International Journal of Bahamian Studies
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The Role of Drugs in Contemporary Society
No full textAn outline of the many types of drugs: caffiene, alcohol, illegal substances, over-the-counter medications that are consumed by society
Self and Society: Participation in Cultural Life: A Caribbean Perspective
Get PDFAn analysis of the Regan Administration's Caribbean Basin Initiative and its impact on Caribbean cultural and economic development
Preliminary Observations on the Telephone Survey as a Research Tool in New Providence
Get PDFThis paper describes our experiences from using the telephone survey as a research tool in New Providence.
Gender specific surveys may be complicated by the fact that females are more likely to answer the telephone than males. Respondents often seem suspicious of telephone callers, and so might be uncooperative.
The large proportion of telephone lines "not in service" means that many numbers are dialed unsuccessfully. Variation between exchanges in the proportion of completed calls could result in uneven survey coverage of the island. This variability appears to be related to socio-economic factors that could bias survey results
Mucuna Pruriens: Weed, Invasive or Multi-use Crop for The Bahamas?
Get PDFThe genus Mucuna Adamson comprises some 100 or so wild and domesticated species, native or naturalized in the tropics and sub-tropics of both hemispheres. They are lianas or vines, and include a number of species found mainly in tropical rainforests.
Many Mucuna species were previously assigned to the genus Stizolobium P. Browne, and this name was proposed for annual species while retaining the name Mucuna for perennial species. Subsequent taxonomists have not maintained this separation (Mabberley, 1998). The Mucuna genus is a member of the Family Leguminosae and sub-family Papilionoideae.
The taxonomy is confused with numerous synonyms: mainly Mucuna species have synonyms assigning them to the Dolichos L. or the Stizolobium genera. M. pruriens alone has 12 synonyms (retrieved from http://www.mobot.org). No studies have been carried out using modern molecular techniques on the genus to eliminate this confusion (Lorenzetti et al., 1998). There is also considerable confusion with vernacular names. Only on Mucuna species occurs in The Bahamas, namely Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., known locally as cow itch or monkey tamarind, and characterized by the irritant hairs on the pods (Correll & Correll, 1982). Many other species in this genus also have pods with irritant hairs
Pain Management Knowledge of Registered Nurses Practicing in Acute-Care Hospitals in The Bahamas
Get PDFSince pain is the most common complaint of the hospitalized patient, and nurses are with patients more than any other healthcare professional, it is imperative that nurses know how to adequately assess and manage patients' pain. However, findings from studies that suggested that nurses' lack of knowledge is among the primary reasons for inadequate pain management, which leads to major discomfort and decreased quality of life for patients.
A descriptive, correlational study was conducted to describe and explore the knowledge base of registered nurses practicing in acute-care hospitals in The Bahamas in regard to pain management. The "model of nursing knowledge", developed by Jacobs-Kramer and Chinn (1988) was used as the conceptual framework for this study.
The population was 247 registered nurses from three hospitals that offer acute care in The Bahamas. Data were collected via a questionnaire, which consisted of three sections: (a) six demographic items, (b) 15 multiple-choice items, and (c) 15 true or false items. Sections B and C contained items originally designed by McCaffery and Ferrell (1992), some of which were modified to reflect the pain management practices in The Bahamas. The mean pain management knowledge score was 13.5 (46.6%, se-0.20).
Findings indicated that nurses lack pain management knowledge concerning physical and behavioral indicators of pain, pain assessment principles, identification of opioids/narcotics, equianalgesia and that they believe in many myths related to pain assessment and management.
The results from this study reveal the need to develop strategies that will enhance pain management practices for the hospitalized patient to increase quality of life and patient satisfaction
The Practical Realities of Implementing Change on a Nationwide Basis: The Bahamas Hotel Training Council: A Case Study
No full textThe Bahamas Hotel Training Council (BHTC) was established to advocate for tourism as a tool of economic development which has relevance to the community of developing nations. The BHTC supports tourism for:
i) post-secondary training and development
ii) organizational and departmental effectiveness
iii) positive social and cultural interfacing of tourism with the host population
iv) maximising the benefits of toruism to the host population, the tourist and the entrepreneur.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1980 Conference of Caribbean Studies Associaiton heldi n Curaçao, Netherlands West Indies, May 7-10, 1980
The Scientific Mind: Ever Searching, Never Certain
Get PDFThis article examines the nature of scientific thought and looks at how "the scientific method" has propelled mankind's understanding of natural phenomena from the embryonic metaphysics to the present-day quantum and plasma physics. The scientific mind is always in search of ways to improve the present knowledge about nature, and is never satisfied that the present knowledge is "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth".
"Science is grounded on a firm foundation of doubt" - Don Cupitt.
"The moderns have subjected the phenomena of nature to the laws of mathematics" - Isaac Newton.
The scholastic adage, "all men by nature desire to know" has driven philosophers, from as far back as the Aristotelian era, to ponder the question "what are the conditions of knowing?", Or, simply put "how do you know that you know something?” Under what conditions can something be called knowledge
Hidden Roots: The African Element in Bahamian Speech
No full textThe basis of New World Language varieties were forged on the West African coast as a result of prolonged business contact, thus the linguistically-sophisticated Africans rapidly acquired enough European language to use in trade and a common English pidgin evolved.
It is reasonable to assume that this language was transmitted to differing extents to the slaves who waited (sometimes for up to a year) for trans-shipment to the New World. This is the most reasonable explanation for the remarkable similarities in grammar and vocabulary in the English of New World Africans, whether inhabitants of South American forests, of the Jamaican hinterland or of the Bahamian Family Islands
Education in the Bahamas, 1821-1836 : A Prelude
Get PDFLittle has been written on pre-Emancipation education in The Bahamas. The most significant study is that by Rodney Bain whose research extended up to 1823.
A study by A. D. Peggs is rich in chronological detail, but rather weak on analysis and interpretation, covers a time period from the beginnings in the early 1800s to the mid-1940s. Important works by Shirley Gordon and John Figueroa supply useful general information on education throughout the West Indian colonies. It is obvious that the 1820s and 1830s are fruitful years for research into the history of Bahamian education
Grant's Town and the Historical Development of "Over the Hill"
Get PDFPrior to the coming of the Loyalists in 1783, the black and white inhabitants of New Providence virtually lived together. The increase in number of the Loyalist slaves threatened the security of Nassau residents and as a result the House of Assembly passed an Act for regulating the police of the town of Nassau and the suburbs thereof, and for other purposes therein mentioned. This required that all persons of colour be domiciled beyond the city limits. As a result land was set aside for the blacks employed in Nassau, and the first settlement, Headquarters, was established.
The influx of Africans after 1807 necessitated carefully planned settlements. The first of which was Grants's Town, which began as a government-sponsored project to provide land for the African recaptives and which encompassed settlements and residents both to the north and south: Headquarters, Carmichael and Delancy Town respectively