Papers by Dr Paul J Regan
Inquiries Journal, 2017
As a topic of philosophical interest, the Socratic dialogues play a pivotal role in many of Plato... more As a topic of philosophical interest, the Socratic dialogues play a pivotal role in many of Plato’s works of more than thirty authentic dialogues. This paper discusses pederasty and power through myth and story-telling to teach Ancient Greek communities about the soul, morality and character through three of Plato’s mythological dialogues on Socrates: Symposium, Phaedrus and the Republic. Each work falls within several categories of investigation, speculation and argumentation. The re-telling of a story suggests that myth offers an economical framework from which to balance the soul, love, dialogue and power.
Annotation in nurse education: Towards a hermeneutic understanding
Aim: To explore the meaning of annotation in nurse education within higher education Background A... more Aim: To explore the meaning of annotation in nurse education within higher education Background Annotation is a common practice in higher education pedagogy aimed at communicating the lecturer’s comments about an assignment back to the student. A literature review identified a dearth of research available to inform annotation and its use in nurse education was generally inductive and learnt from experiences of giving and receiving annotation feedback. Method/methodology The research methods included one focus group interview with nursing students (n=20), individual interviews with nursing students (n=5), individual interviews with lecturers (n=8) and a selection of annotation extracts from one hundred essays, with digital annotation (n=50) and handwritten annotation (n=50) from two universities. The research data was analysed using Ricoeur’s textual hermeneutics. Findings: Research themes Four research themes explore the meaning of annotation in nurse education. The first theme, the “hermeneutic self” explores the hermeneutic process of reading and writing, and making sense of discourse. The second research theme, “rhetoric” explores Ricoeur’s new rhetoric in the form of temporal action called mimesis1-3. The third research theme called “individualism” explores social justice, negotiating the political labyrinth, and the annotator’s sense of moral autonomy to act on behalf of society. The fourth research theme, the “reflective consciousness and slippage” develops the transference hypothesis and memory recall (Ricoeur, 2006). The original contribution to current knowledge A Ricoeurean textual hermeneutic contributes to a better understanding of the gaps in current nurse education knowledge. Ricoeur’s organising principle of temporal action informs the processes of student misrecognition, misunderstanding and the reading self interpreting the work of an-other. Ricoeur’s new rhetoric can be seen in the instinctive use of suasory discourse that shapes annotation in nurse education. Annotation is advisory, judgemental and powerful. The annotator as a citizen aims to promote a “defence of nursing” against the effects of the political labyrinth, disembodiment and technology. However, with an essay considered a safe space to think in preparation for the rigours of clinical nursing practice, the recall of past events refigured for the present may lead to something useful or not being communicated to the student.
Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics is a popular qualitative research interpreti... more Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics is a popular qualitative research interpretive method aiming to explore the meaning of individual experiences in relation to understanding human interpretation. Gadamer identifies that authentic engagement with reading requires awareness of the inter-subjective nature of understanding in order to promote a reflective engagement with the text. The main concepts of Gadamer's view of reading and understanding are explored in this paper in relation to interpreting text. Concepts such as; inter-subjectivity, Being, authenticity, fore-structure, presuppositions, prejudice, temporality and history help to enhance health and social science researchers' understanding of his theory and its application.
This recent study broadly confirms earlier conclusions in which action research findings identifi... more This recent study broadly confirms earlier conclusions in which action research findings identified that annotated feedback on student assignments carried an unfavourable lecturer tone and, because of which, failed to motivate the student as a learner. It was important to take the action research process further to show how tone is so easily manifested in annotation. By subverting the feedback process, annotation was read as marginalia in temporary isolation of the assignment and tone was easily identified. Two different action research (AR) studies were carried out by researchers to examine the same issue. One study examined annotation using participatory action research (PAR) (Marshall et al. 2011), while the other study utilised action research using semi-structured questionnaires (McNiff et al 2003). This paper demonstrates how the chosen methodology can either support or restrict action research if the methods are considered ill-matched to the study. It also demonstrates the im...
Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics is a popular qualitative research interpretiv... more Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics is a popular qualitative research interpretive method aiming to explore the meaning of individual experiences in relation to understanding human interpretation. Gadamer identifies that authentic engagement with reading requires awareness of the inter-subjective nature of understanding in order to promote a reflective engagement with the text. The main concepts of Gadamer's view of reading and understanding are explored in this paper in relation to interpreting text. Concepts such as; inter-subjectivity, Being, authenticity, fore-structure, pre- suppositions, prejudice, temporality and history are all help to enhance health and social science researchers' understanding of his theory and its application.
Martin Heidegger's preparation of the question of human existence was the focus of his semina... more Martin Heidegger's preparation of the question of human existence was the focus of his seminal work Being and Time, first published in 1927. This paper refers to Heidegger's phenomenological work through Heidegger's colleague and friend Hans-Georg Gadamer to focus on how Heidegger prepares the question of Being and the problem of language in his later work. In his conversation with the Japanese scholar professor Tezuka, the meaning of language in the west appears to restrict an understanding of Being by conceptualising it ad infinitum. To the Japanese the simple term "what is" appears to be closer to Being because it does not attempt to conceptualise it. Therefore, Heidegger, Gadamer and Tezuka's discussion about ontology concludes that language does get in the way of understanding Being.
British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
Critical issues in practice development: localism and public health reforms
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association, 2011
This paper explores practice development and radical policy reforms found in the White Paper Heal... more This paper explores practice development and radical policy reforms found in the White Paper Healthy lives, healthy people, which place a higher priority on UK public health by integrating services under the concept of localism. As a method to improve health and reduce health inequalities, localism aims to promote public health services to be responsive, resourced, rigorous and resilient. However, issues of evidence-based practice, staff freedom to innovate against the tensions of reforms and organisational structures are significant within primary care. By promoting local and professionally driven innovation, the experiences of one community service practice development unit are discussed as an effective approach to encourage local change and innovation. Two issues of significance to innovation in nursing practice and the effectiveness of localism are the application of evidence into practice and motivating staff against the tensions of unrelenting reforms.
Markets and the NHS
Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association, 2010
Opinions about the reforms reinforced in the latest NHS White Paper and the importance of recogni... more Opinions about the reforms reinforced in the latest NHS White Paper and the importance of recognising the real meaning of a ‘new politics’
British Journal of Community Nursing, 2010
Primary Health Care: Open Access, 2011
The importance of United Kingdom health visitors' in the detection and treatment of perinatal dep... more The importance of United Kingdom health visitors' in the detection and treatment of perinatal depression in primary care services is well documented. Evidence based policy and clinical guidelines make recommendations for the prediction, detection and treatment of women with mild to moderate depression in the postnatal period continuing up to a year after delivery. An inter-professional cross organisational practice development project aimed to assess the provision of antenatal and perinatal mental health care within one health visiting service in accordance with NICE guidelines (2007). This paper discusses the disparity between guidelines and health visiting practice; a lack of training in listening visits or other psycho therapeutic methods, poor access and availability of clinical supervision, commissioning reforms leading to larger health visiting caseloads suggesting the service is unable to meet NICE recommendations. Lastly, the evidence suggests the scope and practice of community nurses' within health visiting teams should be expanded.
Patient participation in public elections: a literature review
Nursing Management, 2011
Healthcare organisations and nurse leaders have an important role in promoting patients&a... more Healthcare organisations and nurse leaders have an important role in promoting patients' right to vote, through the development of policy guidelines, integrated networking and innovative practice. Patients' mental capacity to vote is usually assessed by nurses, who must therefore be aware of clients' voting rights and if the right resources are in place to help them do so. Patients' rights, as citizens, are recognised in law and in professional guidelines, but more needs to be done to protect their voting rights. There should also be better access to transport and family support, and more flexible electoral procedures. This article reviews the literature on promoting patients' participation in local and general elections and suggests that their voting rights should be endorsed by organisations and nurse leaders through policy guidelines and a flexible and proactive nursing approach to participation.
Interpreting language used in reflective practice
Reflective Practice, 2007
This paper demonstrates the developmental complexities of reflective practice and the potential f... more This paper demonstrates the developmental complexities of reflective practice and the potential for insightful transformation through the use of a reflective journal in post‐graduate studies. When faced with a reflective assignment brief to select a subject of my choice and expand on it reflectively, I realized interpreting the very language I used in the journal developed the superficial and descriptive
Breastfeeding Mothers’ Experiences
Qualitative Health Research, 2013
We critically review qualitative research studies conducted from 2000 to 2012 exploring Western m... more We critically review qualitative research studies conducted from 2000 to 2012 exploring Western mothers’ breastfeeding experiences. We used the search criteria “breastfeeding,” “qualitative,” and “experiences” to retrieve 74 qualitative research studies, which were reduced to 28 when the terms “existential’’ and “research’’ were applied. We found that the impact of technology and the pervasive worldwide marketing of infant formula devalued breastfeeding mothers’ narratives in a number of ways. Women’s bodies were viewed as machine-like objects and the breast was seen as a disembodied object. Dominated by technological narrative, women’s bodies were considered unpredictable and hormonal, needing to be managed by health care professionals. This means the disseminating breastfeeding discourse needs to be reinterpreted for practical use. We found that some of the researchers utilized narrative informed by phenomenological philosophy that appears to edge closer to understanding mothers’ ...
PDP 'View from the Ground'Closing the Policy Gap
heacademy.ac.uk
Carole Conroy, Lesley Greenhalgh, Christine Holt, Paul Regan. ... Oxford. Zimmerman, B. J (2002) ... more Carole Conroy, Lesley Greenhalgh, Christine Holt, Paul Regan. ... Oxford. Zimmerman, B. J (2002) Self Regulatory Cycles of Learning, in GA Straka (ed) Conceptions of Self Directed Learning, Theoretical and Conceptual Considerations,' (New York, Waxman), 221-234.
Background: A specialist community public health nursing service introduced practice development ... more Background: A specialist community public health nursing service introduced practice development from the year 2000 to promote local innovative service and practice. Aims and objectives: This article discusses experiences of practice development through Mezirow’s reflective discourse. Conclusions: Practice development promotes practitioner-‐led innovation and participating leads to transformative learning, challenging assumptions, group cohesion and consensus. Implications for practice: Practice development within specialist community public health nursing practice reinforces a consensual process benefitting all participants and their employing organisations. Nursing socialisation and group membership are key themes emerging to drive successful practice-‐based innovation. Group membership affects the individual and vice versa through consensual communication to transform learning and practice.
Do your patients need help to access the ballot box?
Nursing times
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Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2010
Policy guidelines promoting best practice for annotation feedback on draft assignments risk neutr... more Policy guidelines promoting best practice for annotation feedback on draft assignments risk neutralising lecturers' feedback and higher education potential as an emancipatory pedagogy. Annotation use within higher education is more complex than its definition suggests compounded by a lack of supporting evidence and a largely inductive practice. With emphasis placed on receiving formative annotative feedback on draft assignments lecturers' can empower students' skills for lifelong learning and closing the gap between actual and desired performance on assessed work. Analysis of findings from a survey methodology, questionnaires (students' n = 600, lecturers' n = 112) and feedback comments are discussed with literature published from 1997 to 2009. Themes impacting on formative annotation feedback and educational transformation were identified. Students' (n = 13, 2.17% response rate) felt frustrated by feedback requiring them to 'read between the lines' and interpret the lecturer's actual intended message. Lecturers' (n = 22, 19.64% response rate) indicated they valued feedback but despite preceding summative, formative annotative feedback was perceived to be indistinct from summative feedback. The generic nature of feedback policy, guidelines and literature reinforces this perception. In reality the different timing and aims of formative annotation means that feedback generalities maybe unhelpful. Keywords Action research Á Formative annotation feedback Á Nursing Á Higher education Most comments on student work, even if students read them, occur at times that are the least propitious in terms of influencing subsequent student learning-such as at the end of a unit of study when they are moving onto do something different… (Boud 2007, p. 18).
British Journal of Nursing
Recommendation 195 of the Francis report suggested that the introduction of supervisory ward mana... more Recommendation 195 of the Francis report suggested that the introduction of supervisory ward managers into clinical practice could improve the quality of patient care in England. The Department of Health and NHS Commissioning Board's vision and strategy Compassion in Practice in 2012 restated the recommendation in action area four, with trusts required to publish progress. With the aim of identifying whether the lessons of the Francis report had been learned, a review of the published literature since 2012 retrieved only five articles on the subject, with many anecdotal accounts of its implementation in local trusts. The three subsequent update reports of Compassion in Practice stopped backing recommendation 195 and promoted black and ethnic minority leadership, a laudable initiative, but not a recommendation of the Francis report. The authors suggest recommendation 195 and Compassion in Practice's original action area four should be promoted again to ensure public safety an...
Nursing Management
In 2012, the Department of Health published Compassion in Practice, which included six areas for ... more In 2012, the Department of Health published Compassion in Practice, which included six areas for action. Action area four suggests that ward managers and leaders should be supervisory, and not included in ward staff numbers. The recommendation has recently been changed to promote black and minority ethnic (BME) leadership in the NHS. This article examines the literature on supervisory nurse leader roles between 2007 and 2017 to identify what, if any, progress has been made. Although supervisory status can improve care at ward level, and was endorsed by the Francis Report, it seems that few care providers in England have invested in this, possibly because it is voluntary, rather than a statutory requirement. The article argues that, rather than focusing on BME leadership, commissioners and providers should consider implementing the original action four to support the lessons learned in the Francis Report.
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Papers by Dr Paul J Regan