Stressors inherent to clinical practices and their relationship with emotional intelligence in nursing students: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is a wide body of knowledge about Emotional Intelligence and its benefits in health care, generating better productivity, clinical performance and communication with work teams, patients and families. Its relationship with stress and with performance of clinical practices has also been studied, although the results are not conclusive or up-to-date. OBJECTIVES: To study and correlate the perception of Emotional Intelligence and the stressors inherent to Nursing students' clinical practices. DESIGN: A multicenter and observational study was carried out through cross-sectional surveys with Nursing students during the 2021/2022 academic year. PARTICIPANTS: 377 students were included in the study, recruited through non-probabilistic sampling in four Spanish universities. METHODS: Sociodemographic and academic variables were collected, as well as the following main variables: perceived Emotional Intelligence and stressors in clinical practices. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 377 students (89.1 % women; mean age of 23.15 ± 5.50). The perception of Emotional Intelligence obtained adequate ranges. The stressors that generate most concern are being attacked by the patients, lack of competence, and impotence and uncertainty. There are statistically significant differences in Emotional Intelligence by gender and university, as well as in stressors between each other. The Emotional Intelligence dimensions are weakly correlated with the stressors, although with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that Emotional Intelligence slightly influences the stressors inherent to clinical practices, so that EI can help cope with the difficulties of clinical work. Specifically, emotional clarity has an inverse relationship with some stressors. However, the attention and repair dimensions do not present such a clear relationship in our study or in previous ones. This shows the need to include Emotional Intelligence training in Nursing training curricula.

Under-graduate nursing students working during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of psychosocial effects and coping strategies.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of health care staff, forcing the hiring of senior nursing students. AIMS: To describe the psychosocial impact and coping strategies used by nursing students during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand the coping strategies they employed. METHOD: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted, based on Sandelowski's proposal. Purposive sampling was carried out to recruit 18 students hired during the pandemic. The students were interviewed between 18 March and 15 June 2020. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a digital platform. An inductive thematic analysis was performed. FINDINGS: The students lived alone and isolated during their contract to protect their cohabitants from possible contagion. The impact of working during the pandemic leads to experiences of stress, insomnia, nightmares and anxiety. Nursing students coped with the emotional burden through mental disconnection and the support of co-workers and family members. CONCLUSION: Psychological support and tutoring should be provided by health centres. In addition, in these special circumstances, universities should adapt the training provided.

Ethical challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives of nursing students.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of qualified nurses in Spain. As a result, the government authorized the hiring of senior students. OBJECTIVES: To explore the ethical dilemmas and ethical conflicts experienced by final-year nursing students who worked during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. RESEARCH DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were carried out using a question guide. Interviews took place via a private video chat room platform. A thematic, inductive analysis was performed of the information gathered. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Eighteen nursing students were recruited from two universities of Madrid, aged between 18 and 65 years old, enrolled in the fourth year of nursing studies and who were hired under a relief contract for health professionals during the pandemic. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The present study was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. RESULTS: Three specific themes emerged: (a) coping with patient triage, (b) difficulties in providing end-of-life care, and (c) coping with patient death. Nursing students participated in the process of patient selection for resource allocation and ICU bed occupancy. They were shown how to care for patients who were not admitted to the ICU, in their last moments and were faced with the difficulties of applying end-of-life care. Finally, the nursing students were confronted with the death of their patients, in overwhelming numbers and under adverse conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings can help shed light on the ethical dilemmas and ethical conflicts faced by novice nursing students, incorporated into the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it was described that students may normalize the death due to the exhaustion and overwhelmed routine.

A Multicenter Study about the Population Treated in the Respiratory Triage Stations Deployed by the Red Cross during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Care demand exceeded the availability of human and material resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is the reason why triage was fundamental. The objective is to know the clinical and sociodemographic factors of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in triage stations from different Ecuadorian provinces. METHOD: A multicenter study with a retrospective and descriptive design. The patients included were those who accessed the Respiratory Triage stations deployed by the Ecuadorian Red Cross in eight Ecuadorian provinces during March and April 2021. Triage allows for selecting patients that need urgent treatment and favors efficacy of health resources. RESULTS: The study population consisted of a total of 21,120 patients, of which 43.1% were men and 56.9% were women, with an age range between 0 and 98 years old. Severity of COVID-19 behaved differently according to gender, with mild symptoms predominating in women and severe or critical symptoms in men. Higher incidence of critical cases was observed in patients over 65 years old. It was observed that overweight predominated in critical, severe, and moderate cases, while the body mass index of patients with mild symptoms was within the normal range. CONCLUSIONS: The Ecuadorian Red Cross units identified some suspected COVID-19 cases, facilitating their follow-up and isolation. Fever was the most significant early finding.

