Stephen Cavanagh | University of Massachusetts Amherst (original) (raw)

Papers by Stephen Cavanagh

Research paper thumbnail of Electronic health record: implementation across the Michigan Academic Consortium

Computers, informatics, nursing : CIN

The Michigan Academic Consortium of academic nurse-managed primary care centers supported member ... more The Michigan Academic Consortium of academic nurse-managed primary care centers supported member sites to venture into computer-based advances with the potential to improve quality of health services and students' educational experiences. The experiences of this consortium as it incorporated electronic health records in tandem with an electronic patient management system at several of its member sites reveal the benefits and challenges of such an endeavor. The processes of selection, adoption, and implementation of the electronic health record are discussed in this article. Many lessons learned in the process are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Grading scales used in the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a critical review

The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 2002

The use of grading scales to predict clinical outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrha... more The use of grading scales to predict clinical outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is commonplace. In recent times management of aSAH patients has developed such that surgical intervention is taking place earlier in the course of the illness. Given the complex and multifactoral clinical picture of these patients, there is an increased impetus to examine and reevaluate the relative merits and predictive characteristics of grading scales. The measurement characteristics and predictive power of the following instruments were reviewed: Fisher Scale (FS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS), Hunt and Hess (HH) Scale, Karnovsky Performance Scale (KPS), and the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) Scale. No uniformly conclusive findings were found when the HH Scale, GCS, and WFNS Scale were used to predict clinical outcomes. No instrument consistently outperformed any other across age or severity. Contradictory findings were reported. D...

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of a New Deanship for Two Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows

Nursing Clinics of North America, 2012

With the graying of the professoriate, many deans in nursing are moving toward retirement, which ... more With the graying of the professoriate, many deans in nursing are moving toward retirement, which provides an opportunity for emerging leaders to move into deanships. New deans move through predictable stages and enjoy a honeymoon, allowing for some mistakes that might not be tolerated later. Early wins are essential in addition to planned changes so as not to overwhelm faculty with change. It is critical to learn the new culture, identify leaders, perform a thorough assessment as the basis for a strategic plan, and be honest and transparent. The ability to mobilize a cohesive, functioning team is critical to success.

Research paper thumbnail of Matching instructional preference and teaching styles: a review of the literature

Nurse Education Today, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of Stress in student midwives: an occupational perspective

British Journal of Midwifery, 1997

Research paper thumbnail of Educational sourcesof stress in midwifery students

Nurse Education Today, 1997

This article presents the findings of a study that investigated educational sources of stress amo... more This article presents the findings of a study that investigated educational sources of stress among student midwives working in England. The study set out to address the question, what are the clinical and educational experiences that can give rise to stress? Students were invited to complete a 45-item questionnaire which asked them to identify the extent to which a particular statement, in their experience, led to feelings of stress. There were four categories of response: 'not at all', 'a little', 'much' and 'very much'. Responses from 199 students (127 preregistration and 72 preregistration (shortened)) were obtained. Factor analysis was used to determine the structure of the data set, and two factors emerged. Factor 1, accounting for 29.6% of variance, was labelled 'organizational and learning experience' sources of stress, while factor 2, accounting for 6.6% of variance, was labelled 'home and family' sources of stress. Further analysis on those items that were reported as having proportionately large numbers of students responding 'very much' was performed. Results from three items, 'insufficient time to carry out assignments', "dealing with study vs. home/personal demands', and while on placements being exposed to "life and death situations', were found to be significantly different between preregistration and preregistration (shortened) students. These findings suggest that a wide variety of events cause students stress. While clinical sources of stress may be expected to exist, it must also be recognized that relationships with tutorial staff and aspects of the learning environment within colleges can also lead to stress.

