Conectar
Commentary on: Langdon, P.E., Apanasionok, M.M., Scripps, E., Barrowcliff, A., Biswas, A., Bunning, K., Burbidge, C., Byron-Daniel, K., Cookson, A., Croom, S. and Filipczuk, M.2024. Behavioural interventions to treat anxiety in adults with autism and moderate to severe intellectual disabilities: The BEAMS-ID feasibility study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 375, p.e13282.
Implications for practice and research The BEAMS-ID study demonstrates that behavioural interventions, when properly adapted, are both feasible and acceptable for adults with autism and moderate-to-severe intellectual disabilities. A larger randomised controlled trial is warranted to evaluate the efficacy of these adapted interventions in reducing anxiety in this population.
People with autism, particularly those experiencing moderate-to-severe intellectual impairments, face an increased likelihood of developing anxiety disorders.
This is a perspective on Ridgway et al ‘Creative health a joke or valuable learning experience’. Creative health encompasses creative and arts activities that benefit health and well-being. The article evaluates a creative health placement designed to facilitate students’ learning about creative health and social prescribing, with opportunities to take part in arts activities.
Take home messages Creative health placements equip future nurses with knowledge about social prescribing initiatives to offer holistic person-centred care. The article provides valuable insights into placements that future-proof registrants’ knowledge and skills with the shift towards prevention and a neighbourhood health service. Building creative health placements into the curriculum in other institutions will improve access to this valuable learning opportunity.
A pilot creative health placement for undergraduate student nurses at a UK...
Commentary on: Zhao et al. The impact of education/training on nurses caring for patients with stroke: a scoping review. BMC Nurs 23:90
Implications for practice and research Nurses working in clinical stroke care could benefit from leadership and management strategies that encourage empowerment and time and space to reflect on current evidence, training and practice. Comprehensive evaluation strategies are needed to assess the impact and effectiveness of empowerment-based stroke education and training on patient outcomes.
Stroke nursing is widely recognised for its significant role across the whole multidisciplinary stroke care pathway.
Commentary on: Demerci AD, Oruc M, Kabukcuoglu K. "I need to make sense of my birth experience": A descriptive qualitative study of postnatal women’s opinions, and expectations about postnatal debriefing. Midwifery 2024;131;103955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2024.103955
Implications for practice and research Healthcare professionals should prioritise and establish routines for postnatal debriefing, with a goal of averting problematic parenting adaptation and development of post-traumatic stress symptoms. More research is needed to determine the ideal format (structured or unstructured) and to consider whether either or both formats might influence subsequent reproductive decision making.
Previous investigations into postnatal debriefing have had mixed results regarding its effectiveness and have not established best practices for its usage.
Commentary on: Taylor SP, Kowalkowski MA, Skewes S, Chou SH. Real-world implications of updated surviving sepsis campaign antibiotic timing recommendations. Crit Care Med. 2024 doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000006240.
Implications for practice and research Antibiotic delivery in suspected sepsis must be prioritised within the clinical context emphasising the need to individualise antibiotic timing according to patient profiles. In the absence of shock, a more lenient approach to antibiotic timing could support the rational use of antibiotics.
Sepsis is a life-threatening response to infection and remains a critical challenge with high morbidity and mortality rates. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines serve as a cornerstone for sepsis management and are pivotal in standardising care. Taylor et al’s article
Commentary on: Halstead S, Cao C, Høgnason Mohr G, et al. Prevalence of multimorbidity in people with and without severe mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry. 2024;11(6):431–42.
Implications for practice and research Multimorbidity is highly prevalent in adults with severe mental illness and should be a key consideration when assessing these patients. Future research should explore key moderating factors for the prevalence of physical multimorbidity in adults with severe mental illness.
The term severe mental illness (SMI) refers to individuals with psychological conditions so profound that they significantly hinder their capacity to perform functional and occupational activities, with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder often being classified as SMIs.
Commentary on:
Kawashima T, Ota Y, Aikawa G, et al . Effectiveness of emotional intelligence training on nurses' and nursing students' emotional intelligence, resilience, stress and communication skills: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Education Today. 2025;151.
Implications for practice and research Emotional intelligence training can be implemented into nurses’ continuing practice development and undergraduate nursing courses to improve emotional intelligence, communication skills and stress levels. Future research into the long-term benefits of emotional intelligence training for nurses and nursing students is needed.
There is a concerning rise in emotional burnout in the nursing population due to the ever-increasing emotional demand and stress levels of working in healthcare.
