Conectar
To explore registered nurses' thinking strategies during the drug administration process in nursing homes.
An exploratory qualitative design.
Eight registered nurses, one male and seven female, in five nursing home wards in Mid-Norway were observed during 15 drug dispensing rounds (175 drug dispensing episodes). Think Aloud sessions with follow-up individual interviews were conducted. The Think Aloud data were analysed using deductive qualitative content analysis based on Marsha Fonteyn's description of 17 thinking strategies. Interview data were used to clarify missing information and validate the content of Think Aloud data.
The registered nurses used all 17 thinking strategies described by Fonteyn, including several variants of each strategy. The three most frequent were ‘providing explanations’, ‘setting priorities’ and ‘drawing conclusions’. In addition, we found two novel thinking strategies that did not fit into Fonteyn's template, which were labelled ‘controlling’ and ‘interacting’. Among all strategies, ‘controlling’ was by far the most used, serving as a means for the registered nurses to stay on track and navigate through various interruptions, while also minimising errors during drug dispensing.
The study highlights the diverse thinking strategies employed by registered nurses in nursing homes during medication administration. The findings emphasise the multifaceted nature of medication administration and underscore the importance of skilled personnel in ensuring medication safety. Recognising the significance of these findings is crucial for maintaining patient well-being and upholding medication safety standards in healthcare settings.
Understanding the thinking strategies employed by registered nurses can inform training programmes and enhance the clinical judgements of health care professionals involved in medication administration, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced medication errors in practice.
Patients were involved in this study as recipients of drugs which the nurses distributed during the observations. The patients were involved as a third party and consent to the observations was either given by the patients themselves or relatives in cases where the patient was not competent to consent. No personal information was collected about the patients.
The reporting of this study adhered to the COREQ checklist.
To identify evidence on frontline nurse leaders' competences in evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) and the instruments measuring these competences.
A scoping review.
The search was conducted in June 2021 and complemented in June 2022. The CINAHL, ProQuest, Medline (Ovid), Scopus, Web of Science databases and MedNar along with the Finnish database Medic were searched.
The scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs institute methodology for scoping reviews. Titles, abstracts and full-text versions were screened independently by two reviewers according to the inclusion criteria. Deductive-inductive content analysis was used to synthesize data.
A total of 3211 articles published between 1997 and 2022 were screened, which resulted in the inclusion of 16 articles. Although frontline nurse leaders had a positive attitude towards EBHC, they had a lack of implementing EBHC competence into practice. Part of the instruments were used in the studies, and only one focused especially on leaders. None of instruments systematically covered all segments of EBHC.
There is a limited understanding of frontline nurse leaders' competence in EBHC. It is important to understand the importance of EBHC in healthcare and invest in the development of its competence at all levels of leaders. Frontline nurse leaders' support is essential for direct care nurses to use EBHC to ensure the quality of care and benefits to patients. Leaders must enhance their own EBHC competence to become role models for direct care nurses. It is also essential to develop valid and reliable instruments to measure leaders' competence covering all EBHC segments. The results can be utilized in the assessment and development of frontline nurse leaders' EBHC competence by planning and producing education and other competence development methods.
Nursing interventions in the post-operative time period including psychological and emotional support, adverse event education, and instructions for follow-up care contribute patient satisfaction, safety, and quality of life. However, the time spent in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and hospital continues to shorten around the world to reduce health care spending and improve patient outcomes. Nurses conducting research during the important post-operative recovery period need to utilize unique techniques and emerging technologies to contact, recruit and collect data outside of the hospital setting including the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) platform.
This paper describes the feasibility and acceptability, facilitators and barriers of the software application, REDCap, to complete a repeated-measures, descriptive correlational study in patients undergoing outpatient breast cancer surgeries.
The recruitment, data collection and storage were completed utilizing the secure REDCap Platform. The Institutional Research Board (IRB)-approved study was a repeated-measures, descriptive, correlational study with data collection at three time points. The data points aligned with important transitions and routine visits to improve data collection feasibility and increase relevance to clinical practice.
