Kath MacDonald - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Kath MacDonald
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Jan 14, 2021
International Practice Development Journal
Background: CAKE, an interactive resource to promote individual and team wellbeing and effectiven... more Background: CAKE, an interactive resource to promote individual and team wellbeing and effectiveness through storytelling was co-designed with community nurses in 2020. In Phase 1 of this project, CAKE comprised seven slices that guided teams through a process of connecting, storytelling, reflecting and action planning to promote wellbeing. It was developed in response to an increasing awareness of psychological harm experienced by nurses and other healthcare professionals. Levels of stress in the workplace are currently contributing to problems with recruitment and retention, and a lack of resources have impacted on practitioners’ wellbeing, and their ability to be compassionate caregivers and to contribute to healthful teams. Aim: Phase 2 of the project sought to: 1) develop facilitators of CAKE; 2) pilot test the prototype CAKE resource in a range of contexts; and 3) create a digital version of CAKE. Methods: An evaluation approach to pilot testing, using multiple methods of data...
Nursing Standard, 2016
Clinical practice placements are an essential component of pre-registration nursing programmes. I... more Clinical practice placements are an essential component of pre-registration nursing programmes. Integration into a new team in an unfamiliar setting, which has its own values, practices, culture and language, can be stressful for nursing students. This article presents and discusses students' reflections on preparing for, entering and leaving practice placements. Ten students who participated in fortnightly group reflective sessions, discussed and analysed their learning experiences while on practice placements in an acute hospital. The challenges the students encountered were deconstructed using a group narrative approach. The students experienced ethical dilemmas around patient dignity, consent and advocacy as well as factors external to the practice setting, such as navigating systems and processes to access information before starting practice placements, managing household duties and academic workloads while working long shifts, and managing fatigue and loneliness. The students devised recommendations for other students to enable them to navigate their practice placements effectively and enhance their learning experience. Raising awareness among academic and practice placement staff of the challenges students encounter before and during their practice placement is essential to assist students to succeed and maximise their learning potential.
lunch clubs to enhance student transition within the
In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic... more In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic illness. (DoH 2005).This trend is rising and with increasing life expectancy will continue to do so. The cystic fibrosis population of eight thousand in the UK forms part of this group (CF Trust 2008) The term “expert patient ” is currently a very topical one, with health professionals acknowledging that patients with chronic conditions are often more knowledgeable about their disease than they are. This is almost always the case in CF as most people with CF have a diagnosis within the first two years of life and thereafter spend the rest of their lives living with and managing the disease. This experience of living with a disease inevitably brings knowledge and other skills such as resourcefulness and decision making. The Department of Health (2001) defined these “experts ” as “people who have the confidence, skills information and knowledge to play a central role in the management of ...
Introduction Student contact with academic staff has changed since the move to the new campus. Fi... more Introduction Student contact with academic staff has changed since the move to the new campus. Findings from the 2007-8 student survey and feedback from our student/staff consultative Committee suggests that opportunities should be sought to enhance communication between students and academic staff. QAA (2007) identify the importance of effective transition in “the first year experience”; which should include “personalisation of taught provision and the development of an extended transition process”. In response to this we have initiated a lunch club scheme. Findings: issues which have arisen to date • Representation at club from all yearsinitial response small • Students from all year groups mixing well • Class reps very supportive • Year 4 students who buddy 1st years use this forum to meet up. • Students have raised issues with tutors, e.g; timetables, web CT, placements, Graduate Diploma students issues
In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic... more In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic illness. (DoH 2005).This trend is rising and with increasing life expectancy will continue to do so. The cystic fibrosis population of eight thousand in the UK forms part of this group (CF Trust 2008) The term “expert patient” is currently a very topical one, with health professionals acknowledging that patients with chronic conditions are often more knowledgeable about their disease than they are. This is almost always the case in CF as most people with CF have a diagnosis within the first two years of life and thereafter spend the rest of their lives living with and managing the disease. This experience of living with a disease inevitably brings knowledge and other skills such as resourcefulness and decision making.
