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Nov 3

ANS 40:4 just released; new featured topics announced!


The latest issue of ANS has just been released, bringing to a close the end of our 40th anniversary year!  See the Table of Contents here and watch for each article to be featured over the next 3 months!  Featured articles are available for download at no cost on the ANS website while they are featured, and we post a message about each article and the authors on this blog!

Each future issue of ANS will continue to feature articles on a specific topic – a tradition that has called forth cutting-edge scholarship in nursing that has made a lasting influence on the discipline. Each issue will also include articles generally related to the purposes and scope of ANS.  You are not limited to our featured topics, and if your work on a featured topic does not come to fruition in line with our “due dates” – never fear!  We welcome all manuscripts that are consistent with our purposes any time!  Here is specific information about how this works:

General Topic Manuscripts welcome any time ​

Manuscripts generally relevant to the purposes of the journal are welcome at any time. The purposes of ANS are to advance the development of nursing knowledge and to promote the integration of nursing philosophies, theories and research with practice. We expect high scholarly merit and encourage innovative, cutting edge ideas that challenge prior assumptions and that present new, intellectually challenging perspectives. We seek works that speak to global sustainability and that take an intersectional approach, recognizing class, color, sexual and gender identity, and other dimensions of human experience related to health.

Child and Adolescent Health
Vol 41:3 – September 2018
Manuscript due date: January 15, 2018
The health of children and adolescents is crucial to the future well-being of all nations and the earth itself. Children are exposed to social, environmenal, technologic and political forces never before experienced, and nursing insights related to the health of children’s mind/body/soul are crucial. We are seeking manuscripts that provide innovative, cutting edge scholarship related nursing care of children and adolescents. Articles are sought that provide research evidence related to nursing approaches to care, theoretical perspectives that inform nursing care, and articles that address philosophic, including ethical, perspectives that inform nursing care. ​​​​

Emancipatory Nursing
Vol 41:4 – December 2018
Manuscript due date: April 15, 2018
Emancipatory approaches to nursing research and practice have escalated in the context of major political and cultural upheavals worldwide. Emancipatory approaches include critical, feminist, poststructural and post colonial approaches, or any aproach with an explicite purpose to create social and political change to improve health and well-being. For this issue we seek scholarship that informs emancipatory nursing practice and research. We welcome research reports that use emancipatory methodologies, emancipatory philosophic analyses, critical and feminist critiques of existing discourses and practices, description of and evidence supporting emancipatory nursing practices. ​

The Focus of the Discipline
Vol 42:1 – March 2019
Manuscript due date: July 15, 2018
Since the publication of the Newman, Sime and Corcoran-Perry article titled “The Focus on the Discipline of Nursing” in ANS in September, 1991, there has been growing discussion to clarify, amplify and explore not only the definition, but the implications of various interpretations of the focus of the discipline. Over these decades advances in other disciplines and the growing demand for interdisciplinary cooperation have influenced the discussion of nursing’s focus and where it fits int he interdisciplinary context. For this issue of ANS, we seek articles that advance these discussions. We welcome articles that reflect empirical or philosophic methodologies. Articles must address the development of nursing knowledge that informs nursing practice, education and research.

Culture, Race and Discrimination in Healthcare
Vol 42:2 – June 2019
Manuscript due date: October 15, 2018
In the past decade, issues of discrimination based on culture and race have risen to the surface in many countries worldwide, along with a growing nationalist movement that rejects “the other.” In this issue of ANS we seek manuscripts that address these factors as they influence health and well-being of individuals, groups and communities, and the delivery of nursing and heatlhcare in culturally diverse communities. Articles must address the development of nursing knowledge that informs nursing practice, education and research.

Critique and Innovation
Vol 42:3 – September 2019
Manuscript due date: January 15, 2019
Consistent with the journal’s tradition, we encourage nursing scholars to reflect on work previously published in ANS, and use critical insights to present innovations in nursing theory, research, practice and policy. We encourage cutting edge ideas that challenge prior assumptions and that present new, intellectually challenging perspectives. We seek works that speak to global sustainability and that take an intersectional approach, recognizing class, color, sexual and gender identity, and other dimensions of human experience related to health.​

Oct 30

Description, Critical Reflection and Evaluation of Transitions Theory


The current featured article is by Katja Bohner, MNSc, of Switzerland, titled  “Theory Description, Critical Reflection, and Theory Evaluation of the Transitions Theory of Meleis et al according to Chinn and Kramer (2011).” The article is available to download at no cost while it is featured, and we welcome your comments and questions here!  This is a message that Ms. Bohner sent for ANS blog

Katja Bohner

readers:

The future will ask: What did you do?

