Nonstandard cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic life support: A scoping review of techniques applicable to wheelchair users.

AIM: To explore evidence that informs new or non-standard methods for delivery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic life support (BLS) that may be used by carers of wheelchair users and assist in the development of an educational intervention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A scoping review was conducted. Keywords used included cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary, resuscitation, "basic life support", and special circumstances. In total, 3581 papers were retrieved and 72 full text articles were reviewed with 14 papers meeting the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Nine intervention studies, three systematic reviews and two expert opinion papers were included and divided into four broad categories pertaining to how they differed from standard CPR guidelines. The four categories were nontraditional compression techniques, CPR not delivered in a flat position, CPR not delivered on a hard surface and CPR not delivered at floor level. CONCLUSION: The scoping review has identified techniques for delivery of CPR and BLS that may be beneficial to wheelchair users. Further research is required to determine applicability and effectiveness.

The Prevalence of Specific Learning Difficulties in Higher Education: A Study of UK Universities Across 12 Academic Years.

Specific learning and attention difficulties are often first identified in childhood, but they can cause lifelong academic and occupational challenges. We explored the prevalence of these difficulties and the representation of sex and ethnicity amongst all first-year students in UK higher education across 12 years-almost 5.7 million students-and compared course preferences and University destinations of those with and without difficulties. Students declaring learning/attention difficulties were more likely to be White or of Mixed ethnicity and least likely to be Asian. They were more likely to attend specialist HE institutions or newer universities, and more likely to study courses in creative arts and design, agriculture and architecture than law, languages, computer science, and mathematical sciences. The number of students declaring difficulties has increased year on year, in actual terms and as a proportion of the student body, suggesting that efforts to increase diversity and inclusion have been successful. However, differences remain between students with and without learning/attention difficulties in terms of ethnicity, subjects studied, and HE institutions attended, so more needs to be done to identify and address reasons for this. While this paper reports data from UK students, it addresses an international question and invites similar explorations of other national datasets.

An Exploration of Registered Nurses' Experiences Caring for Patients Taking Medicinal Cannabis.

AIMS: This study aimed to describe nurses' experiences caring for patients who use medicinal cannabis. For the purpose of this study, the term 'medicinal cannabis' is used to describe cannabis-based products that are sourced legally or illegally. DESIGN: Qualitative study using thematic analysis. METHODS: Eleven registered nurses explored their experiences caring for patients using medicinal cannabis in the Australian healthcare sector. Semistructured interviews were via telephone, Zoom or face to face. Transcribed interview data were analysed using the six phases of thematic analysis. RESULTS: The nurses' experiences of caring for patients who use medicinal cannabis were described in three themes; 'Searching for predictable processes of regulation, access and use of medicinal cannabis', 'One conundrum after another' and 'There is a lot to learn'. Overall, nurses described feeling underprepared to care for patients who use or want to use medicinal cannabis in the Australian healthcare sector. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that nurses want to have meaningful discussions with patients about the use of medicinal cannabis, yet do not always have the confidence to do so. Nurses sought their own education on how to better support patients. All participants echoed the need for education. The nurse's role in caring for and supporting patients using medicinal cannabis could improve the patient experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Nurses play an essential role in improving the patient's experience and advocating for those using or wanting to discuss medicinal cannabis as a part of holistic care. Defining the nurse's role in effectively caring for patients can begin by providing evidence-based education to nurses. Including nurses in policy development and beginning to understand the legal and regulatory implications for nurses are important. IMPACT: This is the first study presenting current issues for nurses who care for patients using medicinal cannabis in Australian healthcare systems. REPORTING METHOD: COREQ guidelines were adhered to for this study. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: For this research project on the experiences of registered nurses caring for patients using medicinal cannabis, we did not engage members of the patient population or the general public.

