Applied Nursing Research最新文献

Background

The aging population in Taiwan has resulted in an increase in the dependent population and the care load on caregivers. Shared care is an interpersonal process in which support is “traded” to “handle” chronic illnesses by home-care patients and family caregivers. The scale of shared care has received little attention in the Taiwanese cultural context. Thus, this study examined the reliability and validity of the Taiwanese versions of Shared Care Instrument-Revised (SCI-R).

Methods

The content validity, construct validity, and discriminant validity were used to test the validity of the translated questionnaires. The Cronbach's α was used to examine reliability. A total of 500 older adults and their caregivers were recruited from three counties in Taiwan.

Results

The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the scale were within the acceptable range. The Cronbach's α was between 0.838 and 0.95. However, the scale's reliability was higher than that of the original version. This might be because of the inclusion of participants with less severe diseases than the participants in the original study, high social expectations in the Chinese traditional culture, and a large number of similar items. Future research should simplify the items and consider adopting diverse participant selection criteria.

Conclusions

The results of this study can be used to understand shared care in Taiwan.

Objectives

Drawing on findings from a qualitative study that aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of nurses from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds about voluntary assisted dying (VAD). The study also aimed to identify the strategies that assist nurses in their readiness and preparation for exposure to VAD. This paper reports on the educational content and strategies that could assist nurses from CALD backgrounds to be better prepared when they encounter VAD requests.

Background

Around the world, healthcare professionals have roles to play in caring for patients requesting voluntary assisted dying. Nurses, particularly those from diverse geographic and clinical settings, have voiced inadequate knowledge and understanding about voluntary assisted dying.

Design

A qualitative descriptive approach was undertaken.

Methods

Data collection involved one focus group and 16 in-depth interviews. A total of 21 nurses from CALD backgrounds were recruited from one Australian state. Thematic analysis was conducted to interpret the data.

Findings

Nurses identified their knowledge gaps and specified the need for education and workplace training on VAD, its legal and ethical aspects, clarity on their role, communication techniques and how VAD intersects with their practice. They suggested various teaching strategies that could prepare nurses to work safely and confidently in a clinical environment where voluntary assisted dying is an option for patients.

Conclusion

Given the high number of nurses from diverse backgrounds working in the Australian health sector, these nurses need to be fully prepared to care for patients requesting VAD.

The prevalence of pediatric chronic conditions is increasing rapidly. Parents of a child with medical complexity (CMC) experience stress, depression which may also impact family functioning. Research has shown that mindfulness applications (apps) have significantly improved stress and depression in other populations, but have not been studied in this population. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a mindfulness app in parents of a CMC. Parents were recruited to participate from a non-profit organization and asked to use a mindfulness app for 4 weeks and fill out questionnaires before and after the intervention. Eight mothers participated in the study for the entire study period. Data analysis showed that using a mindfulness app in this population is feasible and reduces depressive symptoms and improves family functioning.

Aim

This study assessed the readiness to transition (RT) from pediatric to adult care, perceived medication barriers (PMB), and glycemic control in teens with type one diabetes (T1D).

Background

During the transition from pediatric to adult care, teens with T1D are at risk of long-term complications related to impaired adherence. With the increasing prevalence of T1D in Saudi Arabia, research is required to identify the challenges facing teens with T1D during their transition.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study with a convenient sample of 83 adolescents (12–17 years old) diagnosed with T1D for ≥6 months, their parents, and their pediatric endocrinologists from the pediatric endocrinology clinic in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh. The RT Questionnaire was used to measure RT, and the Medication Barriers Scale was used to measure PMB. Glycemic control was measured using hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Results

About 96 % of teens had HbA1c > 7 %. Male teens had higher HbA1c than female teens. Teens and their parents reported high PMB and low RT. PMB (teens), disease duration, family history of diabetes mellitus, and comorbidity were significant predictors of RT (parents). PMB (teens), teens' age, and having a family history of diabetes mellitus were significant predictors of RT (providers). RT (parents) and RT (providers) were the only significant predictors of HbA1c, with RT (providers) being the strongest predictors of HbA1c.

Conclusions

Health policy reform is required to develop national RT programs to prepare teens with T1D to take full responsibility for managing their medical conditions while ensuring adherence.

Background

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is increasingly recognized as a clinical and medical risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Currently, there is little evidence regarding the quality of life (QoL) in older adults with SCD and the impact of social capital on their QoL.

Aims

To examine the perceptions of social capital and QoL among older adults with SCD.

Methods

A total of 325 participants (92.9 % response rate) with a self-reported diagnosis of SCD completed the Chinese version of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Chinese Shortened Social Capital Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. A t-test was used to compare the QoL score of our sample with the Chinese norm. Pearson correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were used to assess the association of social capital with QoL.

Results

Social capital were strongly correlated with the total QoL, as well as its physical component summary and mental component summary. The QoL score of older adults with SCD was significantly lower than the Chinese norm (P  <  0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that social capital, physical activity, nutrition and anxiety symptoms were factors associated with QoL among older SCD population (P  <  0.05).

Conclusion

The findings of the current study suggest that older adults with SCD may experience lower QoL. Social capital is associated with the QoL in older adults with SCD. These findings have implications for clinicians who work with older adults with SCD.

Aim

The purpose of this manuscript is to report the findings of a qualitative content analysis of interviews with VA Nurse Scientists about work life experiences, barriers, and facilitators across the enterprise.

