Background and aim: Clinical placements and on-campus practice are the core components of nursing skill acquisition, but the COVID-19 pandemic demanded fundamental modifications in the educational process for the nursing skill acquisition. The purpose of our research was to investigate how students at a nursing university assessed their own levels of nursing skills at graduation, relative to the target levels established by the Japanese government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This retrospective observational study included fourth-year students in 2020, 2021 and 2022 at the Faculty of Health Science and Nursing, Juntendo University, Japan all of whom had undertaken and completed the required clinical placements. A total of 141 skills required in nursing practice and corresponding target levels had been established by the Japanese government. Following their final clinical placement, students assessed their achieved level for each of the 141 skills.
Results: Of the 141 skills, 20 (14.2%) were classified as “skills with difficult-to-achieve targets”, and 64 (45.4%) as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets.” All environmental adjustment skills were classified as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets.” Less than 40% of the nursing skills were classified as “skills with easy-to-achieve targets” in the subcategories of elimination support skills, activity and rest support skills, and respiration and circulation support skills.
Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult for nursing students to fully achieve the target levels of nursing skills. Nursing students who were forced to lose the opportunity to receive clinical placements and practice nursing skills in their university nursing education may be in serious need for generous support after graduation.

This study examines the levels of burnout, turnover intention, and Quality of Nursing Work Life (QNWL) among registered nurses in Pampanga, as well as their interrelationships. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, with 128 nurses recruited through convenience sampling. Frequency distribution described burnout, turnover intention, and QNWL, while Pearson’s correlation assessed their relationships. Findings revealed moderate burnout (low emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, high personal achievement). Nurses were unlikely to leave the profession but likely to leave their institution within six months. A significant relationship was found between QNWL and burnout, with higher responsibilities linked to increased burnout. Moreover, QNWL negatively correlated with turnover intention, highlighting its role in nurse retention strategies.

Homelessness is a growing nationwide crisis with significant implications for healthcare. Nurses are frontline workers who play a large role in providing equitable and compassionate care to this vulnerable population. This research investigated the attitudes of registered nurses in Northern California toward patients experiencing homelessness. The study was conducted using a valid and reliable tool, “Attitudes Towards Homeless Inventory” (ATHI) and collecting demographic information. Participants sampled varied from several Northern California hospitals.Results found that a significant portion of respondents associated homelessness with substance abuse, resulting in homelessness as a personal versus societal causation. There seemed to be no differences in scores on the questionnaire based on age, work experience, and unit worked on when comparing attitudes towards personal vs societal causation. Total scores of the ATHI found that nurses with more experience had improved attitudes toward the homeless compared to those with less experience. Older nurses also had improved attitudes toward the homeless.The study highlights the need for interventions to address potential biases towards this population. Given the limited research on nursing attitudes toward homelessness, these findings expose a gap in investigating nursing attitudes regarding this patient population.

Introduction and objective: This study explores the experiences of chronically ill patients with telephone consultations, a digital communication form that has gained prominence in healthcare, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to understand how telephone consultations impact the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals along with their impact on patients' everyday lives.
Methods: The study employs a qualitative, hermeneutic-phenomenological approach inspired by Ricoeur’s theory of narrative and interpretation. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 patients from various outpatient clinics in the Midwestern part of Jutland, Denmark. The interviews were analyzed using a three-level process: naïve reading, structural analysis, and comprehensive understanding.
Results: Three main themes emerged: Feeling restrained while time is saved, Feeling the importance of relationships while consultations are result-oriented, and Feeling distanced while keeping up appearances. They appreciated the convenience and time-saving advantages but felt restrained by the need to be constantly available for calls. The lack of visual contact contributed to a sense of distance, and some patients felt consultations were overly focused on results rather than addressing holistic needs. The findings highlight the complex dynamics of telephone consultations. While they offer significant advantages, such as increased accessibility and convenience, they also present challenges, including the lack of visual cues and the potential for depersonalization.
Conclusions: Telephone consultations are a valuable tool in healthcare. However, strategies are needed to address their challenges to ensure person-centered care. Implications: The study underscores the importance of clear communication, scheduling, and fostering strong patient-healthcare professional relationships to enhance the effectiveness of telephone consultations.

Background: Timely administration of the first-dose intravenous antibiotic is a key quality measure in hospital accreditation and sepsis care. This study aimed to identify barriers to first-dose intravenous antibiotic administration in an inpatient rehabilitation unit at a leading academic medical center and implement targeted interventions to improve the 60-minute turnaround rate.
Methods: In 2024, quality outcomes specialists used the Kaizen Rapid Cycle methodology to conduct a weekly review of all STAT intravenous antibiotic orders on the rehabilitation unit. Orders exceeding the 60-minute turnaround time were analyzed through root cause analysis (RCA) to identify delays. Findings from the RCA guided the development of interventions to improve compliance.
Results: At the start of 2024, the 60-minute antibiotic turnaround rate was 33.3%. After implementing key interventions, the turnaround rate increased to 68.4% by the end of March and remained stable throughout 2024. These interventions included stocking frequently used antibiotics in Pyxis, enhancing communication and notification for STAT antibiotic orders, maintaining ongoing surveillance, and providing individualized feedback to the frontline nurses.
Conclusions: Identifying and addressing barriers to timely antibiotic administration led to significant improvements in turnaround time. Enhancing communication, optimizing medication availability, and sustaining performance monitoring proved effective in improving compliance with sepsis care standards.

Objective: Austria's healthcare system is highly fragmented and decentralized, with primary care typically delivered by independent physicians and limited integration of other health professions. To address this, the federal government is piloting a community health nursing system across several regions from 2022 to 2024. This study explores the essential generic competencies required for community health nurses (CHN) within the Austrian healthcare and social systems, aiming to inform future training guidelines.
Methods: Fifteen experts in community health nursing and public health participated in qualitative interviews. The transcripts were analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis, following established research standards.
Results: Findings highlight the importance of generic competencies - grouped into six professional, sixteen personal, and sixteen social skills - as key enablers of CHN effectiveness. Social competencies enhance patient relationships, personal competencies support autonomous and responsible practice, and professional competencies enable comprehensive care for complex cases. Communication emerged as the most frequently cited competency across all categories, along with information delivery, education, and social interaction skills.
Conclusions: Expanding the scope of community health nurses through a structured set of competencies could strengthen primary care and promote more integrated service delivery in Austria’s healthcare system.

Supervisors' engagement in the teaching and learning process is crucial in assisting the organisation's objectives to be successfully achieved. This study evaluated post-graduate diploma students' perceptions of academic supervision practices. The study was conducted using a quantitative design. Data were collected through an online questionnaire to explore the students' views towards the supervision practices conducted at the higher institute. The target group was all post-graduate diploma students enrolled at the institute in the current academic year. The SPSS statistics package program was used to analyse the data. The findings indicated positive results that reflect the effectiveness of the efforts made in the supervision practices at the higher institute. The results also obtained more understanding and further insights into the key factors affecting supervision practices, which helped to draw recommendations on enhancing the efficiency of the supervisor's interactions in the supervision process and increasing student supervision competence.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent nosocomial infections, contributing significantly to morbidity and healthcare costs. While colonoscopies are essential for colorectal cancer screening, they can occasionally lead to infections. This case study examines recurrent UTIs in a 77-year-old postmenopausal female following a routine colonoscopy with polypectomy. It highlights the potential role of translocated endogenous Escherichia coli. The case identifies risk factors and proposes strategies to mitigate colonoscopy-related complications, advocating for risk-identification tools to reduce morbidity. The role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in prevention and management is also explored.