The sample consisted of women diagnosed with breast cancer undergoing breast conserving surgery between August 15 and October 15, 2020. There were 123 potential participants, of which 76 started the surveys and 75 participated (61%) responded and participated in the study on Post-operative Day 1. Fifty-nine participants (78%) completed the surveys on post-operative Day 14.
As the frequency of outpatient treatment increases, nurses conducting post-operative research will need to collect the data outside of the hospital setting.
Email provides a method of studying new phenomena by recruiting participants, providing information about the study, and collecting results in a non-traditional setting. REDCap provides a method to facilitate nursing research through a securely encrypted integrated process.
To identify the available evidence regarding nursing roles in skin cancer screening and early detection and the reported education and training undertaken to do so.
Scoping review, reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR.
A database search of Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Emcare and JBI was conducted in November 2021. A grey literature search was conducted in February 2022. Searches were updated in August 2023.
The data were extracted and synthesized into themes related to nursing roles and education.
Of the 2285 identified studies, 54 were included in the review. Nursing roles included screening and early detection, prevention and patient education or counselling. Except for specialized nurse practitioners, nurses working in primary clinical care mostly engage in skin cancer supportive/administrative roles rather than leading collaborators in screening and early detection. The education and training for nurses were identified around themes of didactic education, clinical experience, training in dermoscopy, performance and knowledge assessment and self-efficacy.
The roles and responsibilities of nurses working in skin cancer screening and early detection are highly variable, as are the reported training and education programmes. Little research has been conducted to explore this nursing role or the educational requirements needed for proficiency. With appropriate best practice education, it is within most primary care nurses’ scope of practice to obtain competence in delivering opportunistic skin cancer screening.
While most nurse specialists in dermatology will be proficient in dermoscopy and skin cancer screening, nurses who work in general practice are often underutilized due to a lack of opportunity and a clear pathway to becoming proficient in dermoscopic skin cancer screening. Most nurses involved in skin cancer screening are employed in advanced roles, and only a few studies investigating educational interventions utilized dermoscopy among advanced nurses. With specific training, nurses can work within their full scope of practice and increase access to skin cancer screening and early detection.
Adhered to JBI Guidance for Conducting Systematic Scoping Reviews.
Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/XUNE6
N/A; a literature review.
To explore the experiences and consequences of bariatric surgery stigma from the perspective of bariatric surgery patients and to identify knowledge gaps in the literature.
A scoping review.
Studies published between December 2002 and January 2022 were identified from the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and MEDLINE.
We screened 3092 records and included 28 studies. Findings were grouped thematically using the health stigma discrimination framework.
Patients experienced several types of stigmas, including perceived, experienced, anticipated and internalized stigma, related to undergoing bariatric surgery. Patients were confronted with negative comments and judgement from others when they disclosed their decision to have surgery or when they revealed that they had undergone surgery. These experiences led to conflicts in the decision-making process, such as delaying the choice for surgery, seeking surgery abroad or opting out. Patients who internalized stigma often reported feelings of shame and embarrassment for choosing surgery and felt the need for secrecy or selective disclosure. Stigma experiences were influenced by gender and differed between different subgroups of patients.
The stigma surrounding bariatric surgery has detrimental consequences for eligible individuals and bariatric surgery patients. However, the evidence from patients' perspective remains limited. More research into patient's experiences is needed to improve patient care and further educate healthcare professionals. In addition, to better understand the nature and implications of bariatric surgery stigma, future research should be founded on stigma theories and distinguish between the different types of stigmas.
This scoping review contributes to a better understanding of the implications the stigma surrounding bariatric surgery has for bariatric surgery patients before and after surgery. The knowledge generated by this review can inform improvements in the education and management of people living with obesity and bariatric surgery patients.
The scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
A protocol was not registered for this scoping review.
To explore the experiences of older adults (65+) living with acquired brain injury regarding their sense of well-being during physical rehabilitation within the Greek Healthcare System.
With the increasing ageing population and the life-changing effects of acquired brain injury, there is a need to focus on care for older people and their potential to live well. Rehabilitation systems deserve greater attention, especially in improving the well-being of those who are using them.
