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The aim of this paper is to show the way in which the decision trail of a qualitative research process can be maintained. It is argued that the trustworthiness (rigour) of a study may be established if the reader is able to audit the events, influences and actions of the researcher. The actual study containing the recording of this decision trail aimed to express the concerns of older patients who were admitted to the acute care sector. The study took place in two care of the elderly wards in a 1000-bed National Health Service hospital in the UK, in 1991. Eventually, 14 patients were interviewed, each on several occasions, and their concerns are expressed in themes, namely: routine geriatric style of care, depersonalization, care deprivation and geriatric segregation. I describe the preparations that were undertaken before patient interviews could commence. The literature recording the process of the interviewer's experience as data in qualitative research is scarce. I show the researcher's participation in making the data as part of an existential phenomenological research process. Existential phenomenology relies on recording influences while generating data such as significant literature, media reports, my value position and journal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using information collected from more than 100 district health authorities in England for the year 1989-1990, this paper examines turnover rates amongst a range of nursing and other staff groups in the National Health Service (NHS), and their relationship to the age and length of service characteristics of the labour force. The evidence collected suggests that the NHS employs a significantly younger workforce than is found in the economy as a whole. The age profile of nurses is even more skewed towards younger age groups than that of non-nursing staff working in the NHS. Nurses tend on average to have longer lengths of service than non-nursing staff groups, and it would seem that the average length of service has increased over the last 20 years, certainly amongst registered nurses. Overall, the study found an annual turnover rate amongst all NHS staff of 13.6%. Turnover rates were significantly higher among full-time staff than part-time, and amongst non-nursing staff groups compared with nurses. Broadly, turnover rates decline with age then rise close to retirement. However, there is a more complex relationship between length of service and turnover: turnover rates tend to be high in the first year of service, and to remain high or even rise during the second year of service, before declining. Turnover remains a poorly understood issue in the NHS. The evidence presented here should move some aspects of debate onto a more solid empirical foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper acknowledges that the successful utilization of nursing research in practice is a highly complex task. Basic requisites include a positive research culture associated with the essential interest and support needed to promote change. Within this framework factors concerned with the research culture within nursing and the NHS are considered, as well as the research-practice gap, the role of researchers, educational issues and the need for both local and national support. Comparisons are made with the more positive research culture in the USA, and some American research utilization models are mentioned. It is suggested that research is not highly regarded in the UK and that the required level of interest and support depend on nursing research becoming an expected, valued and rewarded activity. Some general suggestions for actions which should promote research utilization are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideas discussed in this paper are derived from a longitudinal study of student nurse socialization. The emergent views of a cohort of student nurses were explored by the researcher, over a period of 3 years, utilizing the approach referred to as grounded theory. 'Patients to people' represents a continuum of changing perceptions about those whom the students were nursing. It seemed that the cohort had to move along this continuum in order for them to be able to empathize with those they nursed. In the context of the students' changing perceptions, several things were of significance. For example, encounters with individuals who failed to demonstrate the passive and compliant attitude associated with 'typical patients.' such as children, challenged the cohort's thinking about those they nursed. During their training the students matured as both nurses and adults and this was also important, as was their recognition of their own 'personhood.' The cohort's emergent views suggested that there was a reciprocity between the way they viewed themselves and the perceptions they held about those they nursed. Such findings are important to people involved in preparing individuals to enter the caring professions. However, it should be noted that the experiences described in this study represent those of 'traditionally' trained rather than of Project 2000 students. The names used to describe people involved in this research are pseudonyms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current socio-political philosophy in the United Kingdom promotes the belief that consumers of health care should exercise choice and express opinions about the care they receive. This view challenges the traditional paternalistic approach to health care which espoused that 'the professional knows best.' In association with general socio-political trends, nursing is undergoing radical reform. The nursing literature widely promotes the importance of a nurse-patient relationship which fosters the involvement of the patient in negotiation and decision-making regarding this care. Nurses who advocate individualized, holistic care must hold such an ideology as a central tenet to their philosophy. However, it is questionable whether this philosophy is widely expressed in the reality of clinical practice. There is also an absence of empirical evidence to support the assumption that patients wish to participate in decision-making. This paper critically reviews some of the debate centred around the concept of nurse-patient negotiation. It is suggested that the issues are complex and that there remains a need for further research which takes into account multiple factors, including the social and organization context of nursing care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the current emphasis on community care, the importance of dementia as an area for the interventions of community practitioners, especially nurses, cannot be overemphasized. However, despite being the subject of increasing research over recent times, a comprehensive model of the dementia experience from either the sufferer's or carer's perspective has yet to be developed. This is particularly noticeable in the case of people suffering from dementia below the age of 65. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of representative epidemiological studies which relate to the incidence or representative epidemiological studies which relate to the incidence or prevalence of younger onset dementia. In this paper, the current epidemiological literature on younger onset dementia is considered and the findings from previous work are used to suggest prevalence figures for Wales. A longitudinal model of the dementia experience from a sufferer's perspective is then presented as the basis for a research agenda. It is also suggested that this model, subject to empirical testing and refinement, could be used as a guide to interventions for practitioners working with the sufferers and their carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing proportion of culturally diverse groups within the United Kingdom has meant that the issue of language barriers in the research situation must be addressed. The recruitment of respondents with English as a second language (ESL) to research studies is essential if their potentially unique and valid perspective is to be acknowledged. This can, however, pose several difficulties for the researcher which need to be recognized and addressed if valid data are to be collected. This paper outlines some of the challenges encountered in one study and describes strategies which were employed to meet these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the quality of nursing research in 1992. A meta-analysis of the nursing literature was conducted using the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the International Journal of Nursing Studies and the Journal of Clinical Nursing. For comparative purposes the British Medical Journal was selected. The survey examined a number of research indicators such as sample size, sample selection, research methods, country of origin of author and types of study populations. The analysis indicates that nursing and medicine has come mutual concerns and that both professional groups could learn from each other in order to extend the effectiveness of their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use of the concept of 'persons', and its related principle 'respect for persons', in health care ethics. It is suggested that the main use of the concept is in attempts to answer the questions: 'Who owes moral respect?' and 'To whom is it owed?'. An examination of different writers and their use of the concept of 'persons' show it to be unsuccessful in answering the first question, and dangerous and unacceptable in answering the second. Therefore, it is suggested the concept should not be used at all in health care ethics. An alternative idea is suggested, based on the work of Hursthouse (1992). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organ transplantation is becoming more important as a viable method of treatment for certain severe medical conditions. It is a complex and demanding process for all involved. Nursing as a developing science must respond to cultural and economic changes. Therefore, a need exists to develop a body of empirically based knowledge to understand and support the process of organ transplantation. This paper will argue that as trading in organs is unacceptable to the moral standards of western society and outlawed in many countries, an alternative framework must be considered for understanding the mechanisms through which organs are donated and utilized. The donating and receiving of organs may be equated with gift-giving, as there is no barter of commodities involved. Therefore, a useful framework to explore this phenomenon will be one that underpins the process of giving and receiving of gifts. Gift Exchange Theory will be evaluated and critically examined in relation to organ transplantation and the role of nurses in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the demand for nurses is a complex and difficult problem. However, in a climate of economic cutbacks and disadvantageous demographic trends, it is essential that adequate methods are developed to predict both the supply and demand for nurse manpower. To this end a number of methods have been constructed, particualrly in the last decade. In this paper we survey the work that has been done to provide an effective way of forecasting nurse manpower demand. The two most common approaches are from the 'top-down' or 'bottom-up'. However, an evolutionary method which allows for modification and detailed refinement is more likely to provide a means of taking into account the complexities of the system. Finally, we focus on the nursing hours per patient (NHPP) ratio as a possible tool for demand forecasting. This index is easily calculated and is readily adaptable to the bottom-up approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports our experience of analysing what may well be one of the largest datasets gathered on nursing practice in the United Kingdom. The study produced both quantitative and qualitative data and a method had to be devised both for analysing each form of data and for relating the two. An inexpensive relational database was chosen for the purpose, and experience of using it is reported. Detailed examples are given. