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Aims. This study aimed to build understandings of women's recovery experiences in the presence of continued pelvic problems extending beyond the puerperium to provide nurses and other health care professionals with information to enhance current practice. Background. Trauma to the pelvic floor during childbirth is a relatively common occurrence and can include damage to structures and nerves. A significant number of women will experience ongoing physical pelvic problems resulting from childbirth that extend past the puerperium; however, little is known about the experiential aspects of recovery for these women. Design. A qualitative, phenomenological study. Method. Narrative data were collected during conversational interviews with 10 mothers who had sustained pelvic injury during the birth process that persisted past the puerperium. Recruitment was via media releases and brochures distributed through childcare facilities. The data was analysed using Van Manen's thematic analysis. Results. The themes that arose from the analysis were: 'fearing intimacy', 'managing an unpredictable body', 'being resigned' and 'feeling devalued and dismissed'. Conclusions. Pelvic injuries that extend beyond the postpartum period are distressing for women. They negatively affect women's views of themselves and have an impact on various aspects of life including intimate relationships and social activities. Relevance to clinical practice. Currently, postpartum care may have a focus on baby rather than mother and this focus may impede women making full disclosures of ongoing health needs arising from their delivery. Findings of this study suggest that women may have specific needs that extend beyond the puerperium, indicating a need for continued holistic assessments and extending practice to identify and support women experiencing persistent pelvic postpartum complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This paper reports on the experiences of the children (nieces and nephews), volunteers (aunts and uncles) and parents involved in the Aunties and Uncles Co-operative Family Project in Sydney, Australia. The project has run for 30 years as an extended family network of community volunteers and has never been evaluated. Methods A survey comprising open-ended and closed questions relating to the service was administered to all stakeholders. Demographic data were collected on all respondents. The text from answers to open-ended questions on the survey was coded for similarities and differences and was categorized. From the categories, the experiences of children, volunteers and parents were written with exemplars from the respondents' text. Results Three major categories emerged from the text: enjoyment/satisfaction of the experience for volunteers, children and parents; family relationships; and the difference it has made to me (children, parents and volunteers). Conclusions The long-term benefits of a supportive ‘extended family type’ relationship were recognized by all participants. Although the children were the primary focus of the project, parents and volunteers also described the rewards they experienced. The volunteer element was integral to providing the wide-ranging, ongoing supports which would not be possible from a paid staff basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. The aim of this study was to consider the impact that an eating disorder had on the family, particularly the parents. The objective was to give a voice to parents in order to develop new understandings of their experience leading to more appropriate clinical decision-making. Background. The impact of an eating disorder on family life has not been well-documented in the published literature. There are numerous articles from the sufferer's perspective and treatment modalities. The following paper describes a component of a larger study that explored the parent's perspective of having a child with an eating disorder. Design. Nineteen mothers and three fathers from Sydney, Australia, volunteered to be interviewed as the result of advertizements placed in parent support organization newsletters and by using the snowballing technique. Methods. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was used to explore parents' experiences of having a child/adult child with an eating disorder. Themes were identified through in depth analysis. Results. Themes that were extrapolated from this research included, family unification or disintegration, parent's inability to cope, inconsiderate comments from significant others, social isolation and financial impacts. Conclusions. This study reports five overarching effects on family life. The authors conclude that one way in which the life of parents and families could be improved would be increased involvement and integration into the treatment process. For this to happen, health professionals would need to acknowledge the family as a resource. Relevance to clinical practice. This research documents the family struggle and highlights the current omissions concerning the family's role. The need for changes to clinical practice is substantiated. It requires health professionals to scrutinize their own clinical practice and consider modification of the treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiences of parents with a child with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa were explored and this article aims to present one component of that study: parents' interactions with health professionals. The research was initiated after anecdotal stories from parents led the authors to undertake a literature review, which revealed a paucity of published research on this topic. Twenty-two interviews were conducted with volunteer parents from New South Wales, Australia. A descriptive qualitative design was used and themes were identified through in-depth analysis. Six themes were identified: finding help, feeling shut out, engagement, images portrayed, being resourceful and parents not prepared to give up. The implications for health professionals include that they acknowledge parental involvement in recovery. We urge the nursing profession, particularly mental health nurses, to work towards establishing collaborative partnerships between families & health professionals in order to achieve a better health outcome for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care delivered in Juvenile Justice Centres in New South Wales, Australia, leads to improvement in the health status of detainees while in custody but this declines on discharge and is contributed to by a breakdown in continuity of care. In an effort to halt this decline in health status, a model of interdisciplinary discharge planning is proposed to address the interface between Juvenile Justice Centres and adult correctional facilities and the community. Key features of the process are: collaboration through the development of links by establishment of a community liaison coordinator position; open and continuous communication between service providers; continuous involvement of detainees and their significant others; and ongoing support to detainees once discharged. Evaluation of the discharge-planning process ensures that the process is appropriate to meet the needs of this specific and diverse population of young people and supplies feedback to all service providers. The trusting relationship that is developed between detainees and registered nurses within centres leaves nurses ideally placed to coordinate the discharge-planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research project was undertaken to describe how the support needs of women who have had treatment for breast cancer were being met in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected from both the women and the nurses who cared for them. The findings from the first part of the study examined the nurses' perceptions of the women's needs and how they as health professionals, fulfilled these needs. Analysis was both qualitative and quantitative. Seventy-eight nurses responded to a questionnaire and 15 were interviewed. The findings indicated that the nurses perceived information on disease process and physical aspects of the disease as essential to supporting the women with breast cancer. While they saw providing emotional support to the women as important the nurses themselves often lacked the time and skills to provide it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]