A qualitative study design with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used.
Fourteen older adults living with acquired brain injury and undergoing physical rehabilitation in Greece were purposively sampled. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data and were thematically analysed using van Manen's and Clarke and Braun's methods. The COREQ checklist was followed.
Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Challenges of new life situation, (2) Seeking emotional and practical support through social interaction, (3) Identifying contextual processes of rehabilitation, (4) Realising the new self.
The subjective experiences, intersubjective relations and contextual conditions influence the sense of well-being among older adults living with acquired brain injury, thus impacting the realisation of their new self. The study makes the notion of well-being a more tangible concept by relating it to the degree of adaptation to the new situation and the potential for older adults to create a future whilst living with acquired brain injury.
Identifying the factors that impact older adults' sense of well-being during rehabilitation can guide healthcare professionals in enhancing the quality of care offered and providing more dignified and humanising care.
Older adults living with acquired brain injury were involved in the study as participants providing the research data.
To explore nurse-midwives' perceptions of safety culture in maternity hospitals.
A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted using focus groups and reported following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research.
Data were obtained through two online focus group sessions in June 2022 with 13 nurse-midwives from two maternity hospitals in the central region of Portugal. The first focus group comprised 6 nurse-midwives, and the second comprised 7 nurse-midwives. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis.
Two main themes emerged from the data: (i) barriers to promoting a safety culture; (ii) safety culture promotion strategies. The first theme is supported by four categories: ineffective communication, unproductive management, instability in teams and the problem of errors in care delivery. The second theme is supported by two categories: managers' commitment to safety and the promotion of effective communication.
The study results show that the safety culture in maternity hospitals is compromised by ineffective communication, team instability, insufficient allocation of nurse-midwives, a prevailing punitive culture and underreporting of adverse events. These highlight the need for managers to commit to providing better working conditions, encourage training with the development of a fairer safety culture and encourage reporting and learning from mistakes. There is also a need to invest in team leaders who allow better conflict management and optimization of communication skills is essential.
Disseminating these results will provide relevance to the safety culture problem, allowing greater awareness of nurse-midwives and managers about vulnerable areas, and lead to the implementation of effective changes for safe maternal and neonatal care.
There was no patient or public contribution as the study only concerned service providers, that is, nurse-midwives themselves.
Health professionals witness pain and suffering when they care for sick people and their families. Compassion is a necessary quality in their work as it combines the will to help, alleviate suffering and promote the well-being of both the people they are attending and the professionals themselves. The aim of the study was to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Capacity for Compassion Scale (CCS).
A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale (reliability, temporal stability, content validity, criterion validity and construct validity).
The study was carried out in two phases: pilot study and final validation. The data were collected between April and May 2022. The sample was selected by convenience sampling and was made up of a total of 264 participants, 59 in the pilot phase and 205 in the final validation.
The Capacity for Compassion Scale has been shown to have good psychometric properties in relation to reliability, temporal stability, and content, criterion, and construct validity. Factor analysis showed that there were four subdimensions of the scale: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion. The results also indicate that compassionate ability is significantly correlated with age and work experience.
The Capacity for Compassion Scale shows adequate psychometric properties. This instrument measures the compassion capacity of health professionals, which is a valuable discovery for new lines of research in this field.
Through this scale, low levels of capacity for compassion can be detected that negatively influence the quality of care provided by health professionals. The Capacity for Compassion Scale can therefore contribute to the identification of needs and promote training around compassion for health professionals.
No patient or public contribution.
Compassion in health professionals has positive effects on improving the quality of care, the satisfaction of professionals and the work environment. There are compassion cultivation programmes whose validity has been proven for the development of the dimensions of compassion. There is no specific instrument that measures capacity for compassion in healthcare professionals.
A scale is designed to measure capacity for compassion in health professionals. This is the only such scale available up until now. The scale measures four dimensions of compassion: motivation/commitment, presence, shared humanity and self-compassion.
The development of specific programmes that can increase the compassion of health professionals with all the benefits that this can bring to health care is encouraged. It will be possible to analyse the effects of training programmes on the cultivation of compassion.
