To synthesise evidence on the types of Medication Management Services (MMS) and establish the effect of the different MMS interventions on Economic, Clinical and Humanistic Outcomes (ECHO) in dialysis patients.
Integrative review.
A systematic search was conducted from May to June 2024 using four databases: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library and Web of Science.
This review followed Whittemore and Knafl's framework and adhered to the PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Data extraction and quality assessment were independently conducted by three reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool and the Quality Improvement Minimum Quality Criteria Set. Only English-language articles, primary and quality improvement studies were included, with no restrictions on publication date. Findings were narratively synthesised and thematically grouped by review aims.
A total of 14 articles were included. This review identified (1) the types of MMS provided to renal dialysis patients, and (2) the effects of these services on ECHO. Services varied in practices, including obtaining accurate medication histories, identifying discrepancies, reviewing laboratory results, making recommendations to prescribers, resolving issues based on collaborative agreements and providing patient education. These services were compared in terms of economic outcomes (e.g., 30-day readmission rates), clinical outcomes (e.g., medication discrepancies, MRPs, laboratory and clinical parameters) and humanistic outcomes (e.g., medication burden-related quality of life).
This review highlighted various types of MMS available for dialysis patients and their impact on ECHO. Key benefits include recognising medication discrepancies, reducing MRPs, improving laboratory and clinical parameters, lowering 30-day readmission rates and enhancing medication burden-related quality of life. However, limitations such as retrospective studies, English-only publications and limited comparison across MMS models highlight the need for additional robust and diverse research.
This integrative review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
An analysis of mental health nursing de-escalation logs for 249 days from a regional adult inpatient unit in New South Wales, Australia, was completed to identify groups of cooccurring nursing therapeutic responses to aggression and examine their associations with reductions in restrictive practices and situational aggression.
A single-centre retrospective study was undertaken.
Hierarchical clustering of nursing interventions established groups of cooccurring nursing responses. Poisson mixed-effect models were then used to determine the associations of the intervention clusters with restrictive practices.
Two intervention clusters emerged: Cluster 1 involved verbal de-escalation with active listening and rapport building, whereas Cluster 2 included additional limit setting and problem-solving, distraction, sensory modulation, environmental change and individual staff time. Cluster 1 was linked with a reduction in seclusion use by 83% [IRR = 0.17, 95% CI (0.07, 0.41), p < 0.001], physical restraint by 79% [IRR = 0.21, 95% CI (0.11, 0.40), p < 0.001] and average judged situational aggression by 1.56 [95% CI (0.86, 2.25), p < 0.001]. Cluster 2 was related to statistically insignificant increases in the three studied outcomes.
The intervention clusters prove the value of supplementary tools in surfacing nurses' therapeutic potential. The differences in restrictive practice use between intervention clusters signal the structure and progression of forming therapeutic relationships in aid of de-escalation and the possibility of assessing de-escalation components robustly.
Acknowledging and supporting nurses' therapeutic work support the development of recovery-oriented care and a positive professional identity for nurses.
This study followed the applicable STROBE guidelines.
Due to the study's retrospective nature, there was no service user or public involvement.
To summarise the evidence and present the state of the science on pressure injury care bundles in the community. Specifically, this review examined (i) the extent of pressure injury by studying its prevalence and incidence in the last 10 years, (ii) the risk factors associated with community-acquired pressure injury and (iii) the components and outcomes associated with effective pressure injury care bundles in the community.
PI care bundles have effectively reduced PI rates; however, there is limited evidence of care bundles used in community settings.
Integrative review.
This integrative review is guided by the Whittemore and Knafl framework and follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. Quality appraisal was applied to assess the quality of selected articles. Data relevant to the review aims were extracted, and findings were synthesised and presented. PubMed, Medline, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched. Studies published in the English language between 2012 and 2022 were retrieved.
A total of 89 articles were retrieved; 25 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies reported the point prevalence and period prevalence of community-acquired pressure injuries, and only one study reported the incidence of community-acquired pressure injuries. The point prevalence and period prevalence of community-acquired pressure injury were 0.02% to 10.8% and 2.7% to 86.4%, respectively, and the cumulative incidence was 1.3%. The risk factors for community-acquired pressure injury assessed vary between studies; older age, poor nutrition, immobility and multiple comorbidities are commonly reported. Socioeconomic and caregiving factors were not studied. Very few studies evaluated pressure injury care bundles in the community. Even so, the components of the pressure injury care bundle vary between studies.
Pressure injury development is associated with a complex interplay of factors. Socioeconomic and caregiving factors were not examined in any of the papers. There is a lack of understanding of the components and outcomes associated with effective pressure injury care bundles in the community.
Despite their prevalence, community-acquired pressure injuries (CAPIs) are often underreported due to inadequate follow-up and reporting mechanisms. Although the risk factors for CAPIs vary across studies, older age, impaired mobility, multiple comorbidities and malnutrition consistently emerge as key contributors. Pressure injury preventive care bundles are more commonly used in the acute care setting rather than the community setting.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To identify best practices to prevent violence against healthcare workers by patients at risk for aggression in the adult inpatient setting.
An integrative review.
