Nursing Praxis in New Zealand
Vol. 17 No.2 - July 2001

EDITORIAL

Abstracts of Articles published in this volume:

Elaine Papps,
(Re)positioning Nursing: Watch This Space

Pamela Wood & Lynne Giddings
Surveys in Nursing Research: An Interview with Janice McDrury

Jill Clendon & Karen McBride
Public Health Nurses in New Zealand: The Impact of Invisibility

Christine Stephens, Jenny Carryer & Claire Budge
Decisions about Starting and Ceasing HRT Use: Information Needs of Women

Margeret Woodbridge
The Increasing Use of Cannabis in Family Settings - A Nursing Concern

(RE)POSITIONING NURSING: WATCH THIS SPACE
Elaine Papps, RGON, PhD, FCNA (NZ)
Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, Otago Polytechnic

Abstract
This paper traces the emergence of categories of nurse over the last hundred years from the time that the Nurses Registration Act became law in 1901. Insights from the work of Michel Foucault are utilised to show how nurses and nursing have been historically shaped and positioned. It is suggested that the recent endorsement by the Nursing Council of New Zealand of the concept and title of Nurse Practitioner represents an opportunity for nurses to imagine what might be.
Key Words: Nurse practitioner, nursing history, nursing regulation, Foucault
Article Order No: 172A

 

SURVEYS IN NURSING RESEARCH:
AN INTERVIEW WITH JANICE MCDRURY
Pamela J. Wood, RGON, PhD, Senior Lecturer
Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery, Victoria University of Wellington
Lynne S. Giddings, RGON, RM, PhD, Associate Professor
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Auckland University of Technology

Abstract
The survey has proved a useful methodology for nursing and midwifery researchers. It offers an economical way of gathering information on a topic from a large population. This is the fourth article in a series designed to offer beginning researchers personal accounts of the experience of using different methodologies. It presents an interview with Janice McDrury who used a survey to enable the public to voice their perceptions of the role of the nurse in urban and rural communities. This account explores the practicalities and realities involved in developing, implementing, analysing and reporting a survey.
Key Words: Research, methodologies, survey.
Article Order No: 172B

 

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES IN NEW ZEALAND: THE
IMPACT OF INVISIBILITY
Jill Clendon, BA, RCpN, MPhil (Hons), MCNA(NZ)
Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Massey University at Albany
Karen McBride, BScN, PGradDip HP, MN, MCNA(NZ)
Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Massey University at Albany

Abstract
Public health nurses have provided care to individuals, families and communities in New Zealand since the early 1920s. This research study examined the role of the public health nurse. Utilising community needs analysis method, 17 key informants and two focus groups were asked questions to determine perceptions of the public health nurse. Findings indicated that participants lacked knowledge regarding the role of the public health nurse. Additional findings intimated that participants had difficulty in accessing public health nurse services and that ‘knowing the system’ was beneficial to receiving needed care. One of the major conclusions of this study was that many facets of care managed by public health nurses were invisible to the communities in which they work. Conclusions suggest that public health nurses need to enhance their service by improving accessibility to services and promoting their service in a more visible manner.
Key Words: Public health nurses, ‘knowing the system’, invisibility
Article Order No: 172C

 

DECISIONS ABOUT STARTING AND CEASING HRT
USE: INFORMATION NEEDS OF WOMEN
Christine Stephens, PhD, School of Psychology, Massey University,
Palmerston North
Jenny Carryer, RN, PhD, FCNA(NZ), Professor of Nursing, School of HealthSciences, Massey University, and
MidCentral Health, Palmerston North
R. Claire Budge, PhD, School of Health Sciences, Massey University,
Palmerston North

Abstract
Following a decade of controversy and attention to issues surrounding the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at menopause, New Zealand women are expressing confusion and their need for more clear information concerning some aspects of use. This study reports the results of a thematic analysis of transcript data from individual and focus group interviews with 80 New Zealand mid-aged women. The results highlight two concerns: women who are not using HRT are anxious about their decisions in terms of osteoporosis prevention, and women who are using HRT are concerned about when and how to cease use. Although there is a plethora of information available to women, much of it does not meet their current needs. We suggest that nurses could be ideally placed to provide the clear, balanced and sensitive information required.
Key Words: HRT, menopause, information, decision-making
Article Order No: 172D

 

THE INCREASING USE OF CANNABIS IN FAMILY
SETTINGS - A NURSING CONCERN
Margeret Woodbridge, RGON, Plunket Cert., BA, MCNA(NZ)
Lecturer - Nursing, UCOL, Palmerston North

Abstract
New Zealand is currently debating the pros and cons, ifs and buts, of legalising marijuana. Community child health nurses (CCHNs) can usefully contribute to the discussion. In their practice, they commonly face moral and ethical dilemmas associated with cannabis use (including passive exposure) by pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers, family members, and children. There is clear evidence that the health of children is being put at risk and that New Zealand, a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC, 1989, p.16), is failing to uphold Article 24 which refers to the right to “enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health”. This article examines some of the evidence of this failure and outlines the implications for children and for the wider population. It calls upon nurses to accept, with urgency, their social responsibility to advocate for children by entering this debate and speaking out about what they know.
Key Words: Community child health nursing, children’s rights, social responsibility, advocacy, cannabis.
Article Order No: 172E