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Aim. From the perspective of scholars, to describe a contemporary view of the development, facilitators of and barriers to nursing scholarship in Taiwan, to enhance policy-making about research, education and practise development. Background. Nursing scholarship in the Asia-Pacific region is in different stages of development, depending on in-country resources and socio-economic conditions. Little is known about the facilitators or barriers to nursing scholarship in some of these countries, including Taiwan, where nursing education has changed considerably over the last decade. Design. A qualitative exploratory design. Method. The study used snowballing to identify scholars who underwent semi-structured in-depth interviews. These were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to content analysis. Results. Interviews were held with 12 scholars and six major themes arose: ‘fulfilling our missions’; ‘active research productivity’; ‘low levels of collaborative research’; ‘increasing demands on time’; ‘gender issues’ and ‘developing effective collaborative networks across Taiwan and Asia’. Participants described Taiwanese scholarship development in terms of fulfilling the missions of universities; trying to balance work and culturally relevant family responsibilities, against a background of decreasing pressures to produce more qualified nurses and being more research productive in rapidly changing and challenging work environments. Conclusions. Taiwan’s nursing scholarship is in a dynamic early stage of development, with increasing graduate programmes and research productivity, evidenced by rising international publications and the research productivity indexes of academics. However, scholars are facing increasing pressure because of high workloads and balancing family and work responsibilities. Relevance to clinical practice. Understanding scholarship development and its facilitators and barriers in Taiwan helps inform policy makers, the higher education sector and nurses in the country and across the region about what needs to be done to improve nursing practice, raise health outcomes and enhance nursing research productivity and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK and Japan, midwives provide health services for women with concerns about a genetic condition or who are considering antenatal screening. In both countries, competences related to genetic health care have been devised but there is little evidence about midwifery competence in practice. A systematic literature review was undertaken to determine the extent to which midwives are achieving the genetic competences that are prescribed for their practice. English and Japanese literature from January 1999 to March 2009 was retrieved. Original studies or reviews, in which an aspect of midwifery practice was related to genetic competences, were eligible for inclusion. After a critical appraisal, six UK and five Japanese papers were eligible for inclusion. The findings indicated that midwives are not achieving the competences, nor are they confident about their genetics knowledge. Moreover, women are not being supported to make informed decisions regarding antenatal screening. We have confirmed that little research is being undertaken in both countries regarding competency achievement in practice. Changes to midwifery curricula and further continuing education are required to ensure that midwives are able to provide effective care regarding genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, nurses and physicians are increasingly expected to undertake roles in communication and patient advocacy, including in Japan, where the reigning principle underlying medical ethics is in transition from paternalism to respect for patient autonomy. The study reports the results of a survey in two Japanese teaching hospitals that clarified the perspectives of 128 patients and 41 family members regarding their current and desired involvement in health decision-making. The commonest process that was desired by patients and their family was for patients to make decisions after consultation with both the physician and their family. The decision-making preferences for competent patients varied among the participants, who believed that families have a crucial role to play in health-care decision-making, even when patients are competent to make their own decisions. The findings will inform health professionals about contemporary Japanese health-care decision-making and the ethical issues involved in this process, as well as assist the future development of a culturally relevant model to support patients' preferences for ethical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study took place in Thailand where didactic and lecture-driven teaching styles are beginning to transform into student-centered methods. At Chiang Mai University Faculty of Nursing in Thailand, the readiness of 272 undergraduate students to undertake self-directed learning was investigated using two instruments: a demographic data questionnaire and Guglielmino's Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale. The study found that the overall self-directed learning readiness of participants was at a high level in the categories of openness to learning opportunities, self-concept as an effective learner, initiative and independence in learning, informed acceptance of responsibility for one's own learning, creativity, and the ability to use basic study and problem-solving skills. The findings provide encouragement to nurse educators to further apply self-directed learning in nursing courses, to improve teaching and learning methods, and promote life-long learning for nurses within Thailand and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, it has been found that regular and timely hand washing is part of hand-hygiene practices that can reduce rates of infection in health-care facilities, but research has shown that there is a low level of compliance with hand washing in hospitals worldwide, including Japan. The number of aged-care facilities is growing throughout the world as our populations age, but hand-washing compliance appears even lower in such settings where there are vulnerable and frail elderly persons. This study used a correlational, cross-sectional design to clarify, for the first time, individual and facility factors related to the hand-washing behaviors of care staff at Japanese aged-care facilities. In 56 facilities (31 special nursing homes and 25 health-service facilities) in Yamaguchi Prefecture, data were gathered through survey questionnaires from care staff and facility managers. A total of 1323 (79.6%) questionnaires were returned and 1016 (61.1%) were analyzed. Using logistical regression analysis, two individual factors were investigated ('willingness to practice standard precautions' and 'attendance at seminars') and two facility factors were investigated ('implementation of hand-washing evaluation' and 'hand-washing environment'). These factors were found to promote hand washing, but no single factor was particularly related to its promotion in aged-care settings. If the health of elderly residents is to be better protected and infection rates lowered, especially in an era of increasing pandemics and epidemics, the compliance rate of health-care workers needs to be increased. We conclude that diverse approaches to both individual and facility factors are necessary to improve compliance with hand washing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This study explored Taiwan's nurse leaders' reflections and experiences of the difficulties they encountered and survival strategies they employed fighting the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic and the background context framing these phenomena. Background. On several continents in 2002--2003, the highly infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome overwhelmed health care systems and health professionals who had to provide care in situations involving high personal risk and stress, some becoming infected and dying. Nurse leaders in Taiwan had to develop new strategies and support systems for nursing care. Design. A two-step within-method qualitative triangulation research design. Methods. Focus group in-depth interviews held with 70 nurse leaders from four Northern Taiwan hospitals involved in the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. Participants then completed an open ended questionnaire. Content analysis was undertaken with data and stages and themes generated. Data were then analysed using Hobfall's concepts of conservation of resources to further discuss participants' reactions and actions in the severe acute respiratory syndrome crisis. Results. Participants worked under incredible stress to lead the profession through a period of crisis. Five stages arose in the participants' involvement against severe acute respiratory syndrome over 12 weeks: facing shock and chaos; searching for reliable sources to clarify myths; developing and adjusting nursing care; supporting nurses and their clients; and rewarding nurses. Conclusion. Nurse leaders become important executors of intervention in this health disaster, requiring emotional intelligence to manage their internal conflicts and interpersonal relationships effectively. They developed sociopolitical and analytical abilities and crucial requirements for planning and implementing strategies in areas where none previously existed. Building support systems was an important resource for managing conflicts between familial and professional roles. Relevance to clinical practice. Findings will assist nurse leaders to prepare themselves and the profession to better deal with disaster management in similar infectious outbreaks in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the perceptions of 18 people diagnosed with schizophrenia from 1-10 years to uncover how they perceived themselves and their illness. It also involved 12 family members who added their perceptions. The data were collected using in-depth interviews, reflective journaling, and observations. The data were analyzed through the lens of Heidegger's hermeneutic phenomenology. Four themes emerged: perceptions of mental illness, perceptions of the causes of illness, perceptions of discrimination, and attempting to live with schizophrenia. The findings included strong underlying cultural and spiritual beliefs, and attitudes unique to the Thai participants, including the causation of schizophrenia by supernatural powers, black magic, and bad karma stemming from past deeds. Understanding the perceptions of the participants might help health-care providers to be more sensitive to those living with schizophrenia in Thailand and elsewhere. In particular, the findings could be useful in informing psychiatric careproviders about developing better caring systems for clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. This should help the sufferers of schizophrenia to live their lives to their own satisfaction and as normally as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this editorial we discuss the challenges and issues in nursing and nurse education in Japan.These include a rapid growth in the number of universities offering nursing programs without sufficient time for preparation of faculty; issues in the traditional ways of teaching in classrooms; the appearance of nursing shortages in a country with the highest rate of longevity in the world; and the position of nursing faculty in a society that is largely male dominated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the (H1N1) influenza virus. It discusses the decision of Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), to raise the alert status regarding the potentiality of the virus. The author offers observations on the dissemination of accurate health information and the importance of making good judgments in situations such as the H1N1 epidemic.

The author reflects on the global concern on the preparedness of nurses and health professionals to humanitarian disasters. He mentions that nurses need to face the fact that disaster preparedness has become a global issue due to global warming. Meanwhile, he asserts that health disciplines need to mobilize greater efforts in being prepared to face the after-effects of disasters in order to reduce morbidity, mortality, and improve health outcomes.

The author reflects on the latest international events in nursing and the health sciences. He mentions that the "Nursing & Health Sciences" journal's latest recognition in the Social Sciences Citation Index will enable the publication to develop even greater scholarships for its contributors. He also enumerates several conferences held in Japan and Sweden which were attended by international nursing associations and have discussed notable papers related to nursing.

The author reflects on the importance of establishing a set of ethical standards in international health research that will take into consideration the differences in ethical values and concerns held by various groups of people worldwide. According to the author, researchers have the responsibility to ensure that they have enough knowledge on the local customs, culture and other relevant information of the country or region wherein they are conducing their research.