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of such a tool, and in general it received a positive evaluation. For many nursing research projects, it offers some advantages over a conventional statistical package, especially in the following areas: offering ease of use, and hence control of the data, by the domain (nursing) specialist; facilitating the analysis of free-text data; allowing the linking of free-text and structured questionnaire data; permitting the testing of conjectures which arise during analysis; handling varying amounts of data per case; providing non-redundant storage of data; permitting the association of machine-readable codes and human-readable labels; and encouraginhg an exploratory rather than merely analytical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the development of nurse training to edcuation from its historical apprenticeship-style approach to the current position of professional education through diploma-level programmes. The influence of education theory on nurse training over the years is explored. The slowness of the transition from training to education is shown to have been dependent on the view of what is considered as appropriate preparation for the role. Historically, one can see that it was expedient that preparation for the role began as training, and the development to education was thwarted by the lack of resources, the shortage of nurses, and the medical and political ideologies of the day. The implementation of Project 2000, with students being supernumerary to the workforce, and the programme being educationally led, created the need for the development of professional education from the traditional training model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is elderly care nursing a speciality? This paper reports results from an interview-based study which aims to uncover the distinctive elements of nursing work with elderly people. Within the context of sociological literature on specialism it is concluded that a case for seeing elderly care nursing as a speciality area can be made. However, that case has implications for the continued marginalization of elderly people in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost 2 decades the ‘normalization principle’ has provided the dominant paradigm for the planning and evaluation of nursing services to people with a learning disability within the United Kingdom. This has reflected the international influence of this philosophy in services to a wide range of disadvantaged and marginalized groups. However, this paper will argue that nurses working with this client group are facing a range of social and political changes which expose the weaknesses in this paradigm. This calls for a new approach to the way the relationship between practitioners and their clients is conceptualized. Here it is argued that a materialist paradigm provides a more realistic framework upon which to base future nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes inter-rater reliability of three quality assessment instruments: Monitor, Senior Monitor and Qualpacs. The work forms part of a Department of Health funded study examining the reliability and validity of these three instruments. Inter-rater reliability is not a fixed entity and therefore should be tested every time raters or the setting change. In this instance, testing was carried out in three wards (one elderly and two surgical). Two methods of analysis were used: percent agreement and intra-class correlation coefficient. Results and some of the techniques that were found to be useful in enhancing reliability are described. Acceptable levels of inter-rater reliability with all three instruments were reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the author seeks to address issues of personal and professional development that may occur during the research process. Whilst research reports now abound in the nursing literature, this personal aspect is often neglected. As we seek to encourage research awareness within the profession, many student and qualified nurses now produce a small research project, and this often concentrates on measurable outcomes. By examining her own perceived learning in resolving epistemological pluralism whilst undertaking such a project as a tutor student, the author has attempted to resolve the problem of ignoring the personal. Indeed, she believes that increased self-awareness can only enhance nursing professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This methodological paper reflects on the way in which nursing research has developed along similar lines to research in education. It focuses on the emergence of action research as an example of collaborative research within the practice discipline of nursing. Action research is placed in the framework of new paradigm research and questions concerning its scientific merit are addressed along with its idealistic value to nursing. Drawing on issues raised during the collection of data for a PhD study which examined a changing ward culture, I hope to share some methodological concerns about the use of action research as a means of changing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This two-part paper is based on some of the findings from an action research study of the development of patient-centred nursing in an acute medical unit. In the first part, Angie Titchen presents findings from a case study of a ward undergoing the initial changes from traditional nursing to primary nursing. She documents and reflects upon the complexity of establishing new nursing roles, the devolution of authority and the shift in power relationships within the ward team, and the confusion and pain caused by role ambiguity. In the second part, we show how we addressed these problems through the action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notion that nursing education is a political process which reproduces traditional practices. There is evidence to suggest that dominant ideologies, embedded in the social processes of education and health care, shape the consciousness of nurse teachers and students towards conformity and compliance with established practices in hegemonic institutions. Traditional practices or 'common sense' reinforces the structural arrangements which contribute to the contradictions that students experience between knowledge they are 'given' in the classroom and knowledge they derive from their clinical learning experiences. It is clinical placements which bring students face to face with their position in the established hierarchy of knowledge, professional relationships and routinized practices. In this sense students may experience their classroom education as a denial of their lived experience in clinical settings. They may learn to negotiate among the different meanings and explanations they encounter and learn to act in ways that are personally and professionally 'safe', thereby reproducing traditional nursing culture. Project 2000 