Effects of nursing interventions to improve inpatients' sleep in intensive and non-intensive care units: Findings from an umbrella review.

AIM: This review aimed to synthesise the available reviews on the effects of nursing interventions on sleep quality among patients hospitalised in intensive care and non-intensive care units. BACKGROUND: Poor sleep quality is a common fact in hospitalised patients. Nurses can contribute to the improvement of patients' sleep quality and duration. DESIGN: A review of intervention reviews was carried out and reported following the PRISMA guidelines and checklist. METHODS: We systematically searched for reviews published from January 2009 to December 2019 in PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Scopus, Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science, Joanna Briggs Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Searches were repeated at 24 November 2020 to include the most recent evidence. A narrative synthesis of the results was conducted. RESULTS: Nine reviews (representing 109 original papers) met the selection criteria and were included for critical appraisal. Overall, nursing interventions and sleep quality were poorly defined. We grouped the interventions into 3 categories (environmental, barrier and internal interventions) to provide a more comprehensive overview and examine effects of nursing interventions on inpatients sleep quality. Inconsistent results were obtained and low quality of the original articles was reported, making it difficult to establish absolute conclusions. CONCLUSION: The impact of environmental changes on patients' sleep was positive but inconclusive, while use of earplugs and eye masks, music and acupuncture generally showed positive results with moderate quality of evidence, and no harmful effects were reported.

Measuring the Digital Skills of Catalan Health Care Professionals as a Key Step Toward a Strategic Training Plan: Digital Competence Test Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite Catalonia being an advanced region in terms of digital health adoption, the "Forum for Professional Dialogue" identified the need to improve information and communication technology (ICT) competences as one of the present and future challenges for health care professionals (HPs). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to validate the digital competence test developed ad hoc for this study and to measure the digital competence level of Catalan HPs to establish their current level as the baseline for designing a strategic training plan. METHODS: An exploratory observational study was conducted based on a voluntary survey where sociodemographic, professional and digital tool knowledge, digital tool use, and training needs data were collected and based on the score obtained from a digital competence test developed ad hoc. The digital competence test consisted of 2 "real-life scenarios" with 7 and 11 questions. RESULTS: In total, 803 HPs, of whom 612 (76.2%) were women, completed the survey between June 28 and July 16, 2021. Most participants self-rated their digital competence level as either intermediate (384/803, 47.8%) or basic (357/803, 44.5%). The mean score in the digital competence test was 22.6 (SD 4.3). Therefore, most participants displayed a basic level of digital competence. The internal consistency of the digital competence test was 0.66, and the discrimination index of all questions was ≥0.2 for all items except for 1 question. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study highlights the need to improve the digital competence of HPs working in Catalonia, with special effort being made to provide training according to the specific needs of the different HP profiles. The results have informed the Health Plan for Catalonia 2021-2025 and lay the foundations for the development and deployment of a framework program for the digital competences of HPs. The developed digital competence test shows acceptable consistency for the objective pursued, although improvements are needed to fine-tune its accuracy.

A qualitative content analysis of nurses' perceptions about readiness to manage intimate partner violence.

AIMS: To explore the perceptions of nurses on the factors that influence their readiness to manage intimate partner violence (IPV) in Spain. DESIGN: Qualitative content analysis based on data from six different regions in Spain (Murcia, Region of Valencia, Castile and Leon, Cantabria, Catalonia, Aragon) collected between 2014 and 2016. METHODS: 37 personal interviews were carried out with nurses from 27 primary health care (PHC) centres and 10 hospitals. We followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research guidelines. Qualitative content analysis was supported by Atlas.ti and OpenCode. RESULTS: The results are organised into four categories corresponding to (1) acknowledging IPV as a health issue. An ongoing process; (2) the Spanish healthcare system and PHC service: a favourable space to address IPV although with some limitations; (3) nurses as a key figure for IPV in coordinated care and (4) factors involved in nurses' autonomy in their response to IPV, with their respective subcategories. CONCLUSION: In practice, nurses perceive responding to IPV as a personal choice, despite the institutional mandate to address IPV as a health issue. There is a need to increase continuous training and ensure IPV is included in the curriculum in university nursing undergraduate degrees, by disseminating the existing IPV protocols. Furthermore, coordination between healthcare professionals needs to be improved in terms of all levels of care and with other institutions.

