Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
Aim of the study
The aim of this study is to explore Registered Nurses’ experiences of
delivering oncology shared care in a paediatric unit in the Republic
of Ireland.
Research design
A qualitative research methodology was chosen as the most
appropriate means of achieving the purpose of this research study.
Sampling method
A study of the total population of nurses working in all paediatric
units in the Republic of Ireland was desirable, but due to time
limitations this was not feasible. Therefore the researcher carried
out this research in a sample of one paediatric unit. The researcher
accessed all of the nurses with one-year experience working in the
paediatric unit through purposive sampling and voluntary
participation.
Data collection
Data was collected by means of eight individual semi-structured
interviews, which were conducted by the researcher.
Data analysis
Data was analyzed using procedures adapted from Colaizzi’s (1978)
method of data analysis. Thematic analysis was then used. The
themes and concepts highlighted in the findings are reflective of
published research in the field although nurses’ experiences of
delivering oncology shared care in a paediatric unit have not
received the same attention in the literature.
Summary of key findings
The participants identified the following key issues;
� Their desire for additional education.
� Their lack of knowledge on current treatments which are
carried out in the specialist centres.
� The need for support for staff when caring for very ill children.
� The need for more effective communication between the
shared care centres and the specialist centre.
� The participants also highlighted that the level of
responsibility had greatly increased as a result of the change
in structure in shared care.
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