Background

The VA enterprise is widely variable in terms of size, services, research activity, and budget. For this reason, the roles of nurses with a research-focused doctorate are also quite diverse.

Methods

We purposively sampled 18 PhD prepared Nurse Scientists based on a variety geographic locations, titles, and years in the field and who conduct research. We conducted semi-structured interviews over the virtual platform, WebEx. Interviews, averaging 1 h in length, were conducted between April and May 2021. We analyzed interviews using deductive and inductive content analysis.

Results

We found five key factors affecting VA Nurse Scientists. Each factor emerged as an important issue influencing whether Nurse Scientists reported being successful, supported, and productive in their research. These include having: 1) mentorship, 2) supportive leadership 3) available resources, 4) respect and understanding from clinical and research colleagues who understand a Nurse Scientist's role in research, and 5) a career pathway.

Conclusions

VA Nurse Scientists are leaders and innovators who generate evidence to improve health outcomes and promote equity in health and health care of Veterans, their families, and caregivers. Results from this project suggest that many Nurse Scientists need additional mentorship, resources, and networks to advance their development, increase their funding success, and maximize the impact of their role, ultimately enhancing care of Veterans and their families.

Background

Previous studies have identified the antecedents of the lifestyle of many patients with chronic diseases. However, the mechanism of social support affecting the lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases is unclear, and the role of health literacy in social support affecting the lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases has not been found. Therefore, this study aims to explore the status quo of social support, health literacy and healthy lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases in China and the relationship among them.

Methods

Through convenient sampling, 356 patients with chronic diseases were surveyed using a health promoting lifestyle scale, a chronic disease patients' health literacy scale and a social support scale.

Results

There was a pairwise positive correlation between social support, health lifestyle and health literacy (R = 0.397,0.356,0.556, P < 0.01). After controlling gender, age and education level, it is found that social support has a positive impact on health lifestyle, and health literacy plays an intermediary role between social support and health lifestyle, accounting for 45.78 % of the total effect.

Conclusion

To promote the healthy lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases and delay the development of the disease, we should strengthen social support for patients with chronic diseases; We should simultaneously take various measures to improve their health literacy.

Background

Nurses face various ethical conflicts when taking care of patients, and such conflicts require moral courage. This systematic review was conducted with the aim of investigating moral courage and its related factors among nurses.

Methods

To find related studies, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase and Science Direct databases were searched using keywords such as Courage, Moral Courage, and Nurses, and no lower time limit was imposed when conducting the searches. The identified studies were published between January 2000 and March 2023. Quality of articles was assessed using the STROBE checklist.

Results

The pooled sample size for the 19 included studies was 7863. All studies were observational and cross-sectional. The results showed that three categories of factors most related to moral courage are individual, moral, and factors related to the organization. Underlying factors of each category are also provided within this paper.

Conclusion

Moral courage is an integral part of nursing, which as a profession, is becoming even more challenging with the advancement of science and technology. Therefore, there is a need for nurses and especially nursing managers to be considerate of factors affecting moral courage of nurses, with a view to strengthening the positive factors and reducing the negative impacts.

Aims

This study aims to identify the level of nursing care quality and examine its predictors considering nurses' demographic data, organizational culture, and communication skills.

Background

Quality of care is a determinant of the sustainability of any healthcare organization. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how factors may contribute to the quality of nursing care. Limited research is available on the interaction between the concepts of quality of nursing care, communication skills, and organizational culture.

Methods

A cross-sectional multi-site correlational design was used in this study. A convenience sample of 200 nurses from four Jordanian hospitals was recruited. Data was collected using self-reported questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression were performed to achieve the study's aims.

Results

The majority of the nurses in this study were females with bachelor's degrees. Age ranged between 22 and 53 years whereas experience ranged from 1 to 30 years. Communication skills significantly predicted the quality of nursing care; however, organizational culture was not a significant predictor of the quality of nursing care. Nevertheless, Pearson r correlation results revealed a significant correlation between organizational culture and communication skills (r = 0.57, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Nurses and organizational managers can increase the level of quality of nursing care by investing in programs that target improving nurses' communication skills. Providing a good environment in the hospital can increase communication skills between staff members, ultimately increasing the quality of nursing care. Further studies are recommended to elaborate and further uncover concerns related to the current research.

Background

In Taiwan, the Patients' Right to Autonomy Act was enacted in 2019. However, advance care planning (ACP) implementation rates remain low in long-term care facilities. Aim: This study explored the barriers to initiate a discussion about ACP among older Taiwanese residents of nursing homes and their families.

Methods

A descriptive qualitative design was used. Face-to-face interviews were individually conducted with 38 participants (residents: 18; family members: 20), and data were analyzed through content analysis.

Results

Five themes were identified: (1) having cultural or spiritual concerns (both groups), (2) prioritizing the bigger picture (family) (both groups), (3) waiting for the right time (both groups), (4) feeling unsure (residents), and (5) following the pace of the residents (family members).

Conclusion

The results indicate that discussing ACP with Chinese people and their families clashes with traditional Chinese culture. To implement ACP in long-term care facilities based in regions with ethnically Chinese populations, medical professionals must ensure that the residents and their family members understand advance directives and their role in ensuring a good death and must act as a bridge between residents and their family members to assist them in making consensual end-of-life-care decisions with residents.