Abstract
The paper explains why accurate nursing documentation is vital for quality care. The paper explores the problems with documentation, some of which are based on a distorted nursing perspective and others that are of a systemic nature. The paper provides a number of solutions and recommendations to these problems.

From the Paper
"Nursing documentation is a highly significant issue since documentation is a fundamental feature of nursing care. Patient records are legally valid, and need to be accurate and comprehensive so that care can be communicated effectively to the health care team. Unless the content of documentation provides an accurate depiction of patient and family care, quality of care may not be possible. Many nurses do not realize that what they document or fail to record can produce an enormous effect on the care that is provided by other members of the health care team. More importantly, the nurse's attitude as documentation proceeds, determines how other members of the interdisciplinary team will react to the patient and/or family."

Tags:care, content, standardization, communication, patient, perspective

Abstract
This paper discusses the importance of accurate nursing documentation, which serves to ensure and maintain continuity and to inform health professionals of ongoing care and treatment. The paper further points out that nursing or professional notes also constitute legal evidence. At the same time, research indicates that nursing documentation is not synchronized with actual patient and family care. This paper also considers problems with documentation, some of which are based in a distorted nursing perspective and others that are of a systemic nature.

From the Paper
"In order to ensure and maintain continuity and to inform health professionals of ongoing care and treatment, accurate nursing documentation is vital. Nursing or professional notes also constitute legal evidence. At the same time, research indicates that nursing documentation is not synchronized with actual patient and family care. This paper will discuss problems with documentation, some of which are based in a distorted nursing perspective and others that are of a systemic nature. A number of solutions and recommendations to these problems will be provided. While it is not feasible to fully standardize nursing..."

Tags:documentation, flaws, solutions

Abstract
This paper discusses computerization of the nursing professing, as it pertains to the documentation of patient information. The paper describes the process involved and why health care documentation is an important aspect of nurse care of the patient. The paper also looks at why computer-based data collection is more productive that other means.

Tags:Computer, nurse, patient, documentation, data-collection

Abstract
The paper describes a chosen nursing theory, why the writer chose it and how it has impacted the writer's life as a nurse. In the second section of the document, the paper gives a detailed description of the writer's values and beliefs in relation to health, person, nursing and environment. In the third section of this paper, the paper details how the adoption of the model has impacted the writer's day to day life as a nurse. In the final section, the paper discusses the importance of nursing theory and how it has helped the writer and the practice of nursing in general.

From the Paper
"The objective of this document is to describe the nursing theory that I chose. In doing so I will be describing the chosen theory, why I chose it and how it has impacted my life as a nurse. In the second section of the document I will be giving a detailed description of my values and beliefs in relation to health, person, nursing and environment. In the third section of this document I will be detailing how the adoption of the model has impacted my day to day life as a nurse. In the final section I will be discussing the importance of nursing theory and how it has helped me and..."

Tags:nursing, roy, theory

Abstract
This paper is a combination of two small papers, one two-page document on the life of nursing theorist Dr. Imogene King with one page on her life and one page on her theory of Goal Attainment, and the second two page document following the same format on Dr. Calista Roy, developer of the Roy Adaptation Model. Current research is cited for both.

From the Paper
"Nursing theorists Dr. Imogene King received her Doctorate of Education in 1961 from Teacher's College at Columbia University, however she started out her nursing career in 1945, receiving a "diploma," probably equivalent to what we would considered a certification to be today, from St. John's Hospital of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri (Orlando, 2005). A more formal Bachelors of Nursing degree was obtained from the same university in 1948 as was her masters of science in nursing in 1957 (Orlando, 2005). Dr. King focused her professional career in academia rather teaching at..."

Tags:nursing, theorist, roy

Abstract
This paper looks at the nursing philosophy of the Strong Memorial Hospital and sets forth the context in which the nursing organization's fundamental principles become relevant. It critiques a core aspect of the principles articulated in publicly available organization documents and discusses the extent to which those principles incorporate a specific theory of nursing. It evaluates the evidence of nursing-staff inputs into such principles and the evidence of how the articulation may reflect the reality of nursing practice, with a view toward evaluating the document's influence on nursing practice.