Nurse academics and the teaching of undergraduate nursing numeracy: A cross-sectional study of self-reported confidence and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Numeracy and mathematics are terms that can cause anxiety, not only in students, but this emotion can also be experienced in teachers. Anxiety can inhibit teacher performance and is correlated with low self-confidence. The anxiety felt by school teachers when teaching mathematics is widely reported, however, the self-reported confidence and anxiety levels of nurse academics when teaching numeracy concepts to undergraduate nursing students has never been studied. AIM: To explore and analyse Australian nurse academics' self-reported confidence and anxiety levels when teaching nursing numeracy to undergraduate nursing students. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Australian universities that provide an undergraduate nursing degree leading to nursing registration. PARTICIPANTS: Australian nurse academics employed either permanent full time or part time; casual /sessional; or on a fixed term contract, who teach nursing numeracy and medication calculations to undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: A combination of convenience and purposive sampling was used to recruit Australian nurse academics (n = 170). Data were collected between Nov 2023 and Feb 2024 using an online survey platform. RESULTS: Almost 50 % of participants self-reported feeling either not confident or somewhat confident and very or somewhat anxious when teaching nursing numeracy. There were no significant differences in overall confidence and anxiety based on demographic variables, indicating this is a widespread issue. A non-significant trend towards level A academics experiencing higher anxiety and less confidence was noted. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of students are being taught nursing numeracy by nurse academics who lack confidence and experience anxiety, which can be transferred to students, affecting learning and performance. The downstream consequences are potentially poor numeracy skills in students and compromised patient safety. Strategies that have been effective in reducing school teachers' anxiety could be used to support nurse academics.

Assessing numeracy and medication calculations within undergraduate nursing education: A qualitative study.

AIM: To explore how undergraduate nursing students are assessed on nursing numeracy and medication calculations from the perspective of Australian nurse education leaders. DESIGN: A qualitative study. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 nurse education leaders between November 2022 and January 2023. Braun and Clarke's six phases of thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Five key themes were identified: (i) high expectations to keep the public safe, (ii) diverse assessment formats, (iii) different ways of managing assessment integrity, (iv) assessment conditions incongruent to the clinical setting and (v) supporting struggling students. CONCLUSION: Nurse education leaders set high standards requiring students to achieve 100% in numeracy and medication calculation assessments, thus maintaining the reputation of nursing and patient safety. However, students struggled to meet this expectation. Diverse assessment formats were implemented, with some examination conditions contrary to clinical practice. Currently, there is no benchmark or independent point of registration examination in Australia, hence the problem is each university had a different standard to judge students' competence. Gaining insight into how these assessments are conducted provides an opportunity to work towards an evidence-based model or benchmark for the assessment of numeracy. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Dosage errors in clinical practice threaten patient safety and the reputation of the nursing profession. The accuracy rate of calculations by undergraduate and registered nurses is deficient worldwide. This research highlights a major educational issue, that being the wide variation in how numeracy assessments are conducted with no clear pedagogical rationale for a standardised method. Such assessments would establish a national standard, contributing to quality assurance, the development of the nursing profession and improve patient safety.

Nurse academics' self-reported insights into the teaching of undergraduate nursing numeracy: A national cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The aim of this research was to explore the teaching of undergraduate nursing numeracy in tertiary education settings in Australia. Specifically, it explored and identified: (1) the most common basic numeracy concepts taught, (2) additional training and resources to support numeracy teaching, (3) who is best placed to teach numeracy and (4) the preferred methods of teaching medication calculations. BACKGROUND: Nurse academics are required to teach nursing numeracy to undergraduate nursing students who enter university unprepared to accurately calculate medication dosages. It is important that students understand numeracy concepts as this is then applied to contextualised clinical applications. Nurse academics teach basic numeracy; however, the literature reveals that nurse academics do not consider themselves mathematics teachers and that experts in this area are better suited to teaching this skill. There are a dearth of studies about the nurse academics who conduct the teaching and this study seeks to fill that gap by exploring firsthand the nurse academics' self-reported insights into the teaching of undergraduate nursing numeracy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. The setting was Australian universities that deliver an accredited undergraduate nursing degree. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit Australian nurse academics (n = 170), sessional or permanent who currently teach all aspects of nursing numeracy and medication calculations to undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected between Nov 2023 - Feb 2024 using an online survey platform and analysed using a descriptive content analysis. RESULTS: Nurse academics taught basic arithmetic most commonly (92 %), yet most (90 %) had not received professional development or additional training in how to teach these concepts. To assist with numeracy teaching, resources were requested (47 %) as were the need for mathematics learning support staff (82 %). The formula method was most commonly taught (91 %), however, most participants (94 %) were willing to learn and to teach other methods of calculating medications. CONCLUSIONS: This research suggests an evidenced-based education framework be created to support and guide nurse academics when teaching all aspects of nursing numeracy and medication calculations. Building the teaching capacity of nurse academics in this vital area will enhance student competence and contribute to patient safety.

Emergency department Nurses' narratives of burnout: Changing roles and boundaries.

