Issue
Only a few programs are designed to help couples to cope with the effects of prostate cancer, and typically only their intervention outcomes are reported. The purpose of this study was to assess prostate cancer patients’ and their spouses’ satisfaction with an efficacious supportive-educative, family-based intervention, and factors associated with their satisfaction. We assessed the relationship of overall satisfaction with the intervention to 1) the patients’ and spouses’ appraisal and the resource and quality of life baseline scores and 2) changes in those scores after completing the intervention.
Findings
Results showed participants were very satisfied with the program. Patients who had higher scores on baseline measures, indicating more positive appraisal of their illness, better use of resources (e.g., coping, self-efficacy), and higher overall quality of life, reported more satisfaction with the intervention. For spouses, few baseline measures were related to their satisfaction; however, spouses who reported positive changes following intervention (less negative appraisal and uncertainty, better communication) reported higher satisfaction with the program.
Conclusion
Although satisfied with the program, factors associated with patients’ and spouses’ satisfaction differed. In order to translate effective interventions to clinical practice settings, it is important to assess participants’ satisfaction with program content and delivery as well as program outcomes.
The need for experienced healthcare professionals to work with older adults is great, yet educational training is limited. In this interprofessional education (IPE) study, 861 students from five professions made 293 visits in the homes or preferred community settings of 208 older adults. Surveys with quantitative and open-text feedback assessed attitudes towards older adults, IPE team functioning, and the value of home visits. Survey results showed strongly positive attitudes towards ageing and older adults. Students from all professions expressed surprise and admiration for the active lives led by these healthier older adults, lives clearly in contrast to stereotypes of ageing. They further acknowledged the value of collaborative team functioning in meeting older adult needs, learned more about the roles and responsibilities of other professions, and identified strengths of the home as a site for care. Students positively valued the experience as part of their professional training, with 82% of all students stating they would welcome additional IPE opportunities. Results suggest that an experiential IPE activity can positively shape student attitudes towards older adults, IPE, and interprofessional collaboration.
The ability to clearly express complex ideas in writing is necessary for nurses in professional practice at all levels from novice to expert. The community health nursing course is specially designated as writing intensive to provide students with the experience of preparing a major scholarly paper. To address issues of poor paper quality and grade inflation we implemented a program including a writing workshop for faculty, a revision of the grading rubric, and a system of blind review for grading student papers. Changes resulted in a major shift in paper grades which more closely reflects the actual quality of the work.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.