Inpatients' experiences of falls: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

OBJECTIVES: Identify and synthesize published qualitative research reporting inpatient experiences of a fall to determine novel insights and understandings of this longstanding complex problem. RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. METHODS: Online databases were searched to systematically identify published research reporting inpatient experiences of a fall. The included studies were inductively analysed and interpreted then reported as a meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Databases Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL Complete, Scopus and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global were searched on 3rd August, 2023. RESULTS: From 10 included publications, four new themes of inpatients' experiences of a fall were constructed. Themes one, two and three related to antecedents of patient falls, and theme four related to consequences. Theme one, 'My foot didn't come with me: Physiological and anatomical changes', encompassed patients' experiences of medical conditions, medication, and anatomical changes. These aspects contributed to alterations in balance and strength, and misconceptions of capability in activities of daily (inpatient) living. Theme two, 'I was in a hurry: Help-seeking', encompassed patients' experiences striving for independence while balancing power and control, minimizing their own needs over care of others', and unavailability of support. Theme three, 'I couldn't find the call light: Environment and equipment', encompassed patients' experiences of not being able to reach or use equipment, and environment changes. Theme four, 'It was my fault too: Blame and confidence', encompassed patients' expressions of blame after their fall, blame directed at both themselves and/or others, and impacts on confidence and fear in mobilizing. CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient falls are embedded in a complexity of individual, relational, and environmental factors, yet there are potential ways forward both informed and led by the patient's voice. Strength-based approaches to address the tenuous balance between independence and support may be one opportunity to explore as a next step in complementing the existing multifaceted interventions. IMPACT: Inpatient falls are a complex and costly health safety and quality problem. Despite global initiatives in the prevention of inpatient falls, they remain intractable. This meta-synthesis provides an in-depth exploration of extant qualitative data on patients' experiences of falls in hospitals. Four themes were constructed expressing the inpatients' experiences: physiological and anatomical changes, help-seeking, environment and equipment, and blame and confidence. Novel considerations for future investigation are offered, drawing from self-determination theory and positive psychological interventions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: This meta-synthesis elicits new considerations for future interventions based on people's experiences of their fall in hospital, offering healthcare professionals novel directions in fall prevention. REPORTING METHOD: The review was reported according to the Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research statement (ENTREQ; Tong et al., 2012). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023445279.

Registered Nurses' experiences of psychological well-being and ill-being in their first year of practice: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

AIM: To synthesize Registered Nurses' self-reported perceptions and experiences of psychological well-being and ill-being during their first year of practice. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Psychological Information. Qualitative studies were considered for inclusion if published in English, from 2009-2019, reporting primary data analysis including psychological well-being and ill-being experiences of graduate nurses in first year of practice. REVIEW METHODS: Qualitative studies were systematically identified and critically appraised. A meta-synthesis was applied using an open card sort technique to organize empirical data into a matrix of graduate nurses' voices of psychological well-being and ill-being. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included. Analysis revealed patterns of positive experiences and emotions. These included feeling valued and part of the team and learning from and feeling supported by other nurses. Negative experiences and emotions such as feeling overwhelmed, stressed, alone and inadequately prepared were also identified. CONCLUSION: Graduate nurses' perceptions and experiences of their psychological well-being and ill-being revealed both positive and negative dimensions during this transition period. Specific examples of strategies that may promote transition nurses' well-being and prevent ill-being were identified such as social connection and support. IMPACT: Increasing the numbers of new nursing graduates world-wide is required to strengthen health systems. Developing strategies to retain these graduates in the workforce is paramount. This review found some graduate nurses experience the transition period as a time of personal growth and fulfilment, for others this period was a stressor. These findings were illustrated in a model of 'ways to well-being'. The potential for knowledge translation of this model extends from graduate nurses as individuals, to nurse entry to practice programs and graduate nurse programs, to organizational policy targeting future health workforce. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020148812.

Nurse wellbeing during the coronavirus (2019) pandemic: A qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: The wellbeing of individuals influences organisational outcomes. Insight into nurses' wellbeing is crucial to a sustaining a high-quality workforce. AIM: To describe nurses' perceptions and experiences of wellbeing, work wellbeing, and mental health. METHOD: Using a qualitative descriptive design, semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, analysed inductively and thematically, and reported per consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. FINDINGS: Nine Australian nurses were interviewed in 2020, each for 60 to 90 minutes. These nurses had a broad range of clinical roles and years of experience in metropolitan healthcare organisations. Six themes, each related to nurse wellbeing, depicted: (i) value and sense of purpose from nursing, yet also negative consequences of losing sight of oneself within the nursing role; (ii) work nurses did to disengage from their job and create a balance within their life; (iii) significance of the team and senior team as a source of both strength and opportunity for wellbeing; (iv) a range of wellbeing initiatives with a perception these were often developed, and for use, in response to crisis as opposed to preventative or proactive measures; (v) value of additional nurse wellbeing education and promotion of available support; and (vi) novel challenges and ways to wellbeing during times where resources were stretched and usual support systems impacted. DISCUSSION: Identified positive and negative consequences of nursing must be addressed when developing targeted wellbeing interventions. CONCLUSION: New ways of working and supporting individual, team and organisational wellbeing are needed for flourishing working environments. Potential strategies to either leverage or mitigate the positive and negative consequences of nursing are offered.