PURPOSE: Emergency department nurses work in rapidly changing environments, which can contribute to occupational stress. Emergency department nurses utilise diverse strategies to mediate the impact of stress on their daily lives. There is a paucity of qualitative research which explores emergency department nurses' experiences and perspectives of burnout. This study aimed to explore emergency department nurses' experiences of burnout. Further, the study considered how emergency nurses conceptualised burnout and the strategies they used to manage the professional and personal effects of burnout. PROCEDURES: The COREQ research guidelines were used throughout the study from the design stage through to dissemination. Narrative inquiry was used as the underpinning theoretical framework. The researcher met individually with eight emergency department nurses from NSW hospitals to undertake a face-to-face semi-structured interview. An inductive approach was used to establish major themes within the narrative. FINDINGS: Two major themes were established: experiencing conflicting emotions and trying to establish a personal sense of control. Emergency nurses felt passionate about their professional roles, yet encountered difficulties due to management structures, time constraints and a sense of underappreciation. The misalignment between their expectations and the reality of emergency department nursing, resulted in experiences of burnout such as dissatisfaction and frustrations at work. Consequently, these nurses adopted diverse strategies within both their professional and personal domains. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions of this study are transferable to a variety of acute health services. Health service management have a role to promote a positive workplace culture for nurses, which advocates for home life balance. This will support nurses to construct clear boundaries between professional identity and their personal lives.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic life support guidelines for people with disability: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: To explore literature, policies or procedures available to care providers on how to deliver CPR and BLS to people with a disability, for whom the current standard guidelines are not fit for purpose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A scoping review was conducted using four databases, namely, CINHAL, PubMed, Scopus, Medline and Google Scholar. Keywords used included, disab*, wheelchairs, cardiopulmonary, resuscitation, "basic life support", life support care, and bystander CPR. 1119 papers were retrieved and 1043 were screened following removal of 76 for duplication. 18 full text articles were reviewed and 5 met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The five articles were from three counties and included one case study, three expert opinion papers and one intervention study. Four of the papers advocated in favour of improved CPR and BLS guidelines and three of the papers discussed techniques and ideas for supplementation of standard CPR and BLS. CONCLUSION: The scoping review has uncovered a paucity of evidence explaining delivery of CPR and BLS for people with disability and highlights the need for further research. In the absence of further evidence, it is reasonable for educators to provide ideas and discussion about supplementing CPR and BLS for people with disability to carers.

People with disability and wheelchair users are at a high risk for premature or preventable deaths.Improved first aid responses are proposed to be a mitigating factor for premature and preventable deaths.Improved first aid responses will afford people with disability and wheelchair users the same opportunities for care and rehabilitation as people without disability.Formal and informal carers do not currently have prescriptive guidelines to improve their knowledge on responding to emergency events for people with disabilities.Development of improved guidelines is recommended to reduce fear and anxiety for formal and informal carers whilst also increasing their confidence to respond to emergency situations.

Numeracy Teaching for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Education providers teach numeracy to undergraduate nursing students using a diverse range of approaches. Proficiency in numeracy skills is critical for patient safety; however, alarmingly, the accuracy rate of calculations by both undergraduate nurses and RNs is reported to be low. METHOD: The literature search yielded 1,180 articles published between 1994 and 2022. The assessment of the studies was reported using the PRIMSA extension for Scoping Reviews. RESULTS: Thirty-nine articles were included in the review. A diverse range of approaches were used to teach numeracy including learning theory, methods of calculation, learning environment, and examination aids. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the plethora of approaches for teaching numeracy within undergraduate nursing education. Internationally, there were limited studies on the most effective teaching approaches; therefore, developing a robust evidence-based numeracy framework would be beneficial to guide non-nursing instructors in teaching undergraduate nurses. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(4):218-227.].