I am very glad that I have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about my latest work.

If the future would ask me today: What did you do? I would first say in regard to this work that even though I experienced mixed feelings (e.g. excitement or insecurity) all the way long, I continued doing this work. And even though it felt “risky,” venturing into the unknown with the inherent surprises and new insights, I always felt that WHAT I am doing is worth the  effort. So, what I have learned again in this (working) process, is that finally it is about values that guide the process of navigating through the uncharted terrain of life in general and making transitions. For me, more than ever, values are what make us human beings and acting a life worth living.  So I hope that my work inspires readers to go on sharing their values by acting according to them.

 

Oct 16

What is “patient turnover?”


The current featured ANS article is titled “Patient Turnover: A Concept Analysis” by Christopher A. VanFosson, MSN/MHA, RN; Linda H. Yoder, PhD, MBA, RN, AOCN, FAAN; and Terry L. Jones, PhD, RN. This may seem like a simple concept, but as these authors show, it is far more complex, and interrelated with other quality of care issues, than is apparent on the surface.  The article is available at no cost on the ANS website – download it and return here – we welcome your comments. Lieutenant Colonel VanFosson shared this message about his work:

The study I conducted for my doctoral dissertation was aimed at describing the patterns and prevalence of unfinished nursing care at the US Army Burn Center, as well as identifying aspects of the nursing work environment that significantly influenced nurse estimates of unfinished nursing care. Unfinished nursing care is a product of time scarcity; when nurses do not have enough time to

Christopher VanFosson

complete all of the elements of care for their patients, some elements may be left unfinished.

A review of the literature about unfinished nursing care (also known as missed care, tasks undone, or implicitly rationed care) revealed that patient turnover was a potential antecedent of unfinished nursing care. The concept of patient turnover is one with which every hospital nurse is familiar. Every hospital nurse admits, transfers, or discharges patients from their unit. Often, nurses experience this multiple times on their shift. Understanding the experience of patient turnover is almost intuitive for the hospital nurse. However, for me as a novice scientist, discussions about the influence of patient turnover on other phenomena (such as unfinished nursing care) were incomplete because the antecedents, defining attributes, and consequences of patient turnover were not well defined in the literature. Therefore, under the guidance of my dissertation co-chairs (and co-authors of this paper), Dr. Linda H. Yoder and Dr. Terry L. Jones, I undertook an analysis of patient turnover so that I could clearly operationalize the concept for my study.

My next step is to publish the findings of my dissertation research. In the future, I intend to expand my study to other nursing units in the burn and/or military nursing environments. This concept analysis will be the basis on which I operationalize patient turnover in these future studies.

Oct 2

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Cross-cultural Research: Lessons Learned


For the next couple of weeks we are featuring the article titled “Practical Issues of Conducting a Q Methodology Study: Lessons Learned From a Cross-cultural Study” by Teresa Elizabeth Stone, PhD; Jane Maguire, PhD; Sook Jung Kang, PhD, FNP-C; and Chiyoung Cha, PhD, RN. The

researchers are from Australia and South Korea. Their research focuses on differing health beliefs among nurses. We invite you to obtain your copy of this article while it is featured, and return here to share your comments!  Here is a message from the authors:

In this paper, we address the methodological issues of conducting a Q method study in cross cultural research settings. Four researchers from Australia and South Korea conducted a pilot study using Q methodology design in Japan and South Korea to learn about nurses’ health beliefs. During the research process, we encountered methodological issues and cross-cultural issues which we would like to share with other researchers who may be planning to conduct a Q methodology study. Despite its infrequent use in nursing, Q methodology can yield rich information about differing perspectives. This information might be difficult to uncover using conventional research approaches. The findings of the pilot study are presented in Nurse Education Today.

 The learning from our initial research in Japan and Korea as described in ‘Practical issues of conducting a Q methodology study’ was used in a recently completed five country study The aim of this study was to provide understanding of health belief content, origin, socio-cultural and other influencing factors held by clinical nurses and nursing academics in Japan, Australia, China, South Korea, and Thailand, and its impact on their nursing practice and education. We are looking forward to publishing these fascinating results in the near future.

