Quality of life: a longitudinal analysis of correlates of morale in old age.

This paper examines recurrent continuous morale in old age within a statistical modelling paradigm. The Anglicised Philadelphia Geriatric Centre Morale Scale was used as a small component of a major longitudinal study of old age in rural North Wales, U.K.

Teenage smoking: some problems with interpreting the evidence.

Unlabelled: This paper attempts to address the methodological problem of disentangling complex interrelationships between teenage smoking and other variables when using survey data. As in any research based on survey data, it is difficult to distinguish systematic from random patterns due to other variables.

Method: A pragmatic approach of classifying variables into three groups of objectively measured demographic, socio-environmental variables and subjectively measured sociopsychological variables was adopted.

Alcohol and drug treatment for women: clinicians' beliefs and practice.

The present paper reports on the results of a telephone survey of 217 alcohol and drug treatment clinicians on their beliefs and practice, in relation to service provision for women. Nurses comprised the second largest professional group surveyed. Seventy-eight percent of clinicians believed that women's treatment needs differed from men's and 74% reported a range of approaches and interventions, such as assisting with parenting issues and referral to women-only programmes.

A case report of possible health benefits of extra virgin olive oil.

The literature on the chemical analysis of cooking oils suggests that the cholesterol-reducing effect may well be due to the antioxidant agents rather than unsaturated fats. Furthermore, antioxidant agents are present in extra virgin olive oil and not in olive oil. There is some evidence, based on studies using patients, to support such a supposition.

Advanced 'prescribing' of nurses' emergency holding powers under New Zealand mental health legislation.

Since the mid-19th century doctors have exercised almost exclusive control in health professionals' decisions concerning compulsory assessment and treatment of the mentally ill. This control has the potential to compromise the legitimate professional practice of other mental health professionals. A new approach to mental health legislation has seen the involvement of a range of health professionals in legislated mental health roles, including the power of registered nurses to detain patients in hospital under Section 111 of the New Zealand Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act (1992).

Detection of two distinct substrate-dependent catabolic responses in yeast cells using a mediated electrochemical method.

Mediated electrochemical detection of catabolism in prokaryotic cells is well documented; however, the application of this technique to eukaryotic cells has received less attention. Two catabolic substrate-dependent mediated electrochemical signals were detected in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The signal using a single hydrophilic mediator (ferricyanide) is small whereas the response using a double mediator system comprising a hydrophilic and a lipophilic mediator (ferricyanide and menadione) is up to three orders of magnitude larger.

Initiating committal proceedings "just in case" with voluntary patients: a critique of nursing practice.

Voluntary patients entering mental health units retain the right to accept or refuse treatment, including ongoing admission, as they see fit. However the nature of acute mental distress means that some patients have fluctuations in their mental status and competency to make informed decisions. Inpatient mental health nurses face the ongoing challenge of practising in a way that balances the requirement to support and promote the autonomy of voluntary patients with the need, occasionally, to take actions which although they may appear paternalistic are needed to protect those patients or other people.

Clinical practice/education exchange: bridging the theory-practice gap.

Nursing education is directed toward development of nursing practitioners competent to nurse effectively in the reality of our present society. A major challenge to the nursing profession is to find ways of merging theory and practice in the delivery of nursing education and patient care. One option for achieving this goal is for nurse educators to spend time in clinical practice updating their clinical skills and re-experiencing the realities of practice.

Health assessment and its relationship to nursing practice in New Zealand.

Health assessment has been an integral component of nursing education in Australia for over a decade. New Zealand has only recently embarked down this path and might benefit from the Australian experience. This article will discuss health assessment in the context of three issues currently topical in nursing in New Zealand.

Evaluating a problem based learning course: an action research study.

Problem based learning (PBL) has been widely used in the United States, United Kingdom and Australasia in undergraduate nursing education to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. PBL has been used since 1996 in a Bachelor of Nursing course at a New Zealand tertiary institution, and several modifications have been made to foster effective learning. The 'pure' PBL process has been adapted to move students gradually from teacher direction to taking responsibility for their learning.