Commentary on: Alkhawaldeh JFM, Khawaldeh MA, Mrayyan MT, et al. The efficacy of mindfulness-based programs in reducing anxiety among nurses in hospital settings: a systematic review. Worldviews Ev Based Nurs 2024. doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12722
Implications for practice and research Implementing mindfulness-based programmes in healthcare settings can significantly reduce anxiety among nurses. Further longitudinal and well-designed randomised controlled trials are necessary to establish the long-term efficacy and optimal programme characteristics.
Anxiety is a prevalent issue among healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, owing to the highly stressful nature of their work environments.
Commentary: Luque-Alcaraz OM, Aparico-Martinez P, Gomera A, Vaquero-Abellan. The environmental awareness of nurse as environmentally sustainable healthcare leaders: a mixed method analysis. BMC Nursing 2024;23:229.
Implications for practice and research Healthcare emissions contribute to climate change and threaten human health; therefore, nurses have a professional obligation to become environmentally informed, take action to reduce healthcare emissions and support green solutions. Future research must understand and modify workplace barriers to promote environmentally sustainable staff behaviour and facilitate the green transformation of healthcare systems.
Climate change is increasingly harming human health. Extreme weather events cause devastation, low crop yields and failure, contributing to food insecurity, economic hardship and resource shortages. Rising temperatures also increase the spread of infectious diseases and epidemics. Globally, countries are using healthcare services as an initial method of addressing these challenges.
Commentary on: Velthuijs ELM, Jacod BC, Videler-Sinke L, et al. Outcome of induction of labour at 41 weeks with Foley catheter in midwifery-led care. Midwifery 2024 Aug;135:104026. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.104026. Epub 9 May 2024. PMID: 38781793.
Implications for practice and research Performing induction of labour with a Foley catheter and subsequent amniotomy in midwife-led care is associated with worse neonatal outcomes and equivalent maternal outcomes compared with consultant-led care. Future research should further explore the cost-effectiveness, feasibility and neonatal outcomes associated with midwife-led care in different patient populations.
Although care for low-risk births in the Netherlands is primarily conducted by midwives, the use of consultant-led care has been increasing for a variety of indications, leading to a high patient burden for consultants. The induction of labour (IOL) of late-term pregnancies has historically been an indication for consultant-led care. This study by Velthuijs et...
Commentary on: Delaney, A. E., Fu, M. R., Conway, C., Marshall, A. C., Lindberg, J., Thiagarajan, R. R., Glazer, S.2024. Financial Stressors for Parents of Children and Emerging Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Pediatric Health Care.
Implications for practice and research Enhanced financial counselling and support services, coupled with strong advocacy for policy reforms, are essential to alleviate the financial burden on families of children with congenital heart disease. Future research should explore long-term financial impacts and effective interventions to alleviate economic stress.
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent birth defect that significantly affects infant and child mortality and morbidity.
Commentary on: Danne et al. Association Between Treatment Adherence and Continuous Glucose Monitoring Outcomes in People With Diabetes Using Smart Insulin Pens in a Real-World Setting. Diabetes Care. 2024.47 (6),:995-1003
Implications for practice and research Healthcare providers should emphasise consistent insulin adherence for people with diabetes, as even a few missed doses can worsen overall glycaemia. Future research should identify barriers to consistent usage of insulin and develop strategies to enable patients’ adherence, such as increasing patient engagement with smart insulin pens and continuous glucose monitoring systems.
Diabetes is a widespread chronic disease, with steadily rising prevalence in most countries. In 2019, the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated at 9.3%, affecting 463 million people. This figure is projected to rise to 10.2% by 2030 and 10.9% by 2045.
Commentary on: Lou J, Li J, Fan Y, et al. Effects of virtual reality on analgesia in wound care and physical therapy for burn patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Manag Nursing. 2024; 25(4):377–388.
Implications for practice and research Virtual reality (VR) is a promising distraction intervention for pain and anxiety. Which type of VR and most effective length of exposure to reduce symptom burden is unknown. Future research must address this gap to discover best practices for the frequency, intensity and duration of VR therapy for analgesia.
Over the past 20 years, virtual reality (VR) has emerged in culture and healthcare providing a virtual world with audio and visual stimuli that can be immersive or non-immersive. Immersive VR has headsets with motion detectors that enable a multidimensional environmental experience with sensory feedback. Non-immersive VR provides a one-dimensional digital environment observed...
As discussed in the accompanying editorial Nursing on the front foot,
People living with Long Covid often find the complexity of navigating health services difficult. The nurse’s role is to support patients in this context. This includes ensuring they are sufficiently informed about what Long Covid is. The specialist nurses recommended the British Heart Foundation’s online resource - Long Covid: Symptoms, tests and treatments: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/long-covid%23whatdoesfatiguefeel.