Chiyoung Cha
Sook Jung Kang
Teri Stone
Jane McGuire

Sep 19

Community-engaged Research: Working Effectively Across Diverse Communities


Our current featured article is titled “Advancing Nursing Science Through Community Advisory Boards: Working Effectively Across Diverse Communities” by Rosa M. Gonzalez-Guarda, PhD, MPH, CPH, RN, FAAN; Emily J. Jones, PhD, RNC-OB; Elizabeth Cohn, PhD, boardRN; Gordon L. Gillespie, PhD, DNP, RN, CEN, CNE, CPEN, PHCNS-BC, FAEN, FAAN; and Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, APN.  While this article is featured, you can download it at no cost here.  We welcome your comments and ideas!

Abstract:

The movement toward community-engaged research is well aligned with nursing’s strong tradition of engaging individuals, families, and communities in designing and evaluating nursing care. As such, nurse scientists should consider engaging the recipients of care in the research process. Community advisory boards are a common way in which communities are engaged in research. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for effectively working with community advisory boards in diverse communities that is informed by evidence and experiences of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars. Recommendations can serve as a blueprint for nurse scientists as they engage communities in research promoting health equity.

Sep 14

ANS Collections Updated!


One of the most important challenges for scholars in all disciplines is finding the important classic literature related to your line of scholarship!  This is where the ANS Collections can help!  The Collections provide links to important classic articles that have student-thinking-clipart-mystery_clip_artappeared since the early days of ANS (October 1978) through 2009.  While all scholarship requires familiarity with the most recent literature in your field, it is equally important to know the history of your line of inquiry, and the important background leading up to where you are today.  But discovering this history is a major challenge, since keyword search capabilities for deep searches have changed dramatically in recent years and they do not reach back to the important historical documents.  So in addition to library key word searches, scholars also need to be intimately familiar with the content in journals that publish in your area of expertise.

I encourage you to browse these ANS Collections, organized by topics that appear regularly throughout ANS.  You just might find something you never knew existed, or long ago forgot!  This actually happened to me as I selected the articles for each Collection – articles that I had long ago forgotten suddenly came into a new light!

The Collections will be updated again, once sufficient time has passed to recognize material that stands the test of time! Meanwhile, take a virtual stroll through the Collections and discover what is there to inform you work anew!

Sep 4

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Embedding a Palliative Approach in Nursing Care Delivery


We are delighted to feature the open access article titled “Embedding a Palliative Approach in Nursing Care Delivery: An Integrated Knowledge Synthesis” authored by Richard Sawatzky, PhD; Pat Porterfield, MSN; Della Roberts, MSN; Joyce Lee, PhD; Leah Liang, MSN; Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, PhD; Barb Pesut, PhD; Tilly Schalkwyk, MSN; Kelli Stajduhar, PhD; Carolyn Tayler, MSA; Jennifer Baumbusch, PhD; and Sally Thorne, PhD. This article not only addresses the significant challenges of palliative care, but also serves as an example of the translation of knowledge into practice. We welcome you to download and read the article at any time – it is permanently available at no cost to readers.  Then return here and share your comments and ideas!  This is a message from Dr. Sawatzky about the work of this team of authors:

“A palliative approach is not a service” (quote from Carolyn Tayler)

Richard Sawatzky

Although we realize that end of life care may require care from professionals who have been formally trained in palliative care, mostpeople who have life limiting illnesses receive care in settings where access to palliative care professionals is limited. To address this, our team has been studying how the notion of “a palliative approach” can help to embed general principles and practices of palliative care broadly into the healthcare system. The Initiative for a Palliative Approach in Nursing: Evidence and Leadership (www.iPANEL.ca, led by Kelli Stajduhar and Carolyn Tayler) engages nurse researchers, practitioners, and administrators in British Columbia, Canada, who share a common goal to integrate a palliative approach throughout the healthcare system. Building on our prior publication on “Conceptual Foundations of a Palliative Approach” (Sawatzky, Porterfield et al. 2016), the current article is one of the iPANEL studies that specifically seeks to synthesize across insights derived from different sources of knowledge relevant to a palliative approach as the basis for supporting nursing care teams to embed a palliative approach into their practice. In doing so, we have broadened the scope of what is

Pat Porterfield

typically considered “knowledge synthesis”, by translating general knowledge from previous studies into particular contexts of nursing practice. This knowledge synthesis process reflects the fundamental form of nursing knowledge application we articulated in a prior publication in ANS on “Particularizing the General” (Thorne and Sawatzky, 2014). We hope that, in addition to contributing to an understanding of a palliative approach, the article will spark further discourse about effective methodologies for particularizing general knowledge within local contexts of everyday nursing practice.

