A Heuristic Journey of Discovery: Exploring the Positive Influence of the Natural Environment on the Human Spirit

<p>The intention of this heuristic study was to explore and discover the essence of the positive influence of the natural environment on the human spirit. The study quest was identified as a central concern that evolved from my personal experience of spiritual awakening in the natural environment and an interest in the concept of connectedness in nursing care and practice. The study also focused on the self of the nurse and the qualities of holistic nursing care. Guided by heuristic methodology developed by Moustakas (1990) the thesis traces a journey of discovery. Using conversational interviews, six nurses were asked to describe their experiences of their spirit being positively influenced in the natural environment. These nurses were also asked if these beneficial experiences had any flow-on effect to their nursing practice. From these interviews various commonalities of experience were identified as well as some experiences unique to the individual participants. The participant knowing was articulated using Reed’s (1992) dimensions of relatedness in spirituality as a framework. Reed describes these dimensions as being able to be experienced intrapersonally, interpersonally and transpersonally. A substantive body of nursing and non-nursing literature was explored to support the participant knowing and provide strength to the discussion. The study discovered that the human spirit is positively influenced in the natural environment. The three actions of personal healing and wellbeing in the natural environment, knowing self – knowing others and sustaining self in nursing practice were valued by the participants as contributing to the quality of their nursing care. In bringing together spirituality, the natural environment and nursing, holism was discovered to be the significant and connecting constituent. The study has some implications for the discipline of nursing that are also discussed.</p>

A Heuristic Journey of Discovery: Exploring the Positive Influence of the Natural Environment on the Human Spirit

<p>The intention of this heuristic study was to explore and discover the essence of the positive influence of the natural environment on the human spirit. The study quest was identified as a central concern that evolved from my personal experience of spiritual awakening in the natural environment and an interest in the concept of connectedness in nursing care and practice. The study also focused on the self of the nurse and the qualities of holistic nursing care. Guided by heuristic methodology developed by Moustakas (1990) the thesis traces a journey of discovery. Using conversational interviews, six nurses were asked to describe their experiences of their spirit being positively influenced in the natural environment. These nurses were also asked if these beneficial experiences had any flow-on effect to their nursing practice. From these interviews various commonalities of experience were identified as well as some experiences unique to the individual participants. The participant knowing was articulated using Reed’s (1992) dimensions of relatedness in spirituality as a framework. Reed describes these dimensions as being able to be experienced intrapersonally, interpersonally and transpersonally. A substantive body of nursing and non-nursing literature was explored to support the participant knowing and provide strength to the discussion. The study discovered that the human spirit is positively influenced in the natural environment. The three actions of personal healing and wellbeing in the natural environment, knowing self – knowing others and sustaining self in nursing practice were valued by the participants as contributing to the quality of their nursing care. In bringing together spirituality, the natural environment and nursing, holism was discovered to be the significant and connecting constituent. The study has some implications for the discipline of nursing that are also discussed.</p>

‘Becoming Black’

Little is known about racial identity claims of African migrants living in Israel who originate from countries where race is not a dominant identity marker. This article examines how Eritrean migrants, coming from a country where race-based social organisation is not prevalent, strategically adopted ‘Black’ as their identity marker in Israel. Online newspaper reports and conversational interviews with four Eritrean migrants were used as sources of data. During various anti-deportation protests, Eritrean migrants held signs with slogans referring to themselves as Black. Some of the slogans include: ‘Do Black lives matter in Israel?’, ‘Black or White I am human’, ‘Deported to death because I am Black’, and ‘Now I am White, will you deport me?’ I argue that for first generation Eritrean migrants in Israel, Black racial identity was adopted strategically as a political identity of social mobilisation and resistance in the face of a racialised and exclusionary migration policy.

