Jenny Hall

Bio: Jenny Hall is an academic researcher from University of the West of England. The author has contributed to research in topics: Spiritual care & Health care. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 11 publications receiving 1534 citations.

Nursing and midwifery students' perceptions of spirituality, spiritual care, and spiritual care competency: A prospective, longitudinal, correlational European study

Abstract: Background Nurses and midwives care for people at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, so it is essential that they have the skills to give care which is compassionate, dignified, holistic and person-centred. Holistic care includes spiritual care which is concerned with helping people whose beliefs, values and sense of meaning, purpose and connection is challenged by birth, illness or death. Spiritual care is expected of nurses/midwives but they feel least prepared for this part of their role. How nursing and midwifery students can be prepared for spiritual care is the focus of this study. Objectives 1. To describe undergraduate nursing and midwifery student's perceptions of spirituality/spiritual care, their perceived competence in giving spiritual care and how these perceptions change over time. 2. To explore factors contributing to development of spiritual care competency. Methods Prospective, longitudinal, multinational, correlational survey design. A convenience sample of 2193 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students (69% response rate, dropping to 33%) enrolled at 21 universities in eight countries completed questionnaires capturing demographic data (purpose designed questionnaire) and measuring perception of spirituality/spiritual care (SSCRS), spiritual care competency (SCCS), spiritual wellbeing (JAREL) and spiritual attitude and involvement (SAIL) on 4 occasions (start of course n = 2193, year 2 n = 1182, year 3 n = 736, end of course n = 595) between 2011 and 2015. Data were analysed using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses as appropriate. Results Perceived competency increased significantly over the course of students' study which they attributed to caring for patients, events in their own lives and teaching/discussion in university. Two factors were significantly correlated with perceived spiritual care competency: perception of spirituality/spiritual care, where a broad view was preferable, and personal spirituality, where high spiritual wellbeing (JAREL) and spiritual attitude and involvement (SAIL) scores were preferable. Conclusions We have provided the first international evidence that perceived spiritual care competence is developed in undergraduate nursing and midwifery students and that students' perceptions of spirituality and personal spirituality contribute to that development. Implications for teaching and learning and student selection are discussed. The study is limited by attrition which is common in longitudinal research.

Teaching spirituality to student midwives: a creative approach.

Abstract: The nature of midwifery both as an art and a science requires methods of teaching students that will enhance this understanding. A philosophy of holistic care of women should underpin education of student midwives and these concepts should be put across to the students in meaningful ways. In the formal midwifery curriculum this has been a neglected aspect (Hall, 2001) [Hall, J., 2001. Midwifery Mind and spirit: emerging issues of care. Books for Midwives, Oxford]. We have developed a teaching session on 'Spirituality and the meaning of birth'. A creative approach, using mediums of video, music, aroma and storytelling, combined with an opportunity for the students to express their selves through art have been utilised (Cameron, 1993) [Cameron, J., 1993. The Artists Way--A course in discovering and recovering your creative self. Pan Macmillan, London]. Although creative approaches in teaching arts based disciplines is well established, these approaches have not been evaluated for their effectiveness within midwifery education. We conducted a study which aimed to develop an understanding of student's views on the meaning of birth by examining creative work produced by the student midwives. This aspect is reported elsewhere. Further exploration through open-ended questionnaires was made of the effectiveness and value of the activity as a teaching method. This paper will describe the innovative teaching methods used. In addition student's views of birth established through their art and their views of the teaching session elicited through our research will be explored.

Spiritual leadership and spiritual care in neonatology

Abstract: Aim This article aims to explore spiritual care in the neonatal care environment in addition to highlighting the importance of spiritual leadership of a health team in that context. Background Neonatal care is an ethically demanding and stressful area of practice. Babies and families require spiritual needs to be recognized in the context of holistic care. Literature around spiritual leadership is explored to nurture workplace spirituality. Evaluation Analysis of a range of sources provides a theoretical reflection on spiritual leadership and spiritual care in neonatal care settings. Key issues The literature identifies that the carers should consider carefully on how care given may affect the infant and family. Themes relating to the baby's and family's spiritual needs and those of the staff in this area are identified. Spiritual leadership by the manager will provide support to the staff and help spiritual need to be met in this area of practice. Conclusion Spiritual needs should be acknowledged within neonatal care whether these are of babies, families or the team itself. Implications for nursing management Managers have responsibility to ensure that spiritual care is carried out for babies and their families and to care for the team as spiritual leaders.

The Spiritual Journey of Infertile Couples: Discussing the Opportunity for Spiritual Care

Abstract: Infertility is a worldwide public health issue that exerts an in-depth impact on couples, families, communities and the individual. This reproductive health condition, along with fertility treatments, often forces couples to question their purpose and meaning in life, and to begin a spiritual journey. Nursing and midwifery literature describes the care of those living with infertility, but often lacks a clear approach of the spiritual dimension, and diagnosis and interventions may not be effectively addressed. In this paper, we present a discussion about spirituality and the assessment of spiritual needs such as hope, beliefs, meaning and satisfaction in life. In addition, spiritual needs are defined, for both nurses and midwives, and spiritual interventions are proposed for promoting couples’ resilience and spiritual well-being. Spirituality should be considered from the beginning to the end of life. It is necessary to translate this into the development and implementation of both specific policies regarding a spiritual approach and advanced education and training programs for nurses and midwives who care for infertile couples.

The ‘‘What’’ and ‘‘How’’ of Case Study Rigor: Three Strategies Based on Published Work:

Abstract: To provide evidence-based strategies for ensuring rigor of case studies, the authors examine what rigor types authors report and how they report them by content analyzing all case studies published 1995—2000 in 10 management journals. Comparing practices in articles addressing rigor extensively and less extensively, the authors reveal three strategies for insuring rigor. First, very few case study authors explicitly label the rigor criteria in terms of the concepts commonly used in the positivist tradition (construct, internal, and external validity, as well as reliability). Despite this, papers addressing rigor extensively do report concrete research actions taken to ensure methodological rigor. Second, papers addressing rigor extensively prioritized rigor types: more, and more detailed, strategies were reported for ensuring internal and construct validity than for external validity. Third, emergent strategies used in the field were reported, such as setbacks and serendipities, that necessitated changes ...

Ways of constructing research questions: gap-spotting or problematization?

Abstract: This article examines ways of constructing research questions from existing literature, which are likely to promote the development of interesting and influential theories. We review 52 articles in organization studies and develop a typology of how researchers construct their research questions from existing literature. The most common way across paradigmatic camps is to spot various 'gaps' in the literature and, based on that, to formulate specific research questions. The dominance of gap-spotting is surprising, given it is increasingly recognized that theory is made interesting and influential when it challenges assumptions that underlie existing literature. The article discusses why assumption-challenging approaches are rare, and it identifies a range of social norms that favour gap-spotting. Finally, the article proposes some ways of constructing research questions that move beyond gap-spotting, and discusses how these ways are likely to promote more interesting and significant theories.

Strategies for Conducting Elite Interviews

Abstract: This paper addresses some strategies for conducting elite interviews. It draws upon material from a significant number of interviews that the author has conducted with this group in a variety of economic sectors and countries, as well as from the social sciences literature on elites. The aim of the paper is to provide insights into the particularities of interviewing elites for those new to researching this group. In particular, it focuses on gaining trust and gauging the tone of the interview, how to present oneself during the interview, asking open and closed questions, the appropriate length of an interview, whether to record the conversation, coping with difficult scenarios, asking awkward questions, managing respondents who do not answer the question, keeping respondents interested in the interview and finally gaining feedback from respondents.

Liminality and the practices of identity reconstruction

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to contribute a conceptualization of liminality, a state of in-between-ness and ambiguity, as it applies to identity reconstruction of people in organizations. Liminality is discussed in anthropological and organizational literatures and a composite understanding is developed here. This incorporates a dialogical perspective and defines liminal practices along with varying orientations of dialogue between the self and others. Application of this conceptualization is illustrated by analysis of two cases and a broader application of the concept to the identity work literature is discussed.

Choosing a qualitative data analysis tool: a comparison of NVivo and Leximancer

Abstract: As the use and availability of qualitative software analysis tools increase, so does ambiguity regarding the choice of the most appropriate software in sport management research. This paper uses NVivo and Leximancer to analyse the same set of data derived from interviews with sport management experts on high performance sport to showcase the differences in findings depending on the type of software used. The findings alert sport management and social science researchers to the importance of closely examining the choice of software for qualitative data analysis. Researchers may base their decision on aspects such as the type and size of data set, their competence and skills in data interpretation and the level of engagement with data analysis they plan on undertaking. This paper discusses the implications for researchers in the sport management field using these tools for data analysis and highlights the value that software can add to the research effort.