udlis ka (2011) Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness3, 130–139
Self‐management in chronic illness: concept and dimensional analysis Aim.  To define self‐management in chronic illness and explore the concept. Background.  Successful management of chronic illness requires an integrated approach with active involvement of the patient, family and healthcare professional. The term self‐management is used extensively within the literature as a method to improve chronic illness outcomes and is recognised as an essential component in the treatment of persons with chronic illness, yet the concept of self‐management varies greatly depending on context and perspective. As patient involvement is the essence of self‐management, the concept of self‐management is in need of further exploration. Methods.  Dimensional analysis provides the optimal approach to analysing the concept of self‐management in chronic illness as it seeks to offer an understanding of the concept through its social construction and examines differences across perspectives and contexts. Conclusions.  Antecedents, dimensions and consequences of self‐management were identified and a definition and model of self‐management was constructed. The salient dimension of adherence to a plan represents the dominance of the healthcare professional’s perspective in the literature. Further research exploring self‐management from the patient’s perspective and encompassing all the aspects of the self‐management model is necessary to accurately evaluate the consequences of improved quality of life, improved clinical outcomes and reduced healthcare expenditures. Relevance to clinical practice.  Antecedents and dimensions of self‐management derived from the chronic illness literature can be used to formulate tailored plans aimed at fostering successful self‐management in patients as well as to guide interventions to improve self‐management and patient outcomes.

The traditional clinical component of undergraduate nursing education has been reputed to inadequately prepare students for professional nursing. Preceptorship programs have become prevalent in nursing education as an alternative clinical teaching method, yet few empirical studies have been performed to support its benefits or advantages over the traditional clinical experience. Sixteen research studies examining measurable changes in students as a result of preceptorship were reviewed. Overall, 56% of the studies reviewed supported the use of preceptored clinical experiences in undergraduate nursing education, whereas the remaining 44% found no significant differences in students after a preceptorship experience. Specifically, preceptorship failed to demonstrate significant benefits over traditional clinicals in the areas of critical thinking, clinical competence, and NCLEX-RN pass rates. Further empirical studies are warranted to elucidate the role of preceptorship in undergraduate nursing education.

No abstract

No abstract

Attitudes toward technology dependency is significantly associated with psychological outcomes and may explain the psychological distress in some ICD recipients. Degree of positivity toward technology dependency influences these outcomes. Research evaluating attitudes toward technology dependency and testing of interventions focusing on these attitudes is warranted.