Research paper thumbnail of Content analysis: concepts, methods and applications

Research paper thumbnail of The assessment ofstudent nurse learning styles using the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory

Nurse Education Today, 1995

The learning styles of 192 Registered General Nursing/DipHE students was determined using the Kol... more The learning styles of 192 Registered General Nursing/DipHE students was determined using the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory prior to the students having any formal contact with lecturing staff. The percentage of students having a predominantly concrete learning style was 53.7%, while 46.3% were predominantly reflective. This finding is in keeping with those of Laschinger & Boss (1984), who suggest that they are supportive of Kolb's theoretical tenet that concrete learners tend to choose people-oriented professions. Chi-squared tests were used to determine if the respondent's learning styles varied with either age, sex or having been in employment prior to becoming a nursing student; no statistically significant associations were found. A further chi-squared analysis was performed to see if there was a relationship between learning style and those students who possessed: 1) only the DC test, 2) O-levels as highest qualifications, and 3) A-levels as highest qualifications--no statistically significant associations were found. There remain measurement problems with the Kolb inventory, and a discussion of some of these issues are presented. The findings have reinforced the need for using a variety of delivery styles with students, with an emphasis on participation and experiential learning. This need for variety is essential given the distribution of learning styles found with the students. Nurse educators are urged to re-examine perceptions and assumptions about student learning needs.

Research paper thumbnail of Stroke-Specific FIM Models in an Urban Population

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 2000

Data from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are important outcome measures in the stroke ... more Data from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are important outcome measures in the stroke population undergoing rehabilitation. The FIM consists of 18 scales scored from 1 to 7; higher numbers mean greater ability. Several different scores can be obtained from the FIM: a total score (sum of all the scales), individual scale scores, and a physical and cognitive score (a two-dimensional interpretation). Research has shown that FIM data can have multidimensional components. That implies different groupings of scales may exist and with this the possibility of developing more sophisticated and robust measures within stroke populations. This study examined the multidimensional aspects of FIM using an urban sample of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. We found a three-dimensional FIM solution for both stroke groups that included self-care, cognitive function, and toileting as the major grouping of scales. These findings confirm a multidimensional nature of FIM scores and show a condition-specific pattern of FIM scores in stroke patients. This knowledge will help nurses, clinicians, and researchers develop more sensitive ways of recording care outcomes; improved prediction of stroke outcomes may also emerge from this knowledge.

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational Stress in Neurosurgery: An Exploratory Study

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 1992

Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. In particular, compari... more Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. In particular, comparisons between practice areas such as the intensive care unit (ICU) and medical-surgical unit have attempted to identify what factors are stressful, and whether some nursing environments are more stressful than others. Such studies have led to inconclusive findings. While many practice areas have been studied, the neurosurgical ICU and neuromedical/neurosurgical units have largely been overlooked. Using interviews, this exploratory study examined aspects of nursing perceived as stressful by staff members working in ICU and medical-surgical units in a neuroscience center. Findings suggested that patient care, communication, workload, management and supervision, organizational and personal circumstances are major sources of stress. These findings are in keeping with studies of stress conducted in national and international non-neurosurgical nursing practice areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Nursing Process in Psychiatry

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1993

Research paper thumbnail of Economics of Health Care Financing: The Visible Hand

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1993

Contents PART ONE: MARKETS AND MARKET FAILURE IN HEALTH CARE Health Care Financing Reforms: Movin... more Contents PART ONE: MARKETS AND MARKET FAILURE IN HEALTH CARE Health Care Financing Reforms: Moving into the New Millenium Markets and Health Care: The Basic Theory Market Failure in Health Care PART TWO: HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND THEIR OBJECTIVES ...

