Nursing Science
Nursing science at Tampere university
Nursing science is a discipline studying the health of individuals and families, their well-being and care in different contexts. It is situated at Health Sciences Unit at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University.
Research and teaching support the goals of the Faculty of Social Sciences, such as the effort to identify, understand, and address well-being challenges and related issues. In line with the faculty's research guidelines, nursing science combines strong disciplinary expertise with multidisciplinary research and teaching open to new issues.
Nursing science offers consists of Bachelor and Master's degrees and Doctoral programme in health sciences.
Research
Introduction
At Tampere University, research in nursing science is focused on four main themes: Wellbeing of families and individuals, Service system that produces wellbeing, Good care through leadership and Good care through competence. The research is based on an understanding from family nursing research that individuals are always part of a social network of loved ones, their family. The research is characterised by the versatility of used methods, building national networks, internationalisation, and multidisciplinary cooperation. The research is used to produce evidence-based knowledge that can be used in healthcare and more widely in society.
Wellbeing of families and individuals
This research theme produces knowledge of the lives of families and individuals, promoting and supporting health and wellbeing, and effective nursing interventions. Family and individuals are perceived as active experts and promoters of their own wellbeing.
Death of a loved one, grief and coping
The research project is led by Adjunct professor, PhD Anna Liisa Aho.
The project describes the grief and coping process of loved ones from the perspective of different causes of death and cultures and involves developing support interventions that promote the coping of grieving individuals and assessing related impacts.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) grief and coping from the perspective of different family members / loved ones and different causes of death
2) the support grieving people need and receive, and support interventions that promote the coping of grieving individuals
3) the consequences and life changes that follow the death of a loved one
4) peer support and its effectiveness in the coping process of grieving loved ones and the significance of expert by experience activities in society
5) quality of end-of-life care and end-of-life care for children
6) a good life and death in different cultures during the COVID–19 pandemic
7) motives and background factors of familicides
Breastfeeding counselling
The research project is led by Professor Marja Kaunonen and PhD, post doc researcher Riikka Ikonen.
The research project describes and explains the breastfeeding of infants and children of various ages and the related factors as well as breastfeeding counselling from the perspectives of families, professionals, and peer support providers.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) factors related to the nutrition of infants
2) knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to breastfeeding over 1-year-old children
3) peer support for breastfeeding via a mobile application (led by the University of Turku)
Evidence-based palliative care
The research project is led by Professor Elina Haavisto.
The research project describes good palliative care (incl. end-of-life care) and required competence from nursing staff (knowledge, skills, attitude, values), as well as assesses the realization of palliative care and related competence in various healthcare context. The research project also involves developing instruments and interventions for strengthening nursing and competence, as well as assessing the effectiveness of interventions.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) Patient care
- Care decision-making
- Care ethics
- Psychosocial support for patients
- Development of instruments and interventions
2) Family being a part of palliative care
- Family support
- Family participation in patient care
- Family’s coping during the patient's palliative care/ after the patient's death
- Family satisfaction in patient care
- Development of instruments and interventions
3) Care organization
- Healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes
- Interprofessional collaboration and competence
- Palliative sedation
- Developing digital learning environments to strengthen competence and evaluate their effectiveness
Mental wellbeing and psychiatric nursing
The research project is led by Adjunct professor, PhD Jari Kylmä.
The research project describes and explains the factors connected to mental wellbeing, develops interventions that promote mental wellbeing, and assesses their impact in various contexts.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) positive mental health
2) interventions promoting mental health and psychiatric nursing interventions
3) hope as an element of positive mental health
4) interventions that strengthen hope in various contexts
Diversity of sexual and gender identities and health
The research project is led by Adjunct professor, PhD Jari Kylmä.
The research project describes and explains the factors connected to the health of people with different sexual and gender identities, develops health-enhancing interventions, and assesses their effectiveness in various contexts.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) promotion of sexual health
2) lives and health of young people, people of working age and older people who belong to sexual and gender minorities
3) lives and health of families who belong to sexual and gender minorities
4) encountering people who belong to sexual and gender minorities in social welfare and healthcare services
Children and young people who have experienced sexual violence
The research project is led by PhD, post doc researcher Riikka Ikonen.
