https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/57021 2026-04-05T10:05:17Z 2026-04-05T10:05:17Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/111394 2023-07-10T07:41:19Z 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The nature of service usage in a Maltese health centre treatment room Abstract: This project aimed to explore the nature of service usage in a Maltese health centre treatment room. A descriptive, exploratory small-scale design was selected to fulfil the objectives. The study included 60 randomly selected participants coming in to the treatment room during the day, afternoon and evening in a main health centre. Participants were recruited and interviewed on different days of the week. The sample consisted of people who qualified to participate according to the inclusion criteria for the study. All the structured interviews were conducted in the treatment room and took approximately ten minutes each. Every fifth patient registered in the treatment room was chosen and all participants found no objection to be included giving a 100% response rate. Data was gathered by structured interviews using a written guide. The structured interview addressed the same issues in the same way for all participants, and was carried out in a very precise, non-judgmental manner. Structured interviews gathered information about the type of care delivered in the clinic, thus identifying the "real" situation. Findings imply that the Health Centre treatment room is mostly frequented by Maltese with more males attended than females during the study period. Another interesting feature is that a high proportion of participants are young adults between the ages of 18 and 28. The findings of the study demonstrate that more than half of the participants visited the Treatment Room repeatedly. The participants presented various conditions, most of which were emergencies, such as lacerated wounds and asthma. An additional leading role of gate-keeping is identified. Results show that this role helps to avoid unnecessary overload at the Admitting and Emergency Department. The Treatment Room performs well and treatment is implemented while only a minimum of referrals are sent to the General Hospital for further treatment. Several recommendations to improve such service are suggested and interesting issues that could spur further research in the future are highlighted, thus there might be suggestions that larger scale studies might be recommended. Since this was the first evaluation carried out about the treatment room service, recommendations arc made for other service assessments in the future. This is essential to monitor the service closely and to implement necessary changes. Description: B.SC.(HONS)COMM.HEALTH NURSING

2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/68395 2021-02-04T05:30:54Z 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The awareness of men over forty years of age about colorectal malignancy Abstract: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer among men. This tendency will increase in years to come. CRC can be prevented by utilizing screening tests which in the long run increase the chance of better prognosis. Limited amount of studies have been performed about the awareness of CRC. Therefore this study may provide interesting findings about this subject among men in the Maltese Islands. By using a survey, a nineteen-item self reporting questionnaire was delivered amongst males over forty years of age in the public area setting. The total sample size of this study is thirty participants. The completed questionnaires were collected and imputed in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as raw data. The spreadsheet was used to analyse the data of the closed and open questions after being quantified. This resulted in representable data. All matching responses were grouped together to make up one theme. The results show that the knowledge and awareness about CRC is lacking. The majority of the participants agree that the family physicians as well as television are important sources for acquiring knowledge. Besides that, those who heard about CRC alleged that their knowledge was mainly acquired from television. In spite of this, detailed information was generally absent. Although most participants are being encouraged to undergo regular medical check-ups, it does not necessarily mean that they do so. An important recommendation for education is that men take-up information differently than women. Therefore the educational sources should be tailor-made for the views of men. A screening programme should be made available based on non-modifiable risk factors to increase earlier detection and prevention. A recommendation for the researcher would be to collect information regarding the participants' personal health behaviours, attitudes towards CRC screening and education. Also, the performance of a longitudinal study would reflect the effect of education on knowledge. This study outlines that the most susceptible age group has very limited knowledge about this important health issue. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING

2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/67255 2021-01-15T13:30:17Z 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Nurses' views towards irregular immigrants : a qualitative study Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses' views towards the care of irregular immigrants using the National Health Service. A qualitative research method was used as a research tool The views and attitudes of a convenience sample of 10 participant nurses, working in wards in which they frequently come in contact with irregular immigrant clients, were obtained through interviews. The theoretical framework of this study is based on research carried out on experiences of nurses caring for culturally diverse clients. A thematic analysis of the data gathered was carried out, after which three themes were drawn from the data obtained, namely: fear, frustration and cultural insufficiency. The three main themes were then further divided into sub-themes where necessary, and were discussed in light of the literature reviewed. The major findings of this study are that the participants experience fear of disease contagion when they need to care for irregular immigrants. Nurses also felt frustrated when caring for irregular immigrants due to the various cultural differences that exist between nurses and clients. In addition, nurses felt that they lack some type of structured knowledge on how to tackle particular issues arising in caring for irregular immigrants. Consequently, some felt that their lack of information on the cultural aspects of caring for irregular immigrants leads to a reduced quality of nursing care. This small scale case study highlights the misconceptions that exist locally about irregular immigrants in general. Furthermore, it shows the need for the provision of transcultural education amongst the nursing population. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING

2009-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/65759 2020-12-16T06:41:56Z 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: An exploration of Maltese nurses' views on herbal remedies Abstract: The aim of this descriptive study is to explore the views of Maltese nurses on herbal remedies. Apart from the nurses' views, this study also explored personal use, knowledge, training and education, research, and whether the nurses would recommend such remedies to their patients. Quantitative data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire to a random sample of 30 nurses working in different areas of a hospital. The findings supported well the literature analysis. The awareness that such remedies exist was quite widespread but this was not reflected in personal use. The analysis of the self-administered questionnaires showed that nurses were aware that their patients might make use of such remedies but it did not occur to the nurses to ask their patients about them as nurses deem herbal remedies as safe overall. The majority of the nurses perceived their level of knowledge on herbal remedies to be fair or poor and they expressed concern about the lack of knowledge that they have on such remedies. Nurses asked for more educational sessions or workshops on herbal remedies and other alternative and complementary therapies. They also expressed their interest in the enhancement of the Maltese nurses' know ledge regarding herbal remedies, as these types of remedies can in the long run be prescribed alongside conventional medicine. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING

2009-01-01T00:00:00Z