Information about Long Covid is also available via Long Covid Physio:
Every person...
Commentary on: Hunt K, Davies A, Fraser A, Burden C, Howell A, Buckley K, Harding S, Bakhbakhi D. Exposure to microplastics and human reproductive outcomes: A systematic review. BJOG. 2024 Apr;131(5):675-683. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17756. Epub 2024 Jan 29. PMID: 38287142.
Implications for practice and research Plastic exposure may be associated with increased deposition of microplastics in reproductive tissues, and the quantity of microplastics in these tissues may lead to adverse clinical outcomes. Future research should aim to provide high-quality, generalisable evidence to further demonstrate the impact of plastic exposure and microplastics on reproductive outcomes in humans.
As a result of the mass scale of production of plastics since the 1950s, microplastics, defined as particles 1 Microplastics have been linked to reproductive toxicity in both cell culture...
Commentary on: Lee IO, Wolstencroft J, Housby H, et al. The inequity of education, health and care plan provision for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. J Intellect Disabil Res. Published online 22 May 2024.
Implications for practice and research Children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in deprived areas are less likely to receive education, health and care plans in the UK. Future research should aim to identify interventions that have the potential to reduce such inequities for individuals with IDD.
The findings from this study by Lee et al
Commentary on: Heslop, P., Lauer, E. (2024). Strategies to prevent or reduce inequalities in specific avoidable causes of death for adults with intellectual disability: A systematic review. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 52(2), pp.312-349.
Implications for practice and research Preventative interventions and reasonable adjustments are required to address health inequalities experienced by adults with intellectual disability. Future research should focus on policy, population and individual interventions that reduce health inequalities and avoidable deaths.
There is well-established research evidence regarding the substantial health inequalities experienced by many adults with intellectual disabilities, with significant implications for their health, well-being and quality of life. Despite this evidence, many continue to die prematurely from conditions amenable to early interventions and preventative strategies. Limited knowledge, skills and confidence regarding the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities by some health professionals is evident. Reasonable adjustments can contribute positively...
Commentary on: Weng, M.-H., Chou, H.-C., & Liaw, J.-J. (2024). The effects of unsupervised home-based exercise training during pregnancy: A systematic review. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 00, 1–7.
Implications for practice and research Nurses and midwives working with pregnant women can safely recommend a home exercise plan, preferably a theoretical-based programme of exercise, to improve physical discomfort symptoms during pregnancy; This systematic review suggests that further research is needed to identify and more consistently evidence the benefits of these types of exercise to maternal mental health during pregnancy.
Symptoms of physical discomfort, such as sleep disturbance, prenatal back pain and postnatal urinary stress incontinence, are commonly associated with pregnancy. Strategies to support women be relieved of, minimise or better manage these symptoms are a welcome approach to improving women’s quality of life whilst pregnant. Exercise is one of many lifestyle factors that...
Nursing is a profession that has always worked with diverse people and communities and has taken a social justice approach to care. Nursing has also undertaken research that includes diverse groups and communities. However, nurse researchers working with and undertaking research with diverse groups and communities may encounter problems in executing the research. This may be for reasons such as poor understanding of cultural and racial difference, not having an inclusive research team, for example, LGBTQIA+ researchers to help conduct LGBTQIA+ focused research or using an ableist approach, all of which can lead to exclusion, diminished trust and credibility. In this commentary, we draw on Hollowood’s doctoral journey and Moorley’s research experience, where both work with and research diverse communities’ health. Nurse researchers need to apply methodologies and approaches that are culturally sensitive and inclusive and here we offer essential tips, which have helped us by drawing on culturally specific...
For many decades, nurses have been expected to base their practice on up-to-date, research-derived evidence, melded with knowledge from nursing theory, experience—our own and others—and innovating in practice. This composite, complex evidence base is passed on through generations of nurses both formally, through educational opportunities and our own readings, and informally through the stories we tell of our practice. These nursing narratives encompass and connect the multiple levels at which nurses work—alongside a person and their families and carers, within the structures of healthcare and social-care organisations and in policymaking settings. Essentially, narratives enable compelling and memorable links to be drawn between research, theory and experience, creating the certainty and confidence we need to work effectively within our very different practice environments. Any turbulence in practice, deficiency in the evidence base or challenge to our ability to pass on our narratives is likely to cause ambiguity and anxiety and...
FreshRSS 