in Great Britain and the calls for a 'curriculum revolution' from North America promise transformation of traditional practice. But it is the political processes of teaching and learning and their practical effects which must be revealed for critique and transformation if professional ideals of reflective practice, emancipatory knowledge and professional autonomy are to play an integral part in transforming professional nursing practice within hegemonic institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some general points are made in this paper about the nature of postgraduate research degrees, and the process which results in a thesis is set out. These are followed by considering the degrees in a nursing context and also in relation to the social sciences. Next the aims of postgraduate research degree programmes are considered. Approaches to the matching of students are set out. Among those discussed are mentoring, collegiality, classification and framing, and the use of workshops. In the conclusion, some desired outcomes of the supervisory process are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is the clinical role of the nurse teacher. Using selected findings from a small exploratory study in which a questionnaire was used to gather quantitative and qualitative data from teachers about their role, three areas are discussed. Examination of the number of clinical areas teachers link with identified three different models of clinical contact. The frequency and timing of teachers' visits to clinical are not evenly distributed and some of the reasons for this are discussed. The nature of the clinical role is explored with emphasis on liaison and teachers' perceptions of support of students and clinical staff. Finally, teachers' perceptions of their clinical skill and the implications of this is discussed. It is concluded that all three areas require further analysis if the role of the nurse teacher is to be clarified and made more effective in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the process of evaluating the quality of care provision in district nursing at a local level. The definitions of audit and quality assurance are considered, and the current situation in community nursing is briefly compared with that in hospital settings. Finally, the use of evaluative tools in practice is examined, together with ways in which district nursing evaluation can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Phaneuf's Nursing Audit in an action research project that is investigating quality assessment and peer review is discussed. A brief description of the project is given followed by an analysis of the audit tool. This analysis suggests that the tool has more disadvantages than advantages. The paper concludes with a discussion about why the tool may be of use despite the disadvantages identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the ethical issue is addressed of withdrawing life support by asking the question, 'What is quality of life?' It focuses on the assessment of quality of life, examining how such assessments are made, and highlighting the inability of critically ill patients to participate in decisions regarding termination of their life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the developments of new academic courses in nursing comes the need for a debate about educational levels. This paper offers a discussion of some of the issues involved in such a debate and draws upon data collected from professors of nursing in the United Kingdom, masters students in a Dutch college and from the American literature on the topic. The need to be able to distinguish between diploma, bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in highlighted and various suggestions about how such distinctions may be made are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ideal that patients should be participants in their own care has found wide acceptance amongst nurses. Yet within the academic discipline of nursing little has been done to clarify the nature of participation. In this paper, a phenomenology of participation is presented as it applies to the caring work of nursing. Participation requires: (a) attunement to a mutual 'stock of knowledge at hand'; (b) emotional and motivational attunement to the other's concerns; (c) taking for granted (and implicitly assuming the other takes it for granted) that one can contribute worthily; (d) feeling that one's identity is not under threat. Though it is difficult to attain, participation appears to embody many of the ideals central to current thinking in nursing. Moreover, the attempt to build participatory relationships with patients is ethically required of members of a 'caring' profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe the need for and the creation of a new service delivery package for the client with learning difficulties whose behaviour challenges services or society, or who is a 'victim of the system', and not responding to available resources. Adventure-based courses are delivered in a context of supportive therapy which effects measurable change. There is continuing research-based evaluation of this new approach which will be reported in due course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five hundred and two items about community psychiatric nursing have been located and classified. The data indicate a continuing rising trend in the number of publications on this subject. The majority of the literature is about the clinical role of the community psychiatric nurse (CPN) and is descriptive/analytical in nature. The second largest proportion is research, the third largest topic is management and administration and the fourth largest is CPN education. The amount of 'clinical' literature as a proportion of the whole has been in decline since the mid-1970s. The majority of papers cannot be classified by the specialism of community psychiatric nursing to which they relate, but a small and significant number have been written about the care of the elderly mentally ill. Overall, the practising CPNs have been the most prolific writers, followed by academic nurses and then nurse managers. Contributions from other professions are miniscule. Over recent years the contribution of nurse managers has declined, and that of academic nurses has risen. The contribution of practising CPNs remains robust. Research publications also continue to rise, the majority being produced by academics, but large contributions are also being made by nurse managers and practising CPNs. In the early years nearly all publications of articles were in populist nursing magazines. In recent years the spread of journals in which items about community psychiatric nursing appear has widened considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper constitutes a discussion of a case of sexual abuse of children by a nurse brought before the UKCC Professional Conduct Committee. Judgement was first deferred, and later the nurse was allowed to remain on the register and to practise as a nurse. The case is considered with reference to guidance from the UKCC in various documents. The case for removal from the register is first established, drawing on the UKCC Code of Professional Conduct and the UKCC document '... With a View to Removal From the Register...'