Marija Montebello carried out an evaluation of an important aspect of nursing care. Immediate post-operative phase may be considered a critical period where close post-operative observations serve well to avoid potentially serious problems.
Literature review on post-operative nursing documentation are limited and mainly yielded advances in areas of surgical procedures, anaesthetic techniques and generic principles, but little development has been seen on documenting care of surgical patients on returning to ward level.
The aim of this quantitative analysis is twofold: to understand nurses` perceptions towards documenting immediate post-operative care and establishing through retrospective audits whether perceptions differed from what nurses actually documented. The critical clinical rate-based indicators of immediate post-operative care and documentation were used to establish the questionnaire and audit tools.
A convenient sampling of 40 nursing reports were chosen for the respective audits from two general surgical wards and all full-time nurses working on these wards were handed a questionnaire. In general, the audits and questionnaires noted a trend of events between what nurses perceived important to write and what they actually documented.
While acknowledging the limitations in this study, post-operative nursing documentation appears to have complex and multiple communication, quality, risk and legal implications. Maltese nurses need support and direction through the formulation of policies to reach a minimum benchmark and risk reduction of post-operative problems.
Mechanics of building structures
The International Institute for Baroque Studies, in conjunction with the Works Division, recently invited Professor Angelo di Tommaso of the Istituto Universitario di Architettura of the University of Venice to lecture to students following pre-tertiary and post-graduate courses at the Institute.
The author of over 80 papers on the mechanics of building structures, Professor Di Tommaso`s research interests range from a study of traditional materials to the use of contemporary materials in the restoration of structural elements in baroque building.
Professor Di Tommaso`s lectures focused on three main themes: the use of innovative composite materials for strengthening masonry constructions, domes and vaults and the strengthening of complex baroque buildings.
During his stay in Malta, Professor Di Tommaso and Professor Denis De Lucca, director of the International Institute for Baroque Studies, discussed possible forms of co-operation between the Institute and the University of Venice in the fields of research programmes and teaching activity.
Professor Di Tommaso also lectures at the universities of Florence and Bologna and until 1997 he occupied the post of director of the Istituto di Scienza delle Costruzioni e del Laboratorio Sperimentale per la Resistenza dei Materiali at the University of Bologna.
The lesson and the learning process
The Directors of the play The Lesson (reviewed by Paul Xuereb on page 39) wrote a note which presents some food for thought for all of us. Some may opt to take the reading with tongue in check but there is always a lesson to learn. This is what Caroline Hill and Louise Vella wrote :
"As students reading for a degree at the University of Malta, we wanted to create something that portrayed the way we view our life within this institution. Using the framework of a play which focuses on the "learning process", we wanted to bring out the fact that once we enter this realm of `higher learning`, we no longer live, we just exist.
"The play was chosen because it includes two essential characters. On the one hand, there is a lecturer whose task is to impart knowledge. In practice, however, he does not even manage to teach his student basic subtraction, and blames her for his incompetence. On the other hand, we watch a student who initially is very keen to learn, but whose bubbling enthusiasm is progressively quashed by the amount of useless information that is piled on to her, without giving her the time to process and integrate it. We feel that sadly, this is often the case at University.
"Time is a serious issue in our academic lives as we are expected to keep up with more subjects than time allows. Academic life, which should satisfy our `thirst` for knowledge, often chokes us with concepts that we are hardly given time to ingurgitate. Students are not given sufficient time and space to digest knowledge in order to develop and nourish their thoughts and ideas. Instead, often they have to make do with regurgitating lecturers` notes, note packs and books. Instead of allowing students to enjoy books, the system turns the prospect of reading them into a nightmare.
"The amount of books that students are expected to read are more than their bookshelves and minds can handle. Students are expected to produce assignments, study for the infamous week known as `test week`, often without being given the chance to go as deeply as they would wish into a particular subject, because there are far too many subjects to handle. The frustration at this overload leaves them feeling intellectually raped. The performance tries to tackle this frustration.
"The point we wish to make is how fair is it to say that we have acquired a deeper understanding of life and the subjects we study, when the learning process, as it is propounded by the system, is not helping us grow but rather draining us of all vitality. It is up to each one of you to decide whether we have managed to present our case plausibly."
Grundtvig National Agencies` meeting in Malta
At the opening of the Socrates Grundtvig National Agencies` meeting held in Malta last month, Education Minister Louis Galea stressed that the concept of lifelong learning and adult learning is a major one. It responds to individuals` needs, as well as to those of society and the economy and is greatly influenced by the emergence of a knowledge-based society in a Europe which is pursuing a high skills strategy. Through the Grundtvig Progamme, formal and non-formal learning strategies are adapted to the needs of specific learners.