Research paper thumbnail of Staff turnover among hospital nurses

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1992

Nursmg stafif tumover remams a fmanaal concem to public as well as pnvate mstitutions, and it has... more Nursmg stafif tumover remams a fmanaal concem to public as well as pnvate mstitutions, and it has an impact on stafif morale and workmg practices Evidence suggests that staff tumover could also have a detrimental effect on patient care Numerous studies have exammed the reasons why staff leave their jobs, but these have often produced conflictmg findmgs and have frequently rebed upon bivanate correlation or multiple regression techniques The availability of analytical techniques such as structural modelhng provides an opportunity to examme several aspects of tumover behaviour simultaneously, and overcome some of the methodological difhculties encountered by pnor research This study involved 221 female nurses workmg full-time m hospitals to exanune aspects of the nursmg tumover model Usmg modellmg techniques, this current study found job satisfaction and participation at work to be important vanables m the tumover process This is m keepmg with other models of nursmg tumover BACKGROUND methodological difidculties (Van der Merwe & Miller

Research paper thumbnail of Predictors of nursing staff turnover

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1990

CAVANAGH S J (1990) Journal of Advanced Nursing 15, 373-380 Predictors of nursing stafif tumover ... more CAVANAGH S J (1990) Journal of Advanced Nursing 15, 373-380 Predictors of nursing stafif tumover Nursing tumover is of great concem to patients, management and the profession, and numerous studies have been conducted to increase understanding about this phenomenon Most of these, however, have focused on stafif nurses in the public sector, httle is known about nurse manager tumover or the charactenstics of nurses leaving the pnvate hospital sector The purpose of this study was to examine tumover of staff nurses and nurse managers m both the public and pnvate hospital sectors Vanables which appeared to have a consistant relationship with nurse tumover were identified from the hterature, and multiple regression methods were used to attempt to identify vanables which could be used to predict tumover behaviour of staff nurses and nurse managers This study encountered methodological difficulties similar to those which have plagued previous studies, nevertheless, a clearer picture of nursing tumover is emerging

Research paper thumbnail of Nursing turnover: literature review and methodological critique

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1989

CAVANAGH S J (1989) Joumal of Advanced Nursing 14,587-596 Nursing turnover: research review and m... more CAVANAGH S J (1989) Joumal of Advanced Nursing 14,587-596 Nursing turnover: research review and methodological critique Turnover represents a major problem for nursmg and health care in terms of cost, the ability to care for patients and the quabty of care given As a result, turnover has been the subject of a large number of lnveshgations, both in nursmg and non-nursmg fields However, many of the artides pubbshed report conflicting finelmgs A further compbcation is the vanety of methodologies researchers have used, there has been bttle agreement on definition, measurement or reportmg strategies This has led to considerable confusion when attemptmg to compare studies This artide reviews what is currently understood about nursmg turnover from an organizational perspective, and exammes some of the methodological considerahons surrounebng the study of nursmg turnover Histoncally, nursmg turnover research appears to have rehed heavily on studies conducted m nonnursmg areas for methodological guidance References to non-nursmg stuebes are therefore important and are reported where appropnate

Research paper thumbnail of Utilizing research findings in nursing: policy and practice considerations

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1996

Research paper thumbnail of The conflict management style of staff nurses and nurse managers

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1991

CA V AN AGH S ] (1991) Journal of Advanced Nursmg 16,1254Nursmg 16, -1260 The conflict management... more CA V AN AGH S ] (1991) Journal of Advanced Nursmg 16,1254Nursmg 16, -1260 The conflict management style of staff nurses and nurse managers Conflict IS recognized as bemg a common occurrence in both everyday personal and professionai nursmg life, and it is now generally agreed that conflict can be both problemahc and |>otenhally benefiaal to both individuals and organizations There is a large amount of anecdotal and narrative bterature about the nature and sources of conflict which fails to reflect upon the complexities and theoretical perspectives that exist There are also few research studies which examme the nature of nursmg conflict and how conflict is managed by nurses m the workplace This study presents a review of some aspects of conflict and its management and specifically mvestigates the conflict management style of stafiF nurses and nurse managers in the hospitai sethng The results suggest that avoidance is the most commonly used conflict management strategy, with compehhon bemg the least favoured

Research paper thumbnail of Job satisfaction of nursing staff working in hospitals