Clinical placements are an essential part of nurse training, but are extremely daunting, especial... more Clinical placements are an essential part of nurse training, but are extremely daunting, especially for new nursing students. This unique pocket guide provides a wealth of practical detail, tips and advice to help the student nurse get to grips with, and make the most of, their placement. The pocket-sized format means the book is extremely portable (it really will fit in a pocket!) and the ring binding allows it to be opened flat (useful when adding notes, for example). The information is presented in digestible chunks (lists, tables, bullets, even cartoons) so the reader can find the essential information really quickly without wading through pages of text there is even space to add notes specific to the particular placement. Written by recent nursing graduates based on their own experiences, reviewed by students and checked by a clinical supervisor this guidance has been produced specifically with student nurses in mind
The Nature of Nursing module aims to help students’ to develop a professional identity that is pr... more The Nature of Nursing module aims to help students’ to develop a professional identity that is principle and theory based. The module addresses the elements of nursing’s metaparadigm; nursing knowledge, professional issues and promoting health,augmented by theories of communication, which are core to the profession. At the end of the module students were asked to think creatively to portray in groups their understanding of the Nature of Nursing. We present one group’s depiction.
The somophoreslump theory suggests that after an enthusiastic first year, students experience a s... more The somophoreslump theory suggests that after an enthusiastic first year, students experience a slump in second year, which results in poorer outcomes and increased attrition rates1 QAA Enhancement theme (2008) asks, “what do we want students to get from their first year?” We asked students to reflect on their first year experience in order to identify their learning and perhaps reduce the potential for a slump during second year
This paper discusses the introduction and evaluation of peer and self assessment elements into tw... more This paper discusses the introduction and evaluation of peer and self assessment elements into two nursing modules, (one undergraduate, (UG) and one postgraduate, (PG). 40 UG nursing students and 22 PG education students participated in a Peer and self assessment exercise within their respective modules. Students evaluated the process by questionnaire and made recommendations for future modules. 32 out of 40 (80%) undergraduate & 20 out of 22 (91%) post graduate students returned the questionnaires. Over two-thirds of each group recommended introducing peer assessment into their modules. Students saw peer and self assessment as motivational, encouraging learning, and a fair and truthful method of assessment. Weaknesses were seen as possibility of personal bias, students unsure about their assessment skills and may disadvantage quiet students or those with English as a second language. Both groups felt peer feedback would further their own learning. Both groups scored their peers at ...
Introduction and background Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common genetically inherited li... more Introduction and background Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common genetically inherited life limiting condition, which currently affects around 700 people in Scotland (CF Trust 2002). The condition is caused by a gene defect and affects primarily the lungs and digestive system. Children with CF become aware that they are different from their peers, they can be small and thin as puberty usually comes late, there is often a chronic cough and lung function is substantially reduced causing restricted energy levels. Issues relating to cross infection make peer support problematic for this group. In addition, treatments and self care behaviours are substantial, time consuming and add to social isolation due to regular hospitalisation, and absences from school. Consequently this group often need practical and emotional support that would not normally be required in this age group, (Hodson et al 1993). Rationale for the study The Butterfly Trust was set up in 2002 to support sufferer...
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: End of life (EOL) care in CF is emotionally and physically challenging for those who ... more Objectives: End of life (EOL) care in CF is emotionally and physically challenging for those who are involved in formal caring as well as for patients and families. From a staff perspective, this can result in emotional distress, tensions between the CF and ward teams and frustration in managing patient distress and complex symptoms. In order to address some of these issues we instigated a collaborative CF palliative care (CFPC) support group.We report the progress to date of this group. The aims of the group were to: • Critically reflect on recent complex deaths and learn from them • Allow staff to have a voice and contribute to PC decision making • Provide emotional support during and following EOL care • Enhance education and understanding of evidence-based
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: The in-patient ward round, which involves a bedside visit by members of the multidisc... more Objectives: The in-patient ward round, which involves a bedside visit by members of the multidisciplinary team to discuss treatment, progress and discharge plans, is central to the patient experience. However, its impact upon patients is often underestimated [1]. Research suggests that patients can feel anxious or dissatisfied with this vital clinical activity, as echoed by some patients in our Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Service. Our aim was to gain a better understanding of patient perspectives of our in-house ward round with a view to service improvement, if needed.
