Getting through ethics: the fit between research ethics board assessments and qualitative research.

In this paper, we draw on the authors' collective experiences as qualitative researchers undergoing research ethics reviews. We highlight specific areas within our standard national guidelines that support qualitative research. Using case examples, we illustrate how diverse interpretations of these guidelines can be inconsistent and problematic for qualitative researchers.

Articulating the role of the clinical nurse specialist in New Brunswick.

The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) role is often misunderstood and underutilized. Through partnership with the CNS Advisory Committee in the Horizon Health Network and the Masters of Nursing Program at the University of New Brunswick, the authors developed a clear articulation and visual representation of the CNS role in New Brunswick. This paper synthesizes information gleaned from interviews with the clinical nurse specialists working within Horizon Health Network and integrates this information with the published literature and the position statement of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA).

A partnership model evolves from a living inventory of engagement.

This university-community partnership developed when practitioners at a community health centre within a regional health authority collaborated with nursing faculty at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. A philosophical match and work context facilitated this collaboration. Partners acknowledged that continued maintenance of the partnership, or its termination, was dependent on the acceptance of principles of partnership engagement.

Nursing theory-directed healthcare: modifying Kolcaba's comfort theory as an institution-wide approach.

The tradition of the nursing discipline borrowing theory from other disciplines is examined, and the idea of other healthcare disciplines borrowing nursing theory is proposed. A brief literature review of borrowed theory sets the stage to examine how a modification in the theoretical framework of Kolcaba's theory of comfort can guide the thinking and work of other healthcare disciplines. This change positions Kolcaba's theory as an acceptable blueprint to guide the activities of all health disciplines within an institution, transposing this theory from a theory for nursing to a theory for healthcare.

Theoretical, psychometric, and pragmatic issues in pain measurement.

Measurement is essential to nursing practice and research, and adequate tool selection is crucial for both. The present paper seeks to provide an overview of key issues to consider in tool development, selection, and psychometric testing using the concept of pain. Both the classic and the contemporary approaches to validity are described and compared.

An examination of the self-care concept uncovers a new direction for healthcare reform.

The concept of self-care is multidimensional, with many defining elements. This paper describes the origin of this comprehensive concept. It examines the response of the nursing discipline to citizen self-care initiatives and the subsequent effects this response has had on the development of nursing knowledge.

Primary health care: a framework for policy development.

Primary health care has utility for policy development at all levels of organization in any nation, including policies influencing the health of persons living with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Using the primary health care framework, policies to improve health and housing for this population evolve from intersectoral collaboration. Active participation by those persons whose essential health is compromised by housing that is not acceptable, adequate, suitable, and affordable is required.