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1992

CAVANAGH S J (1992) Jottmal of Advanced Nurstng 17, 704-711 Job satisfaction ot nursing stafiF wo... more CAVANAGH S J (1992) Jottmal of Advanced Nurstng 17, 704-711 Job satisfaction ot nursing stafiF working in hospitals Job sahsfaction remains an important considerahort for both employer and employee and, despite numerous mveshgations, many qu^hons about it remam unanswered Many research metholologies have been used with varymg degrees of success However, the trend is now away from simple correlational studies towards modellmg techniques Data from 221 female nurses workmg full-time m hospitals were collected usmg questionnaires dehvered with monthly salary cheques The model presented had many statistically sigruficant path coeffiaents mcludmg (m order of size) benefits, partiapation m deasion makmg, education, routme, promotion, and opporhmity for advancement outside their institution The level of salary was not found to be a stahstically significant factor m determmmg job satisfaction

Research paper thumbnail of Aspects of neurosurgical assessment using the Glasgow Coma Scale

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 1992

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational stress in neurosurgical nursing

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 1993

Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. While many practice ar... more Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. While many practice areas have been studied, the neurosurgical intensive care units (ICUs) and neuromedical/surgical units have largely been overlooked. Using interviews, this exploratory study examined aspects of neurosurgical nursing that were perceived as stressful by staff. Findings suggest that being exposed to life and death situations among young children, being short of essential resources, being on duty with too few staff and dealing with aggressive relatives constituted major stressful events. The frequency of occurrence of stressors was also investigated; working unsocial hours, being short of essential resources, being exposed to life and death situations in adults, and dealing with fluctuations in workload were cited as common happenings. Stressors perceived as having the most effect on work included being exposed to life and death situations among children and adults and being short of essential resources. Comments made by staff suggest that performance at work is adversely influenced by stress. While no neurosurgery-specific stressors were identified, the conclusion from this study is that intensely stressful events do occur in these ICUs and although such events may not happen often, they can adversely affect work performance, according to the staff involved.

Research paper thumbnail of Electronic health record: implementation across the Michigan Academic Consortium

Computers, informatics, nursing : CIN

The Michigan Academic Consortium of academic nurse-managed primary care centers supported member ... more The Michigan Academic Consortium of academic nurse-managed primary care centers supported member sites to venture into computer-based advances with the potential to improve quality of health services and students' educational experiences. The experiences of this consortium as it incorporated electronic health records in tandem with an electronic patient management system at several of its member sites reveal the benefits and challenges of such an endeavor. The processes of selection, adoption, and implementation of the electronic health record are discussed in this article. Many lessons learned in the process are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Grading scales used in the management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a critical review

The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 2002

The use of grading scales to predict clinical outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrha... more The use of grading scales to predict clinical outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is commonplace. In recent times management of aSAH patients has developed such that surgical intervention is taking place earlier in the course of the illness. Given the complex and multifactoral clinical picture of these patients, there is an increased impetus to examine and reevaluate the relative merits and predictive characteristics of grading scales. The measurement characteristics and predictive power of the following instruments were reviewed: Fisher Scale (FS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS), Hunt and Hess (HH) Scale, Karnovsky Performance Scale (KPS), and the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) Scale. No uniformly conclusive findings were found when the HH Scale, GCS, and WFNS Scale were used to predict clinical outcomes. No instrument consistently outperformed any other across age or severity. Contradictory findings were reported. D...

Research paper thumbnail of The Experience of a New Deanship for Two Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows

Nursing Clinics of North America, 2012

With the graying of the professoriate, many deans in nursing are moving toward retirement, which ... more With the graying of the professoriate, many deans in nursing are moving toward retirement, which provides an opportunity for emerging leaders to move into deanships. New deans move through predictable stages and enjoy a honeymoon, allowing for some mistakes that might not be tolerated later. Early wins are essential in addition to planned changes so as not to overwhelm faculty with change. It is critical to learn the new culture, identify leaders, perform a thorough assessment as the basis for a strategic plan, and be honest and transparent. The ability to mobilize a cohesive, functioning team is critical to success.

