Selected Articles - Critical Thinking

1/ Critical Thinking at the Bedside: Providing Safe Passage to Patients.
By Robert, Ruth R.; Petersen, Sandra.
MEDSURG Nursing. Mar/Apr2013, Vol. 22 Issue 2, p85-118. 10p
Abstract: The article focuses on the critical thinking ability of health care professionals which can directly affect patient safety. It states that the main aim of the critical thinking is to improve patient health safety by integrating critical thinking in education and practice. It also mentions that critical thinking plays an important role in nursing profession due to their attempt of making decisions in patient care. Implications of nursing education, practice, and research are also mentioned..

2/ Care plans using concept maps and their effects on the critical thinking dispositions of nursing students.
By Atay, Selma; Karabacak, Ükke.
International Journal of Nursing Practice. Jun 2012, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p233-239
Abstract: It is expected that nursing education improves abilities of students in solving problems, decision making and critical thinking in different circumstances. This study was performed to analyse the effects of care plans prepared using concept maps on the critical thinking dispositions of students. An experimental group and a control group were made up of a total of 80 freshman and sophomore students from the nursing department of a health school. There were significant differences between concept map care plan evaluation criteria mean scores of the experimental students. In the light of these findings, it could be argued that the concept mapping strategy improves critical thinking skills of students

3/ Relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.
By: Chang, Mei Jen; Chang, Ying-Ju; Kuo, Shih-Hsien; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Chou, Fan-Hao.
Journal of Clinical Nursing. Nov 2011, Vol. 20 Issue 21/22, p3224-3232
Abstract:
Objective: To examine the relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.
Background. There are few evidence-based data related to the relationship between critical thinking ability and nursing competence of clinical nurses.
Design. A cross-sectional and correlation research design was used. Methods. A total of 570 clinical nurses at a medical centre in southern Taiwan were recruited into this study. Two self-report questionnaires, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking ppraisal (WGCTA) and the Nursing Competence Scale (NCS), were used to collect data

4/ Thinking critically about critical thinking: ability, disposition or both?
By Krupat, Edward; Sprague, Jared M; Wolpaw, Daniel; Haidet, Paul; Hatem, David; O'Brien, Bridget. Medical Education. Jun 2011, Vol. 45 Issue 6, p625-635. 11p
Abstract: The objectives of this study were to determine the extent to which clinician-educators agree on definitions of critical thinking and to determine whether their descriptions of critical thinking in clinical practice are consistent with these definitions. Ninety-seven medical educators at five medical schools were surveyed. Respondents were asked to define critical thinking, to describe a clinical scenario in which critical thinking would be important, and to state the actions of a clinician in that situation who was thinking critically and those of another who was not. Qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify patterns and themes. The definitions mostly described critical thinking as a process or an ability; a minority of respondents described it as a personal disposition. In the scenarios, however, the majority of the actions manifesting an absence of critical thinking resulted from heuristic thinking and a lack of cognitive effort, consistent with a dispositional approach, rather than a lack of ability to analyse or synthesise

Selected Articles - Patient Centred Care

5/ Walking the Talk for Patient-Centered Care: An Interview with Eileen O'Grady, Wellness Coach.
By Gardner, Deborah B. Nursing Economic$. Mar/Apr 2014, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p99-100. 2p.
Abstract: Nurses often struggle to see the relevance of national policy in their practice. Eileen O'Crady, PhD, RN, NP, is using the context of national health policy change to pioneer an innovative practice model. In this interview, she shares her vision of a patient engagement model designed to create partnerships that improve health outcomes.

6/ Promoting patient-centred care through staff development.
By Okougha, Mercy.
Nursing Standard. 4/24/2013, Vol. 27 Issue 34, p42-46. 5p
Abstract: Providing good patient care is integral to service provision at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and evaluating patient satisfaction is one way in which the trust can ensure high quality health service delivery. This article provides an overview of actions taken by the trust following a disappointing patient satisfaction survey in 2009. This included a new staff development training initiative for the workforce, which provided an opportunity for inter-professional learning and reflection on individual professionals' attitudes, while that offered potential opportunities for change in performance. A post-training evaluation indicated levels of knowledge and understanding had increased among participating staff.