Prevalence of falls in noninstitutionalized people aged 65-80 and associations with sex and functional tests: A multicenter observational study.

Falls have a considerable impact on the functional prognosis of older adults. The main focus of this multicenter, retrospective, observational study was to examine the prevalence of falls in Spanish people aged 65-80 years still living at home. The secondary aims included examining the overall sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with a history of falls and then stratifying these findings by sex. We also aimed to determine the differences between sexes with regard to the history and consequences of falls and to evaluate associations between fall history and functional performance tests. The 747 older adults had all participated in the otago exercise program, which is a progressive home program of strength, balance, and endurance exercises. They were recruited by nurses in 21 primary care centers in 10 Spanish provinces between September 2017 to December 2018. The participants' mean age was 72.2 (SD: 4.3) years, and 67% were women. We recorded sociodemographic and clinical variables, functional performance test results, and any falls and/or injuries in the last 12 months. We found that 32% had fallen, 36% of those had fallen more than once, and 48% had sustained injuries when they fell. The bivariate analysis showed that women had more than twice the odds of falling than men and that living alone and being obese or overweight increased the odds of a fall, although living alone was not associated with falls in the multivariable analysis. Our results could guide the development of risk-specific fall prevention programs to prevent disabilities in older people.

Use of a gamified website to increase pain neurophysiology knowledge and improve satisfaction and motivation among students studying for a degree in physiotherapy: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: The scientific evidence highlights the difficulties that healthcare professionals experience when managing patients with chronic pain. One of the causes of this difficulty could be related to the acquired training and the lack of knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain. In the present study, we assessed the effectiveness of a gamified web platform in acquiring knowledge about pain neurophysiology and determining the satisfaction and motivation of students of the Degree in Physiotherapy at the University of Lleida. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was carried out with a sample of 60 students who had access to a gamified web platform that included notes, videos, and clinical cases prepared by the teaching staff and was based on a previous study that included patients and healthcare professionals. RESULTS: The results show that after the intervention, there was a statistically significant increase in knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain, and the effect size was in the desired area of ​​effect. Likewise, many students considered that their motivation had increased as a result of the methodology used in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the use of this methodology to promote knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain while improving students' motivation.

Sleeping is a nightmare: A qualitative study on the experience and management of poor sleep quality in women with fibromyalgia.

AIM: This study aimed to explore the experience and management of poor sleep quality in Spanish women with fibromyalgia (FM). DESIGN: This was a qualitative study based on one-to-one interviews. METHODS: Twenty-one adult women diagnosed with FM were recruited from the community between January and March 2020. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured one-to-one interviews, using an interview guide of open questions about the experience and management of poor sleep quality, and were analyzed with thematic qualitative analysis. The symptom management theory was used as a biopsychosocial conceptual framework. RESULTS: The results were organized into two themes: (a) experience of poor sleep quality and (b) management strategies for poor sleep quality. Poor sleep quality was found to be a severe symptom of FM that negatively impacts pain, fatigue, stiffness, mental health, and quality of life. The participants perceived pharmacological treatment to be the main approach of health care professionals for improving sleep, and most did not want this form of treatment. Self-management strategies lack clear beneficial effects on sleep quality. CONCLUSION: Women with FM recognize that they need to receive more information from nurses and allied professions about sleep in the context of FM and how to effectively manage poor sleep quality. IMPACT: This study contributes to a better understanding of how women with FM experience and manage poor sleep quality. More information about management strategies for poor sleep quality from nurses and other health care professionals is needed in women with FM. The results of this study can be applied by nurses and health care professionals, including sleep educators, in the treatment of this patient group.