Journal of Research in Nursing, 2016
Dissemination of findings in health sciences research can take many forms, but is usually through... more Dissemination of findings in health sciences research can take many forms, but is usually through publication in peer-reviewed journals and oral and poster presentations at conferences and events. One of the challenges for the researcher is how to get the message across with maximum impact; poetry is one means of achieving this. The reviewed paper fell into my inbox on the same week that I presented a seminar on the use of poetry to convey emotions in Masters and Doctoral work (CRFR, 2015; MacDonald, 2015). This paper resonates strongly with this theme and has two purposes: to disseminate the research data in a way that is meaningful and exposes the participant voice; and to explore reflexivity and emotion in relation to the role of the researcher in qualitative research.
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: We present a case study which raises several ethical issues as to refer or not to ref... more Objectives: We present a case study which raises several ethical issues as to refer or not to refer and seek discussion and debate within this session. Currently in the UK there are 321 patients on the active lung transplant list. With a shortfall of available suitable organs, not all patients will receive a transplant. Up to 1 in 6 patients on the active lung transplant list die or become too sick to receive a graft. Successful transplant can achieve a 60% survival to 5 years. Contraindications to transplant can be physical and or psychosocial. This limited supply highlights the responsibility of CF teams to have consensus on referring candidates that are most likely to benefit from receiving this limited resource. The CF team need to be honest with patients and give a realistic account of process, outcomes and survival before a referral is made.
Journal of Research in Nursing
International Practice Development Journal
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Jan 14, 2021
International Practice Development Journal
Background: CAKE, an interactive resource to promote individual and team wellbeing and effectiven... more Background: CAKE, an interactive resource to promote individual and team wellbeing and effectiveness through storytelling was co-designed with community nurses in 2020. In Phase 1 of this project, CAKE comprised seven slices that guided teams through a process of connecting, storytelling, reflecting and action planning to promote wellbeing. It was developed in response to an increasing awareness of psychological harm experienced by nurses and other healthcare professionals. Levels of stress in the workplace are currently contributing to problems with recruitment and retention, and a lack of resources have impacted on practitioners’ wellbeing, and their ability to be compassionate caregivers and to contribute to healthful teams. Aim: Phase 2 of the project sought to: 1) develop facilitators of CAKE; 2) pilot test the prototype CAKE resource in a range of contexts; and 3) create a digital version of CAKE. Methods: An evaluation approach to pilot testing, using multiple methods of data...
Nursing Standard, 2016
Clinical practice placements are an essential component of pre-registration nursing programmes. I... more Clinical practice placements are an essential component of pre-registration nursing programmes. Integration into a new team in an unfamiliar setting, which has its own values, practices, culture and language, can be stressful for nursing students. This article presents and discusses students' reflections on preparing for, entering and leaving practice placements. Ten students who participated in fortnightly group reflective sessions, discussed and analysed their learning experiences while on practice placements in an acute hospital. The challenges the students encountered were deconstructed using a group narrative approach. The students experienced ethical dilemmas around patient dignity, consent and advocacy as well as factors external to the practice setting, such as navigating systems and processes to access information before starting practice placements, managing household duties and academic workloads while working long shifts, and managing fatigue and loneliness. The students devised recommendations for other students to enable them to navigate their practice placements effectively and enhance their learning experience. Raising awareness among academic and practice placement staff of the challenges students encounter before and during their practice placement is essential to assist students to succeed and maximise their learning potential.