?, and found to be more than adequate. The case for leniency is then considered with further reference to UKCC policy, but is rejected. It is concluded that, on this occasion, the Professional Conduct Committee's findings were erroneous and indefensible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to use the work of Peter Marris on loss and change to provide a theoretical perspective on the role of resistance in the process of professional growth. Nurse education is highlighted as an area of radical change with the implementation of Project 2000 in the United Kingdom. Early data generated by exploratory work in one Project 2000 demonstration district are used to illustrate the potential emergence of areas of resistance to major educational reform. It is argued that resistance to change has an adaptive function and is a necessary precursor to professional growth. It is not necessarily indicative of intransigence but rather should be seen as part of any process of adaptation to changes which might undermine the validity of past systems of understanding the world in which we live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication is one of the most important aspects of cancer nursing. Evidence suggests nurses experience communication difficulties and frequently block patients from divulging their worries or concerns. This paper focuses on a study which aimed to determine: (a) the extent to which nurses facilitate or block patients and awareness of their verbal behaviours; (b) whether there is a relationship between nurses'verbal behaviours and levels of anxiety, social support, work support and attitude to death; and (c) nurses' difficulties in caring for cancer patients. The study was conducted in a specialist and non specialist hospital. Fifty-four registered nurses completed three audio-taped histories (one with a new cancer patient, a patient with a recurrence and a patient for pallative care), a self-administered questionnaire and a semi-structured audio-taped interview. The data were analyzed using SPSSX. The findings indicate an overall poor level of facilitative communication, with a patient's recurrence causing most difficulties. There is evidence to suggest the way nurses communicate may depend on the environment created by the ward sister, the nurses' religious beliefs and attitude to death rather than specific education in communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study of nurses' perceptions of the positive and negative features of the work environment and their contribution to satisfaction with nursing. The concept of a 'work space' was developed to describe nurses' mental images of the features of their work environment. Eighty-four final-year student nurses and 75 registered nurses rated questionnaire items designed to examine perceptions of opportunities for professional development, sources of satisfaction, difficulties, time constraints and problematic interactions with other hospital personnel. There was general agreement among nurses about the aspects of their work that they found satisfying, but student nurses were more pessimistic than registered nurses that nursing would give them the opportunities for recognition of their worth. Students returning from practica in critical care wards reported more stressful interactions with other personnel than students returning from general ward practica. Structural equation modelling of the causal relations between sources of satisfaction with nursing revealed that recognition and self-perceptions of work as a nurse were the strongest predictors of overall satisfaction with nursing. Caring for patients contributed only indirectly through its influences on nurses' feelings about themselves. The data indicate the significance of personal and social implications of nursing careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the first stage of a research project aimed at understanding the needs of clients (and their carers) of district nursing services. The project applies a pluralistic research design, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Through the use of an ethnographic approach, concepts of needs are generated which are related to how clients and carers perceive themselves and the role of the district nurse. The study attempts to formulate needs within a contextual framework against which an activity analysis of district nurses' work (stage 2) can be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper defines and explores the nature of learning contracts. It also discusses the origins of learning contracts, presents a critical evaluation covering the implications of their use in nurse education and makes recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is borne of the increasing interest and relevance of computers in nursing. It describes the method, and results obtained from a postal questionnaire survey distributed across the United Kingdom to gain information about the developments in computing in nursing education. The results indicate that considerable developments have been made, but that they are more piecemeal than co-ordinated. A selection of the results are presented and discussed, and one or two points concerning future proceedings are raised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary nursing is a relatively new phenomenon in the organization of ward-based nursing. This paper seeks to answer the question of what lies behind primary nursing's sudden and startling rise in popularity. Factors