Background and objective: The traditional teaching methods in practical nursing education seem to be either too theoretical or too practical. Therefore, combinations of theoretical and new pedagogical approaches are needed to teach and train students in practical nursing. The objective of this study was to explore the nursing students' experiences with the use of photography in the Simulation Unit, and to describe how photographs affect development of practical skills.
Methods: A descriptive and interpretive qualitative design was used. The collection of data was conducted by asking fifty-four students to answer three questions online after each session and based on the day’s photographs. All photographs taken by the groups were uploaded to a virtual meeting room, a total of eight hundred and fifty-five photos. The photographs formed the basis for determining what the students have learned from examining and exploring photographs of the students themselves and their peers. Their subjective statements and experience were later downloaded and analysed using phenomeological analysis.
Results: Photography positively influences the nursing students’ learning, increased their self-confidence and enhances competence in the exercise of skills. This gave the students a deeper understanding of the complexity of the practical procedures based on knowledge-based practice, and they learned quickly and easily.
Conclusions: The students become more self-regulated learners, developed better self-confidence, and bolstered their learning competence in relation to the degree requirements for knowledge-based procedural learning. There was consensus among the students that the photographs were a useful learning tool, both intra- and interactive, and were a useful supplement in learning practical skills.
Background and objective: Nursing plays a vital role in promoting antidiscrimination pedagogical approaches within education. However, there remains a gap in developing inclusive teaching practices for ensuring culturally responsive nursing education. The objective of this study was to critically examine antidiscrimination pedagogical strategies designed to foster diversity and inclusion among undergraduate nursing students.
Methods: A critical interpretive qualitative study included a convenience sample of ninety-seven participants enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program at a Canadian university. A purposive sampling and an online survey were used for data collection. An antidiscrimination pedagogical strategy was used including pre-simulation, pre-briefing, simulation, debriefing, reflection and self-evaluation.
Results: Three themes emerged that focused on cultural and ethical understanding, active engagement and discussion, and gender and language illustration to understand the goals, strategies and impact of the case scenario.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that implementing antidiscriminatory pedagogical strategies in nursing education yields benefits for fostering diversity and inclusion. Fostering an inclusive, culturally responsive, and equitable safe learning environment, enhances earning outcomes and promotes professional growth.
Implications: The implementation of anti-discrimination teaching pedagogy depends on nurse educators to integrate simulation-based education. Debriefing and reflection will ensure engaging students in diverse scenarios to apply responsive practices in nursing care.
Registered nurses (RNs) play critical roles in advocating for policies that impact patients and the profession, yet nursing’s voice is largely silent when it comes to shaping health policy. Despite efforts to increase nurses’ voice in health policy, the extent to which nursing expertise shapes health policy remains relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine levels of political astuteness among registered nurses. A cross-sectional study of RNs (n = 212) was conducted using the Political Astuteness Inventory. Nurses in the sample voted (91%) at a higher rate than the general public (66.8%) in the 2020 federal election; however, levels of political activity beyond voting were minimal. Age and education were positively associated with political activity. Findings of this study indicate positive movement by nurses toward increased levels of political engagement, yet there is room for improvement in shaping health policy.
Background and objective: Stress and mental health concerns have increasingly been studied among Chinese nursing students. Understanding stress levels in this population is essential for addressing their psychological well-being. This study aims to examine the stress levels of Chinese nursing students and explore their association with coping strategies.
Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 180 Chinese nursing students from a medical university in Anhui during the 2022/23 academic year. Data were collected using an online self-report questionnaire assessing demographic details, stress levels (Student Nurse Stress Index), and coping strategies (Brief COPE Inventory). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and stepwise regression were used for data analysis.
Results: A total of 170 nursing students completed the survey, revealing a mean stress level of 52.99. Regression analysis indicated that denial, self-blame, and acceptance significantly predicted stress, with acceptance associated with lower stress and denial and self-blame linked to higher stress.
Conclusions: This study highlights the impact of cultural factors on stress responses and emphasizes the potential benefits of promoting acceptance as a coping mechanism among Chinese nursing students.
Objective: To analyze the level of emotional suppression and the factors influencing it in female breast cancer patients in Henan Province, China, and to provide theoretical support for nursing managers to prevent and improve emotional suppression in breast cancer patients, and to improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients.
Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select 143 breast cancer patients admitted and hospitalized in the oncology departments of three tertiary hospitals in Luoyang City, Henan Province, China, from November 2023 to January 2024 as the study subjects. A general information questionnaire, an emotional suppression scale, and a family support care index questionnaire were used to conduct the survey.
Results: The total score of emotional suppression in breast cancer patients was (32.73 ± 6.59). The results of multiple regression showed that education, disease stage, pain level, and family support were the main influencing factors of emotional inhibition in breast cancer patients (all p ＜.05).