Entry to practice nursing students' experiences of debriefing during clinical practice: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this review were to identify, explore and synthesize existing evidence in the literature of nursing students' experiences of debriefing in their clinical practice placements. DESIGN: Qualitative meta-synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Resources Information Centre, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, and Scopus. Qualitative studies were considered for inclusion if published in English, reporting primary data analysis including experiences of nursing students. The final search was conducted on 22 October 2021, no time limit was applied. REVIEW METHODS: Qualitative studies were identified and appraised. Across the included studies, authors' themes and metaphors, and participant quotes were inductively analysed and interpreted, then expressed in the synthesis. RESULTS: Three new themes representing nursing students' experiences of debriefing were constructed. Theme one, 'It didn't happen formally, but I needed it', included students expressing the value of, and wanting to be involved in, debriefing to gain validation, reassurance, and guidance. Theme two, 'I had to release it and it helped' included students' positive experiences of debriefing with another student, nurse, or confidant, through various modalities. These experiences affirmed they were not alone in their feelings, which provided relief, confidence, and new ways of thinking and practicing. Theme three, 'Strengthened clinical experience and learning', included students feeling debriefing supported their awareness and understanding of practice and increased participation in clinical experiences. This awareness and understanding provided an opportunity for students to explore, and reflect on, the impact of patient care. CONCLUSIONS: Through debriefing student nurses found relief, confidence, and new ways of thinking through a shared understanding. Debriefing supported student learning and the clinical-academic education team had a key role in creating this opportunity.

Nurses' well-being during the coronavirus (2019) pandemic: A longitudinal mixed-methods study.

AIM: To determine prevalence, predictors and change over time of nurses' and student nurses' mental health and well-being, and explore nurses' perceptions, barriers and enablers of well-being. DESIGN: Longitudinal mixed-methods survey. METHODS: Forty-nine students and registered nurses participated from Victoria, Australia. Data were collected from December 2019 to July 2020. Validated psychometrics and free-text response questions were employed. Analysis used latent growth curve modelling, Pearson product-moment correlations and thematic analysis. RESULTS: A strong positive correlation was found between self-determination and work well-being, and a strong negative correlation between work well-being and flight risk. Several moderate relationships were found; a moderate positive correlation between work well-being and nurse manager ability, leadership and support, and a moderate negative correlation between burnout and staffing and resource adequacy. Collegial nurse-physician relationships deteriorated. Three themes, physical health, psychological well-being and social connection, were identified as important for nurses' well-being.

Exploring the contribution of clinical placement to student learning: A sequential mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Increasing demand and limited supply of clinical placements in nursing underscore the need to better understand the role of clinical placements in students' learning. Identifying pedagogically rich activities that support work place learning alongside factors that influence educational outcomes has the potential to optimise professional placement experiences. OBJECTIVE: To explore student nurses perceptions of the value of nursing clinical placements to their learning. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive research design was employed using a sequential mixed method approach. A cross-sectional student survey captured students' perceptions of work integrated learning based on the perceived contribution of a pre-determined list of activities undertaken on clinical placement. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Four Australian universities took part. Participants included students undertaking entry to practice programs. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-nine students completed the survey. Thirty-eight students participated in 12 focus groups. Participants rated PRA including interacting and time with patients and performing assessments as the most useful activities. Less useful, were activities that took them away from the patient. CONCLUSIONS: To maximise workplace learning, consideration must be given to ensuring students are presented with goal directed activities that support learning and are focused on an expanding scope of practice with opportunities to discuss and engage with staff.

New graduate nurse wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health: A quantitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of work to positive mental health is increasingly apparent. Transition into the workplace causes a range of stressors for new graduate nurses who experience both psychological wellbeing and illbeing in their first year of practice. OBJECTIVE: To determine published prevalence, predictors, barriers and enablers of new graduate registered nurse wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health. DESIGN: Systematic review of quantitative research. DATA SOURCES: Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Psychological Information. Quantitative and mixed-methods studies were considered for inclusion if published in English from 2009 to 2019 reporting primary data analysis including new graduate nurses' wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health. REVIEW METHODS: Quantitative studies were systematically identified then screened and appraised against pre-determined inclusion criteria. Analysis was conducted by grouping according to analytical methods and results reported as a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. The quality of the evidence was variable with just a quarter of the studies being assessed as meeting the quality criteria on all nine measures. For the new graduate nurses prevalence of wellbeing, levels of resilience, optimism, and hope were found to be high. For work wellbeing, most reported higher job satisfaction by 12-months. For work illbeing, levels of burnout were moderately high, predominantly in terms of emotional exhaustion, and stress was initially high, particularly in terms of workload, but decreased over time. For the predictors, job satisfaction was positively predicted by structural empowerment and career satisfaction, and negatively predicted by co-worker incivility, supervisor incivility and emotional exhaustion. For work illbeing, stress was a positive predictor for intent to leave. Stress reductions were associated with momentary levels of high task mastery, social acceptance and role clarity. CONCLUSIONS: For new graduate nurses, levels of emotional exhaustion, workload and stress were moderately high to high initially, decreasing over time as the graduate nurses' job satisfaction increased. Most studies focused on the nurses' intent to resign or stay and both psychological capital and work engagement positively predicted intent to stay whereas work stress positively predicted intent to resign. Resilience and group cohesion moderated the negative effects of some variables, thus may be potential enablers of work wellbeing. The standards of research reporting or design were generally sub-optimal according to quality indicators. Systematic review registration number: (CRD42020148812).