The aim of this paper is to present the evidence on the effectiveness of non-surgical interventions to improve health and well-being in women living with Mayer–Rokitansky–Kuster–Hauser (MRKH) syndrome.
Systematic review guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews checklist.
The search was conducted between June and September 2022 across the following databases: CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO and Cochrane. Trial registries (clinicaltrials. gov, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), Cochrane Controlled Trials Register-CCTR), Google scholar, dissertations, conference proceedings and reference lists of included studies were also searched. Corresponding authors, formal and informal MRKH groups were contacted to obtain any significant studies or reviews.
Eligible were only English-language empirical studies of any time period. The review followed narrative synthesis.
Twenty-three studies were identified that fit the inclusion criteria which included 1540 MRKH syndrome affected women. Four studies were on psychological interventions (n = 85) and 19 studies (vaginal dilation therapy n = 897, coital dilation n = 57) focused on non-surgical vaginal dilation as a measure to vaginal agenesis in MRKH syndrome.
Clearly, vaginal dilation is a viable initial treatment option for women with MRKH syndrome. There is limited evidence that ‘coital dilation’ is an effective method of dilation for vaginal agenesis. The literature, however, supports the need for psychological intervention to improve health and well-being.
Women with MRKH syndrome who require dilation can receive guidance and support from their healthcare providers, particularly sexual and reproductive health nurses, clinical nurse specialists and gynaecologists. From the point of diagnosis, clinical psychologists should be involved. As much as feasible, family and partner support can be encouraged.
No patient or public contribution.
Gynaecological cancer illness and treatment have a significant impact on women's sexual health and concerns regarding sexual health are known to be an unmet need in survivors. The digital support programme Gynea was designed to enhance women's health, including sexual health, after gynaecological cancer treatment. This study aimed to explore how cancer survivors experienced participation in Gynea.
This is a phenomenological hermeneutic study. Individual, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore lived experiences. Twenty women were interviewed after completing the Gynea programme. The transcripts were analysed using Lindseth and Norberg's phenomenological hermeneutic method.
Three main themes (with subthemes) emerged from the analysis: (1) A silent existential trauma; (2) Redefining sexual health; (3) Communicating with a partner about sexuality. The women redefined sexual health rather than just being sexual intercourse, being a rediscovery of the body. The women's increased awareness and understanding of their own sexual health empowered their communication about their sexuality with their partners. This was important for regaining sexual health and intimacy in their relationships.
Participation in Gynea helped to strengthen the women's sexual integrity. Knowledge and support empowered them to take care of their sexual needs and communicate these with their partners.
Healthcare services and nurses need to be aware that sexual health is an existential state of being, in which good sexual health does not necessarily equate to sexual function, but rather to sexual empowerment. Digital support with nurse guidance can support women in caring for their sexual health after cancer illness by thematizing sexual health with a holistic approach and should be part of the medical treatment.
Twenty gynaecological cancer survivors contributed by sharing their experiences from the sexual health module in Gynea.
To understand the experiences of HIV nurses in the context of ambivalence between biomedical treatment advancements and the continuing burden for people living with HIV and negative representations of HIV.
An interpretative phenomenological study was conducted using in-depth interviews.
Twenty-one interviews with nurses were conducted between November 2021 and March 2022. A thematic analysis was performed.
Six themes related to the nurses' experiences emerged. Despite effective treatment for most people with HIV, nurses identify patient populations that require additional care. Nurses are flexible in making extra appointments to accommodate complex issues in these patients. Nurses develop a unique relationship with their patients based on trust and empathy, linked to patient's experiences with stigma and discrimination for people with HIV. Nurses perceive their tasks as becoming increasingly complex. There is explicit awareness about the changes in HIV care from acute to chronic care and how this affects nurses' tasks. Nurses continue to differentiate HIV from other chronic conditions.
Biomedical advancements change the organization of HIV care while public health concerns remain and patient population has particular needs due to negative social representations of HIV. Nurses navigate these issues in their everyday care.
A potential re-evaluation of the role of nurses in providing chronic HIV care.
