Joan Thoman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Joan Thoman

International Journal of Palliative Nursing, Feb 2, 2023

Background: Among healthcare professionals, hospice and palliative nurses have a high risk of exp... more Background: Among healthcare professionals, hospice and palliative nurses have a high risk of experiencing work stress. However, little attention has been paid to protective factors that could mitigate the impact of daily stressors on hospice and palliative nurses. Aim: This study aimed to determine whether resourcefulness and positive thinking have a negative association with perceived stress among hospice and palliative nurses, and whether positive thinking moderates or mediates the link between resourcefulness and stress among hospice and palliative nurses. Method: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to address these two aims. Results: A convenience sample of 86 hospice and palliative nurses (95% female) in the US completed an online survey. The results demonstrated that positive thinking and resourcefulness are useful predictors of stress reduction and help mitigate the effects of stress. Positive thinking did not mediate the relationship between resourcefulness and stress. Conclusion: Moderation analysis suggests that social resourcefulness may be especially helpful in reducing stress among hospice and palliative nurses with a low level of positive thinking.

PubMed, 2020

The purpose of this study was to observe the effectiveness of intermittent pneumatic compression ... more The purpose of this study was to observe the effectiveness of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) on reducing C-reactive protein (CRP) and DOMS after long distance running. Ten distance runners, five males and five females, ages 20-53 years performed two 20-mile runs at 70% VO2 max. Each run was followed by either no treatment (control) or IPC treatment for five consecutive days. For the IPC run, participants were treated for one hour immediately following the run and daily for five more days thereafter. On control runs, participants did not receive any treatment. Serum CRP was measured pre- and post-run, and daily thereafter for five days for both trials. Results indicated no significant difference (p > 0.05) between control and treatment runs in CRP levels. Subjective pain ratings indicated no significant difference in pain between control and treatment runs. In conclusion, there appear to be no substantial benefits of IPC in promoting recovery.

Journal of aging and long-term care, Oct 11, 2022

Engagement of persons with dementia has implications for daily functioning, holistic well-being, ... more Engagement of persons with dementia has implications for daily functioning, holistic well-being, positive mental health, and cognitive ability. 2. A holistic definition of engagement is important if the outcomes of being engaged are going to have a meaningful effect on the person with dementia. 3. Developing an objective and unobtrusive engagement measurement for persons with dementia is essential to be clinically applicable.

Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal for The Home Care and Hospice Professional, Dec 1, 2001

Across the United States the home health industry is converting to POC information technology. As... more Across the United States the home health industry is converting to POC information technology. As POC applications are more widely introduced, knowledge of nurses' perceptions of and experiences with POC use are essential factors to achieving agency-wide success. Home care nurses, operating remotely, have different needs than nurses using POC in hospitals or clinics. The patient's home is an unpredictable and often chaotic environment requiring greater adaptability in using the computer at the point of care. As the Visiting Nurse Association Healthcare Partners of Ohio (VNAHPO) prepared to introduce and implement POC technology, a decision was made to employ a "socio-technical" approach (Berg, 1999). Included were change management strategies that incorporate human factors as well as project management and technical skill elements. VNAHPO also committed to a systematic study of the implementation process in partnership with McKesson Pathways Homecare staff. Knowledge gained from the exercise could be valuable to further software development and lead to better models for POC introduction and training. The experiences of our nurse pilot group (NPG) were considered important to the final design and rollout of the POC technology. This article presents the reflections of the pilot group nurses regarding the POC training, their use of the clinical software, and perceptions of the effect of POC on work performance. The criteria for pilot group inclusion, key elements of the training, credentials of the POC training staff, and the framework used to elicit the nurses' insights are discussed. Lessons From the Literature Studies of nurses' attitudes toward computerization have been undertaken since the 1970s. Study findings vary, but overall agreement centered that acceptance of POC was associated with its impact on job expectations and performance and the complexity or simplicity of its use (Benefield, 2000; Darbyshire, 2000; Geraci, 1997). The importance of the endusers' (nurses') attitudes and concerns toward POC technology have been described in the