Design Considerations for Residents with Impeded Cognitive Functioning: Conversations with People with Schizophrenia

Insights into the relationship between people with impeded cognitive functioning and the built environment have arisen over the last few decades. This research builds on underlying research that looked at how the home environment could help people feel supported so they could better cope with everyday living and thus achieve an enhanced QoL. Such support goes beyond functional design related to activities of daily living and encompasses opportunities for comprehension, management, finding meaningfulness in, and providing emotional affordance in the home. This article reports on conversational interviews with people with schizophrenia discussing their experiences of home environments. Their responses provide a basis on which to generate a more nuanced understanding of the impact of accommodation on people with schizophrenia, challenge considerations previously identified and highlight the need for further research. Considerations include the importance of the home’s proximity to places for potential relaxation, the need for security of housing tenure rather than short-term crisis housing, awareness of the support required for occupants to maintain outdoor areas and enabling occupants to pursue personal interests in the home. The findings will inform the development of accommodation design considerations that focus on improving quality of life for people with schizophrenia. In this way, the findings will contribute to enabling this neurodiverse group to remain independent, empowered and functioning members of the community—leading to greater social sustainability.

Consulting the Community on Strategies to Strengthen Social Capital for Community Disease Control

Excluding communities in planning and implementing research maximizes internal risks that are otherwise visible and avoidable when there is adequate community consultation. Communities might not meaningfully use research results if majority of the researched people have minimal or no participation in information generation and dissemination. However, effective participation of researched communities in research is key to transferring knowledge to action. Using a qualitative approach, the study identified barriers to, and relevant strategies for improving health research uptake, particularly for schistosomiasis (commonly known as bilharzia) in the Ingwavuma area, uMkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Data was collected through modified ethnography using participant observation, focus group discussions, unstructured in-depth interviews, and ethnographic conversational interviews. Results reveal that research uptake is inhibited by reduced opportunities for habitual interaction between residents, a paucity of innovative and inclusive health education activities and unsafe recreational facilities. The community’s strategies on strengthening social capital for disease control include using existing social systems and power hierarchies to mobilise and organise and using the performing arts to facilitate habitual interaction and knowledge sharing. The study recommends a community consultation flow which facilitates openness about the benefits and the community’s role in research, a pre-condition for community wide efforts in local disease prevention and control.

Responding to Supervisory Feedback: Doctoral Students’ Understanding of Supervisors’ Attitudes and Improvement of the Feedback

Pursuing doctoral studies after the commencement of the dissertation is exceptionally challenging. Doctoral students meet several times to seek feedback from their research supervisors, and they observe supervisory attitudes very closely. Responding to supervisory feedback is one of the challenges that must be addressed for qualifying the dissertation successfully. The present study aims at how doctoral students respond to the supervisory feedback and how the feedback can be improved because of participants’ perspectives on the feedback and supervisory behavior. Narrative research was employed for grasping a better understanding of participants’ understanding of supervisory feedback and attitudes. Thirteen doctoral students were approached through maximum variation purposive sampling who was pursuing a doctoral degree in various physical and social science disciplines in different semesters at public and private universities of the Punjab province in Pakistan. The data were collected through conversational interviews to examine the in-depth understanding of doctoral student’s storied experiences. The main themes emerged from the thematic analysis were; responding to the feedback, supervisory attitudes, and relationship and improving supervisory feedback. The emergent themes were described and interpreted through significant words, phrases, and statements of the participants. The study has implications for the improvement of supervisory feedback and bringing reforms in doctoral studies.

Children’s Interactions in Ability-based Groups in a Primary Classroom

The article reports data from an aspect of the study which aimed to study the nature of children’s interactions and their perceptions of ability-based groups in a primary classroom in England. Previous studies on ability-based group have mainly used quantitative research designs to study children’s interactions and appeared to award less opportunities to children to talk about their experiences of working in ability-based groups. This study has used qualitative ethnographic research design to study children’s interactions and their perceptions of working in ability-based groups. Children’s interactions were studied using participant observations and debriefing activities were used to elicit children’s perspectives on their recorded interactions. Furthermore, informal conversational interviews were also used to hear children’s perspectives on their experiences of working in ability-based groups. The article only focuses on data related to children’s interactions, which revealed that children appeared to be cooperative, non-cooperative and competitive towards their peers in ability-based groups. We noted that children interpreted the group structure and learning task distinctively when deciding whether or not to work with others in groups. In some cases, children exhibited gender-biased attitudes while interacting with their peers. Children showed cooperative attitudes towards same-sex peers and non-cooperative attitudes towards other-sex peers. The findings highlight the importance of fully understanding children’s contexts and their dynamic influences on children’s interactions during their routinely organised ability-based group work. These also highlight the importance of listening to children’s perspectives while studying their interactions in ability groups in the mainstream primary classrooms.

