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Nurse practitioner-sensitive outcomes (NPSOs) are critical indicators of the quality and effectiveness of nursing care provided to older adults. These outcomes, which include metrics such as falls, pressure ulcers, infection rates, frailty, delirium, length of stay, hospital readmissions, and quality of life (QoL), are essential for assessing the impact of nurse practitioners (NPs) and enhancing patient safety. Despite their importance, the current literature on NPSOs in services for older adults remains limited. This scoping review aims to address this gap by systematically mapping the existing research, identifying key themes, and uncovering areas needing further exploration. By doing so, the authors seek to provide a comprehensive overview that will inform future research directions and contribute to the enhancement of clinical practice in older person services (OPS). This review is important for healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers who are committed to improving the quality of nursing care and outcomes for older people.
The aim of this scoping review is to map the existing research on NPSOs in services for older adults. This review seeks to identify key themes and gaps in the current literature to guide future research and enhance clinical practice in this area.
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were utilised to structure this scoping review.
From initial screening of 3593 manuscripts drawn from seven databases, 66 were deemed eligible for full screen. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were ultimately selected for data extraction and analysis. The most common outcome measures reported were complications and comorbidities, and QoL.
This review highlights that the reporting of NPSOs in older person care is lacking and requires further attention.
South Asian populations in the UK experience increased health risks related to long-term conditions, exacerbated by underdiagnosis, cultural differences in help-seeking behaviours, language barriers, low health literacy and a lack of culturally sensitive services. We know that group interventions that include education and rehabilitation, such as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, are highly effective, but people from diverse communities often face barriers to access and engage with them. This review aims to synthesise evidence on the barriers and facilitators to education and rehabilitation interventions experienced by South Asian people living with long-term conditions.
A systematic review of qualitative studies using meta-ethnography as the analytical approach to synthesis was conducted, following Noblit and Hare’s approach, eMERGe Reporting Guidance for Meta-Ethnography, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Systematic searches were performed across MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, CENTRAL, EMBASE and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts from database inception through March 2024 (updated April 2025).
MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost platform), CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), EMBASE (Ovid), Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ProQuest platform) were searched from inception to March 2024 (updated April 2025).
We included qualitative research exploring the attitudes, views and experiences of South Asian adults (outside of South Asia) with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regarding group treatments for these conditions.
Two independent reviewers searched, screened and coded studies, while remaining authors peer-reviewed. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Data extraction and synthesis followed eMERGe and PRISMA reporting guidance, with findings synthesised qualitatively.
Of 8348 identified citations, 17 studies met inclusion criteria, providing data from South Asian people living with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. No studies including people with COPD met the inclusion criteria. Synthesis revealed four overarching themes, each incorporating both barriers and facilitators: faith, culture, communication, and safe space and professional relationship.
Findings indicate that current group education and rehabilitation interventions are not fully inclusive of South Asian needs, often lacking cultural sensitivity, which impedes engagement. Special attention is required for South Asian women, who can face additional cultural and societal barriers. Addressing these challenges through culturally sensitive care, such as flexible intervention scheduling around religious practices, gender-sensitive adaptations and culturally tailored communication strategies, has potential to improve engagement in education and rehabilitation interventions, and therefore long-term condition outcomes.
CRD42024493644.
To understand the current evidence base regarding holistic nursing assessments performed by registered nurses in residential aged care homes in Australia, and identify the gaps in knowledge and potential areas for future research.
A scoping review informed by JBI guidelines and the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews.
The electronic databases Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus and ProQuest Central were searched, alongside citation chaining and manual journal searches. Limits of English language and publication after the year 2000 were applied. Studies were screened against pre-defined eligibility criteria. Data were extracted and analysed using descriptive statistics and a narrative synthesis.
A total of 3987 studies were identified, of which 28 were categorised as comprehensive or multimodal assessment programmes, standalone assessment tools or assessment infrastructure papers. Key outcomes described included staff factors and resident emergency department transfers or hospitalisations. The key feature of existing nursing assessments across studies was education, which was generally associated with improved staff knowledge, confidence and efficiency. Apart from this, there was large heterogeneity among assessment interventions with inconsistent effects. Few studies focused on residents with dementia or palliative care needs.
