https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/39627 2026-04-14T11:54:30Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/107272 Title: Student nurses' perceptions of their clinical allocations in acute care settings : a phenomenological study Abstract: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the clinical experience from a nursing students' point of view. This was done in light of the view that major reforms have taken place within nurse education in Malta in the past years. In light of these reforms, the study aimed to highlight the importance of clinical education in becoming a nurse. This aim of this study was to explore the feelings and experiences of nursing students regarding their clinical practice areas using a phenomenological approach through a Husserlian perspective. Data was collected from a purposive sample of fifteen final year Bachelor of Nursing Students, attending the Institute of Health Care at the University of Malta using a tape-recorded semi-structured interview. Data analysis was done following Colazzi's framework and three major themes were extracted. These were student nurses' relationships with staff, the ward environment and their experience of mentorship. These were further sub-divided into sub-themes. Participants spoke of both negative and positive experiences while on medical and surgical wards and expressed their struggle with being accepted on the wards and their relationships with staff, coping with the organization they work in and practicing what they learnt. They described all this in relation to learning and becoming competent practitioners. It was found that students do not look favourably at medical wards and would not choose them as places to work on in the future. An aspect which was also highlighted was the lack of mentorship received and also the importance of mentorship as support to the nursing student while in the clinical area. These findings were discussed in relation to other literature. It was found that most of the experiences were not unique to Maltese nursing students. Limitations of the study are discussed and tentative recommendations based on the findings were done in order to help improve or make the clinical experience, as effective as possible for the student. It is important to note that the intention of this study was to find out what these perceptions were and not to develop a hypothesis or to generalise or predict future trends. Description: M.SC.NURSING 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66205 Title: Nurses' views regarding the need for play specialists on local paediatric wards Abstract: From the literature it is evident that children suffer a great deal of stress and anxiety during their hospital stay. It is also acknowledged that through organized and directed play, this anxiety can be reduced. A Play Specialist is a professional who leads playful activities and uses play as a therapeutic tool in hospital. On the local paediatric wards, play facilities are available but play activities lack appropriate organization. This study which adopted a descriptive non-experimental qualitative research design was undertaken to assess nurses' views regarding the need for Play Specialists on local paediatric wards. The target population consisted of nurses working on the three paediatric wards at St Luke's Hospital out of whom 15 nurses including 3 Nursing/Deputy Officers participated in the study. A structured interview schedule was used as a tool. The overall findings revealed that nurses value the importance of play in hospital and recognized its main benefits with hospitalized children. The play service presently available on the local wards appears to mainly provide for diversionary play which may fail to adequately meet the child's specific psychosocial needs. Moreover findings showed that nurses' time for play is restricted whilst play teachers have limited working hours and are not integrated within the multi-disciplinary team. Participants identified play professionals as the appropriate play service managers. Factors which could influence the integration of these play professionals were also identified. The main facilitating factors being: special training, funding, play facilities, an appropriate time schedule and collaboration from other professions. The implications and recommendations of the study were discussed and presented. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/66149 Title: Patients' experiences of patient controlled analgesia (PCA) postoperatively Abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the patients' experience of PCA by the use of semi structured interviews with 12 patients who underwent gynaecology surgery, a day after discontinuation of the device. The opinions expressed by the patients were examined both qualitatively and quantitatively. The areas of interest were patient satisfaction, side effects and concerns with PCA, reasons for pressing and not pressing the button and the control provided by PCA over their pain. Findings demonstrated that patients generally described PCA positively, with the majority of patients choosing the most positive responses on several questions. The efficacy of pain relief and control were also seen as major benefits of this pain modality; however one patient perceived the traditional method of pain relief i.e. intramuscular injections to be more effective. Side effects such as nausea and vomiting were also reported and it hindered two patients from pressing the button when they wanted pain relief. A feature of this study is the lack of pre-operative instructions, were the majority of patients stated that the information provided was insufficient. Another interesting point that emerged from the study is that patients would have preferred to remain connected to the pump for their second postoperative day. As a result of this study recommendations are made for improvements to the present situation and for further research to be carried out. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/65730 Title: Family perceptions of hospitalisation of children with Down's Syndrome Abstract: The family is usually the primary caregiver, and the extra burden of caring for a disabled child almost always falls on them, even though they have outside jobs. Parents and family members are affected inevitably by a child's admission to hospital, let alone if the child has some type of disability. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of Maltese families of children with Down's syndrome about hospitalisation. Perceptions were sought through the lived experiences of each corresponding family. An exploratory qualitative research study was designed and data was collected by means of a semi-structured interview. Three families, each consisting of two parents, a sibling and a Down's syndrome child, agreed to participate voluntary in this study. Findings suggested that families whose disabled child is hospitalised invest a lot in their relationship with health care professionals. Moreover, a more alluring hospital environment helps to alleviate some of the traumatic effects brought about by hospitalisation. Families also reported that during the period of hospitalisation they need support, information and they also need to stay with their child twenty-four hours a day. Furthermore, all the families acknowledged that hospitalisation is stressful but each family developed strategies to overcome stressful situations. A common characteristic within each family was that they all valued the importance of sharing their experiences with someone outside the family. Additionally, families agreed that the normal family routine is altered and that siblings tend to be neglected. It also appears that the future brings about fear in families who have a Down's syndrome child. In view of these findings, several recommendations for further research, education and for practice were put forward. Description: B.SC.(HONS)NURSING 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z