Providing an overview of the organisation, tasks, and responsibilities of acute and transitional pain services in the Netherlands.
Cross-sectional questionnaire study.
An online questionnaire was sent to representatives of Dutch hospital pain services performing inpatient surgery. It included items on organisation, staffing, education, roles, tasks and responsibilities. Data were analysed descriptively.
Of the surveyed hospitals, 92.2% reported having an acute pain service, while only 6.5% had a transitional pain service. Most pain services (acute pain services 76.3%, transitional pain services 80.0%) are part of the anaesthesiology department. Staffing includes anaesthesiologists, nurses, and/or nurse anaesthetists, with or without pain specialisation. Acute pain service teams monitor complex pain management techniques. Nearly all acute pain services (89.8%) provide pain management training, and 60% monitor hospital-wide pain management quality. All transitional pain services monitored opioid use post-discharge and conducted follow-up calls with patients.
Acute pain services are well established in Dutch hospitals, whereas transitional pain services remain limited. Organisational structures, tasks, and responsibilities vary, with key challenges in staffing, service organisation, and education. Future research should focus on optimising staffing, expanding transitional pain services, the role of the pain nurse, and establishing a national pain management education framework.
This study highlights the significant impact of pain nurses as a central professional within the interdisciplinary team, contributing to quality care and education, ultimately benefiting patients.
This study provides a current overview of pain services in the Netherlands, supporting pain nurses in innovating pain services, highlighting key challenges and opportunities for improvement.
STROBE checklist.
None.
Perinatal loss, which includes miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death, is a significant public health problem worldwide. Perinatal loss causes a range of short-term and long-term reactions
in women. Knowing these reactions and coping methods is essential for appropriate support and treatment. This study aims to examine the complex reactions and coping methods experienced by women after perinatal loss.
In this study, a qualitative descriptive approach was used, in which indepth interviews were conducted with the data collected using semistructured interviews. 10 women who experienced perinatal loss were included in the study using the snowball sampling method. Analysis was conducted using an inductive content analysis approach.
The findings showed that women who experienced perinatal loss exhibited a variety of complex reactions, which could be grouped under five themes. These are emotional reactions, concerns, changes in life, subsequent pregnancy and blame. We also observed that these women used strategies classified under seven different themes to cope, which we expressed as relying on religious or spiritual beliefs, restructuring, the healing power of more challenging experiences, reflecting on worse scenarios, isolating oneself, avoiding remembering and concretising the loss.
This study found that women experiencing perinatal loss may react differently and develop different strategies to cope with their loss and reactions. These findings may help to assess the emotional and behavioural states of women after perinatal loss and guide healthcare professionals to provide more individualised care.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the education program developed based on the structural empowerment (SE) and psychological empowerment (PE) theories and flipped classroom model for the empowerment of new graduate nurses (NGNs).
Single-center, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial.
The study was conducted between June 2021 and September 2023 in two phases: developing the education program to empower NGNs and evaluating its effectiveness. An education program consisting of two parts, online and face-to-face, was developed. The online part consists of eight modules implemented for two weeks. The face-to-face part was implemented for two days and included the in-class activities. NGNs were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n: 32) and control group (n: 32). An education program was applied to the intervention group, whereas the control group continued their routine orientation program. A range of outcome measures of SE, PE, and education programs' effectiveness were evaluated. Data were analyzed using descriptive, chi-squared, and t-tests.
The study determined that the intervention and control groups showed homogeneous distribution in the pretest. A statistically significant difference was identified between the intervention and control groups regarding the mean scores of PE and SE three months following the implementation of the education program, and the total mean score of the intervention group was higher.
The education program developed to empower NGNs was a highly effective intervention in increasing nurses' perceptions of SE and PE. There is a need to carry out studies and activities to disseminate this program.
The findings of this study will guide educators, researchers, and administrators in future strategies and innovative programs for empowering NGNs.
This correlational cross-sectional multicentre study aims to achieve two objectives. Firstly, to assess nurses' knowledge and practice of endotracheal cuff pressure management. Secondly, to examine the relationship between endotracheal cuff pressure management knowledge and evidence-based practice leadership and work environment.
A correlational cross-sectional multicentre study design.
This study was conducted among 144 intensive care nurses in Turkey. Data collection included descriptive characteristics and cuff pressure management of nurses, the Evidence-Based Practice Leadership Scale and Evidence-Based Practice Work Environment Scale. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Pearson correlation and receiver operating characteristics analysis were conducted. A STROBE checklist was the reporting guide for this study.
The success status of nurses in terms of knowledge related to cuff pressure was found significantly different according to the type of intensive care unit working in and the status of receiving training on evidence-based practice. A positive, strong relationship was found between nurses' mean scores on the Evidence-Based Practice Leadership Scale and the Work Environment Scale. There was a very weak positive correlation between the mean scores of the Evidence-Based Practice Leadership Scale and the cuff pressure management.
Adherence by nurses to current evidence-based practice for cuff pressure monitoring is essential for safe patient care and improved quality of care. It is recommended to provide both a supportive working environment and training programmes for intensive care nurses to perform cuff pressure management in line with evidence-based practice.
Providing educational programs, an appropriate clinical environment, support from health managers and access to appropriate tools are important considerations in increasing the knowledge and skills of intensive care nurses to effectively monitor and manage cuff pressure.
Our study complies with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Checklist: cross-sectional studies.
No patient or public contribution.
To determine the incidence of pressure injuries from medical devices in children.
Medical devices can cause pressure injuries on skin and soft tissues.
A prospective, descriptive study adhering to STROBE guidelines.
This study was conducted in the third-level Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of Ege University Hospital in İzmir, Türkiye between April 2019 and October 2019 in Türkiye. Patients aged between 1 month and 18 years with medical devices were observed for pressure injuries using Braden scales and a specific monitoring form.
In this study, we followed 522 medical devices applied to 96 patients. The three most commonly used medical devices were the ECG probe (21%), the blood pressure cuff (16%) and the saturation probe. Out of the 522 medical devices followed, 36 caused pressure injuries (6.8%).
The incidence of medical device-related pressure injuries was found to be high. Effective training and implementation strategies need to be devised for paediatric nurses to prevent pressure injuries associated with medical devices.
The results of this study reveal that pressure injuries related to medical devices are an important health problem in paediatric hospitals. Therefore, awareness-raising and educational activities among health professionals and nurses should be accelerated.
No patient or public contribution in the study.
Telenursing interventions can contribute to achieving optimal glycemic control.
This meta-analysis aimed to determine the effect of nurse-led telephone-based interventions on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
We searched electronic databases for studies published in English up to January 2023. This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 checklist. The intervention effects were pooled using a random-effects model. Two authors independently assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration tool.
Eight studies involving 1179 people with type 2 diabetes were included in this study. Interventions were performed for 15–30 min and 5–16 calls. There was no evidence of a significant publication bias. The evaluation of meta-analysis data showed that nurse-led telephone-based interventions significantly reduced HbA1c levels in people with type 2 diabetes (mean difference = −0.53, 95% Confidence Interval [−0.89, −0.17], p = .003).
Nurse-led telephone-based interventions focused on reducing glycosylated hemoglobin levels in people with type 2 diabetes can be used as an effective intervention to achieve glycemic control. We recommend holding an average of 15–25 min interviews once or twice a week.