Background: Parenting can be challenging, and in this digital age, first-time parents actively access mobile applications or "apps" to adjust to their new roles. Apps are now technologically-savvy parents' go-to tool for accessing information, tracking their babies' development, editing and sharing photos, and much more.While apps have the potential to make parenting easier, the abundance of low-quality apps makes the process of finding a reliable one arduous for parents. Therefore, the objective of this app review paper was to provide a list of quality parenting apps that parents can use. Methods:The Google Play Store was searched on June 1st, 2018 for available parenting apps using 18 search terms: mum, mom, mommy, mama, mother, father, dad, daddy, papa, newborn, baby, infant, kid, child, children, family, parent, and parenting. The eligible apps (n=16) were evaluated on engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information domains using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS).Results: The authors identified 4,300 free apps on the initial search, of which n=16 apps were included in the review. All 16 apps were freely available to the public on Google Play Store. Most apps (n=13) were also available on the iOS platform. All eligible apps had a privacy policy, and half of the apps contained advertisements. Most apps (n=12) were updated within the last year and received 4.5 or above ratings from users. Babybrains app, developed by a neuroscientist, had the lowest number of downloads (one thousand) whereas, BabyCenter, a commercial app, had the highest number of downloads (ten million). A majority of apps (n=11) received MARS scores between 4.2 and 4.4/5, with four apps received highest MARS score of 4.5/5, and one app received the lowest MARS rating of 4/5. Conclusions: Apps play an increasingly important role in supporting new parents in their first year of parenthood due to convenience and ease of accessibility. Health care professionals are in an ideal position to support technologically savvy parents in locating good quality apps; therefore, they should support the evaluation of existing parenting apps to ensure that the parents are presented with the up to date and best options.
This article provides an overview of the care of patients undergoing limb amputation. Absence of a limb can be congenital or the result of trauma or complications of chronic diseases. While the economic burden of limb amputation is significant, nurses have an important role in limiting other losses attributable to limb loss, such as long-term disability leading to loss of employment and delayed return to work or school. Comprehensive nursing assessments and appropriate interventions, pre and post-operatively, as well as early discharge planning and community reintegration can help avoid some of these losses. Nurses should be aware of the resources available in communities and work in multidisciplinary teams to ensure optimal outcomes for patients following limb amputation and their families.
Parent's use of apps to support their parenting is on the rise. The purpose of this narrative review of the literature is to explore the characteristics of research on parents' app use in the first year of parenthood, types of apps available to parents, and the factors that encourage or discourage parents' app use. A narrative review of the literature and thematic analysis of the full-text English language articles between January 2000 and December 2019 relating to parents' use of apps in the first year of parenthood was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature using seven academic databases: CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, SocINDEX with Full Text, PsychINFO, Academic Search Complete, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Forty-one articles were included based on prespecified eligibility criteria. The majority (n=30) discussed a parenting app or mHealth intervention that included an app. Most studies (n=15) recruited women as participants and were conducted in Australia (n=10). Thematic analysis of the eligible articles (n=41) revealed four themes: (I) increased app use related to shifts in parenting trends; (II) types of apps available to parents; (III) apps to overcome the digital divide; and (IV) factors encouraging or discouraging app use. Although numerous literature reviews have been conducted to explore parents' use of online resources, none of the reviews specifically focus on mobile apps developed to support parents in the first year of parenthood. This research advocates that health professionals and researchers should find alternatives to standardized means of delivering and developing parenting social support to fulfill contemporary parents' needs.
Background: Contemporary parents use mobile applications or "apps" to resolve their day-to-day parenting concerns. However, research suggests an abundance of low-quality apps makes the app searching process arduous for parents, therefore, there is a need to develop a resource that supports parents' search for apps. Methods:The study aimed at engaging parents in co-developing a parenting app directory and codesigning Webpages to feature the directory. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 18 firsttime Canadian parents to develop the parenting app directory. Participatory design was used to co-create Webpage prototypes (landing or main Webpage and the app description page) with 3 first-time Canadian parents.Results: Twelve apps that met the eligibility criteria were included in the parenting app directory. Parents supported the idea of creating an app directory and recommended sharing the link in perinatal classes.During design sessions, parents stressed the importance of an organized user interface, providing less but the best choices to ease the search process for apps, reducing the number of clicks to save time, and mobile optimization of the Website to accommodate different screen sizes.Conclusions: Contemporary parents' use of apps is growing significantly; therefore, clinicians should support parents' search for quality apps and guide them accordingly. Parents can provide insight into design principles that can be used in developing appealing parenting app resources. Parents should be involved in designing future resources as they can significantly contribute to ensuring a resource is useful.
Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a neuropathic pain condition occurring after amputation of a limb. PLP affects amputees' quality of life and results in loss of productivity and psychological distress. The origin of pain from a non-existing limb creates a challenging situation for both patients and nurses. It is imperative to provide patients and nurses with the knowledge that PLP is a real phenomenon that requires care and treatment. This knowledge will lead to reduced problems for patients by allowing them to talk about PLP and ask for help when needed. Understanding of this phenomenon will enable nurses to appreciate the unique features of this form of neuropathic pain and apply appropriate techniques to promote effective pain management. Performing accurate and frequent assessments to understand the unique characteristics of PLP, displaying a non-judgemental attitude towards patients and teaching throughout the peri-operative process are significant nursing interventions.
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