Detection of factors influencing circadian rhythms on Intensive Care inpatients and hospitalization: Protocol for an observational study.

AIMS: Identify the prevalence of circadian health disorders in ICU and hospitalized patients. Stablish the relationship of the circadian system with light, temperature, noise and nursing activities. BACKGROUND: Commonly, self-assessment through subjective questionnaires is used for research about sleep quality. However, more reliable and valid measures should be applied objectively to find out the real prevalence of the problem. There is a negative relationship between circadian rhythms and hospitalization. In this study, we will analyse sleep patterns and hospital environments to implement measures to improve the quality of care related to sleep. DESIGN: Descriptive observational study. It is estimated that 975 patients from 13 hospitals need to be recruited from ICU and hospitalization units. The sample should meet the following criteria: Patients over 18 admitted to ICU and medical units, length of stay between 96-148 hr, with no visual, hearing or moderate-severe cognitive impairment. Variables: Sleep variables are collected with an electronic device (named Kronowise® and Kronobed®), circadian and infrared light exposure, environmental noise, temperature, unit structural characteristics, nursing care (from 0 to 6 a.m.) and, characteristics of hospitalization period. The study, registered on Clinical Trials, initiated in December 2019 and it will continue up to December 2022. DISCUSSION: Using objective and subjective measures of sleep and circadian rhythms, this study will shed light on the factors that negatively affect the hospitalized patients' sleep quality and circadian health. The ultimate goal is to design hospital guidelines to minimize the adverse effects on the dependent variables studied. Arguably, these guidelines will contribute to reducing the risk of these alterations and it will also serve to improve the nursing activities. CONCLUSION: We expect to obtain adequate results for the creation of a protocol to improve the circadian health, quality of care and health outcomes related to sleep in patients.

Burnout and job satisfaction among nurses in three Spanish regions.

AIMS: To determine the levels of job satisfaction and burnout syndrome and related factors among nurses in three Spanish regions. BACKGROUND: The nursing profession involves high work stress due to emotional involvement, workload and available resources. METHODS: Descriptive multicentric cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic and migration data were collected and participants completed the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire S20/23 and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods using the program SPSS. RESULTS: The sample included 228 nurses (187 women and 41 men), with a mean age of 37.11 ± 10.87. Reported job satisfaction was medium to high. Overall, values were low in emotional fatigue and medium in depersonalization and personal fulfilment. In terms of migration, 21.59% of the participants had already moved to other Spanish regions or another country, while 18.58% had the intention of doing so. CONCLUSION: Nurses with a temporary contract showed a high burnout rate, and high levels of emotional fatigue, depersonalization and lack of personal fulfilment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Strategies are needed to improve working and contractual conditions such as enhancing teamwork, management and leadership skills in nurses; achieving internal promotion; and having higher participation in decision-making and a better balance of power between health institution managers and health professionals.

The influence of supervisory support, work effectiveness, work empowerment and stress secondary to residents' responsive behaviours on job satisfaction of nursing staff: A multisite cross-sectional study.

AIM: To examine the association between stress secondary to residents' responsive behaviours and job satisfaction of nurses and nursing assistants working in nursing homes. To test whether supervisory support, work effectiveness and work empowerment confound this relationship. BACKGROUND: Understanding how the stress secondary to residents' responsive behaviours influences job satisfaction for staff and determining the factors influencing this relationship are important for retention of staff in nursing homes. The term 'responsive behaviours' refers to the subset of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. METHODS: Survey responses from 191 nursing assistants and 81 nurses in five nursing homes in Ontario were analysed. RESULTS: Staff's stress attributed to residents' responsive behaviours was negatively associated with job satisfaction. This direct effect was weakened by more than a third through the confounding net effects of supervisory support, work effectiveness and work empowerment. CONCLUSION: The work environment created by leaders in nursing homes can lessen the influence of stress secondary to residents' responsive behaviours on staffs' job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Supervisors need training and education to support and mentor their staff effectively, and to guide their use of evidence-based practices that integrate the patient-centred care approach in order to effectively respond and minimize responsive behaviours.