Malta`s participation in the Grundtvig Programme has been successful right from the first year of participation. In the March 2001 selection round, PEFAL - a project co-ordinated by the Foundation of Educational Services was awarded Lm70,000. This project focuses on the empowerment of parents to support the teaching and learning of their children in school.
Last November, 15 projects from Maltese co-ordinators and a further six involving Maltese partners were submitted to the European Commission in Brussels. These are currently undergoing the selection process entrusted to members of the European Commission and experts from EU and candidate countries.
These activities indeed mark another step forward in underlining Malta`s active role in the co-ordination of the European Union educational programmes. This meeting is bringing together all the national co-ordinators from the EU member states as well as the co-ordinators from all the pre-accession countries participating in the Socrates Programme with the Grundtvig Co-ordinating team at the European Commission.
On the agenda for the 40 participants is an in-depth discussion of the policies and technicalities of implementing the Grundtvig programme throughout Europe. This meeting is being organised by the Socrates Co-ordinating Committee through the Socrates Office at the University of Malta which manages the Grundtvig Programme locally.
Dr Joseph Mifsud, who chairs the Socrates Programme in Malta, delved further on Malta`s participation in the Grundtvig Action. "Although one of the smallest countries participating in Grundtvig, Malta has indeed showed its commitment towards participation, going beyond the reality of an island with a small population. There is a strong belief in this co-operation programme, aiming for quality citizenship and solidarity. We are a committed Socrates agency, which in these last two years has endeavored to set up a structure which is, as regards to Grundtvig, open to assist all those who have lifelong learning and European Co-operation at heart locally and open to partnership with all the other countries".
The European Commission has also selected the local Socrates agency to organise a Grundtvig contact seminar later on this year. This meeting will focus on xenophobia, active citizenship and adult learning - three themes which an enlarged Europe will need to relate to, in its social and educational formation.
Present for this contact seminar will be some of the National Grundtvig Co-ordinators who are currently in Malta and other individuals from public and private non-profit NGOs, regional and European organisations interested in developing projects under this heading.
Alan Smith, head of the Grundtvig Unit at the European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture provided an insight on the importance of the Grundtvig Programme within the area of Lifelong Learning. He explained that although there is no EU mandate to harmonise national systems and dictate the policy and structure for lifelong learning, agreement has however been reached on the common objective of the education system with reference to the overall concept of lifelong learning.
This also stems from the EU treaty that focuses on maintaining and promoting the quality of the whole educational system by sharing experience across borders.
Lifelong learning
Mr Smith also explained that within the lifelong learning concept, all different learning situations must be taken into account and that this is reflected in all exchanges of experience we get involved in. This is indeed becoming the guiding light of educational policy being developed at wide European level.
In the past there was a very strong emphasis on higher education - thus the development of the Erasmus programme focusing on quality assurance and mobility involving higher education structures and Institutions.
The second phase of development saw the addition of formal school education. This was and is still being achieved through the Comenius Programme that focuses on education at the school level. In the development of Grundtvig, we are thus entering a third phase, focusing on all other types of learning situations, other than formal based learning. Thus Grundtvig serves as an instrument within the Socrates Programme to provide learning opportunities for adults and possibilities of second-chance education for those who left school earlier than others.
Like all other major actions within the Socrates Programme (Erasmus and Comenius), Grundtvig is divided into two parts - the Centralised Activities where projects are submitted to the European Commission in Brussels and Decentralised Activities that are co-ordinated at a local level by the National Agencies through consultation and regulation by the European Commission.
Mr Smith concluded that this networking between the Agencies based in the 30 countries participating in Socrates and the European Commission in Brussels is crucial for the development of the Programme itself. Active participation by all parties concerned is important also since the adult education landscape is extremely diversified in comparison to other regular spheres of education.
The future
Ambassador Roland Gallimore, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Malta, said that for the Commission the future is today. The Europe we invest in today will give us the Europe of tomorrow.
Candidate countries are moving ever closer to member states and bringing in their experiences to the EU educational programmes. This link between candidate countries and the Commission is never-ending.
Mr Gallimore expressed his personal welcome to all the delegates and congratulated the Socrates Agency of Malta for hosting this meeting.
Piano recital
The Mediterranean Institute Music Studies Programme is presenting a piano recital by Maria Bianco tomorrow at 7.30 p.m. at the Music Room of St. James Cavalier, Valletta. She will play works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Shostakovich and Messiaen.
Gender equality
A seminar on gender equality is being organised by students taking the Sociology of Gender credit within the Faculty of Arts, on Friday between 9 a.m. and noon at the Conference Room, Student House, at the University, Tal-Qroqq.
Refreshments will be served before, with a coffee break at 10.30 a.m.