Conducted using the Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Model. Title and abstract screening on 4186 articles resulted in 156 for full text review. Full text screening yielded 14 articles that met inclusion criteria.
A search of the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and JBI from January 2019 to February 2023.
The review revealed behavioural intervention teams, environmental changes, and coordinated communication plans were the most used strategies, however none demonstrated significant decreases in violence.
Health systems can implement strategies shown to decrease the incidence of violence in healthcare settings globally. Lack of consistency in the evidence suggests the need for further research to assess mitigating strategies for violence against healthcare workers in inpatient hospital settings.
Patient safety is a cornerstone of nursing practice; however, healthcare workers need to feel safe in their work environment. Violent events are chronically underreported, ill defined, and when reported, do not address change in the practice setting. Identifying strategies to address escalating behaviour before it results in violence is crucial for everyone's safety.
This integrative review exposes the scarcity of evidence available to address rising concerns about patients on healthcare provider violence (Type II) in the workplace. Although several assessment tools for identifying violent patients exist, evidence regarding prevention is woefully absent. The review highlights potential interventions for further study to equip healthcare workers to manage patients safely and effectively before an escalation occurs.
PRISMA checklist for integrative reviews.
No patient or public contribution was part of this review.
To explore and describe acute care nurses’ decisions to recognise and respond to improvement in patients’ clinical states as they occurred in the real-world clinical environment.
A descriptive study.
Nine medical and eleven surgical nurses in a large Australian metropolitan hospital were individually observed during nurse–patient interactions and followed up in interview to describe their reasoning and clinical judgements behind observed decisions. Verbal description of observations and interviews were recorded and transcribed. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
The three themes constructed from the data were as follows: nurses checking in; nurses reaching judgements about improvements; and nurses deciding on the best person to respond. Acute care nurses made targeted assessment decisions based on predicted safety risks related to improvement in clinical states. Subjective and objective cues were used to assess for and make judgements about patient improvement. Acute care nurses’ judgment of patient safety and a desire to promote patient centred care guided their decisions to select the appropriate person to manage improvement.
The outcomes of this research have demonstrated that the proven safety benefits of acute care nurses’ decision making in response to deterioration extend to improvement in patients’ clinical states. In response to improvement, acute care nurses’ decisions protect patients from harm and promote recovery.
Early recognition and response to improvement enable acute care nurses to protect patients from risks of unnecessary treatment and promote recovery.
This study makes explicit nurses’ essential safety role in recognising and responding to improvement in patients’ clinical states. Healthcare policy and education must reflect the equal importance of assessment for and management of deterioration and improvement to ensure patients are protected and provided with safe care.
To identify, synthesise and map systematic reviews of the effectiveness of nursing interventions undertaken in a neonatal intensive care unit or special care nursery.
This scoping review was conducted according to the JBI scoping review framework.
Review included systematic reviews that evaluated any nurse-initiated interventions that were undertaken in an NICU or SCN setting. Studies that reported one or more positive outcomes related to the nursing interventions were only considered for this review. Each outcome for nursing interventions was rated a ‘certainty (quality) of evidence’ according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations criteria.
Systematic reviews were sourced from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence Synthesis for reviews published until February 2023.
A total of 428 articles were identified; following screening, 81 reviews underwent full-text screening, and 34 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Multiple nursing interventions reporting positive outcomes were identified and were grouped into seven categories. Respiratory 7/34 (20%) and Nutrition 8/34 (23%) outcomes were the most reported categories. Developmental care was the next most reported category 5/34 (15%) followed by Thermoregulation, 5/34 (15%) Jaundice 4/34 (12%), Pain 4/34 (12%) and Infection 1/34 (3%).
This review has identified nursing interventions that have a direct positive impact on neonatal outcomes. However, further applied research is needed to transfer this empirical knowledge into clinical practice.
Implementing up-to-date evidence on effective nursing interventions has the potential to significantly improving neonatal outcomes.
No patient or public involvement in this scoping review.
To investigate clients' perspectives about outcomes of a telehealth residential unit (RU) program for families experiencing complex early parenting issues, and to explore facilitators and barriers to positive client outcomes.
Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers (n = 18) admitted to a telehealth RU program. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.
Mothers reported short-term improvements in their child's presenting issues (e.g. feeding to sleep, night-time waking, co-sleeping), increased confidence and increased partner involvement. According to participants, program outcomes were facilitated by a positive parent–clinician relationship, the accessibility of clinicians and being able to take part in the program from their own home. Barriers included difficulties with technical equipment and connecting with the clinician overnight, and challenges with implementing strategies in the longer term.
This nurse-led telehealth program was viewed positively by parents and the study identified a number of areas for improvement.
Telehealth early parenting programs provide an important way for parents to receive support with early child sleep, settling and feeding issues. Clinicians working in this area should focus on the development of positive parent–nurse relationships, enhancing communication and availability for parents during overnight periods and supporting parents to develop early parenting skills that will be applicable across the early childhood period.
The study is the first to address client experiences of a telehealth RU program. Facilitators and barriers identified will inform service improvements to the program going forward, and similar telehealth programs for families; to ensure benefits and service outcomes are maximised for parents for such a crucial service.
The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines for qualitative research were followed.