Urban Open Space as a Place for Social and Physical Well-being: Narratives from two Different Urban Settings of Kathmandu, Nepal

Increasing population and densification of the cities lead to increasing land value by the high demand of land for housing and other infrastructure developments are the reasons that tend to decreasing open spaces in Kathmandu Valley in general, and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) in particular. Urban open space has been considered as a place that is accessible to all residents and is important in the urban context as such space provides an opportunity as a place for social interaction, networking, recreation, and various physical health exercises. However, different social and economic contexts of the society reflect different patterns of its uses. Two different urban settings (core urban area having indigenous dominant population and fringe urban areas having migrants’ dominant population) have been taken as a basis for analysis in this paper to look at how different urban societies use open spaces differently. Open spaces are not only important for maintaining urban greenery and beauty but are valued for accumulating social capital and enhancing physical well-being to the urban communities. These issues are analyzed through the interpretative research methodology by collecting the data through in-depth interviews, key informants’ interviews, informal conversational interviews, and non-participatory observation from two different urban settings of KMC.

Hum Along With the Silent Disco Headphones: Lessons Learned in Implementing the Headphone Program in a Hospital Unit

Silent disco headphones have been used among young people in concerts and parties; such headphones have extended distance coverage for broadcasting from a transmitter, features of noise cancelation, and three channels of music. Rather than using a speaker system, music is delivered by wireless headphones and facilitated by a DJ via a built-in microphone. No study has yet tested whether it is feasible to use such headphones to support well-being among older people in hospital settings. This study examined the feasibility of using silent disco headphones with older adults with dementia staying in a geriatric hospital unit. We employed a video-ethnographic design, including conversational interviews and observations, with video recording among ten patient participants in a hospital unit. Two focus groups were conducted with ten hospital staff across disciplines. Thematic analysis yielded three themes: (a) “it just made me feel happy, “(b) “it brings him back alive,” (c) “it unlocks dementia”. Delivering music and meditation programs via the silent disco headphones in the hospital unit has the potential to be a beneficial intervention that can enhance mood and energy, support self-expression, and promote wellness. Our findings suggested that witnessing the positive effects of headphones on patients changed the staff’s view of how music could be used in the clinical setting to support patients’ well-being. We identified enablers and barriers to implementing the headphone program in the hospital setting. Future research should further investigate how headphones may help to reduce stress and promote wellness for patients in the clinical environment.

Qualitative exploration of patient flow in a Caribbean emergency department

ObjectivesEmergency departments (EDs) are complex adaptive systems and improving patient flow requires understanding how ED processes work. This study aimed to explore the patient flow process in an ED in Trinidad and Tobago, identifying organisational factors influencing patient flow.MethodsMultiple qualitative methods, including non-participant observations, observational process mapping and informal conversational interviews were used to explore patient flow. The process maps were generated from the observational process mapping. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.SettingThe study was conducted at a major tertiary level ED in Trinidad and Tobago.ParticipantsPatient and staff journeys in the ED were directly observed.ResultsSix broad categories were identified: (1) ED organisational work processes, (2) ED design and layout, (3) material resources, (4) nursing staff levels, roles, skill mix and use, (5) non-clinical ED staff and (6) external clinical and non-clinical departments. Within each category there were individual factors that appeared to either facilitate or hinder patient flow. Organisational processes such as streaming, front loading of investigations and the transfer process were pre-existing strategies in the ED while staff actions to compensate for limitations with flow were more intuitive. A conceptual framework of factors influencing ED patient flow is also presented.ConclusionThe knowledge gained may be used to strengthen the emergency care system in the local context. However, the study findings should be validated in other settings.