7/ What are the core elements of patient-centred care? A narrative review and synthesis of the literature from health policy, medicine and nursing.
By Kitson, Alison; Marshall, Amy; Bassett, Katherine; Zeitz, Kathryn.
Journal of Advanced Nursing. Jan 2013, Vol. 69 Issue 1, p4-15. 12p.
Abstract: Aim. To identify the common, core elements of patient-centred care in the health policy, medical and nursing literature. Background. Healthcare reform is being driven by the rhetoric around patient-centred care yet no common definition exists and few integrated reviews undertaken. Design. Narrative review and synthesis. Data sources. Key seminal texts and papers from patient organizations, policy documents, and medical and nursing studies which looked at patient-centred care in the acute care setting

8/ Putting the 'patient' in patient safety: a qualitative study of consumer experiences.
By: Rathert, Cheryl; Brandt, Julie; Williams, Eric S.
Health Expectations. Sep 2012, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p327- 336. 10p
Abstract: Although patient safety has been studied extensively, little research has directly examined patient and family (consumer) perceptions. Evidence suggests that clinicians define safety differently from consumers, e.g. clinicians focus more on outcomes, whereas consumers may focus more on processes. Consumer perceptions of patient safety are important for several reasons. First, health-care policy leaders have been encouraging patients and families to take a proactive role in ensuring patient safety; therefore, an understanding of how patients define safety is needed. Second, consumer perceptions of safety could influence outcomes such as trust and satisfaction or compliance with treatment protocols. Finally, consumer perspectives could be an additional lens for viewing complex systems and processes for quality improvement efforts. Objectives To qualitatively explore acute care consumer perceptions of patient safety

Selected Articles - Food addiction/Compulsive Eating

9/ The food addiction.
By Kenny, Paul J. Scientific American. Sep 2013, Vol. 309 Issue 3, p44-49. 6p.
Abstract: The article discusses brain research that is revealing why fats and sugars may be driving an increasing number of people toward obesity as of September 2013. Topics include the author's research investigating whether rats would risk death to satisfy their desire for chocolate, the role of hormone imbalances in overeating, the physiological aspects of food, and the debate over whether hedonic eating is an addiction.

10/ The Interaction Between Affective Lability and Interpersonal Problems in Binge Eating.
By Yu, Jessica; Selby, Edward A.
Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology. May 2013, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p465- 481. 17p
Abstract: The current study aimed to examine how negative affective lability may moderate interpersonal problems to predict binge eating. Forty-seven (47) behaviorally-dysregulated participants completed experience sampling methodology (ESM) over a 2-week period to provide over 3,000 real-time recordings of affective experience, interpersonal events, and binge eating episodes. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to examine the main effects and interaction of affective lability and frequency of interpersonal problems on frequency of binge eating. Seventeen participants reported a total of 62 binge eating episodes. Affective lability and interpersonal problems independently predicted binge eating. An interaction between the two predictor variables suggested that participants with high affective lability who reported many interpersonal problems experienced the greatest number of binge episodes. These findings are consistent with recent theoretical accounts of the affect-regulating effects of binge eating

11. Fat Studies, Binge Eating, Obesity and Health or Illness.
By Flaskerud, Jacquelyn H.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing. Jul 2010, Vol. 31 Issue 7, p491-493. 3p
Abstract: The author discusses a new scholarly discipline known as fat studies that investigates negative associations of Western cultures toward the fat body. She mentions a psychiatric debate over whether binge eating should be classified as a mental illness and eating disorder. The author describes issues surrounding both positions which she argues express opposite opinions. The author discusses whether obesity should be considered a health problem. She suggests that mental health nurses can help resolve problems involving the difference between the normal and pathological..

12. I Think Therefore I Am: Perceived Ideal Weight as a Determinant of Health.
By Muennig, Peter; Jia, Haomiao; Lee, Rufina; Lubetkin, Erica.
American Journal of Public Health. Mar 2008, Vol. 98 Issue 3, p501-506. 6p
Abstract: Objectives. We examined whether stress related to negative body image perception and the desire to lose weight explained some of the body mass index — health gradient. Methods. We used 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine the impact of desired body weight, independent of actual body mass index, on the amount of physically and mentally unhealthy days by race, ethnicity, and gender. Results. The difference between actual and desired body weight was a stronger predictor than was body mass index (BMI) of mental and physical health. 
Conclusions. Our results raise the possibility that some of the health effects of the obesity epidemic are related to the way we see our bodies