Research paper thumbnail of Matching instructional preference and teaching styles: a review of the literature

Nurse Education Today, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of Stress in student midwives: an occupational perspective

British Journal of Midwifery, 1997

Research paper thumbnail of Educational sourcesof stress in midwifery students

Nurse Education Today, 1997

This article presents the findings of a study that investigated educational sources of stress amo... more This article presents the findings of a study that investigated educational sources of stress among student midwives working in England. The study set out to address the question, what are the clinical and educational experiences that can give rise to stress? Students were invited to complete a 45-item questionnaire which asked them to identify the extent to which a particular statement, in their experience, led to feelings of stress. There were four categories of response: 'not at all', 'a little', 'much' and 'very much'. Responses from 199 students (127 preregistration and 72 preregistration (shortened)) were obtained. Factor analysis was used to determine the structure of the data set, and two factors emerged. Factor 1, accounting for 29.6% of variance, was labelled 'organizational and learning experience' sources of stress, while factor 2, accounting for 6.6% of variance, was labelled 'home and family' sources of stress. Further analysis on those items that were reported as having proportionately large numbers of students responding 'very much' was performed. Results from three items, 'insufficient time to carry out assignments', "dealing with study vs. home/personal demands', and while on placements being exposed to "life and death situations', were found to be significantly different between preregistration and preregistration (shortened) students. These findings suggest that a wide variety of events cause students stress. While clinical sources of stress may be expected to exist, it must also be recognized that relationships with tutorial staff and aspects of the learning environment within colleges can also lead to stress.

Research paper thumbnail of Content analysis: concepts, methods and applications

Research paper thumbnail of The assessment ofstudent nurse learning styles using the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory

Nurse Education Today, 1995

The learning styles of 192 Registered General Nursing/DipHE students was determined using the Kol... more The learning styles of 192 Registered General Nursing/DipHE students was determined using the Kolb Learning Styles Inventory prior to the students having any formal contact with lecturing staff. The percentage of students having a predominantly concrete learning style was 53.7%, while 46.3% were predominantly reflective. This finding is in keeping with those of Laschinger & Boss (1984), who suggest that they are supportive of Kolb's theoretical tenet that concrete learners tend to choose people-oriented professions. Chi-squared tests were used to determine if the respondent's learning styles varied with either age, sex or having been in employment prior to becoming a nursing student; no statistically significant associations were found. A further chi-squared analysis was performed to see if there was a relationship between learning style and those students who possessed: 1) only the DC test, 2) O-levels as highest qualifications, and 3) A-levels as highest qualifications--no statistically significant associations were found. There remain measurement problems with the Kolb inventory, and a discussion of some of these issues are presented. The findings have reinforced the need for using a variety of delivery styles with students, with an emphasis on participation and experiential learning. This need for variety is essential given the distribution of learning styles found with the students. Nurse educators are urged to re-examine perceptions and assumptions about student learning needs.

Research paper thumbnail of Stroke-Specific FIM Models in an Urban Population

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 2000

Data from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are important outcome measures in the stroke ... more Data from the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are important outcome measures in the stroke population undergoing rehabilitation. The FIM consists of 18 scales scored from 1 to 7; higher numbers mean greater ability. Several different scores can be obtained from the FIM: a total score (sum of all the scales), individual scale scores, and a physical and cognitive score (a two-dimensional interpretation). Research has shown that FIM data can have multidimensional components. That implies different groupings of scales may exist and with this the possibility of developing more sophisticated and robust measures within stroke populations. This study examined the multidimensional aspects of FIM using an urban sample of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. We found a three-dimensional FIM solution for both stroke groups that included self-care, cognitive function, and toileting as the major grouping of scales. These findings confirm a multidimensional nature of FIM scores and show a condition-specific pattern of FIM scores in stroke patients. This knowledge will help nurses, clinicians, and researchers develop more sensitive ways of recording care outcomes; improved prediction of stroke outcomes may also emerge from this knowledge.