Our study addresses the roles of HIV nurses as care is shifting towards chronic care models. The unique relationship between nurses and patients is key in understanding the importance of nurses in the care trajectory. These findings impact the institutional role of nurses in HIV treatment centres and the institutional organization of HIV care.
The COREQ guideline was used.
Amsterdam UMC (AMC) staff, the national organization of HIV Nurses and patient organizations contributed to the study design.
To describe nurses’ and specialist nurses’ experiences of moral distress and how it affects daily work in surgical care.
A qualitative descriptive study design was used.
A qualitative study with 12 interviews with nurses and specialist nurses working in surgical care. All interviews were conducted during October and November 2022 in two hospitals in southeastern Sweden. Data were analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.
Three categories and seven subcategories generated from the data analysis. The three categories generated from the analysis were Experiences that lead to moral distress, Perceived consequences of moral distress and Strategies in case of moral distress. The results show that a lack of personnel in combination with people with complex surgical needs is the main source of moral distress. Both high demands on nurses as individuals and the teamwork are factors that generate moral distress and can have severe consequences for the safety of patients, individual nurses and future care.
The results show that moral distress is a problem for today's nurses and specialist nurses in surgical care. Action is necessary to prevent nurses from leaving surgical care. Prioritizing tasks is perceived as challenging for the profession, and moral distress can pose a patient safety risk.
Surgical care departments should design support structures for nurses, give nurses an authentic voice to express ethical concerns and allow them to practice surgical nursing in a way that does not violate their core professional values. Healthcare organizations should take this seriously and work strategically to make the nursing profession more attractive.
There was no patient or public contribution.
To describe managers' and professionals' views on the management of digital competence sharing in health care.
A qualitative descriptive study.
Managers (n = 22) and professionals (n = 12) from two public primary, one public special and one private health care organization in Finland participated in semi-structured individual interviews between February and May 2022. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis.
Managers' and professionals' views formed six main categories: providing resources and opportunities for digital competence sharing, creating methods and practices for digital competence sharing, managing digital competence, implementing intergenerational learning, creating a friendly and safe digital organizational atmosphere, and promoting digital competence sharing through leadership.
The support of management is significant in promoting the sharing of digital competence in health care organizations. The management of digital competence sharing requires a both resources and a commitment to continuous training and development. It also requires the creation of a collaborative culture to promote mutual learning between professionals and people of different generations.
Due to rapid technological advancements and the resulting load, it is important to focus on the development and sharing of digital competence among health care professionals. The study indicated that managers should have the ability to identify the strengths of professionals' digital competence and be able to utilize them in promoting digital competence sharing. It also highlighted the specific competency requirements for managers in this context. The results can be applied to the training of health care managers and professionals, particularly around digital competence.
No patient or public contribution.
The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was used in the reporting.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the cornerstone of systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis. RCT identification remains challenging because of limitations in their indexation in major databases and potential language bias. Scientific production in Latin American nursing is steadily increasing, but little is known about its design or main features. We aimed to identify the extent of evidence from RCTs in nursing conducted by Latin American research teams and evaluate their main characteristics, including potential risk of bias.
Scoping review with risk of bias assessment.
We conducted a scoping review including a comprehensive electronic search in five relevant databases. We completed a descriptive data analysis and a risk of bias assessment of eligible studies using Cochrane's guidance.
We identified 1784 references of which 47 were RCTs published in 40 journals. Twenty (42.6%) RCTs were published in journals in English. Chronic diseases were the most common health conditions studied (29.7%). Fifteen (31.9%) RCTs had a high risk of bias. Thirty (75%) journals were included in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) catalog and 5 (16.7%) were journals classified under nursing category. Twenty-one (52.5%) journals explicitly required CONSORT checklist recommendations for RCTs reporting.
Publication of RCTs in nursing by Latin American authors has increased. Most journals where RCTs are published are in English and not specific to nursing. Searches in journals of other disciplines may be necessary to facilitate identification of RCTs in nursing. CONSORT statements need to be actively promoted to facilitate rigorous methodology and reporting of RCTs.
