Abstract Aim This study aims to compare the early development of professional value between the students in the traditional programme (BSN) and those in the accelerated BSN (ABSN) programmes. Design A longitudinal design was conducted. Methods Data were collected from three schools of nursing during one academic year. A total of 117 BSN students and 101 ABSN students completed the survey of demographic information and the Nurses’ Professional Values Scale–Revised questionnaires. All data were analysed by IBM SPSS‐Statistics 22. Results Results showed that, in the beginning of the first professional nursing course, both students in the BSN and the ABSN programmes reported similar level of professional values. However, after one academic year, the changes in the professional value varied both between these two programmes and among the three different nursing schools. The increased professional value in school A represented the possibility for students to improve during their first‐year professional nursing programme. As educators, we should redesign our teaching strategies according to the different conditions of students in each programme.
Making correct diagnoses is the foundation of clinical practice in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The diversity in making diagnoses is one of the leading handicaps for the proper use of TCM.This study explores the key components for the diagnosis of qi deficiency among TCM experts.A modified Delphi process was used to draw opinions from TCM experts. A total of five rounds of questionnaires were carried out over 2 years. Open-ended questions were used to uncover the detailed issues that the Chinese doctors experienced in diagnosing qi deficiency. Content analysis was used to explore qualitative data and generated new statements, which were incorporated into the next round of questionnaires as feedback for participants.The questionnaires were mailed to the participants who were from mainland China and from Taiwan. The participants administered questionnaires in their natural setting.Thirteen participants were from mainland China: three from Beijing, five from Sichuan, one from Shandong, two from Jiangsu, one from Hunan, and one from Shanghai. For the 17 Taiwanese experts, nine came from north Taiwan, seven from mid-south Taiwan, and one from east Taiwan. Participants included diagnostic professors, TCM theoretical experts, and specialists in TCM formulae and pharmacy.The selection rates for each item were calculated in the five questionnaires. Mean and standard deviation were used to identify the degree of the experts' agreement and disparity for each item. The trend of divergence for the items determined if a consensus was reached.Twenty-eight out of 30 experts completed all five rounds of the survey. In the first questionnaire, the research team identified 74 symptoms and signs and 39 risk factors as the preliminary elements in the diagnosis of qi deficiency. Analyses of the five rounds of questionnaires identified two definitions, 19 symptoms and signs, and 15 risk factors as the key components of qi deficiency in TCM.The results show that TCM doctors use a set of complicated methods to diagnose qi deficiency rather than simply relying on the enacted symptoms and disease characteristics.
Occupational stress is a common issue faced by workers in every discipline. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as aromatherapy massage or massage, have antistress effects in the literature. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial with triple blinds is to evaluate the immediate effects of lavender aromatherapy massage for improving work stress, burnout, and HRV parameters of female employees in a university.A total of 53 subjects in experimental group whereas 57 subjects in control group completed interventions and measurement and led to power of 0.98. Inferential statistics, as independent t-test, paired t-test, and Chi-Square test, were performed to verify the expected relationships.The present study found that subjects in experimental group reported a lower role stress and less inclined to type A personality trait after aromatherapy massage with lavender. For control group, only less inclined to type A personality trait was reported after receiving massage. For burnout, a significant lower personal burnout and work-related burnout were reported after aromatherapy massage whereas only increased client-related burnout was reported in control group. For HRV, both the experimental and control groups reported higher SDNN and RMSSD in time domain after intervention. Contradictory HRT and PSI in time domain were significantly lower after intervention. In frequency domain of HRV, both groups reported significantly higher value in VLF and HF. In addition, the experimental group reported significantly higher value in TP and LF after intervention.Both the lavender aromatherapy massage and massage did show immediate effect on different dimensions of work stress, burnout, and HRV. These two interventions can be applied as routine leisure activities by personal preference to reduce stresses occurring in work environment.
Qi deficiency (QD), one of the most common disorders in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is relevant to many disorders in obstetrics and gynecology. This study aimed to identify the common processes and criteria for diagnosing QD among contemporary proficient TCM practitioners. Steps of decision tree analysis and modified Delphi method were merged together into four-round postal questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Open-ended questions and content analysis were used to explore the proficient TCM practitioners' cognitive activities used for diagnosis. The statements obtained from the qualitative responses were used to develop the items for subsequent questionnaires. Based on the TCM practitioners' responses, the diagnostic processes and criteria for making diagnosis were generated. Twenty-eight out of the 30 participants completed all four questionnaires from June 2007 to January 2010. The 11 diagnostic procedures identified in the returned first round of questionnaires were used as the alternatives to select and rank for all the steps to diagnose QD. After three more rounds of postal surveys, an algorithm with a five-stage diagnostic process as well as sets of decision criteria were identified. Although the priorities of procedures and descriptions of reasoning were varied, the content revealed the major themes in the model. The criteria to differentiate signs and symptoms (S/S) included five principles for correlating S/S with QD, and 17 S/S should be differentiated carefully. The results demonstrate that the TCM practitioners precisely diagnosed QD using a number of specific procedures and criteria that could be used as a reference to understand women complaining of S/S that could be similar to QD.
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