New Data on Access to Mental Health and Addictions Services and Home and Community Care.

As the population ages, more Canadians need home care to help manage their health conditions and live safely at home. For Canadians of all ages, timely access to mental health and addictions services is an area of growing concern. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its strain on health system resources have further highlighted the need to improve services in these areas. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is working with governments across Canada to bridge data gaps, develop indicators and publicly report results as part of a collective effort to improve access in these two sectors. Results for three new indicators were released by CIHI in 2020.

Nurse Manager Succession Planning: Evaluating a Pilot Program's Effect on Self-perception of Readiness.

OBJECTIVE: Perceived readiness to transition to nurse manager roles and demonstrated leadership behaviors were evaluated among participants in a nurse manager succession planning pilot cohort. BACKGROUND: Equipping nurses within an organization with the leadership competencies to transition to the next role is essential as we face an impending nurse and nurse leader shortage. METHODS: Quasi-experimental and correlational design methods were used to measure changes in readiness of nurses to enter nurse manager roles over a 90-day pilot. RESULTS: Participants' perceived readiness to transition to nurse manager roles and demonstrated leadership behaviors increased between days 1 and 90 of the program. Statistically significant increases were attributed to their participation in the nurse manager succession planning pilot cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the literature regarding nurse manager succession planning. Further research should be conducted so that succession planning for nurse managers becomes not only achievable but also expected.

Community-Based Home Health Programs and Chronic Disease: Synthesis of the Literature.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: This article reviewed and evaluated literature on the various community-based home health programs and their effectiveness at preventing hospital admissions in adults. The research question addressed is as follows: Do community-based home health programs decrease hospital admissions in adult patients with chronic disease? PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING: The primary practice setting evaluated in this review of the literature was community-based home health programs. METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE: In this literature review, a seven-step review method was utilized to assess the evidence. Three electronic databases were used to conduct the initial search inquiry: CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) Plus with Full Text, Medline, and PsycINFO. The search parameters include research from 2006 through 2016, English-language studies, and research published in peer-reviewed journals. The following search terms were used in multiple combinations: community-based health programs, chronic disease, and home. The primary sample population assessed was older adults with chronic disease. RESULTS: The research identified three common themes that influenced quality-of-life outcomes and health care utilization in participants of a community-based home health program. These themes were encouragement and emotional support, home visits, and multidisciplinary coordination of care. Additional concepts of depression and educational reinforcement were also noted. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: This literature review indicates that community-based home health programs are a viable solution to providing cost-effective health care to the adult population with chronic diseases. Community-based home health programs have been shown to have a positive impact on the quality of life and a decrease in health care utilization, including emergency department and primary care practitioner visits and hospital admissions, for adults with chronic disease.

Nurse leader certification preparation: how are confidence levels impacted?

AIM: The aim was to examine the effect of a nurse leader certification preparation course on the confidence levels of the participants. BACKGROUND: Limited literature is available regarding nurse leader development and certifications. Barriers exist related to lack of confidence, high cost, time and lack of access to a preparation course. METHOD: Nurse leaders (n = 51) completed a pre- and post-survey addressing confidence levels of participants related to the topics addressed in the nurse leader certification preparation course. RESULTS: There were statistically significant increases in confidence levels related to all course content for the participants. At the time of the study, there were 31.4% of participants intending to sit for the certification examination, and 5 of the 51 participants successfully sat for and passed the examination. CONCLUSION: A nurse leader certification preparation course increases confidence levels of the participants and removes barriers, thereby increasing the number of certifications obtained. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The health-care climate is increasingly complex and nurse leaders need the expertise to navigate the ever-changing health-care environment. Certification in a specialty, such as leadership, serves as an indicator of a high level of competence in the field.

Strategies for Improving Patient Throughput in an Acute Care Setting Resulting in Improved Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Patient throughput allows for the efficient flow of patients through the hospital, ensuring timely and appropriate level of care. Evidence supports the implementation of hospital-wide patient throughput initiatives. Hospitals who have prioritized patient throughput have realized improvements in quality patient care, patient satisfaction, as well as a positive financial impact. Hospitals have implemented various patient throughput strategies; however, a standard process or methodology has not been identified. Evidence-based research is needed to create a framework to guide hospitals in implementing patient throughput strategies.

A systematic review: barriers to hourly rounding.

AIM: The purpose of this review of the literature is to identify a comprehensive list of the barriers that impact the effective implementation and sustainment of hourly rounding on the adult inpatient medical or surgical unit. BACKGROUND: Despite the benefits associated with hourly rounding, challenges with the implementation and sustainment of this intervention have been reported on medical-surgical units. Some hospitals have multiple campaigns to implement rounding, yet sustainment eludes them. EVALUATION: Four databases were searched independently by two reviewers. Articles were screened according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria and 20 articles resulted. KEY ISSUES: Clear themes of barriers emerged across the literature consisting of: workload issues, burdensome rounding logs, missing staff buy-in, patient acuity levels, lack of adequate staff education and a lack of sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: The barriers identified are all directly related and perceived by the front line staff that is performing hourly rounding. The barriers identified may be limiting the organisation's ability to sustain the hourly rounding process. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Leaders can utilise this information to analyse and create successful options to overcome these barriers before, during and after the implementation process. Further studies are needed to identify targeted strategies to alleviate these barriers.

Nurse manager succession planning: synthesis of the evidence.

AIM: The literature supporting nurse manager succession planning is reviewed and synthesised to discover best practice for identifying and developing future nurse managers. BACKGROUND: Healthcare succession planning practices are lacking. Nurse managers are historically selected based on clinical skills and lack formal leadership preparation. EVALUATION: A systematic literature search appraises and summarises the current literature supporting nurse manager succession planning. Multiple reviewers were used to increase the reliability and validity of article selection and analysis. KEY ISSUES: New nurse managers require months to adapt to their positions. Deliberate nurse manager succession planning should be integrated in the organisation's strategic plan and provide a proactive method for identifying and developing potential leaders. CONCLUSION: Organisations that identify and develop internal human capital can improve role transition, reduce nurse manager turnover rates and decrease replacement costs. Despite the clear benefits of succession planning, studies show that resource allocation for proactive, deliberate development of current and future nurse leaders is lacking. Additionally, systematic evaluation of succession planning is limited. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Deliberate succession planning efforts and appropriate resource allocation require strategic planning and evaluation methods. Detailed evaluation methods demonstrating a positive return on investment utilising a cost-benefit analysis and empirical outcomes are necessary.