This study highlights the need for an increased research focus on RCTs in nursing in Latin America, and the importance of enhancing the reporting quality of these studies to support evidence-based nursing practice.
To identify and synthesize research on the awareness, attitudes and action related to sustainability and climate change from the perspective of nursing students and educators globally.
Integrative review.
The review was guided by Whittemore and Knafl. Included studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A deductive content analysis based on Elo and Kyngäs' methodology was employed.
CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, British Education Index, GreenFILE and Scopus were searched up to the 8th November 2022.
Thirty-two studies were included in the review. Two studies included nursing educators in their samples, the rest focused solely on students. Findings suggest that whilst some students were aware of sustainability issues and felt that nurses have a responsibility to mitigate climate change, others showed limited awareness and believed that nurses have more important priorities. A global interest was seen among students for increased curricular content related to sustainability and climate change. Waste management and education of others were suggested actions students can take; however, barriers included lack of confidence and limited power.
There is a need for sustainability education within nursing curricula, accompanied by student support.
The review acts as a starting point to make sustainable healthcare and climate change mitigation integral aspects of nursing.
Sustainability education within nursing curricula can positively impact on sustainable healthcare and climate change mitigation. More research is needed on the perspectives of nursing educators.
The review is reported according to the PRISMA guidelines.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To explore and summarise the literature on the concept of ‘clinical deterioration’ as a nurse-sensitive indicator of quality of care in the out-of-hospital context.
The scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review and the JBI best practice guidelines for scoping reviews.
Studies focusing on clinical deterioration, errors of omission, nurse sensitive indicators and the quality of nursing and midwifery care for all categories of registered, enrolled, or licensed practice nurses and midwives in the out-of-hospital context were included regardless of methodology. Text and opinion papers were also considered. Study protocols were excluded.
Data bases were searched from inception to June 2022 and included CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, EmCare, Maternity and Infant Care Database, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Informit Health and Society Database, JSTOR, Nursing and Allied Health Database, RURAL, Cochrane Library and Joanna Briggs Institute.
Thirty-four studies were included. Workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments and use of screening tools or guidelines impacted the ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting.
Little is known about the work of nurses or midwives in out-of-hospital settings and their recognition, reaction to and relay of information about patient deterioration. The complex and subtle nature of non-acute deterioration creates challenges in defining and subsequently evaluating the role and impact of nurses in these settings.
Further research is needed to clarify outcome measures and nurse contribution to the care of the deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting to reduce the rate of avoidable hospitalisation and articulate the contribution of nurses and midwives to patient care.
Factors that impact a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting are not examined to date.
A range of factors were identified that impacted a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting including workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments, use of screening tools or guidelines, and avoidable hospitalisation.
Where and on whom will the research have an impact?
Nurses and nursing management will benefit from understanding the factors that act as barriers and facilitators for effective recognition of, and responding to, a deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting. This in turn will impact patient survival and satisfaction.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review guidelines guided this review. The PRISMA-Scr Checklist (Tricco et al., 2018) is included as (supplementary file 1).Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.”
Not required as the Scoping Review used publicly available information.
To explore the nature and extent of peer-reviewed literature related to the use of diagnostic imaging by nurse practitioners (NPs) to inform future practice and research.
Nurse practitioners undertake advanced assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients, including requesting and interpretation of diagnostic imaging. It is unclear what evidence exists related to the quality use of radiological investigations by NPs in recent years.
A scoping review based on the steps suggested by the Joanna Briggs Institute.
A structured review of the databases Medline, CINAHL and Embase was undertaken using the keywords and MESH terms ‘nurse practitioner’, ‘medical imaging’, ‘diagnostic imaging’, ‘scan’ and ‘radiography’. Only English language articles were included, and no date limit was applied. Database review was completed on 30 May 2021.
Eight themes were identified—country and clinical context, requesting diagnostic imaging, performing diagnostic imaging, image-guided interventions, interpreting diagnostic imaging, training education and knowledge, impact on resource usage and comparison with medical practitioners. There were more studies across a greater breadth of clinical specialties and imaging modalities in the United States than in other countries. Nurse practitioner practice is frequently benchmarked against that of medical colleagues. There is a paucity of studies focusing on educational preparation and the lack of relevant university curricula for NPs around diagnostic imaging.