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational Stress in Neurosurgery: An Exploratory Study

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 1992

Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. In particular, compari... more Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. In particular, comparisons between practice areas such as the intensive care unit (ICU) and medical-surgical unit have attempted to identify what factors are stressful, and whether some nursing environments are more stressful than others. Such studies have led to inconclusive findings. While many practice areas have been studied, the neurosurgical ICU and neuromedical/neurosurgical units have largely been overlooked. Using interviews, this exploratory study examined aspects of nursing perceived as stressful by staff members working in ICU and medical-surgical units in a neuroscience center. Findings suggested that patient care, communication, workload, management and supervision, organizational and personal circumstances are major sources of stress. These findings are in keeping with studies of stress conducted in national and international non-neurosurgical nursing practice areas.

Research paper thumbnail of The Nursing Process in Psychiatry

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1993

Research paper thumbnail of Economics of Health Care Financing: The Visible Hand

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1993

Contents PART ONE: MARKETS AND MARKET FAILURE IN HEALTH CARE Health Care Financing Reforms: Movin... more Contents PART ONE: MARKETS AND MARKET FAILURE IN HEALTH CARE Health Care Financing Reforms: Moving into the New Millenium Markets and Health Care: The Basic Theory Market Failure in Health Care PART TWO: HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND THEIR OBJECTIVES ...

Research paper thumbnail of Staff turnover among hospital nurses

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1992

Nursmg stafif tumover remams a fmanaal concem to public as well as pnvate mstitutions, and it has... more Nursmg stafif tumover remams a fmanaal concem to public as well as pnvate mstitutions, and it has an impact on stafif morale and workmg practices Evidence suggests that staff tumover could also have a detrimental effect on patient care Numerous studies have exammed the reasons why staff leave their jobs, but these have often produced conflictmg findmgs and have frequently rebed upon bivanate correlation or multiple regression techniques The availability of analytical techniques such as structural modelhng provides an opportunity to examme several aspects of tumover behaviour simultaneously, and overcome some of the methodological difhculties encountered by pnor research This study involved 221 female nurses workmg full-time m hospitals to exanune aspects of the nursmg tumover model Usmg modellmg techniques, this current study found job satisfaction and participation at work to be important vanables m the tumover process This is m keepmg with other models of nursmg tumover BACKGROUND methodological difidculties (Van der Merwe & Miller

Research paper thumbnail of Predictors of nursing staff turnover

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1990

CAVANAGH S J (1990) Journal of Advanced Nursing 15, 373-380 Predictors of nursing stafif tumover ... more CAVANAGH S J (1990) Journal of Advanced Nursing 15, 373-380 Predictors of nursing stafif tumover Nursing tumover is of great concem to patients, management and the profession, and numerous studies have been conducted to increase understanding about this phenomenon Most of these, however, have focused on stafif nurses in the public sector, httle is known about nurse manager tumover or the charactenstics of nurses leaving the pnvate hospital sector The purpose of this study was to examine tumover of staff nurses and nurse managers m both the public and pnvate hospital sectors Vanables which appeared to have a consistant relationship with nurse tumover were identified from the hterature, and multiple regression methods were used to attempt to identify vanables which could be used to predict tumover behaviour of staff nurses and nurse managers This study encountered methodological difficulties similar to those which have plagued previous studies, nevertheless, a clearer picture of nursing tumover is emerging

Research paper thumbnail of Nursing turnover: literature review and methodological critique

