The research base for intramuscular injection is limited. Studies on various aspects of the procedure need to be carried out to provide support for clinical guidelines.

Although fatigue has been identified as a major problem for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and with asthma, no research was found in which the symptom was directly studied in persons with these conditions. From studies carried out on various patient populations, it appears that fatigue has some specificity to disease state. Thus, it is important to describe the experience of fatigue within patient populations. To expand theoretical understanding of fatigue, qualitative research methods need to be applied. The purpose of this study therefore was to describe and compare the fatigue experiences of persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=17) and with asthma (n=19). Data were obtained by use of a semi-structured questionnaire and were content analysed for categories and themes. There were many similarities between the fatigue experiences of the two groups. Fatigue is inextricably linked to laboured breathing. Although it interferes with their ability to carry out meaningful activities, the majority of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma cope well with it. The informants identified two types of coping strategies they use to manage their situation, which may be categorized as: problem-focused, including energy conservation, utilization and restoration; and emotion-focused, including being positive, accepting the physical limitations, distracting and normalizing.

Asthma is the most common chronic illness of childhood. It is a leading cause of school absenteeism and accounts for a major portion of pediatric admissions to emergency departments and hospitals. When a child is diagnosed with asthma, parents become responsible for the long-term management of a chronic condition that may be characterized by unpredictable and irregular episodes.Most of the research concerning parents and childhood asthma is focussed on mothers. The small number of studies in which mothers and fathers were compared revealed that differences do exist between their experiences and responses. Paternal perspectives and experiences of caring for a child with asthma have been sparsely explored.This phenomenological study used van Manen's (1994) method of inquiry to explore the lived experience of fathers who have children with asthma. A sample of eight fathers with children aged 7 to 11 years who had been diagnosed with asthma were interviewed in order to find out what their experiences were like. From the analysis of the interview data, five themes were identified: feeling relief in knowing the diagnosis, learning the ropes, living with concern, being vigilant, and being comfortable with asthma management. The findings from this study have implications for nursing practice, education, and research. Understanding the experience of fathers who have children with asthma, and gaining insight into their needs and concerns is a first step to providing supportive nursing care. It is important to include fathers in future research studies and examine their unique experience in parenting ill children. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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