lunch clubs to enhance student transition within the
In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic... more In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic illness. (DoH 2005).This trend is rising and with increasing life expectancy will continue to do so. The cystic fibrosis population of eight thousand in the UK forms part of this group (CF Trust 2008) The term “expert patient ” is currently a very topical one, with health professionals acknowledging that patients with chronic conditions are often more knowledgeable about their disease than they are. This is almost always the case in CF as most people with CF have a diagnosis within the first two years of life and thereafter spend the rest of their lives living with and managing the disease. This experience of living with a disease inevitably brings knowledge and other skills such as resourcefulness and decision making. The Department of Health (2001) defined these “experts ” as “people who have the confidence, skills information and knowledge to play a central role in the management of ...
Introduction Student contact with academic staff has changed since the move to the new campus. Fi... more Introduction Student contact with academic staff has changed since the move to the new campus. Findings from the 2007-8 student survey and feedback from our student/staff consultative Committee suggests that opportunities should be sought to enhance communication between students and academic staff. QAA (2007) identify the importance of effective transition in “the first year experience”; which should include “personalisation of taught provision and the development of an extended transition process”. In response to this we have initiated a lunch club scheme. Findings: issues which have arisen to date • Representation at club from all yearsinitial response small • Students from all year groups mixing well • Class reps very supportive • Year 4 students who buddy 1st years use this forum to meet up. • Students have raised issues with tutors, e.g; timetables, web CT, placements, Graduate Diploma students issues
In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic... more In the UK nineteen million people, approximately one third of the population, live with a chronic illness. (DoH 2005).This trend is rising and with increasing life expectancy will continue to do so. The cystic fibrosis population of eight thousand in the UK forms part of this group (CF Trust 2008) The term “expert patient” is currently a very topical one, with health professionals acknowledging that patients with chronic conditions are often more knowledgeable about their disease than they are. This is almost always the case in CF as most people with CF have a diagnosis within the first two years of life and thereafter spend the rest of their lives living with and managing the disease. This experience of living with a disease inevitably brings knowledge and other skills such as resourcefulness and decision making.
Clinical placements are an essential part of nurse training, but are extremely daunting, especial... more Clinical placements are an essential part of nurse training, but are extremely daunting, especially for new nursing students. This unique pocket guide provides a wealth of practical detail, tips and advice to help the student nurse get to grips with, and make the most of, their placement. The pocket-sized format means the book is extremely portable (it really will fit in a pocket!) and the ring binding allows it to be opened flat (useful when adding notes, for example). The information is presented in digestible chunks (lists, tables, bullets, even cartoons) so the reader can find the essential information really quickly without wading through pages of text there is even space to add notes specific to the particular placement. Written by recent nursing graduates based on their own experiences, reviewed by students and checked by a clinical supervisor this guidance has been produced specifically with student nurses in mind
The Nature of Nursing module aims to help students’ to develop a professional identity that is pr... more The Nature of Nursing module aims to help students’ to develop a professional identity that is principle and theory based. The module addresses the elements of nursing’s metaparadigm; nursing knowledge, professional issues and promoting health,augmented by theories of communication, which are core to the profession. At the end of the module students were asked to think creatively to portray in groups their understanding of the Nature of Nursing. We present one group’s depiction.
The somophoreslump theory suggests that after an enthusiastic first year, students experience a s... more The somophoreslump theory suggests that after an enthusiastic first year, students experience a slump in second year, which results in poorer outcomes and increased attrition rates1 QAA Enhancement theme (2008) asks, “what do we want students to get from their first year?” We asked students to reflect on their first year experience in order to identify their learning and perhaps reduce the potential for a slump during second year
This paper discusses the introduction and evaluation of peer and self assessment elements into tw... more This paper discusses the introduction and evaluation of peer and self assessment elements into two nursing modules, (one undergraduate, (UG) and one postgraduate, (PG). 40 UG nursing students and 22 PG education students participated in a Peer and self assessment exercise within their respective modules. Students evaluated the process by questionnaire and made recommendations for future modules. 32 out of 40 (80%) undergraduate & 20 out of 22 (91%) post graduate students returned the questionnaires. Over two-thirds of each group recommended introducing peer assessment into their modules. Students saw peer and self assessment as motivational, encouraging learning, and a fair and truthful method of assessment. Weaknesses were seen as possibility of personal bias, students unsure about their assessment skills and may disadvantage quiet students or those with English as a second language. Both groups felt peer feedback would further their own learning. Both groups scored their peers at ...