From the Paper
"This does not appear to mean that nursing is less important as a discipline than other health-care inputs at Rochester/Strong. It does, however, go to evidence that medical research is in both the foreground and the background of nursing praxis and nursing education there. Commitment to research is embedded as a first principle and a factor of uniqueness at Rochester/Strong, a point driven home again and again in its documentation. Further, where nursing practice per se is a feature of hands-on treatment and patient care, the evidence of the Rochester/Strong policy statements is very much that nursing practice is presumptively a part of--or perhaps more exactly collapsed into--the notion that patient care is a physician's responsibility (Healing Power, 1999). Where nursing is mentioned as a feature of health-care teams, other caregiving disciplines are also mentioned; social work is given particular prominence (Burn/Trauma Health Care Team, 1999)."

Tags:organization, documents, research, fundamental, principles

Abstract
The paper discusses the subject of portfolios for the nursing profession and states that the portfolio is an evolving document that needs to be continuously updated to reflect changes in the individual nurse herself and changes evolving in the nursing profession. The paper concludes that based on past experience in the UK, the use of portfolios in the nursing profession is an excellent method of both professional and personal evaluation. The paper states that many educators are required to use professional portfolios and the results have been positive, leading one to conclude that similar results would occur if implemented in the nursing profession.

From the Paper
"For example, Annette Jinks spend years conducting national surveys and interviews throughout the United Kingdom in order to explore the intricate relationship between student-centered teaching and learning and patient-centered nursing care. The central question asked was whether student nurses are taught using the principles of student-centered learning theories will replicate the behaviors they have learned when they begin delivering nursing care services. Based on this study, Jinks recommends that when teaching nursing, the teaching nurse should use methods of hands on learning, similar to those used in a student-centered curriculum. In order guarantee that the classroom concepts are being transferred to the field-experience, Jinks recommends the use of portfolios, both for the nursing student and for the nursing teacher. By using a portfolio, the student will be forced to show how they are utilizing the classroom theories and skills when dealing with patients, thus making a deeper connection and leading to better nursing practice. Likewise, the nursing teacher will be able to ensure that all the theories they teach have a direct application to the nursing practice of their students."

Tags:educational, professionals, job, requirement, documenting, evidence

Abstract
This paper discusses the linkage of theory-research and theory practice. The author delineates each level of the theory and provides supportive documentation for all statements, postulates, claims, and other notions central to the presented theory. The paper explores a nursing diagram based on the development of a middle-range nursing theory related to coping with chronic illness.

From the Paper
"One promising approach to strengthening theory-research and theory-practice linkages is to place greater emphasis on developing and using theories of the middle range to underpin nursing research and practice. The authors define middle range theories as moderately abstract inclusive organized within a limited scope with a limited number of variables, which are testable in a direct manner. The mid-range theories are said to have a stronger relationship with research and practice. This paper presents a nursing ..."

Tags:chronic, illness, coping

Abstract
The paper discusses current research on the variety, types and functions of communication between nursing staff, patients and other health care professionals. It evaluates the current research and argues that the field of nursing needs proper communication practices more than ever, despite technological gains that would seem to make such communication easier than ever. Additionally, the paper raises the question as to whether this breakdown in communication arises from the practices themselves or, from the health-care environment and context.

From the Paper
"How organizational knowledge is shared is a problem for every organization. However, in nursing it has a different kind of complexity that involves not only the sharing of information among social groups of colleagues and supervisors, but also among nurses and their physicians, patients, family members, and other hospital and healthcare professional staff. One of the places where all of these groups are implicated is in the change-of-shift report, the goal of which is to make available the most relevant information about the patients for the purposes of immediate care and, in addition, to serve the important function of measuring a patient's progress over time. When there is any breakdown in this process patient care is compromised."

Tags:groups, staff, shift, goal, patients

Abstract
This document discusses a nursing research study that examined the ethnic experience in nursing education. The paper asserts that the number of study participants was seventeen which is decidedly too small to be generalized but the results do provide some useful insights for further research as well as action points that nursing education institutions can apply for future ethnic education initiatives.

From the Paper
"This document discusses a nursing research study that examined the ethnic experience in nursing education. The number of study participants was seventeen which is decidedly too small to be generalized but the results do provide some useful insights for further research as well as action points that nursing education institutions can apply for future ethnic education initiative. In a qualitative research study, Amaro, Abriam-Yago and Yoder, examine..."

Tags:qualitative, research, report