A virtual reality environment for supporting mental wellbeing of students on remote clinical placement: A multi-methods evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Nursing and Allied Health Profession (NAHP) students undertake clinical placements as part of their pre-registration training. The remote nature of some placement sites, shiftwork and the emotionally challenging nature of the workload has led to mental wellbeing issues in many students. AIM: This project aimed to evaluate a novel 3D immersive virtual reality environment that supports mental wellbeing for NAHP students on clinical placement. It comprises a calming 3D tropical beach environment where students and tutors can meet for reflection and mutual support. DESIGN: A multi-methods design gathered quantitative impact data with validated measurement tools and qualitative output related to the lived experience of students. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: All 600 pre-registration NAHP students within the institution undertaking clinical placements were invited to participate, irrespective of mental wellbeing status. Students were randomly assigned to either a VR or Conventional cohort; all participants received the control support mechanism in a subsequent placement. METHODS: All participants completed an initial demographic and Readiness for Therapy survey followed by weekly Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories during placement. All participants were invited to a semi-structured interview. RESULTS: Overall, 32 participants engaged with the application; although the VR cohort demonstrated improved scores on both Beck inventories, these were not statistically significant. This is probably due to the low response rate for the control cohort. A total of 15 interviews were conducted and several themes emerged from the data in relation. to both experiential outcomes (escapism, anonymity and sense of community) and instrumental outcomes (calming, mindfulness and combatting loneliness). CONCLUSIONS: User feedback indicates that a VR environment can provide a calming escape from the pressures and anxiety arising from clinical placement for healthcare students. The relaxing beach environment facilitated mindfulness meditation and the additional opportunities for pseudo-anonymous interactions with peers and tutors were wellreceived by students.

Indonesian nurses' awareness and application of reasonable adjustments when caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism.

AIM: This study aimed to understand Indonesian nurses' familiarity with the concept of reasonable adjustments, and the frequency of its application within their practice. BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disability and/or autism are exposed to significant barriers when accessing healthcare and have poorer health outcomes than those without developmental disabilities. Reasonable adjustments can improve accessibility and quality of healthcare for people with disabilities and involves adapting practices and environments to promote equitable healthcare. INTRODUCTION: There is a scarcity of literature focused on the application of reasonable adjustments in the Indonesian nursing context. A greater understanding of the application of reasonable adjustments in this context can help inform nursing curricula and policy. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey -was undertaken and is reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Evaluations and Non-randomised Designs. Following descriptive analysis, bivariate analyses were undertaken between key demographic, workplace, and self-reported capability variables, and familiarity and implementation of reasonable adjustments. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were not familiar with the concept of reasonable adjustments and self-reported sometimes applying it within their practice. Higher levels of educational and clinical exposure to intellectual disability and/or autism, and self-capability variables, were significantly associated with familiarity with reasonable adjustments and their application. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in nursing curricula focused on caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism, including content focused on applying reasonable adjustments, is indicated. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Given that, internationally, people with intellectual disability and/or autism have disproportionately negative health outcomes and experiences, findings highlighting gaps in understanding and application of reasonable adjustments of Indonesian nurses have substantial implications for nursing policy and curriculum.

Barriers to communication with people with developmental disabilities: A reflexive thematic analysis.

People with Intellectual Disability and/or autism internationally experience some of the worst health outcomes of any population group. Registered nurses have been identified as having educational deficits in this domain, which include knowledge of adjustments to communication. This study aimed to explore perceived barriers to communication with people with Intellectual Disability and/or autism. A thematic analysis of data from an open-ended free-text survey question exploring barriers to communicating in a cross-sectional survey of 279 Australian registered nurses conducted in 2020 was undertaken. Six interrelated themes were identified. Increased educational content in undergraduate and postgraduate level nursing courses is indicated. The findings identify the benefit of educational design based on the foundation of understanding the diversity in thinking and information processing represented by the forms of neurodiversity in Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Supporting the oral health of people with intellectual disability: A survey of disability staffs' knowledge, perceptions, disability service barriers, and training.

BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities experience poorer oral health outcomes, which can negatively impact their quality of life. Disability support staff who support peoplewith an intellectual disability have the potential to assist with oral hygiene. However, there is limited understanding of the current practices of disability support staff around oral health, particularly in Australia. OBJECTIVE: To describe disability support staff knowledge about oral health, explore their practice perceptions when supporting people with intellectual disabilities around oral health and their experiences of oral health training. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey was undertaken with 156 disability support staff across Australia. Recruitment was via publicly available websites of disability services and social media. RESULTS: Disability staff were generally knowledgeable about appropriate oral hygiene practices and risks to oral health. They were less knowledgeable about the links between poor oral health and chronic diseases (<40%) and the importance of oral care for individuals who are fed enterally. Most participants (>80%) felt oral health was an important part of their care and were interested in further oral health training. Staff in semi-assisted living felt they had more time for oral health tasks compared to home-based living and residential facilities (p = 0.007). Lack of oral health training programs was the main barrier cited (44%), with only a quarter receiving any training in this area. CONCLUSIONS: Disability support staff are receptive to promoting oral health. More training around oral health and intellectual disability is needed for this workforce to support them in undertaking this role.

