureate nurses over the telephone to prevent the onset of depression in persons with breast, lung, or prostate cancer. Of 175 persons randomized, 149 completed the 8-month follow-up. The primary outcome measures were changes in the Jalowiec Coping Scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies in Depression Scale, and the Derogotis Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article explores the relationship between meaning of illness, perceived social support resources, coping strategies used, and quality of life (QOL) by patients with lung cancer and their family members. The study was cross-sectional using interview data from 85 patients and associated family members. Regression results showed that total QOL in patients with lung cancer is predicted most by meaning of illness, specifically, the illness being perceived as manageable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApproximately 2% to 3% of the Canadian society has experienced cancer. Literature indicates that there is poor adjustment to chronic illness. Individuals with poor adjustment to chronic illness have been found to disproportionately use more health services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProfessional nurses are challenged by the increasing complexity of their own healthcare delivery systems and by the growing interconnectivity of healthcare systems worldwide. There are increasing calls for practice across boundaries; however, the role and scope of nursing practice within individual countries are often unclear, ill-defined, and misunderstood by nurses from other countries. In this collaborative educational project among six schools of nursing located in Canada, México, and the United States, nursing students and faculty are exploring the role of the nurse within each country's healthcare system while striving to develop their multicultural awareness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Older people with rheumatoid arthritis are confronted with a variety of chronic stressors on a daily basis. Living with rheumatoid arthritis means learning to cope with physical limitations, fatigue, losing mobility and independence, pain, uncertainty and role changes related to periods of exacerbation and remission. There is a paucity of literature that addresses the stress and coping processes over time for older people who have had rheumatoid arthritis since midlife.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF