This is the fourth monograph produced by the nurses at St Vincent's Hospital. These papers were initially written to fulfil the requirements of a post graduate course, as a final report to a quality improvement project, or as an outline of a program. Whatever the initial reason for writing these papers, they all illustrate the diversity of interests within nursing at St Vincent's.
When reading these papers it becomes apparent that the authors enriched their knowledge of their chosen subject through the research of their topic and examination of their own practice. This enrichment must ultimately improve patient care.
It therefore gives me great pleasure, as Director of Nursing at St Vincent's Hospital, to introduce this important publication. A publication illustrating excellence in nursing practice.
I congratulate all those nurses who contributed their papers, and thank Lyn Bradley for typing this monograph.
I would also like to thank the Nursing Research Committee who edited and produced this publication:
Peter Boswarva
Philippa Cahill
Laurie Fairweather
Marianne Goodwin
Ailsa Hawkins
Dale McKenna (Principal Editor)
Judith Reinhardt
Kathleen Ryan.