More talk than action: gender and ethnic diversity in leading public health universities.

Improving the career progression of women and ethnic minorities in public health universities has been a longstanding challenge, which we believe might be addressed by including staff diversity data in university rankings. We present findings from a mixed methods investigation of gender-related and ethnicity-related differences in career progression at the 15 highest ranked social sciences and public health universities in the world, including an analysis of the intersection between sex and ethnicity. Our study revealed that clear gender and ethnic disparities remain at the most senior academic positions, despite numerous diversity policies and action plans reported. In all universities, representation of women declined between middle and senior academic levels, despite women outnumbering men at the junior level. Ethnic-minority women might have a magnified disadvantage because ethnic-minority academics constitute a small proportion of junior-level positions and the proportion of ethnic-minority women declines along the seniority pathway.

A systematic review of community nursing interventions focusing on improving outcomes for individuals exhibiting risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of community-based nursing interventions in improving outcomes for community-dwelling individuals exhibiting risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). DESIGN: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. DATA SOURCES: Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Global Health, LILACS, Africa-Wide Information, IMEMR, and WPRIM) were searched from inception to 16 March 2018. REVIEW METHODS: This review included outcomes from studies that were led by or delivered primarily by nurses for individuals exhibiting risk factors of CVD in community settings. At least two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction and risk of bias. RESULTS: 46 studies met the eligibility criteria. Community nursing interventions were found to be effective in improving clinical outcomes of symptom control, symptom awareness, symptom management, and social outcomes. Effective interventions were found to be facilitated by a community-centric approach, participant empowerment, reinforcement strategies, a targeted approach towards underserved populations, and home visits. These resulted in positive outcomes such as significant reductions in HbA1c for diabetic patients, attainment of blood pressure targets for hypertensive patients and greater improvement in self-reported dietary intake for patients with hyperlipidaemia. CONCLUSION: Community-based nurse-led interventions can result in positive outcomes for patients with risk factors of CVD. However, the success of such interventions needs to be facilitated by appropriate funding, thoughtful intervention design and training opportunities for nurses. IMPACT: Community-based nursing interventions are largely effective in improving clinical and social outcomes for community-dwelling individuals with risk factors of CVD.

A web-based therapeutic patient education intervention for pain and sleep for women with fibromyalgia: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods research protocol.

AIMS: To evaluate cognitive and behavioural factors related to pain and poor sleep quality in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and to develop and test the effects of a web-based therapeutic education intervention on pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, chronic pain self-efficacy, sleep quality, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep and quality of life and health status related to fibromyalgia. DESIGN: The project will employ a sequential exploratory mixed methods research design. METHODS: For the qualitative phase, a theoretical sample living in the community will be recruited to participate in personal, semi-structured interviews. For the quantitative phase, a sample of adult women with fibromyalgia will be recruited from secondary care centres and randomly allocated an intervention or a control group. The study protocol was approved in 2019. DISCUSSION: Fibromyalgia is the most common central sensitivity syndrome and one of the principal worldwide causes of chronic widespread pain among the adult population. Poor sleep quality is a highly prevalent and troublesome symptom for people with fibromyalgia. Psychosocial and behavioural factors have been shown to relate intimately with the symptom experiences of people with fibromyalgia; pain catastrophizing and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep can perpetuate those and other fibromyalgia symptoms. CONCLUSION: It is imperative to reflect people's actual symptom experiences to develop effective symptom management strategies. In the Internet era, this project's proposed web-based therapeutic education intervention could offer women with fibromyalgia a new avenue for treatment as part of standard fibromyalgia management programs in primary and secondary healthcare services. IMPACT: Pain and poor sleep quality are highly prevalent and troublesome symptoms for people with fibromyalgia. The web-based therapeutic education intervention proposed in this project could provide women with fibromyalgia a new avenue for treatment in primary and secondary healthcare services. Protocol registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03686410.

