Deryn Thompson

Background

About Deryn Thompson

I am a registered nurse with 30 years experience in the field of allergy and eczema management with a special focus on patient education. Nurses and health professionals need formal, evidence- based training to optimise best-practice care for those with manifestations of allergic disease and skin conditions. Patient and family education is the key to successful long-term self-management of chronic conditions, such as eczema and allergies. However, how nurses help patients and families to think, reason and develop problem-solving skills to manage their health conditions/life situations was under-explored in the nursing research space. My PhD used an action research approach with paediatric nurses, child and family health nurses and parents to explore, describe and map the key learning principles (cognitive and adult) used by nurses and important to parents' learning experiences. Participants contributed to developing a resource, aligning with the Dimensions of Learning Framework (Marzano et al. This framework is based upon educational psychology research, and the Dimensions of Thinking (Marzano et al. The resource comprises a series of cues to stimulate learners (patients/families) think, reason and problem-solve, guided by the nurse (or health professional). Special nurse-directed education sessions for families, following diagnosis of any condition, must involve consistent explanations and demonstration of treatments and management strategies in straightforward terms. Nurses play a pivotal role in helping people turn the information provided to them into knowledge they can use in a variety of contexts. This process empowers families and promotes concordance, ultimately helping to improve quality of life. In the Nurse-led Eczema clinic at the Women's and Children's Health Network families of children with eczema received specialised education to develop their skills and confidence in eczema management. Special interest Area : Learning, cognition, and translating knowledge into clinical practice. I now work in a Dermatology and an allergy private practice, and at the University of South Australia. ResearcherID: F-3771-2013 Scopus Author ID: 55461866700