Introduction and background Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common genetically inherited li... more Introduction and background Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common genetically inherited life limiting condition, which currently affects around 700 people in Scotland (CF Trust 2002). The condition is caused by a gene defect and affects primarily the lungs and digestive system. Children with CF become aware that they are different from their peers, they can be small and thin as puberty usually comes late, there is often a chronic cough and lung function is substantially reduced causing restricted energy levels. Issues relating to cross infection make peer support problematic for this group. In addition, treatments and self care behaviours are substantial, time consuming and add to social isolation due to regular hospitalisation, and absences from school. Consequently this group often need practical and emotional support that would not normally be required in this age group, (Hodson et al 1993). Rationale for the study The Butterfly Trust was set up in 2002 to support sufferer...
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: End of life (EOL) care in CF is emotionally and physically challenging for those who ... more Objectives: End of life (EOL) care in CF is emotionally and physically challenging for those who are involved in formal caring as well as for patients and families. From a staff perspective, this can result in emotional distress, tensions between the CF and ward teams and frustration in managing patient distress and complex symptoms. In order to address some of these issues we instigated a collaborative CF palliative care (CFPC) support group.We report the progress to date of this group. The aims of the group were to: • Critically reflect on recent complex deaths and learn from them • Allow staff to have a voice and contribute to PC decision making • Provide emotional support during and following EOL care • Enhance education and understanding of evidence-based
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: The in-patient ward round, which involves a bedside visit by members of the multidisc... more Objectives: The in-patient ward round, which involves a bedside visit by members of the multidisciplinary team to discuss treatment, progress and discharge plans, is central to the patient experience. However, its impact upon patients is often underestimated [1]. Research suggests that patients can feel anxious or dissatisfied with this vital clinical activity, as echoed by some patients in our Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Service. Our aim was to gain a better understanding of patient perspectives of our in-house ward round with a view to service improvement, if needed.
Journal of Research in Nursing, 2016
Dissemination of findings in health sciences research can take many forms, but is usually through... more Dissemination of findings in health sciences research can take many forms, but is usually through publication in peer-reviewed journals and oral and poster presentations at conferences and events. One of the challenges for the researcher is how to get the message across with maximum impact; poetry is one means of achieving this. The reviewed paper fell into my inbox on the same week that I presented a seminar on the use of poetry to convey emotions in Masters and Doctoral work (CRFR, 2015; MacDonald, 2015). This paper resonates strongly with this theme and has two purposes: to disseminate the research data in a way that is meaningful and exposes the participant voice; and to explore reflexivity and emotion in relation to the role of the researcher in qualitative research.
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis
Objectives: We present a case study which raises several ethical issues as to refer or not to ref... more Objectives: We present a case study which raises several ethical issues as to refer or not to refer and seek discussion and debate within this session. Currently in the UK there are 321 patients on the active lung transplant list. With a shortfall of available suitable organs, not all patients will receive a transplant. Up to 1 in 6 patients on the active lung transplant list die or become too sick to receive a graft. Successful transplant can achieve a 60% survival to 5 years. Contraindications to transplant can be physical and or psychosocial. This limited supply highlights the responsibility of CF teams to have consensus on referring candidates that are most likely to benefit from receiving this limited resource. The CF team need to be honest with patients and give a realistic account of process, outcomes and survival before a referral is made.
Journal of Research in Nursing
International Practice Development Journal