[The nursing labour market in Canada (1985-1999)].

This literature review analysed both published and unpublished scientific and professional studies on the nursing labour market in Canada within the period of 1985 to 1999. The goal was to conduct a situational analysis utilising statistical data and canvassing all concerned parties to extract their points of view. The analysis revealed significant cyclical variations in the evolution of the workforce, particularly with respect to auxiliary nurses, such as the perceived existence of major problems in recruiting new professionals in the field and retaining existing professionals in their organisations, the lack of homogeneity in educational training programmes, and the co-existence of several operational structures for organising nursing care, of which there is a lack of evaluation on their effectiveness.

[Validation of a model of psychosocial determinants of occupational health of geriatric nurses].

The purpose of this study was to verify a model of relationships between psychosocial factors and health for 8066 francophone nurses working in geriatric care in Québec. A random sample of 1990 subjects was drawn and a participation rate of 77.9% and 55% was obtained for the two-time study taken twelve months apart.

Transcultural nursing and a care management partnership project.

This paper aims to illustrate how Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality has influenced the research process of a study that emerged from a care management partnership between Canadian nursing teachers and Tunisian nurses. The purpose of the study was to investigate the meanings of care as viewed by university hospital-based Tunisian nurses. The qualitative analysis of data gathered through observation-participation and interviews highlights recurrent patterns and reveals three major professional care themes.

Psychosocial determinants of burnout in geriatric nursing.

The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of burnout using an adapted version of Kobasa's theoretical framework, considering work stressors, work support, coping strategies and hardiness. Data were collected through a questionnaire mailed to 1990 randomly selected geriatric nurses. A participation rate of 77.

Factors related to nursing burnout: a review of empirical knowledge.

It has been observed that nurses are at a high risk of burnout. The initiator variables of burnout appear to be numerous, tenacious, and not isolated; burnout is a complex phenomenon with multiple dimensions. In order to prevent psychosocial dysfunction and promote the mental health of nurses, the predominant factors contributing to nursing burnout should be clear.

[The development of a research program based on a conceptual model for the discipline of nursing].

The purpose of this article was to illustrate the development of a team's research program based on a conceptual model for the nursing discipline: Roy's Adaptation Model. The ongoing research program includes studies of psychosocial factors, theoretically known for their potential for explaining health. Four groups of people are the focus of these studies: aged spouses in the community, family caregivers of ill elderly people, family caregivers of mentally ill people, and nurses as professional caregivers for elderly people in institutions.

[Resources for preventing professional burnout].

Burnout in the nursing profession has been reported in the literature for the past decade. Yet few studies have identified the causative factors or the recommended resources for prevention and treatment. An exhaustive literature review by the authors produced over 300 articles--40 of which were selected and systematically analyzed.

Nursing assignment patterns and patient outcomes.

This article analyzes nursing assignment patterns and patient outcomes critically and comprehensively. Synthesizing empirical data over the past eight years, patient outcomes such as patient satisfaction, and quality of care were examined in association with the main nursing assignment patterns encountered in the literature: case, functional, team, primary and modular. The research results examined do not clearly delineate one assignment pattern or another and it remains illusive, from this analysis, to answer the question most often asked of administrators: "What type of organizational mode would best contribute to the quality of care?" However, this analysis should lead towards decisional impetus for the implementation of new systems of delivery of care, in the present context of limited resources and nursing shortage.

[Case management. The nursing business of care or cost].

Less money spent on health services, cost-effectiveness, better productivity and more efficiency are some of the driving forces of contemporary "neo-liberalism" and political trends. How can nursing services and the profession's human values adapt in this difficult context? The authors describe the newest modality of patient care delivery system: nursing case management. They examine the factors and assumptions that led up to its development and point out the validity of asking some serious questions before embarking on the euphoria of case management.

Perceiving patient assignment methods through a conceptual framework.

For several decades, the nursing process has been the central issue for numerous nursing discussions. Definitions, meanings, sequences and steps as well as their significance have been presented within the context of given clinically oriented conceptual frameworks. On the other hand, the nursing process could be largely influenced by the organizational context in which it is exercised.

[A support group intended for women victimized by conjugal violence].

For battered women, leaving the home and spending time in a shelter is only the first step of a long process of change that usually involves periodic crises. A support group has been set up to help these women establish new ways to relate with the outside world, ways that are meant to assist them in successfully going through this difficult phase of their lives. Based on Lifton's principles of affinity, presence and consolidation (1976), the authors highlight the value of reciprocity in the therapeutical relationship.

[Systems for the delivery of health care].

Re-examining the role of the nurse, the authors remind us of the importance of understanding how our system of health care has evolved, as well as what it holds for the future. Presenting an historical overview of the past 50 years, they discuss concepts related to moving the profession forward and suggest the decade ahead offers key opportunities.