The research project describes and explains the prevalence of experiencing sexual violence in childhood and adolescence, the wellbeing of these children and young people, and reporting the incident to a parent.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) factors related to reporting sexual violence
2) sexual violence experienced by young people placed in care, related factors, and the wellbeing of these young people
Service system that produces wellbeing
The research theme produces knowledge about the service system, its functionality and multiprofessional cooperation in healthcare and its interfaces, particularly from the perspectives of clients, patients, and families
Older families’ participation at the interface of home and healthcare services
The research project is led by PhD, post doc researcher Mira Palonen.
The research project produces an evidence-based knowledge for the interface of the acute healthcare services for older families living at home. It is promoting the competence of professionals as well as the older patients’ and families’ participation in acute care.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) The older family at the interface of home and hospital
2) The emergency clinic as a node point for the care for an older patient
3) Safe discharge of an older patient
Human-centered solar smart technology design for healthy aging (SOL-TECH)
The research project is led by Tenure track professor Paola Vivo, Faculty of engineering and natural sciences, Tampere University. Sub-project is led by Professor Marja Kaunonen in cooperation with PhD, post doc researcher Mira Palonen.
The multidisciplinary research project describes the needs and wishes that emerge in the day-to-day lives of older people and develops an aid for preventing and identifying falls with the help of light technology. The aim is to support older people in continuing to live safely at home in collaboration with experts from the fields of health, social sciences, architecture, and technology. The key is to take development measures together with older people living at home, their loved ones and home care professionals.
Strengthening the health of individuals and families in services
The research project is led by Adjunct professor, PhD Anja Rantanen.
The research project describes and explains the quality of life and health of individuals and families with different life situations and their service experiences. Support interventions are also developed for health promotion.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) strengthening the health of people with a chronic health problem
2) service experiences and assessment of care processes.
Day-to-day life, challenges, and services of families with children
The research project is led by Professor Eija Paavilainen.
The research project describes the day-to-day lives of families with children in demanding situations and seeks effective ways to alleviate risky conditions, promote the wellbeing and health of children and families, and develop multiprofessional services for families with children.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) Examining the various forms of family violence
2) Multiprofessional interventions for preventing child maltreatment
3) ERICA 2019-2021 will be continued by testing the mobile app, 2022 - 2026
4) Services for families with children in Japan and Finland, 2018-2025
5) International study on the day-to-day life of children with long-term illnesses, 2020-2025
Good care through leadership
The research theme produces knowledge about healthcare leadership, nurses’ wellbeing at work, and organisation cultures. Good leadership strengthens wellbeing at work and promotes good care.
Ethicality in an organisation culture and wellbeing at work in changing healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic as a challenge for healthcare leadership 2020–
The research project is led by Professor Marja Kaunonen
The research project produces knowledge about the ethicality of the organisation culture in healthcare and staff wellbeing, particularly during organisational changes. The project also aims to produce knowledge about the mental wellbeing of staff designated to a new work unit within the hospital and those remaining in their own work unit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental wellbeing of hospital staff is examined from the perspectives of anxiety, work-related stress and fears related to catching COVID-19 as well as the experiences related to being transferred to a new work unit.
Appreciative leadership
The research project is led by post doc researcher, PhD Merja Harmoinen in cooperation with MNSc Mervi Roos
The research project produces knowledge of appreciative leadership, leaving work and leaving the profession, and the commitment to work and attractiveness of healthcare at the national and international level.
Good care through competence
The research theme produces knowledge on the healthcare education system and the learning and competence of managers, teachers, students and professionals and the used assessment methods in various contexts. The study makes use of the latest digital technology such as simulation games and virtual reality apps.
Simulation games and virtual reality applications in nursing education and the clinical environment
The research project is led by PhD, post doc researcher Jaana-Maija Koivisto in cooperation with Professor Elina Haavisto.
