The Implications of COVID-19 for Early Childhood Education in Ethiopia: Perspectives from Parents and Caregivers.

Recent research on the effects of COVID-19 on school closures has mainly focused on primary and secondary education, with extremely limited attention to early childhood education (ECE). To address this gap, we identify the extent to which parents and caregivers with pre-primary school-aged children were engaged in their children's learning during school closures in Ethiopia. Our focus on Ethiopia is of particular relevance given that ECE provision has expanded dramatically in recent years, aimed at ensuring children are prepared for primary school. Using data collected through a phone survey with 480 parents and caregivers, the results revealed that learning disruption due to COVID-19 school closures is likely to be substantial and will probably widen existing inequalities further. Many poorer households and those where parents or caregivers are not literate, are less likely to have child-oriented learning resources, and home learning activities between parents and children in these households are limited. The study highlights that greater attention needs to be paid to mitigate the threats of COVID-19 on Ethiopia's recent gains in ECE, to prevent the pandemic from further reinforcing inequalities between children from advantaged and disadvantaged households.

Patients' characteristics informing practice: improving individualized nursing care in the radiation oncology setting.

PURPOSE: A large number of patients attend for radiotherapy daily. Primary nurses in the study settings aim to individualize care for their patients. The individual characteristics of patients may determine their perceptions of nursing care, and provide guidance in tailoring their care. This study aimed to assess patients' personal characteristics on their perceptions of individualized care (IC) provided by nurses during a course of radiotherapy, and to determine predictor variables that may inform nursing practice. METHODS: This cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted in three radiotherapy departments in Australia. Patients (n = 250) completed the Individualized Care Scale_Patient (ICS_P). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, univariate analysis, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Males reported significantly higher perceptions of IC than females in 7/9 subscales. Patients with head and neck and prostate cancer, as well as those requiring hospitalization during radiotherapy, scored significantly higher in 5/9 subscales. Courses > 30 days, those not receiving chemotherapy, and partnered patients reported greater IC across all subscales. Gender and hospitalization were the main predictor variables for IC. CONCLUSION: Patients reported moderately high levels of IC during their radiotherapy; however, standard demographic information may provide limited insight into improving care for the individual. Patient characteristics routinely chosen, such as age, gender, and education may not predict how patients perceive their care or support the tailoring of interventions to improve IC. Researching a range of related patient characteristics may prove a more useful concept for future nursing studies aiming to predict outcomes to tailor nursing practice.

Individualized Care in the Radiation Oncology Setting From the Patients' and Nurses' Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Radiation oncology nurses engage in individualized supportive care of people undergoing radiotherapy. A primary nursing/collaborative practice framework guides the delivery of individualized care to patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe and compare patients' and nurses' perceptions of individualized care in 2 radiotherapy centers. METHODS: This cross-sectional, comparative study collected data from patients (n = 173) undergoing curative radiotherapy and their nurses (n = 30), using the Individualized Care scales: patient and nurse. RESULTS: Moderate to high levels of individual care were perceived by both patients and nurses. More than a third of the item scores for patients reached the more than 4.5 mean score (13/34 [38.2%]), whereby more than half of the items reached this level for nurses (20/34 [58.8%]). The highest scores for both patients and nurses were in the Decisional Control subscales, and the lowest scores were in the Personal Life subscales. Males rated being treated as individuals significantly higher than did females across the majority of subscales. Patients receiving chemotherapy perceived less acknowledgement of individuality overall. Older nurses (46-70 years) reported acknowledging and supporting patient individuality more than did younger nurses. Nurses perceived greater individualized care than patients for the Personal Life scales (A: p = .001); (B: p = .001) and in the acknowledgement of Decisional Control (p = .001). CONCLUSION: A moderate level of individualized nursing care was perceived by the largely outpatient cohort of patients undergoing radiotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The model of care in these departments may contribute to patient individuality. Further work into gender differences and those receiving chemotherapy may improve care for these patients.