SAGE open nursing, 2017

To identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors that can be... more To identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors that can be utilized or implemented to improve the student nurse clinical experience. Background: The clinical instructor is an integral part of a quality clinical experience. They help students transfer didactic information to the practice setting. The clinical nursing experience is a vital component in the developmental process of the nursing student. Research has been done on this subject, but gaps remain. The need for a more in-depth understanding of students' perceptions of the characteristics and teaching techniques that best aid their comprehension and learning will help instructors to maximize student learning experiences in the practice setting. Method: This qualitative research study utilized the phenomenological research method. Three open-ended questions were posed to 14 nursing students to identify the characteristics and teaching techniques they believed comprised an effective clinical instructor. Individual interviews were conducted and transcribed interviews were reviewed to identify common themes. Three faculty members provided member checking to prevent bias by reviewing the transcribed interviews for common themes. Findings: Participants identified four main themes which include a trusting relationship, experience or knowledge, coach, and role model. The students found that they gained more knowledge, developed more critical thinking, and felt more confident with instructors who utilized characteristics and techniques from these four areas. Conclusion: Clinical instructors play an important role in preparing the student nurse in becoming a competent nurse in the practice setting. This information can be used to provide a foundation in creating an educational opportunity to inform nurse educators in the ways to become a more effective clinical instructor.

Journal of Christian nursing, Oct 1, 2018

Undergraduate and graduate programs for healthcare professions are inconsistent in curricular off... more Undergraduate and graduate programs for healthcare professions are inconsistent in curricular offerings and incorporation of spiritual training. This study reviewed perceptions and opinions about spiritual care held by students at an American university. Data were collected using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale and one open-ended question. Findings indicated that many students were comfortable incorporating spirituality into practice, and they desired additional training. As to how students would apply spirituality to their practice, themes of facilitating connection, holistic care, spiritual interventions, and benefits of spirituality were identified.

International Journal of Palliative Nursing

Journal of Aging and Long-Term Care

Creating meaningful engagement for a person with dementia is recognized as a non-pharmacological ... more Creating meaningful engagement for a person with dementia is recognized as a non-pharmacological approach to enhancing their well-being and decreasing their agitation, anxiety, and depression. However, no standard definition of engagement exists. A scoping review was conducted to examine the current definitions of engagement in persons with dementia and the measurement of engagement. The literature search was conducted using CINAHL/EBSCO and PubMed for the years 2016-2021 using the search terms “dementia AND elderly AND engagement.” A screening process was developed, with articles meeting inclusion criteria independently reviewed by at least two team members. A follow-up of publications of the key authors was conducted alongside a search of the gray literature. Congruent themes of the definitions were identified, and articles were grouped into thematic categories. The two major themes of engagement definitions: were social contact/interaction and response to activity and/or stimuli,...

$Research paper thumbnail of Nursing Students\u27 Perceptions on Characteristics of an Effective Clinical Instructor$

Purpose: To identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors th... more Purpose: To identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors that can be utilized or implemented to improve the student nurse clinical experience. Background: The clinical instructor is an integral part of a quality clinical experience. They help students transfer didactic information to the practice setting. The clinical nursing experience is a vital component in the developmental process of the nursing student. Research has been done on this subject, but gaps remain. The need for a more in-depth understanding of students\u27 perceptions of the characteristics and teaching techniques that best aid their comprehension and learning will help instructors to maximize student learning experiences in the practice setting. Method: This qualitative research study utilized the phenomenological research method. Three open-ended questions were posed to 14 nursing students to identify the characteristics and teaching techniques they believed comprised an effec...

SAGE Open Nursing, 2017

Journal of Christian Nursing

Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal for the Home Care and Hospice Professional, 2001

Home care agencies often fail to commit adequate resource time preparing nurses for POC technolog... more Home care agencies often fail to commit adequate resource time preparing nurses for POC technology. Successful implementations need to incorporate human issues in addition to the technical aspects for POC. This article discusses the experiences and perceptions of nurses who participated in a pilot POC training group. The pilot group and key elements of the training are presented. The results of a focus group present the major POC focus of importance for the nurses.