Change in health outcomes for First Nations children with chronic wet cough: rationale and study protocol for a multi-centre implementation science study.

Background: In children, chronic wet cough may be a sign of underlying lung disease, including protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) and bronchiectasis. Chronic (> 4 weeks in duration) wet cough (without indicators pointing to alternative causes) that responds to antibiotic treatment is diagnostic of PBB. Timely recognition and management of PBB can prevent disease progression to irreversible bronchiectasis with lifelong consequences.

Consensus marking as a grading method for the development of evaluative judgement: Comparing assessor and students.

Aim: This study explored postgraduate nursing students' perceptions, anxiety and satisfaction of an innovative and novel grading method for online vivas, consensus marking, compared with traditional assessor judgement.

Background: Reflection, self-evaluation and feedback conversations have the potential to develop nursing students' evaluative judgement. Consensus marking is a novel method of grading students' performance that supports students to reflect, self-evaluate and grade their own work.

Does improved interpreter uptake reduce self-discharge rates in hospitalised patients? A successful hospital intervention explained.

Background: Aboriginal language interpreters are under-utilised in healthcare in northern Australia. Self-discharge from hospital is an adverse outcome occurring at high rates among Aboriginal people, with poor communication thought to be a contributor. We previously reported increased Aboriginal interpreter uptake and decreased rates of self-discharge during implementation of a 12-month hospital-based intervention.

Postgraduate nursing students' perceptions of consensus marking with online oral vivas: A qualitative study.

Background: Authentic assessment design that fosters self-reflection and evaluation seeks to develop evaluative judgement; a capability required of registered nurses. A new method of grading, known as consensus marking, was introduced to an online oral viva that required post-graduate nursing students to evaluate and reflect on their performance and grade their level of competence in collaboration with the assessor. This study aimed to explore postgraduate nursing students' perceptions about their experience of online oral viva examination and the use of consensus marking.

Sexual health practices of 16 to 19 year olds in New Zealand: an exploratory study.

INTRODUCTION New Zealand sexual health surveillance data suggest that young people aged 15-19 years are at considerable risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections. Although there is an established body of international research around sexual behaviours and sexual health practices among teenagers, there is a dearth of local research focusing on this age group. AIM The aim of this study was to explore the sexual repertoires and sexual health practices among teenagers in New Zealand with a view to better understanding levels of risk in this age group.

Documentation of medication management by graduate nurses in patient progress notes: a way forward for patient safety.

Nursing documentation provides evidence of nurses' management, the patient response, and evaluation of care. The aim of the study was to examine how graduate nurses document their medication management in the progress notes. A prospective clinical audit of patient medication charts and the progress notes made by 12 graduate nurses was undertaken.

How graduate nurses use protocols to manage patients' medications.

Aims And Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine how graduate nurses use protocols in their medication management activities. The objectives were to: examine the extent of adherence to various protocols in relation to medication activities and determine how the ward environment impacts on graduate nurses' use of protocols to manage patients' medications.

Background: Protocols help newly qualified nurses integrate new knowledge into practice and promote effective decision-making Design.

Graduate nurses' communication with health professionals when managing patients' medications.

Aim And Objectives: The aim was to examine how graduate nurses communicated with other health professionals about their medication management activities in the acute care context. The objectives were to determine the types of information communicated about patients' medications and the communication processes used during interactions with other nurses, doctors and pharmacists.

Background: Graduate nurses are challenged with enormous responsibilities and their competence is constantly tested in an ever-changing arena.

Decision-making models used by 'graduate nurses' managing patients' medications.

Background: Nurses in a graduate programme in Australia are those who are in the first year of clinical practice following completion of a 3-year undergraduate nursing degree. When working in an acute care setting, they need to make complex and ever-changing decisions about patients' medications in a clinical environment affected by multifaceted, contextual issues. It is important that comprehensive information about graduate nurses' decision-making processes and the contextual influences affecting these processes are obtained in order to prepare them to meet patients' needs.

Medication management by graduate nurses: before, during and following medication administration.

The purpose of the present study was to explore graduate nurses' perceptions of their medication management activities in the acute care context. A qualitative research design with a semistructured interview schedule was used to elicit information from participants. The sampling population consisted of graduate nurses involved in direct patient care in medical and surgical wards of a Melbourne metropolitan teaching hospital, completing a graduate nurse program.

Agency nursing work in acute care settings: perceptions of hospital nursing managers and agency nurse providers.

There is a paucity of research in investigating agency nursing work from the perspectives of hospital nursing managers and agency nurse providers. This exploratory paper examines the hospital nursing managers' and agency nurse providers' perceptions and experiences of agency nursing work. Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with three agency nurse providers and eight hospital nursing managers.

Agency-nursing work: perceptions and experiences of agency nurses.

This paper explores agency-nursing work from the perspective of agency nurses to gain in-depth understanding of their clinical practice, their relationships with the employing agency, hospitals and permanent nurses, and their professional status. For this study, individual interviews were conducted with ten agency nurses who were registered with one of three nursing agencies in Melbourne, Australia. Five major themes emerged from interview data: orientation, allocation of agency nurses, reasons for doing agency-nursing work, experiences with hospital staff, and professionalism.

Achieving collaborative workplace learning in a university critical care course.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a new critical care curriculum based on the tenets of collaborative workplace learning. It also examines lecturers' and clinical educators' issues, and explores students' evaluations of the old curriculum compared with those of the new curriculum. Three data collection methods were used for this study.

Agency nursing in Melbourne, Australia: a telephone survey of hospital and agency managers.

Background: Agency nursing is a poorly understood and under-researched phenomenon. Despite the considerable costs and possible benefits of using agency nurses, little is known about the nature of agency nursing from different perspectives, including hospital and agency managers.

Aim: To describe the professional relationship between hospitals and nursing agencies, utilization trends of agency nurses, and institutional policies relating to the employment of agency nurses.