The research project focuses on developing simulation games and virtual reality applications for learning clinical reasoning skills, knowledge, and empathy, and determining the effectiveness, usefulness, and user experiences of these solutions.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) The effectiveness of a simulation game on nursing students’ clinical reasoning skills and surgical knowledge
2) Multiplayer virtual reality simulation in learning collaborative clinical reasoning skills
3) A digital learning environment advancing nurses’ knowledge, skills and attitudes related to palliative care for cancer patients
4) Evaluating nursing students’ knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to vital signs in the final exam by using simulation game
5) Game metrics in simulation games and virtual reality simulation
6) Nursing students’ scenario performance in learning clinical reasoning skills in simulation games
7) Nursing students’ and nurses’ clinical reasoning skills in virtual reality simulation
8) Nursing students’ and nurses’ user experiences of the virtual reality simulation
9) Learning empathy in virtual reality simulation
Measuring and comparing achievements of learning outcomes in Higher education, Phase 2 (CALOHE2)
The research project is led by Professor Robert Wagenar, University of Groningen, Tuning Academy. The leader of subject area nursing is Professor Marja Kaunonen.
The research project develops an assessment method for European competence that involves evaluating and assessing measurable competence outcomes. The aim is to go beyond the special features of cultures, field of science and education.
The project also includes updating the description of education and the competences of learners developed in previous projects (TUNING, CALOHE), and describes the changes caused in competence needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aprendizaje Centrado en el Estudiente en América del Sur – ACE
The research project is led by Professor Robert Wagenar, University of Groningen, Tuning Academy. The European expert of subject area nursing is Professor Marja Kaunonen.
The research project involves developing a frame for higher education (Environmental Engineering; Education Sciences/Teacher training, Nursing, History), which describes the knowledge produced by education, competence, and wider participation in society. The work is built on the results of the previous Tuning-Latin America project (2017). The project aims to also reform education and the development of staff. It will produce student-driven programmes that will take students into consideration in curriculum work, its implementation and advancement by including examples of the good practices of learning, teaching and assessment.
Competence of healthcare educators and professionals and related development 2010–2023
The research project is led by Adjunct professor, PhD Meeri Koivula.
The project involves conducting research in healthcare educator training and the educators’ continuous professional development, which can be used to develop the content and methods used in educator training and the continuous learning of educators. The project also includes producing up-to-date information about the competence of healthcare professionals, which can be used to develop the competence, wellbeing, and career development of nursing staff.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) Multiculturalism in healthcare
2) Evidence-based competence of healthcare professionals
3) The education and competence development of healthcare educators
4) The role of the educator during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Nordic countries and Estonia
Competence in evidence-based practice among nurses working in healthcare
The research project is led by Professor Elina Haavisto
The research project produces a knowledge test for the assessment of competence in evidence-based practice for the use of healthcare professionals. The project also assesses the knowledge, skills and attitudes related to evidence-based practice.
The research is focused on the following areas:
1) developing the knowledge test on evidence-based practice and assessing its psychometric characteristics
2) assessing the knowledge, skills and attitudes related to evidence-based practice in various healthcare contexts
Updates
This research programme is updated as necessary, at least once per year. The programme was most recently updated on December 2021.
Information about studies
In nursing science studies, the issue of nursing and health is perceived broadly, enhanced with multidisciplinary collaboration. Nursing research, especially family nursing, forms the core of teaching. The students deepen their previous health expertise through multidisciplinary and wide-ranging studies.
Bachelor and Master's studies are provided in Finnish. Based on their orientation, students are well prepared to work independently in management and education positions.
The study builds knowledge of nursing, and related disciplines to support different levels of decision-making, as well as working life skills, such as communication, information acquisition and problem-solving skills. Studies increase understanding of current national and international phenomena in nursing and health care as part of society. Studies help students to generate and evaluate nursing science knowledge and apply research methods and evidence-based knowledge.
After completing their studies, the student has a versatile ability to lead and manage health projects and organize their work, as well as to continuously develop and evaluate their own and the work community's skills, change and activities controlled by the screen.