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1989

CAVANAGH S J (1989) Joumal of Advanced Nursing 14,587-596 Nursing turnover: research review and m... more CAVANAGH S J (1989) Joumal of Advanced Nursing 14,587-596 Nursing turnover: research review and methodological critique Turnover represents a major problem for nursmg and health care in terms of cost, the ability to care for patients and the quabty of care given As a result, turnover has been the subject of a large number of lnveshgations, both in nursmg and non-nursmg fields However, many of the artides pubbshed report conflicting finelmgs A further compbcation is the vanety of methodologies researchers have used, there has been bttle agreement on definition, measurement or reportmg strategies This has led to considerable confusion when attemptmg to compare studies This artide reviews what is currently understood about nursmg turnover from an organizational perspective, and exammes some of the methodological considerahons surrounebng the study of nursmg turnover Histoncally, nursmg turnover research appears to have rehed heavily on studies conducted m nonnursmg areas for methodological guidance References to non-nursmg stuebes are therefore important and are reported where appropnate

Research paper thumbnail of Utilizing research findings in nursing: policy and practice considerations

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1996

Research paper thumbnail of The conflict management style of staff nurses and nurse managers

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1991

CA V AN AGH S ] (1991) Journal of Advanced Nursmg 16,1254Nursmg 16, -1260 The conflict management... more CA V AN AGH S ] (1991) Journal of Advanced Nursmg 16,1254Nursmg 16, -1260 The conflict management style of staff nurses and nurse managers Conflict IS recognized as bemg a common occurrence in both everyday personal and professionai nursmg life, and it is now generally agreed that conflict can be both problemahc and |>otenhally benefiaal to both individuals and organizations There is a large amount of anecdotal and narrative bterature about the nature and sources of conflict which fails to reflect upon the complexities and theoretical perspectives that exist There are also few research studies which examme the nature of nursmg conflict and how conflict is managed by nurses m the workplace This study presents a review of some aspects of conflict and its management and specifically mvestigates the conflict management style of stafiF nurses and nurse managers in the hospitai sethng The results suggest that avoidance is the most commonly used conflict management strategy, with compehhon bemg the least favoured

Research paper thumbnail of Job satisfaction of nursing staff working in hospitals

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1992

CAVANAGH S J (1992) Jottmal of Advanced Nurstng 17, 704-711 Job satisfaction ot nursing stafiF wo... more CAVANAGH S J (1992) Jottmal of Advanced Nurstng 17, 704-711 Job satisfaction ot nursing stafiF working in hospitals Job sahsfaction remains an important considerahort for both employer and employee and, despite numerous mveshgations, many qu^hons about it remam unanswered Many research metholologies have been used with varymg degrees of success However, the trend is now away from simple correlational studies towards modellmg techniques Data from 221 female nurses workmg full-time m hospitals were collected usmg questionnaires dehvered with monthly salary cheques The model presented had many statistically sigruficant path coeffiaents mcludmg (m order of size) benefits, partiapation m deasion makmg, education, routme, promotion, and opporhmity for advancement outside their institution The level of salary was not found to be a stahstically significant factor m determmmg job satisfaction

Research paper thumbnail of Aspects of neurosurgical assessment using the Glasgow Coma Scale

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 1992

Research paper thumbnail of Occupational stress in neurosurgical nursing

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 1993

Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. While many practice ar... more Occupational stress in nursing has been a popular topic for investigation. While many practice areas have been studied, the neurosurgical intensive care units (ICUs) and neuromedical/surgical units have largely been overlooked. Using interviews, this exploratory study examined aspects of neurosurgical nursing that were perceived as stressful by staff. Findings suggest that being exposed to life and death situations among young children, being short of essential resources, being on duty with too few staff and dealing with aggressive relatives constituted major stressful events. The frequency of occurrence of stressors was also investigated; working unsocial hours, being short of essential resources, being exposed to life and death situations in adults, and dealing with fluctuations in workload were cited as common happenings. Stressors perceived as having the most effect on work included being exposed to life and death situations among children and adults and being short of essential resources. Comments made by staff suggest that performance at work is adversely influenced by stress. While no neurosurgery-specific stressors were identified, the conclusion from this study is that intensely stressful events do occur in these ICUs and although such events may not happen often, they can adversely affect work performance, according to the staff involved.