Discussion: Emotional suppression of breast cancer patients in Henan Province is at a medium level; Health care workers and family members should pay more attention to the psychological changes of patients, implement effective nursing interventions, provide positive psychological support, and reduce the psychological burden of patients, to significantly reduce the degree of emotional suppression of patients.
Background and objective: Biological exposure incidents are frequent in the workplace and have serious repercussions on the health of professionals, with millions of cases annually and thousands of infections by blood-borne viruses. The objective of this study was to map and analyze aspects related to work and individual factors associated with biological exposure incidents involving healthcare professionals in the hospital environment.
Methods: This is a scoping review following the JBI methodology. The guiding question was: “What are the aspects related to work and individual factors associated with biological exposure incidents in the hospital environment?” Searches were conducted in electronic databases including LILACS, BVS, MEDLINE/Pubmed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies from primary care professionals, those without clear methodology, case reports, expert opinions, review studies, and grey literature were excluded. Screening and inclusion were conducted by two reviewers with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer.
Results: A total of 10,365 articles were found; applying a temporal limit of the last 5 years yielded 4,542 articles. After removing duplicates, 1,965 studies remained. Following title and abstract screening, 140 articles were selected. After full-text review, 46 studies were included, of which 10 comprised the final sample. Work-related aspects such as high workload, long hours, and rotating shifts increase healthcare professionals' risk of incidents. Similarly, there is an association between individual factors such as fatigue, stress, and drowsiness and such accidents.
Conclusions: Studies underscore the link between biological exposure incidents and inadequate work conditions and organization, exacerbated by physical and mental factors like fatigue, drowsiness, sleep deprivation, and stress.
Background: Healthcare simulation is increasingly recognized as a transformative educational methodology. The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) developed the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice (HSSOBP) to guide high-quality simulation-based education (SBE) however, implementing these in resource-constrained settings poses challenges due to economic and cultural barriers.
Methods: A team from universities in Uganda, USA and Eswatini collaborated to contextualize and translate the HSSOBP for low-resource healthcare education settings. Using independent reviews and group discussions, the team analysed each standard for operational feasibility, contextual challenges, and resource-aligned solutions.
Results: Adaptation included enhancing organizational readiness through faculty and staff capacitation on SBE, simplifying operational strategies, using low-fidelity equipment, interdisciplinary collaboration and mobilizing local resource structures to support and sustain simulation programmes.
Conclusions: The translated HSSOBP guide the integration of SBE pedagogy in low-resource settings. This framework suggests practical and contextualised strategies without compromising the quality of education.
Background and purpose: The regulated nursing profession in Canada includes Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) with diploma qualifications and Registered Nurses (RNs) with baccalaureate degrees. Nursing programs, such as the LPN to Bachelor of Nursing (BN) post-program, prepare LPNs for RN qualifications after successful licensure. RN preceptors mentor these learners for the RN role during the final consolidation practicum (CP). This pilot study examined what constitutes a successful transition for LPN to BN learners and explored key markers of this transition from the perspectives of both learners and preceptors. The study also provides insights into factors influencing the transitional experiences of learners during their final CP.
Methods: A qualitative interpretive descriptive approach with a two-phase research design was employed. In phase one, preceptors (n = 12) and learners (n = 10) completed an online survey comprised of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Phase two included semi-structured interviews with survey participants. De-identified survey data and interview transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis.
Results: Participants identified markers of role transition, including altered thought processes, increased confidence in the new role, and the development of skills and competencies. Both positive and negative influences on the transition process were also reported.
Conclusions: The insights gained from this pilot study can inform improvements in nursing education, particularly in LPN to BN post programs. Understanding the factors affecting transition can guide curricula development to enhance the successful transition of LPNs to RNs, thus empowering educators and policymakers to make effective changes in nursing education.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges to persons living with chronic diseases. Patients living with Heart Failure (HF) faced complex challenges due to limitations to access to care due to restrictions associated with the pandemic. The purpose of the study was to examine the self-reported care seeking behaviors of HF patients in the US and UK. The primary aim was to differentiate the ability of HF patients in their respective countries to gain needed services during the pandemic, to examine the structural effects of the vastly different healthcare systems.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive design, using an online questionnaire, collected data between May and July 2020 among individuals with HF.
Results: US patients reported attending more HF-related appointments than their UK counterparts (p ＜.001). This is important since UK patients reported a greater likelihood of canceled appointments (p ＜.05). A greater proportion of US patients reported never having had an appointment canceled compared to those in the UK (p ＜.05). There were no differences in postponed appointments.
Conclusions: Overall, the comparison highlights the extensive availability of specialist services within the US model, contrasting with the UK's system that offers universal access to care.