A survey of Indonesian nurses' educational experiences and self-perceived capability to care for people with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder.

AIMS: To describe Indonesian nurses' educational experience regarding care for people with intellectual disability and/or autism and to explore if these educational experiences are associated with their self-perceived confidence, comfort, knowledge and preparedness to care for these cohorts. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive survey. METHODS: A descriptive survey tool utilized in a study of Australian registered nurses was replicated and adapted for this study. Following descriptive analysis, chi-square analyses were undertaken to explore associations between educational experiences, and self-rated measures of confidence, comfort and knowledge to work with people with intellectual disability and/or autism. Although there was no end-user involvement in the design of the study, the concepts explored have all been raised by those with lived insights of intellectual disability and/or autism as being critical to their healthcare experiences. RESULTS: There were 544 complete responses, and 51.7% were not exposed to any educational or clinical content relevant to caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism. Moderate to low levels of self-perceived confidence, comfort, knowledge and preparedness to address healthcare needs of these cohorts were reported. Significant associations were identified between educational and clinical experiences during undergraduate training, and higher levels of self-perceived confidence, comfort and knowledge. CONCLUSION: Mirroring international literature, the findings of this study highlight a large proportion of Indonesian nurses had little educational experience relevant to caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism, and have relatively low levels of self-reported capability. IMPACT: This study highlights gaps in the educational experiences, and self-perceived confidence, comfort, knowledge and preparedness of Indonesian nurses regarding caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism. Given that internationally, people with intellectual disability and/or autism have disproportionately negative health outcomes and experiences, these findings have substantial implications for nursing curriculum, policy and professional development.

Magneto-Optical Sensing of the Pressure Driven Magnetic Ground States in Bulk CrSBr.

Competition between exchange interactions and magnetocrystalline anisotropy may bring new magnetic states that are of great current interest. An applied hydrostatic pressure can further be used to tune their balance. In this work, we investigate the magnetization process of a biaxial antiferromagnet in an external magnetic field applied along the easy axis. We find that the single metamagnetic transition of the Ising type observed in this material under ambient pressure transforms under hydrostatic pressure into two transitions, a first-order spin-flop transition followed by a second-order transition toward a polarized ferromagnetic state near saturation. This reversible tuning into a new magnetic phase is obtained in layered bulk CrSBr at low temperature by varying the interlayer distance using high hydrostatic pressure, which efficiently acts on the interlayer magnetic exchange and is probed by magneto-optical spectroscopy.

Filling the Gaps: Evaluation of an Online Continuing Professional Development Program for Australian Registered Nurses to Build Capacity to Care for People With Developmental Disability.

BACKGROUND: People with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability have some of the worst health outcomes of any population group. Internationally, it has been identified that RNs are not adequately prepared to provide care to these groups through mainstream health care services. METHOD: A cross-sectional online evaluation survey of participants who completed learning to build the capacity of RNs to care for people with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability was conducted. RESULTS: The learning site was found to be easily accessible and engaging, and it facilitated knowledge construction. A statistically significant increase in self-reported comfort, confidence, and preparedness compared with the sample of RNs in a national survey conducted before the site launch was identified. CONCLUSION: This online continuing professional development program facilitated RNs' perceived comfort, confidence, and preparedness to care for people with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability. Findings suggest the merit of high-quality online continuing professional development programs to fill this educational gap. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(12):554-560.].