There is currently no standardised, systematic approach to the holistic assessment of residents by registered nurses in Australia. This gap in assessment is especially evident for residents with dementia or palliative care needs.
This research highlights the need to develop standardised holistic nursing assessments to bridge this gap in practice.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To canvas the contemporary contextual forces within the Australian residential aged care sector and argue for new research and innovation. There is a pressing need to provide systematised, high-quality and person-centred care to our ageing populations, especially for those who rely on residential care. This paper advances a warrant for establishing a new systematic framework for assessment and management that serves as a foundation for effective person-centred care delivery.
Position paper.
This paper promulgates the current dialogue among key stakeholders of quality residential aged care in Australia, including clinicians, regulatory agencies, researchers and consumers. A desktop review gathered relevant literature spanning research, standards and guidelines regarding current and future challenges in aged care in Australia.
This position paper explores the issues of improving the quality and safety of residential aged care in Australia, including the lingering impact of COVID-19 and incoming reforms. It calls for nurse-led research and innovation to deliver tools to address these challenges.
The paper proposes an appropriate holistic, evidence-based nursing framework to optimise the quality and safety of residential aged care in Australia.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
Various instruments exist for assessing agitation and broader non-cognitive symptoms in dementia (NCSD). However, the feasibility and practicality of using these instruments in residential settings with people with advanced dementia have not been evaluated. The aim of our review is to identify the available evidence regarding tools for measuring (1) Agitation and (2) NCSD in people with advanced dementia in residential settings, in terms of use (feasibility and psychometric properties) in this population.
Literature searches will be carried out in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Grey literature databases and relevant websites will also be explored for guidance documents, task reports, etc. A three-stage screening process will be adopted and will include pilot testing of source selectors. Two reviewers will independently perform title and abstract screening, then full text screening, against the defined eligibility criteria. This scoping review protocol was registered with Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/p7g86).
Due to the nature of the scoping review, ethical approval is not required. Results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and at international conferences.
Cancer and its treatment can negatively impact physical function, general well-being and quality of life. An evidence-based strategy to manage this is to prescribe exercise. One approach is to prescribe exercise prehabilitation to improve pretreatment health and function. However, current exercise prehabilitation programmes are under-researched, and the quality of their reporting has not been systematically assessed.
This review aimed to identify the following: the characteristics of prehabilitation exercise programmes; how intensity, physical function, patient-reported outcomes and treatment-related outcomes were measured; the quality of reporting and programme implementation.
Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported a cancer prehabilitation exercise intervention, reported outcomes relating to physical function and patient-reported outcomes, and full-text copies were available in English.
PubMed, Mednar and Scopus were screened for studies from inception until 4 of April 2024.
Exercise characteristics were extracted and manually charted in Microsoft Excel using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication. The tool for the assessment of study quality and reporting in exercise (TESTEX) framework was used to assess study quality and intervention reporting.
1495 results were retrieved, 28 of which were included. Exercise sessions lasted a mean of 42.5±21.9 min and were completed 3.7±1.3 times per week. 22 studies implemented concurrent exercise, five prescribed aerobic, and one prescribed resistance. High-intensity exercise was prescribed in four studies, moderate-high in 12, seven prescribed moderate, three prescribed low-moderate, and one was low intensity. 10 studies prescribed exercise intensity using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale, five prescribed heart rate (HR) zones, six used a set workload, and seven did not monitor intensity. A mean TESTEX score of 9.3±2.3 out of 15 was achieved. The lowest scoring criterion (n=3) related to the reporting of the exercise dose.
There was heterogeneity among studies regarding exercise intervention characteristics and measures of effectiveness. The overall quality of reporting was satisfactory, yet inconsistencies were apparent regarding quantifying and monitoring exercise dose, which limits the ability of researchers and clinicians to replicate, evaluate or scale cancer prehabilitation exercise interventions, impeding evidence-based practice. As such, to be able to optimise cancer prehabilitation exercise programmes, research must first focus on improving the quality of reporting and standardising outcome measures and methods of monitoring and prescribing exercise.
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