within nursing which are implicated include most importantly the adoption of the nursing process, and the attempt to provide truly individualized patient care. Nursing's search for professional status has played its part, primary nursing frequently being seen as a key strategy in its achievement. Other areas of wider social change have also had an impact, from the nascent dominance of new right political/social values, to the micropolitical scene within the British National Health Service. While appearing to be the ideal answer to some of nursing's current problems, primary nursing contains some inherent contradictions, most evident being those surrounding the concept of accountability. It may also threaten the cohesiveness of the nursing team on the ward, and may lead to the uncovering of conflicts between doctors and nurses. Finally, perhaps one of the major reasons for its continuing success is the way it brings together the various nursing interest groups and current managerialism in the NHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the recently proposed developments in nursing education within the United Kingdom are discussed within a historical context. Since a number of nursing departments already exist within the higher education sector (comprising universities, polytechnics and colleges of technology), it is suggested that use should be made of the experience already gained by nurses working within higher education. The pros and cons of nurse education being provided in or associated with higher education are discussed. Theoretical perspectives from change theory are applied. The importance of educating the practitioner for a holistic and community-based role is stressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numbers of elderly people going home from hospital in the United Kingdom are likely to increase over the next decade. Previous research suggests that this group of people are liable to experience some difficulties on returning home. This paper reports the findings of a study of the outcomes of discharge for 32 elderly people admitted to geriatric wards. A lower level of independence in daily living activities, and an increase in the amount of help needed after hospitalization were found. An increase in the rate of discharge of elderly people will have implications for both formal and informal carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses in the United Kingdom spend much time attempting to fit British nursing practice into the theoretical framework of American nursing models. This is often a manipulative process in that it seeks to establish positive links with a care delivery system totally unlike our own. In the present paper the authors detail the process of establishing a new nursing model which integrates nursing curricula, education and practice to meet the needs of patients, staff and students within their own health district. An over-emphasis on lower levels of human need is common within nursing practice, which, although often blamed upon lack of human and financial resources, is also due to practitioners' misconceptions. The latter are invariably the result of a lack of an adequate or overt, practice orientated, conceptual framework. The Human Needs Model of Nursing adapts Maslow's concept of human needs to create such a conceptual framework for practice. It places equal emphasis on those patient problems which arise as the result of unmet needs at higher levels as well as those at lower levels, thereby acknowledging the holistic and dynamic nature of man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature concerned with active learning methods in British nurse education. A case study is presented describing the introduction of assisted independent learning to a cohort of student nurses in a district general hospital school of nursing in England. The implications, advantages and problems associated with such curriculum innovation are discussed and some areas for further study are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents consultation papers of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. Consultation papers prepared by the working groups are now being given a wide distribution throughout the professions of nursing, midwifery and health visiting. The task of the working groups, in considering comments will be greatly assisted if views on the recommendations and proposals in the consultation paper are channelled back through an appropriate professional organization or trade union. The Council has set up seven working groups. Each working group is looking at a particular aspect of the 1979 Act and the related future responsibilities which the Council will inherit.

The author comments on the paper "Centralization and Research Governance: Does it Work?," by M. Howarth, R. Kneafsey, and C. Haigh, published in the same issue. He holds the opinion that the paper does well to remind healthcare researchers about the principles and domains of research governance. He expects the British government to continue the development of research governance framework. He complains about the bureaucracy that surrounds research governance.

Editorial. Comments on a consultation paper about the rights and welfare of incapable adults in Great Britain. Number of incapable adults; Overview of the paper; Benefits from the paper.

Reflects on the 50th anniversary of the creation of the British National Health Service (NHS) in July 1998. Thoughts on changes in nursing care from the 1940's to the 1990's; The author's experience as a nurse treating tuberculosis patients in the 1950's; Progress in nursing scholarship; Quality of papers submitted to the 'Journal of Advanced Nursing.'

The appearance of this new nursing journal is an exciting and fitting introduction to the last quarter of the twentieth century. It aims to become an international medium for the publication of scholarly nursing papers and a means of documenting the evergrowing body of nursing knowledge. The concept and format of the journal have been developed by an Editorial Board of eminent British nurses supported with enthusiasm by an outstanding Panel of Overseas Advisers. The strength, impact and continued existence of the "Journal of Advanced Nursing" will, however, depend on the willingness of able nurses to document and share their scientific, theoretical and philosophical information with their professional peers.