The challenges of "learning on the go": A qualitative study of final-year Spanish nursing students incorporated to work during the first Covid-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shortage of qualified nurses in Spain. As a result, the government authorized the hiring of senior students. OBJECTIVES: To explore the perspectives of a group of final-year nursing students who were hired on the basis of a relief contract for health professionals during the first COVID-19 outbreak, regarding their learning process and their mixed role as students and novice nurses. DESIGN: A qualitative exploratory study was conducted. SETTINGS: The Nursing Department of the European University of Madrid, and the Red Cross College of Nursing. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen nursing students were recruited, aged between 18 and 65 years old, enrolled in the fourth year of Nursing Studies and who were hired under a relief contract for health professionals during the pandemic. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out using a question guide. Interviews were conducted in a private video chat room platform. Also, a thematic, inductive analysis was performed. This study was conducted according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. RESULTS: Four specific themes emerged: a) The students' role during the relief contract; b) The learning process during the pandemic; c) Barriers to learning; and d) A unique learning opportunity. The students had an undefined mixed role, which hindered their skills and activities. Learning was self-directed, sometimes through trial and error, and through experiencing critical events. Time constraints and having to learn under pressure were experienced as difficulties for learning. Nevertheless, this was a unique professional learning opportunity. The students learned to be organized and effective, acknowledge their limitations, gain confidence, face their fears, and mature. CONCLUSIONS: These results can help inform nurse training programs and improve the organization and incorporation of nurses in health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Limitation of therapeutic effort experienced by intensive care nurses.

BACKGROUND:: Nurses who practice limitation of therapeutic effort become fully involved in emotionally charged situations, which can affect them significantly on an emotional and professional level. OBJECTIVES:: To describe the experience of intensive care nurses practicing limitation of therapeutic effort. METHOD:: A qualitative, phenomenological study was performed within the intensive care units of the Madrid Hospitals Health Service. Purposeful and snowball sampling methods were used, and data collection methods included semi-structured and unstructured interviews, researcher field notes, and participants' personal letters. The Giorgi proposal for data analysis was used on the data. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:: This study was approved by the Ethical Research Committee of the relevant hospital and by the Ethics Committee of the Rey Juan Carlos University and was guided by the ethical principles of voluntary enrollment, anonymity, privacy, and confidentiality. RESULTS:: In total, 22 nurses participated and 3 themes were identified regarding the nurses' experiences when faced with limitation of therapeutic effort: (a) experiencing relief, (b) accepting the medical decision, and (c) implementing limitation of therapeutic effort. CONCLUSION:: Nurses felt that, although they were burdened with the responsibility of implementing limitation of therapeutic effort, they were being left out of the final decision-making process regarding the same.

[End of life care difficulties in intensive care units. The nurses' perspective]. / Dificultades para ofrecer cuidados al final de la vida en las unidades de cuidados intensivos. La perspectiva de enfermería.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the difficulties perceived by nursing staff in the delivery of end-of-life care to critically ill patients within intensive care units (ICU). METHOD: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was performed. A purposeful and snowball sampling of nursing staff with at least 1 year's previous experience working in an ICU was conducted. Twenty-two participants were enrolled. Data collection strategies included in-depth unstructured and semi-structured interviews and researcher's field notes. Data were analysed using the Giorgi proposal. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: academic-cultural barriers, related to the care orientation of the ICU and lack of training in end of life care; architectural-structural barriers, related to the lack of space and privacy for the patient and family in the last moments of life; and psycho-emotional barriers, related to the use of emotional detachment as a strategy applied by nursing staff. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing staff need proper training on end-of-life care through the use of guidelines or protocols and the development of coping strategies, in addition to a change in the organisation of the ICU dedicated to the terminal care of critically ill patients and family support.

Facing death in the intensive care unit. A phenomenological study of nurses' experiences.

BACKGROUND: Nurses may experience considerable emotional burden due to patient death, in part as they are generally the professionals who have the most contact with patients. OBJECTIVE: To describe the lived experience of Spanish nurses working in intensive care units regarding how they face the death of their patients. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study was performed. A purposeful sample was used. The data collection strategies used included in-depth unstructured and semi-structured interviews, field notes and personal documents. Afterwards, data were analyzed using the Giorgi proposal. RESULTS: 22 nurses participated, with a mean age of 40.8 years and a mean work experience of 13.8 years. Three themes were identified: 1) dealing with expectations of recovery, 2) accepting the age of death, and 3) experiencing emotional attachment. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses in intensive care units report a great emotional burden derived from patients death, Support programs for nurses should be organised within these units.

[NURSING PROFESSIONALS: EXISTENCE OR NON-GENDER BIAS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF WOMEN]. / Profesonaes de enfermería: existencia o ausencia de sesgos de género y su repercusión sobre la salud de las mujeres.

The aim of this article is known through literature review the existence or absence of gender bias in the exercise of the nursing profession in two specific problems such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and panic attacks. We want to know how these biases might be impacting clinical diagnosis and health care received by men and women. A search was performed in Medline, Psicodoc, Psycinfo and Cuiden under keywords: "gender bias", "gender differences", "nursing", "healthcare", acardiovascular disease), "anxiety", selected from a total of25 items are allowed to offer a global view on possibles gender bias in the performance of the health professions in the two pathology understudy

[Constructing the nursing profession from the perspective of gender. A weakness or strength?]. / Deconstrucción de la profesión de enfermería. Desde la perspectiva del género. Debilidad o fortaleza?

To care for someone is a life-giving act whose existence goes so far back that it is lost in human memory. Despite the fact that the concept of health has evolved over the course of time, there is a constant factor, both in the social as in the practical context which ties care-giving implicitly to women. Innate qualities in the feminine sex, including vocation, kindness, dedication, softness, have contributed to undervalue professional work and to grant it little social recognition. As a group, nurses have been placed in the paradigm of oppression, due to the hierarchical vigilance medicine, a field located at the apex of power; has exercised over this profession. At present times, the humanization of caregiving and the role change by patients act favorably so that nurses begin to question the current situation their profession is in and to ask what can be done so their profession evolves independently