Caregivers' experiences of caring for non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic: A qualitative systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate caregivers' experiences of caring for non-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients to determine their challenges and needs. METHODS: Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, CINAHL, and ClinicalKey) were searched from January 2020 to June 2022. Two authors independently reviewed all studies for eligibility and extracted information on the study aim, sample characteristics, study design, data collection, analysis methods, and so on. RESULTS: Finally, 13 studies were included. Four themes were determined: impacts on physical and psychosocial well-being of caregivers, perceived risk of the virus, negative impacts on employment and financial statuses, and changes in support networks. CONCLUSION: This is the first qualitative systematic review to describe caregivers' experiences of caring for non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. The four themes should be focused on to ease caregivers' physical, psychological, and financial burdens; to provide them with better assistance in terms of formal and informal supports to cope with the epidemic more effectively; and to ensure that their loved ones are much healthier. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings can be used by healthcare policymakers, social policymakers, and governments to better support caregivers of non-COVID-19 patients. Additionally, it provides suggestions for related medical institutions to pay more attention to caregivers' experiences.

The effectiveness of education strategies for nurses to recognise and manage clinical deterioration: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To identify, critically appraise and synthesise evidence on the efficacy of education strategies for nurses to recognise and manage clinical deterioration, as well as provide recommendations for standardised educational programmes. DESIGN: A systematic review of quantitative studies. METHODS: Quantitative studies published in English between 1 January 2010 and 14 February 2022 were chosen from nine databases. Studies were included if they reported education strategies for nurses to recognise and manage clinical deterioration. The quality appraisal was performed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies, developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project. The data were extracted and the findings were integrated into a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Altogether, 37 studies published in 39 eligible papers were included in this review, encompassing 3632 nurses. Most education strategies were determined to be effective, and outcome measures can be divided into three types: nurse outcomes; system outcomes; and patient outcomes. The education strategies could be divided into simulation and non-simulation interventions, and six interventions were in-situ simulations. Retention of knowledge and skills during the follow-up after education was determined in nine studies, with the longest follow-up interval totalling 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Education strategies can improve nurses' ability and practice to recognise and manage clinical deterioration. Simulation combined with a structured prebrief and debrief design can be viewed as a routine simulation procedure. Regular in-situ education determined long-term efficacy in response to clinical deterioration, and future studies can use an education framework to guide regular education practice and focus more on nurses' practice and patient outcomes.