Linda O'Mara - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Linda O'Mara

CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 2005

The use of mobile computing (MC), such as Tablet computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs)... more The use of mobile computing (MC), such as Tablet computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) in particular, has grown substantially over the past 5 years in healthcare practice. A 2003 survey of PDA users in the United States indicated that 11% of owners are in the healthcare industry. 1 Physicians appeared to be heavy users, 2,3 although advanced practice nurses 4,5 and visiting nurses 6 also have increased adoption of MC.

Nurse Education in Practice, 2003

&... more "You need to develop more confidence" is a common refrain noted by students and faculty alike. As nurse educators, we believe that encouraging students to develop their professional confidence is an important role. Moreover, the nursing profession demands that nursing care be delivered with confidence. Although the importance of professional confidence is acknowledged in the literature, there is surprisingly little written about its development or strategies that promote professional confidence in nursing education. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the meaning and influences on professional confidence as perceived by nursing students enrolled in a four year generic baccalaureate nursing program. Focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis method. The meaning of professional confidence involved: feeling, knowing, believing, accepting, doing, looking, becoming, and evolving. Positive and negative influences in developing professional confidence centered around two time periods, prior to entering nursing, and within the nursing program. Students identified strategies to assist themselves in developing professional confidence. Faculty development is one recommendation for faculty.

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 2008

Adolescents with cancer have social support needs that are challenging to meet. A qualitative des... more Adolescents with cancer have social support needs that are challenging to meet. A qualitative descriptive study was done using in-person interviews with 11 participants between the ages of 14 and 20. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe adolescent's perceptions of a teen support group. Two main themes emerged: Satisfying Elements and Challenges in the teen group. The subthemes under Satisfying Elements include participants being able to talk to others who "just know," sharing experiences while having fun as a normal teenager, and giving or receiving inspiration. Subthemes under Challenges as identified by participants include ensuring that activities during teen events meet the needs of all participants and dealing with the death of a group member. Study findings suggest that adolescent's feel supported when they are among others in similar circumstances while engaging in normal activity. Offering this type of group for adolescents with cancer provides them with the ongoing opportunities for connection with their peers that is often needed throughout the treatment journey.

Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 2014

Family-centered care is integral to pediatric nursing practice, and includes supporting parents t... more Family-centered care is integral to pediatric nursing practice, and includes supporting parents to participate in their hospitalized child's care. Research to date suggests that parents' actual participation in care may differ from their desired participation in care, and that such discrepancies may cause parental distress. Supporting parental participation in a way that facilitates congruency between actual and desired participation may contribute to a satisfying experience for families of hospitalized children. This cross-sectional study measured parents' actual and desired level of participation in care of their hospitalized child and examined the congruency between them. Participants (N = 191), the majority of whom were mothers, provided demographic data and completed two instruments measuring desired and actual participation in care. Study results indicate a significant difference between parents' actual and desired participation (t = -9.382, df = 190, p < 0.0001). The majority of parents expressed a desire to increase their participation. The care activities in which these parents participated are described, including providing comfort, assisting with activities of daily living and advocating for their child. Nurses caring for hospitalized children and their families need to remember that parental preferences for participation will vary, and they need to be prepared to support parents' participation at the level parents choose. Understanding congruency between actual and desired levels of participation can promote awareness of parents' preferences for participation.

Implementation Science, 2009

BACKGROUND: Adoption of limits on resident work hours prompted us to develop a centralized, Web-b... more BACKGROUND: Adoption of limits on resident work hours prompted us to develop a centralized, Web-based computerized rounding and sign-out system (UWCores) that securely stores sign-out information; automatically downloads patient data (vital signs, laboratories); and prints them to rounding, sign-out, and progress note templates. We tested the hypothesis that this tool would positively impact continuity of care and resident workflow by improving team communication involving patient handovers and streamlining inefficiencies, such as hand-copying patient data during work before rounds ("prerounds"). STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen inpatient resident teams (6 general surgery, 8 internal medicine) at two teaching hospitals participated in a 5-month, prospective, randomized, crossover study. Data collected included number of patients missed on resident rounds, subjective continuity of care quality and workflow efficiency with and without UWCores, and daily self-reported prerounding and rounding times and tasks.

Implementation Science, 2009

Background: A knowledge broker (KB) is a popular knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) strateg... more Background: A knowledge broker (KB) is a popular knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) strategy emerging in Canada to promote interaction between researchers and end users, as well as to develop capacity for evidence-informed decision making. A KB provides a link between research producers and end users by developing a mutual understanding of goals and cultures, collaborates with end users to identify issues and problems for which solutions are required, and facilitates the identification, access, assessment, interpretation, and translation of research evidence into local policy and practice. Knowledge-brokering can be carried out by individuals, groups and/or organizations, as well as entire countries. In each case, the KB is linked with a group of end users and focuses on promoting the integration of the best available evidence into policy and practice-related decisions.

BMC Health Services Research, 2013

Background: Although there is a global movement toward health system integration and collaboratio... more Background: Although there is a global movement toward health system integration and collaboration, little is known about values, beliefs, and attitudes towards collaboration between stakeholders in public health (i.e. promotion, protection, and prevention with vulnerable groups and/or at the population level) and primary care (i.e., family practices, nurse-led clinics). The purpose of this study was to explore viewpoints of key stakeholders regarding primary care (PC) and public health (PH) collaboration in Canada.

CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 2005

The use of mobile computing (MC), such as Tablet computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs)... more The use of mobile computing (MC), such as Tablet computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) in particular, has grown substantially over the past 5 years in healthcare practice. A 2003 survey of PDA users in the United States indicated that 11% of owners are in the healthcare industry. 1 Physicians appeared to be heavy users, 2,3 although advanced practice nurses 4,5 and visiting nurses 6 also have increased adoption of MC.

Nurse Education in Practice, 2003

&... more "You need to develop more confidence" is a common refrain noted by students and faculty alike. As nurse educators, we believe that encouraging students to develop their professional confidence is an important role. Moreover, the nursing profession demands that nursing care be delivered with confidence. Although the importance of professional confidence is acknowledged in the literature, there is surprisingly little written about its development or strategies that promote professional confidence in nursing education. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the meaning and influences on professional confidence as perceived by nursing students enrolled in a four year generic baccalaureate nursing program. Focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis method. The meaning of professional confidence involved: feeling, knowing, believing, accepting, doing, looking, becoming, and evolving. Positive and negative influences in developing professional confidence centered around two time periods, prior to entering nursing, and within the nursing program. Students identified strategies to assist themselves in developing professional confidence. Faculty development is one recommendation for faculty.

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 2008

Adolescents with cancer have social support needs that are challenging to meet. A qualitative des... more Adolescents with cancer have social support needs that are challenging to meet. A qualitative descriptive study was done using in-person interviews with 11 participants between the ages of 14 and 20. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe adolescent's perceptions of a teen support group. Two main themes emerged: Satisfying Elements and Challenges in the teen group. The subthemes under Satisfying Elements include participants being able to talk to others who "just know," sharing experiences while having fun as a normal teenager, and giving or receiving inspiration. Subthemes under Challenges as identified by participants include ensuring that activities during teen events meet the needs of all participants and dealing with the death of a group member. Study findings suggest that adolescent's feel supported when they are among others in similar circumstances while engaging in normal activity. Offering this type of group for adolescents with cancer provides them with the ongoing opportunities for connection with their peers that is often needed throughout the treatment journey.

Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 2014

Family-centered care is integral to pediatric nursing practice, and includes supporting parents t... more Family-centered care is integral to pediatric nursing practice, and includes supporting parents to participate in their hospitalized child's care. Research to date suggests that parents' actual participation in care may differ from their desired participation in care, and that such discrepancies may cause parental distress. Supporting parental participation in a way that facilitates congruency between actual and desired participation may contribute to a satisfying experience for families of hospitalized children. This cross-sectional study measured parents' actual and desired level of participation in care of their hospitalized child and examined the congruency between them. Participants (N = 191), the majority of whom were mothers, provided demographic data and completed two instruments measuring desired and actual participation in care. Study results indicate a significant difference between parents' actual and desired participation (t = -9.382, df = 190, p < 0.0001). The majority of parents expressed a desire to increase their participation. The care activities in which these parents participated are described, including providing comfort, assisting with activities of daily living and advocating for their child. Nurses caring for hospitalized children and their families need to remember that parental preferences for participation will vary, and they need to be prepared to support parents' participation at the level parents choose. Understanding congruency between actual and desired levels of participation can promote awareness of parents' preferences for participation.

Implementation Science, 2009

BACKGROUND: Adoption of limits on resident work hours prompted us to develop a centralized, Web-b... more BACKGROUND: Adoption of limits on resident work hours prompted us to develop a centralized, Web-based computerized rounding and sign-out system (UWCores) that securely stores sign-out information; automatically downloads patient data (vital signs, laboratories); and prints them to rounding, sign-out, and progress note templates. We tested the hypothesis that this tool would positively impact continuity of care and resident workflow by improving team communication involving patient handovers and streamlining inefficiencies, such as hand-copying patient data during work before rounds ("prerounds"). STUDY DESIGN: Fourteen inpatient resident teams (6 general surgery, 8 internal medicine) at two teaching hospitals participated in a 5-month, prospective, randomized, crossover study. Data collected included number of patients missed on resident rounds, subjective continuity of care quality and workflow efficiency with and without UWCores, and daily self-reported prerounding and rounding times and tasks.

Implementation Science, 2009

Background: A knowledge broker (KB) is a popular knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) strateg... more Background: A knowledge broker (KB) is a popular knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) strategy emerging in Canada to promote interaction between researchers and end users, as well as to develop capacity for evidence-informed decision making. A KB provides a link between research producers and end users by developing a mutual understanding of goals and cultures, collaborates with end users to identify issues and problems for which solutions are required, and facilitates the identification, access, assessment, interpretation, and translation of research evidence into local policy and practice. Knowledge-brokering can be carried out by individuals, groups and/or organizations, as well as entire countries. In each case, the KB is linked with a group of end users and focuses on promoting the integration of the best available evidence into policy and practice-related decisions.

BMC Health Services Research, 2013

Background: Although there is a global movement toward health system integration and collaboratio... more Background: Although there is a global movement toward health system integration and collaboration, little is known about values, beliefs, and attitudes towards collaboration between stakeholders in public health (i.e. promotion, protection, and prevention with vulnerable groups and/or at the population level) and primary care (i.e., family practices, nurse-led clinics). The purpose of this study was to explore viewpoints of key stakeholders regarding primary care (PC) and public health (PH) collaboration in Canada.