Issue: IeJSME 2016 10(3)

Authors: Wei Fern Siew, Cindy Sze Nee Loh.

ABSTRACT

Background: Continuing professional development (CPD) is a primary strategy for nurses to keep abreast with the rapid changes in the health care practices of current times. Evidence has shown that nurses lack the initiative to take up the additional CPD offered by their organisation and have to be persuaded to do so once they have achieved the minimum 25 points of CPD mandated by Malaysia Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing (MNB).

Objective: To determine the extent to which nurses from a private hospital in Melaka will participate in CPD and the challenges affecting them from participating in CPD upon achieving the mandatory CPD points specified by MNB.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive survey. A sample of 188 registered nurses (RNs) from a private hospital in Melaka was recruited via purposive sampling technique to complete a self-reporting questionnaire. The instrument which was adapted and used with permission was pilot-tested for reliability and validated by content experts to ensure its suitability for this local study.

Results: The survey showed that 82.4% of the registered nurses (RNs) had attained additional CPD points apart from the minimum 25 CPD points stipulated by MNB. The findings on RNs reading journals or engaged in distance learning programmes were not encouraging as the percentages were only 31.4% and the latter, 9%. In-service talks, grand round discussions and online sources of continual nursing education that do not require the RNs to be away from their work duties were the most frequent type of CPD activities participated by the RNs as compared to conferences, workshops, distance learning programmes or post basic courses. The top 3 challenges that affect RNs’ participation in CPD were time constraint (90.4%), work commitments (85.6%) and difficulty in getting nominated (53.7%) to attend the CPD activities of their choice.

Conclusions: The results of this study highlighted the respondents’ views to the management on the importance to align the approach of sponsoring CPD courses according to the nurses’ needs in order to meet their context of practice. The management also ought to take into consideration the identified challenges encountered by the nurses to participate in CPD upon achieving their mandatory CPD points specified by MNB.

Keywords: Continuing professional education; nursing practice; professional development; registered nurses.

Citation: IeJSME 2016 10(3): 4-13

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.10.3.4

Authors: Swee Geok Lim, Siew Woan Yam.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Patient falls has been identified as one of the major issues in today’s health care despite efforts taken in preventing such incidents from happening (Cox et al., 2014). Patient falls can be prevented by using fall risk assessment tools such as Morse Fall Scale. Morse Fall Scale was implemented in the year 2014 in a private hospital in Malaysia but the patient fall rate did not decrease.

Objective: The research objective is to determine the nurses’ level of knowledge and competency in the use of the Morse Fall Scale as an assessment tool in the prevention of patient falls.

Method: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional research design was conducted with 100 registered nurses from a private hospital in Selangor, Malaysia. Universal sampling technique was used to recruit the nurses.

Results: The registered nurses had a moderate level of knowledge (M = 7.72; SD = 1.72) and competency (scoring Morse Fall Scale, M = 4.75; SD = 1.26; planning intervention, M = 13.19; SD = 1.89) in using the Morse Fall Scale.

Conclusion: It is recommended that a review of the training programme on the use of the Morse Fall Scale be implemented in a more structured manner.

Keywords: Assessment tool, competency, patient falls, knowledge, Morse Fall scale.

Citation: IeJSME 2016 10(3): 14-23

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.10.3.14

Authors: Tamara Gien Pooke, Rozi Mahmud, Poh Sin Yap, Suraini binti Mohamad Saini, Sharifah Roohi Syed Waseem Ahmad, Harwant Singh.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of seated combined extension-compression and transverse load (ECTL) traction as a new method for increasing a reduced lordosis of less than 30 degrees in a Malaysian population between the ages of 18 and 60 years. Possible changes in disc height were measured in accordance with the underlying theoretical framework, that suggests the anterior cervical structures would elongate due to creep over the fulcrum of the traction device.

Method: This was a single centre, randomised, blinded controlled clinical trial with parallel groups, used to test the superiority of the seated combined ECTL traction together with physiotherapy exercises when compared with the same physiotherapy exercises used as a control. Fifty randomly allocated subjects who completed the forty treatments over the fourteen weeks were analysed using non-parametric tests for changes in outcomes.

Results: There were no significant changes in outcomes for disc height changes seen in this study. The findings of a greater overall increase in posterior disc height changes compared with anterior disc height changes were in contrast with the proposed underlying theoretical framework for this type of ECTL traction. The greater height changes occurring in the control group were also unexpected.

Conclusion: The findings in this study of the contrasting changes in disc height of greater posterior than anterior height changes, question the underlying theoretical framework as postulated for this type of traction.

Keywords: extension compression and transverse load traction, cervical lordosis, disc height.

Citation: IeJSME 2016 10(3): 24-33

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.10.3.24