The advocacy role of nurses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: The decision whether to initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation may sometimes be ethically complex. While studies have addressed some of these issues, along with the role of nurses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, most have not considered the importance of nurses acting as advocates for their patients with respect to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To explore what the nurse's advocacy role is in cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the perspective of patients, relatives, and health professionals in the Basque Country (Spain). RESEARCH DESIGN: An exploratory critical qualitative study was conducted from October 2015 to March 2016. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. PARTICIPANTS: Four discussion groups were held: one with patients and relatives (n = 8), two with nurses (n = 7 and n = 6, respectively), and one with physicians (n = 5). ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Approval was obtained from the Basque Country Clinical Research Ethics Committee. FINDINGS: Three significant themes were identified: (a) accompanying patients during end of life in a context of medical dominance, (b) maintaining the pact of silence, and (c) yielding to legal uncertainty and concerns. DISCUSSION: The values and beliefs of the actors involved, as well as pre-established social and institutional rules reduced nurses' advocacy to that of intermediaries between the physician and the family within the hospital environment. On the contrary, in primary health care, nurses participated more actively within the interdisciplinary team. CONCLUSION: This study provides key information for the improvement and empowerment for ethical nursing practice in a cardiac arrest, and provides the perspective of patients and relatives, nurses and physicians.

The influence of welfare state factors on nursing professionalization and nursing human resources: A time-series cross-sectional analysis, 2000-2015.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between welfare states and nursing professionalization indicators. DESIGN: We used a time-series, cross-sectional design. The analysis covered 16 years and 22 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States, allocated to five welfare state regimes: Social Democratic, Christian Democratic, Liberal, Authoritarian Conservative, and Confucian. METHODS: We used fixed-effects linear regression models and conducted Prais-Winsten regressions with panel-corrected standard errors, including a first-order autocorrelation correction. We applied the Amelia II multiple imputation strategy to replace missing observations. Data were collected from March-December 2017 and subsequently updated from August-September 2018. RESULTS: Our findings highlight positive connections between the regulated nurse and nurse graduate ratios and welfare state measures of education, health, and family policy. In addition, both outcome variables had averages that differed among welfare state regimes, the lowest being in Authoritarian Conservative regimes. CONCLUSION: Additional country-level and international comparative research is needed to further study the impact of a wide range of structural political and economic determinants of nursing professionalization. IMPACT: We examined the effects of welfare state characteristics on nursing professionalization indicators and found support for the claim that such features affect both the regulated nurse and nurse graduate ratios. These findings could be used to strengthen nursing and the nursing workforce through healthy public policies and increase the accuracy of health human resources forecasting tools.

Nursing professionalization and welfare state policies: A critical review of structural factors influencing the development of nursing and the nursing workforce.

Nursing professionalization is both ongoing and global, being significant not only for the nursing workforce but also for patients and healthcare systems. For this reason, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of this process and the factors that could affect it. This literature review utilizes a welfare state approach to examine macrolevel structural determinants of nursing professionalization, addressing a previously identified gap in this literature, and synthesizes research on the relevance of studying nursing professionalization. The use of a welfare state framework facilitates the understanding that the wider social, economic, and political system exercises significant power over the distribution of resources in a society, providing a glimpse into the complex politics of health and health care. The findings shed light on structural factors outside of nursing, such as country-level education, health, labor market, and gender policies that could impact the process of professionalization and thus could be utilized to strengthen nursing through facilitating increased professionalization levels. Addressing gender inequalities and other structural determinants of nursing professionalization could contribute to achieving health equity and could benefit health systems through enhanced availability, skill-level, and sustainability of nursing human resources, improved and efficient access to care, improved patient outcomes, and cost savings.