There are significant gaps in the evidence outside of the United States across several of the identified themes. Further studies are needed to explore NP access to and use of diagnostic imaging and to understand the barriers and facilitators to this.
Studies from four countries were included in this review. The evidence suggests that, where studied, nurse practitioners (NPs) can safely and appropriately request and interpret plain x-rays in the emergency and minor injuries setting. Further research is needed to evaluate the educational needs of NPs in relation to diagnostic imaging and their use of advanced imaging techniques, particularly outside of the United States.
No patient or public contribution.
To explore the potential of a structured active play intervention to promote social and personal development in preschoolers during cancer treatment.
A hermeneutic-phenomenological inspired explorative study.
Participant observations were conducted on 15 consecutively sampled children (aged 1–5 years) from April 2021 to April 2022. Observations were written as narrative scenic descriptions from field notes and were analysed inspired by hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis and using a thematic analysis structure.
Observations were carried out during 67 group or individual structured active play sessions, resulting in 129 scenic descriptions. Observations of the children's emotional, verbal and bodily expressions and social interactions resulted in three main themes: (1) wanting to play, (2) gaining confidence in movement and (3) being part of a group. The findings showed how children, irrespective of age and the severity of their illness, wanted to play and expressed joy of movement. The children's daily physical state fluctuated and influenced their motivation to participate as well as their confidence in their physical abilities. Through structured active play and with support from their parents and healthcare professionals, the children had successful movement experiences and regained confidence in movement, supporting their personal development. Playing together with other children and accompanied by their parents, healthcare professionals supported the children's opportunities to practice social skills, such as turn-taking, waiting and taking charge. Familiarity, recognizability and fun were key motivational components for the children.
Participating in structured active play during treatment has the potential to promote personal and social development in preschoolers with cancer. Parents play a crucial role in supporting the participation of their children.
The healthcare system and healthcare professionals should provide opportunities for preschoolers with cancer and other illnesses to participate in structured active play.
What problem did the study address? Cancer treatment affects the development of preschoolers’ gross motor-, personal and social skills—essential skills in childhood development. This study aimed to explore the potential for social and personal development through structured active play. What were the main findings? This study found that preschoolers want to play, and participating in structured active play can support their personal and social development through regained confidence in movement and becoming part of a group. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? The research impacts healthcare professionals working with preschoolers in the healthcare system. Creating opportunities for preschoolers to participate in structured active play throughout treatment can promote personal and social development.
The study adheres to relevant EQUATOR guidelines and is reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist.
Participants in this study were preschoolers with cancer and their parents. No public or patient involvement in the design of this study.
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04672681. Registered on December 17, 2020. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04672681.
This study aimed to investigate the experiences and transitional care needs of Turkish frail older adults living in the UK and determine how this information can be utilized to improve the provision of culturally sensitive care during the transitional period.
Qualitative descriptive research with semi-structured individual interviews.
“The ‘Silences’ Framework guided the research design, from conceptualizing the research question to structuring the report of final outputs. For this study, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen older adults living with frailty and five family caregivers between January and May of 2023 in the United Kingdom.
Major themes that were identified included: (i) information and communication, (ii) care and support, (iii) the role of culture and (iv) trust and satisfaction. Further analysis, through discussion and immersion in the data, revealed that care transition periods were presented alongside three phases of transitional care: pre-transition (during hospitalization), early-transition (the period between discharge and the 7th day after discharge) and late transition (the period between the 8th day and 12th month after discharge).
Our study revealed that the communication and informational needs of frail older individuals change during the transition period. While Turkish older adults and family caregivers expressed satisfaction with healthcare services in the UK, many struggled due to a lack of knowledge on how to access them.
The support of family caregivers is a crucial component in facilitating transitional care for frail older patients, as they help in accessing healthcare services and using technological devices or platforms. It should be noted that family caregivers often hold the same level of authority as their elderly Turkish counterparts.
No patient or public contribution.
FreshRSS 