Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Introduction: When a caregiver comes from a country other than that of the person being cared for there is a clash of cultures and social practices. Leininger's concept of transcultural care echoes the cultural diversity this contrast or opposition involves and recommends incorporating it into professional practice by developing what she defines as culturally competent care. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to know what type of strategies foreign caregivers develop when caring for people of different origin and how these strategies are integrated into the social, cultural and institutional context of the recipient society. Study Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach was used, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant caregivers in the province of Huelva and with personnel specialized in dependent patient care. Results: The study provides a description of the socio-cultural practices caregivers develop, according to their culture, and how those practices intervene in the exercise of care in the recipient society. Conclusions: Foreign caregivers sometimes develop strategies akin to their own beliefs, giving them priority over those of the care recipient or the recipient society. This can cause cultural clashes. Nursing professionals must identify these clashes so as to be able to intervene, using training and cultural competency as tools for change.

Purpose: This is a multi-purpose study intended to identify how Spanish nursing evolved from technical rationality to reflective practice and to show evidence of critical thinking and reflective practice by identifying their parallels with socio-critical nursing. Another objective was to explain the historical influence of the paradigms prevailing in Spain during the second half of the twentieth century. Study Materials and Methods: A descriptive thematic review was conducted. Compte, Hume, Bacon, Habermas, Foucault and Horkheimer were the primary sources used, along with secondary sources related to the profession; namely, Index and SciELO. Results: The evolution from technical rationality to reflective practice occurred with the changes in prevailing thought during each period. Reflective practice and critical thinking are shown as being necessary to understanding socio-critical nursing. Spain's history determined the changes in nursing in that country. Conclusions: The evolution of nursing thought in Spain followed the changes in the dominant paradigms in Spanish society. Reflective practice and critical thinking, as described by Habermas, allow for emancipation and, by extension, the patient's autonomy, through active participation in solving their health problems. This process begins with an awareness of the role to be played by the nursing professional and the citizen/patient in planning health care. The profile of women set by the Franco regime and the arrival of democracy in Spain were decisive to this evolution. The former was stifling, while the latter was a driving force.

The objective of this study is to outline and discuss the systemic interactivity between interdependent concepts of nursing care from the standpoint of Edgar Morin’s theoretical approach. It is argued that the systemic concept of nursing care can be conceived from an expanded, antagonistic, complementary, interdependent and dynamic interactive concept of processes and counter-processes from the standpoint of nursing, health, healthy living, vulnerable communities and social entrepreneurship in nursing. A broader and interdependent understanding of those concepts makes it possible, in short, to go beyond the linearity of the health-disease process and achieve more effective results in terms of health promotion and protection.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify an improvement in nutritional status and the adoption of healthy habits with respect to eating and physical activity in a population of students, following a health-education intervention. Study Materials and Methods: The sample was comprised of 90 adolescents between 15 and 17 years of age; 46 are male (51.1%) and 44, female (48.9%). All of them are from a public school in the city of Almeria (Spain). The study was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved an assessment of nutritional status. The second was comprised of an educational intervention on healthy habits with respect to eating and physical activity, while the third focused on an assessment of the effectiveness of that intervention. Results: Statistically, there was an improvement (p <0.000) in the nutritional status of the students who were evaluated, regardless of their gender. As to the adoption of healthy habits, significant differences in the Kreceplus test scores (p <0.000) were observed subsequent to the intervention, although not for physical activity (p = 0.568). Conclusions: The results show the procedures applied in this intervention to modify dietary habits were effective. Yet, physical exercise remains a pending issue among adolescents.

nstruments to categorize patients are useful because they make it possible to allocate professionals and material resources according to the actual profile of the patient. The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate an instrument known as "Categorizing Users According to Care Dependency and Risk" (CUDYR) in Chronic Hemodialysis (CHD). The instrument for patients in CHD was called "CUDYRDIAL" and was comprised of two subscales and fourteen items. The sample consisted of 150 patients from five dialysis units who were selected in a stratified manner, at random. The CUDYR-DIAL instrument was applied to them a total of 620 times. All the items showed significant correlations (> 0.3) with the total score on the scale, and the reliability of the scale remained stable when the items were eliminated one by one, fluctuating between 0.86 and 0.87. The overall reliability of the instrument shows a Cronbach's alpha of 0.878. Users in HDC fit four profiles in terms of dependency (partial to complete) and risk (medium to high). It was concluded the reliability of the CUDYR-DIAL instrument is good and it represents a contribution to categorizing patients according HDC dependence and risk.

Objective: Describe the quality of life related to the health of senior residents at social welfare centers in Cartagena (Colombia). Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study. The population was comprised of 187 seniors living at welfare centers in Cartagena. The Mental Status Test (Pfeiffer), a socio-demographic survey and the Multicultural Quality of Life Index were applied. Confidentiality of information was maintained, the participants remained anonymous, and informed consent was given. Results: The mean age was 75 (95%). Most of the participants are single (57.6%). Some have a primary education (45.5%), are receiving medication (80.3%), engage in physical activity (54.5%) and carry out non-productive activities (37.9%). The self-perception of quality of life related to health tends towards values that can be considered good (7.6%). Conclusions: The aspects with the highest scores were spiritual fulfillment and self-care; the lowest scores pertained to physical well-being and community support. The information will be useful to propose health care policies and practices for this segment of the population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the nonconformities related to nursing work at hospitals in Minas Gerais (Brazil). Method: A quantitative, descriptive method was used. The data were collected from organizational diagnosis reports prepared by the Brazilian Accreditation System for 37 of the 45 hospitals evaluated in 2009 (sample of 82.22%). The nonconformities related to nursing work were classified into three groups: care/assistance, management/supervision, and education/research. Results: The results of this study show there is a gap between the provisions of the Brazilian Accreditation System and nursing practice. They revealed important issues that should be corrected in the interest of patient safety, hospital organization, and compliance with current legislation in Brazil. However, it was noted the nonconformities related to nursing work are intrinsically connected to the work of other health professionals. Conclusions: Resolving the nonconformities that were identified does not depend exclusively on the nursing team. A change in the hospital culture and the development of an organizational policy on the part of hospital managers are required to ensure the multi-professional team has opportunities to encourage continuous improvement in the quality and safety of the everyday, routine operation of hospitals.

Nursing care in pediatric oncology is complex and involves different stages of care that range from prevention, diagnosis and prolonged treatments to palliative care. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships established by members of the nursing staff while providing care for children who have advanced cancer with no therapeutic possibilities. A descriptive study with a qualitative approach was developed through analysis of a database with 15 interviews from a matrix study carried out in the Department of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). A content analysis of the interviews revealed the types of relationships the nursing professional develops while providing care to children with advanced cancer: a relationship with oneself and the nursing team, a relationship with the child, and a relationship with the child's family. These relationships reflect the difficulties encountered when providing care to cancer patients. In the case of children, the difficulties become more intense, since their understanding of the disease is associated with suffering and death.

El fomento de un entorno seguro es una función esencial de las enfermeras, que ocupa cada vez más un lugar central en la gestióndel cuidado. El propósito de este artículo es develar la existencia de una relación ético-jurídica entre la gestión del cuidado y la gestión deriesgos, en el contexto de la seguridad del paciente. Método: bajo un criterio ético-jurídico se reflexiona sobre la atención de enfermeríay la seguridad del paciente. Resultados: se demuestra una vinculación de carácter ético-jurídico entre la gestión del cuidado y la gestiónde riesgos. Se define a qué orden pertenece dicha vinculación y cómo se integra a la gestión del cuidado. Por último, se propone la supervisiónpor riesgos. Conclusiones: al demostrar la vinculación ética y jurídica existente entre la gestión del cuidado y la gestión de riesgos,la seguridad del paciente se levanta, para las enfermeras y la enfermería, como un imperativo moral y profesional. DOI: 10.5294/aqui.2015.15.1.13

Objective: Examine perceptions about the Papanicolaou (Pap) test from the perspectives of Chilean women with cervical cancer. Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in Santiago, Chile. Participants: 127 Chilean women. Results: The principal reasons for not having had a PAP test were procrastination and barriers related to fear, embarrassment, discomfort, not caring, lack of time, and lack of knowledge. Conclusion: All the reasons given by the Chilean women who took part in the study must be considered by health care professionals who are in a position to advocate for education and cervical cancer screening for women, especially in countries where the disease is still prevalent. These results can serve as a guide for education programs and can be applied in intervention research.doi: 10.5294/aqui.2015.15.4.5