Aug 21

2 Comments

A Humanizing Model for Nursing Social Justice Action


The latest featured article from the current issue of ANS is titled “Exercising Nursing Essential and Effective Freedom in Behalf of Social Justice: A Humanizing Model” by Donna J. Perry, PhD, RN; Danny G. Willis, DNS, RN, PMHCNS-BC; Kenneth S. Peterson, PhD, FNP-BC; and Pamela J. Grace, PhD, RN, FAAN. Using powerful personal narratives, the authors provide examples of ways they have broken through barriers, to exercise effective freedom and take specific social justice action within nursing.  Dr. Perry provided this description of their work:

It is increasingly clear that health is dependent upon multiple underlying social factors including environmental conditions, economic status, access to education, employment and a peaceful and participatory society.  These conditions are distributed unequally within our global community.  In this paper we discuss the nursing mandate to act for social justice and the constraints that prevent nursing from realizing this goal.   We argue that nursing has been impeded in addressing underlying socio-political issues that impact health because nursing has historically been positioned within an institutionalized medical paradigm.  We propose a model of nursing essential and effective freedom based on the philosophy of Bernard Lonergan as a framework for addressing barriers to nursing action for social justice.  And we share our personal challenges and strategies for addressing social justice as nurses working in various settings.

 

Aug 8

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Theory of Social Justice in Nursing


Our current featued article is titled “Emancipatory Nursing Praxis: A Theory of Social Justice in Nursing” by Robin R. Walter, PhD, RN, CNE.  In the short video below, Dr. Walter shares what she sees as the important take-aways from her study.  I hope you will not only view the video, but also download this article from the ANS website, then return here to share your comments and ideas related to her work!

Jul 31

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The “As-if” World of Nursing Practice: Nurses, Marketing and Decision-Making


We are currently featuring the article titled “The “As-If” World of Nursing Practice: Nurses, Marketing, and Decision-Making” by Quinn Grundy, PhD, RN and Ruth E. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. Based on an ethnographic study, the authors conclude that “nursing must deconstruct the “as-if” nondecisional myth by confronting conflicts of interest and owning fully its rightful clinical and advocacy roles.” This article is available to download at no cost while it is featured; I join the authors in inviting you to return here to share your responses and comments!  Dr. Grundy shared this background about her work:

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed as part of the Affordable Care Act, came into effect just at the time I was selecting an area of focus for my PhD dissertation. This legislation required pharmaceutical and medical device companies to publicly report all payments made to physicians and teaching hospitals and issued in a new era of transparency in United States healthcare. What surprised me, however, was that nurses were omitted from the mandate. This caused me to question whether nurses did not have these types of relationships with industry? Or, whether policymakers did not believe they warranted the same level of scrutiny?

Under the supervision of Dr. Ruth Malone, my co-author on this week’s featured article, I conducted an ethnographic investigation into the ways that registered nurses interact with industry in their day-to-day clinical practice at 4 hospitals in the western United States. What we found couldn’t have been more different than what the policy climate suggested.

Often on a daily basis, nurses interacted with industry representatives from multiple medically-related industries including

Quinn Grundy

pharmaceutical, medical device, information technology and infant formula companies. These interactions including attending drug company-sponsored dinners, receiving payments for speaking or consulting, and receiving gifts at conferences or other sponsored events. Among physicians, these types of relationships have been associated with negative changes in prescribing habits including increased prescribing of brand-name, heavily marketed medicines with lower safety profiles.

However, to our surprise, nurses were mystified at the attention of sales representatives and wondered at their inclusion in marketing activities like drug dinners. They explained that as health professionals who cannot prescribe medicines, there was no decision-making for marketing to attempt to sway. Yet, these same nurses described their roles on hospital purchasing committees, narrated multiple instances where they had recommended treatments to providers, and described powerful influence over patient care within the hospital.

This article explores the conditions under which nurses’ considerable influence and power to affect change within clinical practice becomes invisible, even at times to nurses themselves. We call this the “as-if” world of nursing practice — a well-constructed, institutionally-preserved myth that nurses do not make decisions in the absence of doctor’s orders.

We hope this article will stimulate a conversation in the profession about the nature of conflict of interest in nursing practice and the need to recognize, and safeguard, nurses’ considerable decision-making power from marketing influence.

 

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