Becoming a non-resident father: Marginalised through distress, disadvantage and disempowerment.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Becoming a non-resident father through divorce is stressful and this often results in compromised mental health and well-being. Non-resident fathers' mental well-being has been measured at very low levels which may require clinical treatment, especially when correlated with child access and family court issues. A United Nations report highlighted how non-resident fathers may be marginalised, but to date, limited literature considers the lives of non-resident fathers from their own perspective and reflecting their own voice and it has been claimed that as fathers are often absent from parenting research, this absence, they are not heard. The aim of this paper was to identify how non-resident fathers' interactions with legal and welfare services and ex-partners may result in their marginalisation and affect their mental health. METHODS: In-depth interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 19 non-resident fathers, both long term, newly divorced or in the divorce process, so as to capture a long range view of their experiences. Thematic Analysis was used for data analysis and the generation of the themes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data: (1) Becoming a non-resident father with two sub themes; (2) Being in a state of distress, with three sub-themes and (3) Managing distress and seeking help, with two sub-themes. Participants reported a lack of agency, lack of power in decision making and a lack of social and financial resources all contributing to the deterioration in their self-reported experiences of mental health. This impact was highlighted by the number of participants who undertook counselling or psychological assistance to deal with their perceived marginalisation, feeling of invisibility and disempowerment. CONCLUSIONS: The implications of marginalisation for non-resident fathers' mental health, as outlined by the participants, are discussed regarding the impact of becoming a non-resident father, legal aspects, welfare service experiences and relationship with ex-partner. The chronic stress experienced by non-resident fathers who often find themselves in a situation which is difficult to resolve without major compromises to their desired outcomes must be recognised. SO WHAT: One means of achieving better mental health for non-resident fathers is to address the impact of marginalisation and lack of agency and that court processes are resolved swiftly with a view to increasing non-resident father's agency in post-divorce decision making.

Barriers and Enablers to Nurses' Engagement With Continuing Professional Development: A Survey.

BACKGROUND: Continuing professional development (CPD) is perceived as a pivotal component of building and maintaining nursing skill and capacity. Exploring motivators for CPD engagement can aid program adaptation and improvement. The goal of this study was to survey the barriers, enablers, and changes of Australian RNs' engagement with CPD in general during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. An additional goal was to understand factors influencing the interest of participants to engage with programs focused on care for people with intellectual disability and/or autism. METHOD: This study was a cross-sectional exploratory survey. RESULTS: Most of the sample had engaged with CPD in the previous 12 months, and the most reported topics were related to COVID-19. Sixty percent of nurses saw a change in volume of CPD. Younger nurses, with fewer years of experience, and practicing in major cities, were significantly more likely to report less CPD. CONCLUSION: It is pivotal that the design and promotion of CPD curricula consider the motivators and barriers for nurses' engagement with them. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(9):405-412.].

Nurse education leaders' perspectives on the teaching of numeracy to undergraduate nursing students: A qualitative research study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of nurse education leaders of Australian undergraduate nursing degrees on the teaching of nursing numeracy and how the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Standards influence curriculum development. BACKGROUND: Nurses' numeracy skills are reportedly deficient worldwide, posing a significant threat to patient safety. This is an issue for the education of undergraduate nurses and thus for the nursing profession. The international literature reveals a heterogeneous blend of learning approaches, but it is unclear which approaches are best suited to improve the numerical calculation ability of nurses. In the Australian context, there are no accreditation standards referring to numeracy, therefore, it is important to discover how nurse education leaders' design and implement the teaching of numeracy. DESIGN: A qualitative approach using thematic analysis was employed. The setting was Australian universities that delivered an accredited undergraduate nursing degree leading to nursing registration. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 17 nurse education leaders of Australian undergraduate nursing degrees. Individual, semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted between November 2022 and January 2023. Interview data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Five themes emerged from the analysis: (i) indistinct accreditation standards, (ii) teaching basic maths for clinical applications, (iii) a range of bespoke teaching approaches (iv) we're nurses, not numeracy educators and (v) assumptions about an unprepared cohort. CONCLUSION: The leaders of undergraduate nursing degrees assumed that nursing students would have proficiency in numeracy skills on entering university. However, this was not the case, hence numeracy was an essential skill that needed to be taught to the undergraduate nursing students. Lack of direction from the accreditation council led to the existence of various curricula and an array of approaches to teaching numeracy and medication calculations, which challenged nursing academics who did not consider themselves numeracy educators. This study makes a novel contribution to knowledge, teaching and practice in undergraduate nursing numeracy curricula.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic life support for people with atypical chest shapes and wheelchair users: Toward supplemented education and emergency management plans.

This article explores current practice issues in basic life support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) delivery for people with disability and poses recommendations for development of education and training where specialist nurses and other health professionals can facilitate BLS and CPR techniques catering for people with atypical chest shapes wheelchair users and people at high risk of choking. People with a disability are at higher risk of premature and unexpected death. At present there is a significant gap in knowledge about how to deliver optimal BLS or CPR to people with atypical chest shapes wheelchair users and people at high risk of choking. This leave carers to augment guidelines during emergency situations. Introduction of supplemented BLS and CPR together with development of emergency care plans for people with disability could reduce the number of people with disability dying premature or preventable deaths.