[Presence of relatives during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Perspectives of health professionals, patients and family in the Basque Country]. / Presencia de familiares durante la reanimación cardiopulmonar: perspectivas de pacientes, familiares y profesionales de la salud en el País Vasco.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perception of nurses, doctors, patients and family or relatives being present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in adult patients. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory study and thematic analysis were developed. SITE: Primary Care, Hospital Care and Emergency Service of the Basque Health Service. PARTICIPANTS: The selection of the participants was made through intentional sampling. Four focus groups were developed: one of patients and family, 2 of nurses, and one of physicians. METHOD: Thematic analysis was performed. Triangulation techniques were used between investigators and investigator-participant member. The Open code 4.1 statistics software was used. RESULTS: Three significant categories were identified: the impact on the family; the weight of ethical and legal responsibility; power, place of death, and cultural assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: CPR is a social construct influenced by values which are situated in specific socio-cultural contexts. In this study, patients and family members describe the fear and resistance to being present during CPR. Health professionals consider that their decision is complex, and each case must be assessed independently, and patients and relatives must be integrated into decision-making. Future research should explore in greater depth the subjective experience of relatives who have witnessed CPR and the impact of contextual and sociocultural elements from the perspectives of relatives.

Efficacy of the Otago Exercise Programme to reduce falls in community-dwelling adults aged 65-80 years old when delivered as group or individual training.

AIM: This study will compare how falls can be reduced in non-institutionalized older Spanish adults aged 65-80 years by providing group or individual exercise sessions using the Otago Exercise Programme. BACKGROUND: The Otago Exercise Programme is a progressive home-based exercise programme, where trained health professionals help people engage in strength, balance and endurance exercises. Its format is based on the evidence from four clinical trials. The benefits of the Otago Exercise Programme are the same for people who have and have not suffered falls and it can also be used for visually impaired people. DESIGN: A multicentre, simply blinded, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial, with two arms-group training and individual training-that started in January 2017 and will continue until December 2019. METHODS: Each study group has 364 subjects, who will take part in four individual or group sessions delivered mainly by nurses over an 8-week period, with a reinforcement session 6 months later. Data will be collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. The fall percentage will be the most relevant clinical variable and we will also consider safety, viability, compliance, economic analysis and therapeutic value. Approval and funding was granted in December 2016 for this 3-year study by the Spanish Health Research Fund (PI16CIII/00031). DISCUSSION: Older people from 65-80 years old tend to be more isolated and tackling worries about falls can improve social activities and independence. It has been shown that group training provides better adherence to exercise than individual training and this study will test that hypothesis for the Otago Exercise Programme.

Are the classic signs of infection in concordance with results from percutaneous aspiration to diagnose infection in pressure injuries?

AIM: To explore the concordance between the presence of classic signs of infection and the positive diagnosis identified by the microbiological culture of fluid collected by percutaneous aspiration. BACKGROUND: The classic signs of infection are commonly applied in some contexts to confirm infection in pressure injuries, but its accuracy has been questioned in chronic wounds. Little is known about the concordance of this method with others, such as the deep fluid culture from pressure injuries collected by percutaneous aspiration. DESIGN: Multicentre, cross-sectional observational study. METHODS: Pressure injuries of patients from four health centres were analysed. Three types of data were recorded between February 2011 and March 2012: i) socio-demographic and clinical data, ii) number and type of infection signs and iii) microbiological results of deep fluid culture from injuries. The concordance was calculated with the kappa index to find a possible concordance between both methods. RESULTS: On 40·2% (n = 47) of injuries, two or more classic signs of infection or purulent exudate as unique sign were present, while the total positive results in the microbiological cultures were 50·4% (n = 59). The disparity of positive results, depending on the location and the stage of the pressure injury and the method applied, suggested a poor concordance between methods. The -0·092 kappa index confirmed the non-concordance of the analysed methods. CONCLUSIONS: The tandem strategy is not useful to indicate an infection in pressure injuries. We advocate exploring other signs of infection and the adoption of other more reliable signs together with the classic signs of infection.