Journal Table of Contents

13. From Nursing Management (UK), February 2014
Volume 20, Issue 10, 27 February 2014
Editorial
13A. Does faith have a place at work?
News
13B. Trusts strive to raise staffing levels
13C. Mental wellbeing of health service workers not being supported
13D. Lack of black and minority ethnic nurses in top roles
13E. Stonewall list shows increased diversity in NHS workplaces
13F. Curtains remind nurses to protect patients’ dignity
13G. New NMC officers will assist with referrals and revalidation
Analysis
13H. Why managers are taking notice of staff happiness
13I. Expression of religious beliefs still contentious in workplace
13J. NHS England learns lessons from Scottish colleagues on improving patient safety
Opinion
13K. In search of clarity [Reporting nurse-to-patient ratios is crucial to achieving transparency in safe staffing levels]
Opinion:
13L. Management - A commissioner’s perspective
Art & Science
13M. Review of non-medical prescribing among acute and community staff
13N. Ten years of transfusion practitioners and better blood transfusion in Scotland
13O. Self-management in chronic conditions: partners in health scale instrument validation

Conferences

14. Post-Budget Breakfast Series: Friday 16 May 2014
Each year the PHA and the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) provide child-focused analyses and commentary of the year's budget. The theme will be Childhood inequality: a budget priority.
Venue: Five main centres – Whangarei,* Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch.

15. Sir Douglas Robb Lectures: The Human Cost of Inequality
This event will be a series of three lectures by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson held in Auckland 19-23 May 2014, covering the human cost of inequality. The three lectures will explore the evidence which proves the damage inequality is causing in New Zealand, discover the reason this inequality exists, and suggest solutions to this growing problem
More information: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/news-events-and-notices/events/events-2014/05/sir-douglas-robb-lectures.html

Otago University Research

16. Innovative research project on positive experiences in open employment of mental health service users  A research project investigating the critical factors that have enabled and sustained open employment of mental health service users from the perspectives of both employees and employers is being undertaken in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Otago, Wellington. The aim of the research is to identify those factors that contribute to the positive and successful employment experiences of mental health service users.
If you are interested in taking part in the study, or would like more information, contact: Dr Sarah Gordon at: sarah.e.gordon@otago.ac.nz

News - National

17. Fix sought for hospital's leaky surgery
ODT - 24 April 2014
The cause of water leaks with no obvious source has to be found before Dunedin Hospital's surgical theatre suite can be fixed so it can operate smoothly in all weathers
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/299847/permanent-solution-sought-leak-issue

18. Editorial: Doctors' doubts carry weight
Bay of Plenty Times - Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
My dabble with alternative medicine began and ended quickly during the onset of labour.
The lavender oil I had believed would ease my first child's entry into the world in an aromatic haze was tossed out in favour of a chemical concoction shot into my arm faster than you can say anaesthetist.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11242732

19. Consumers Price Index: March 2014 quarter  
Statistics New Zealand - Media Release
The consumers price index (CPI) rose 0.3 percent in the March 2014 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. Higher tobacco and housing prices were partly countered by seasonally cheaper international air fares, vegetables, and package holidays

20. Condom prescriptions decline
NZ Herald - Wednesday Apr 23, 2014
Fewer patients in the Bay of Plenty are asking for condoms now alternative long-term contraceptive options have become available
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11242678

News - International

21. Chinese medicine could become available on the NHS
The Telegraph - 2 Apr 2014
Jeremy Hunt indicates that health service may look at integrating traditional Chinese cures with Western medical techniques
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/nhs/10738330/Chinese-medicine-could-become-available-on-the-NHS.html

22. Ten hangover nightmares: those who lived to regret the night before
The Telegraph - 23 Apr 2014
For most people the morning after the night before will mean little more than a headache and a craving for some stodgy food. But for some the hangover pales into insignificance when faced with the repercussions of what they did while under the influence of alcohol.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10214646/Ten-hangover-nightmares-those-who-lived-to-regret-the-night-before.html

23. End of life treatment for elderly under question
The Age - April 24, 2014
Maria Tosti was 85 when her son broached a seldom-discussed topic: what his mother wanted as she neared the end of her life.''I was starting to get concerned about what was going to happen to her,'' says Andrew Tosti, 52. ''She had just started becoming forgetful, losing things and finding it hard to take charge. But she was still able to function properly.''Within a few weeks, Mr Tosti had set up an end-of-life treatment plan outlining the care his mother wanted
http://www.theage.com.au/national/health/end-of-life-treatment-for-elderly-under-question-20140423-374i7.html