Physiological plateaus during normal labor and birth: A novel definition.

BACKGROUND: Diagnoses of labor dystocia, and subsequent labor augmentation, make one of the biggest contributions to childbirth medicalization, which remains a key challenge in contemporary maternity care. However, labor dystocia is poorly defined, and the antithetical concept of physiological plateaus remains insufficiently explored. AIM: To generate a definition of physiological plateaus as a basis for further research. METHODS: This qualitative study applied grounded theory methods and comprised interviews with 20 midwives across Australia, conducted between September 2020 and February 2022. Data were coded in a three-phase approach, starting with inductive line-by-line coding, which generated themes and subthemes, and finally, through axial coding. RESULTS: Physiological plateaus represent a temporary slowing of one or multiple labor processes and appear to be common during childbirth. They are reported throughout the entire continuum of labor, typically lasting between a few minutes to several hours. Their etiology/function appears to be a self-regulatory mechanism of the mother-infant dyad. Physiological plateaus typically self-resolve and are followed by a self-resumption of labor. Women with physiological plateaus during labor appear to experience positive birth outcomes. DISCUSSION: Despite appearing to be common, physiological plateaus are insufficiently recognized in contemporary childbirth discourse. Consequently, there seems to be a significant risk of misinterpretation of physiological plateaus as labor dystocia. While findings are limited by the qualitative design and require validation through further quantitative research, the proposed novel definition provides an important starting point for further investigation. CONCLUSION: A better understanding of physiological plateaus holds the potential for a de-medicalization of childbirth through preventing unjustified labor augmentation.

Are remote health clinics primary health care focused? Validation of the Primary Health Care Engagement (PHCE) Scale for the Australian remote primary health care setting.

AIM: To test and validate a measure of primary health care (PHC) engagement in the Australian remote health context. BACKGROUND: PHC principles include quality improvement, community participation and orientation of health care, patient-centred continuity of care, accessibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Measuring the alignment of services with the principles of PHC provides a method of evaluating the quality of care in community settings. METHODS: A two-stage design of initial content and face validity evaluation by a panel of experts and then pilot-testing the instrument via survey methods was conducted. Twelve experts from clinical, education, management and research roles within the remote health setting evaluated each item in the original instrument. Panel members evaluated the representativeness and clarity of each item for face and content validity. Qualitative responses were also collected and included suggestions for changes to item wording. The modified tool was pilot-tested with 47 remote area nurses. Internal consistency reliability of the Australian Primary Health Care Engagement scale was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity of the Australian scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. FINDINGS: Modifications to suit the Australian context were made to 8 of the 28 original items. This modified instrument was pilot-tested with 47 complete responses. Overall, the scale showed high internal consistency reliability. The subscale constructs 'Quality improvement', 'Accessibility-availability' and 'population orientation' showed low levels of internal consistency reliability. However, the mean inter-item correlation was 0.31, 0.26 and 0.31, respectively, which are in the recommended range of 0.15 to 0.50 and indicate that the items are correlated and are measuring the same construct. The Australian PHCE scale is recommended as a tool for the evaluation of health services. Further testing on a larger sample may provide clarity over some items which may be open to interpretation.

Clinical deterioration as a nurse sensitive indicator in the out-of-hospital context: A scoping review.

AIMS: To explore and summarise the literature on the concept of 'clinical deterioration' as a nurse-sensitive indicator of quality of care in the out-of-hospital context. DESIGN: The scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review and the JBI best practice guidelines for scoping reviews. METHODS: Studies focusing on clinical deterioration, errors of omission, nurse sensitive indicators and the quality of nursing and midwifery care for all categories of registered, enrolled, or licensed practice nurses and midwives in the out-of-hospital context were included regardless of methodology. Text and opinion papers were also considered. Study protocols were excluded. DATA SOURCES: Data bases were searched from inception to June 2022 and included CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, EmCare, Maternity and Infant Care Database, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, Informit Health and Society Database, JSTOR, Nursing and Allied Health Database, RURAL, Cochrane Library and Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. Workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments and use of screening tools or guidelines impacted the ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS: Little is known about the work of nurses or midwives in out-of-hospital settings and their recognition, reaction to and relay of information about patient deterioration. The complex and subtle nature of non-acute deterioration creates challenges in defining and subsequently evaluating the role and impact of nurses in these settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Further research is needed to clarify outcome measures and nurse contribution to the care of the deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting to reduce the rate of avoidable hospitalisation and articulate the contribution of nurses and midwives to patient care. IMPACT: What Problem Did the Study Address? Factors that impact a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting are not examined to date. What Were the Main Findings? A range of factors were identified that impacted a nurse's ability to recognise, relay information and respond to clinical deterioration in the out-of-hospital setting including workloads, education and training opportunities, access to technology, home visits, clinical assessments, use of screening tools or guidelines, and avoidable hospitalisation. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Nurses and nursing management will benefit from understanding the factors that act as barriers and facilitators for effective recognition of, and responding to, a deteriorating patient in the out-of-hospital setting. This in turn will impact patient survival and satisfaction. REPORTING METHOD: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review guidelines guided this review. The PRISMA-Scr Checklist (Tricco et al., 2018) is included as (supplementary file 1).Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study." NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Not required as the Scoping Review used publicly available information.

Failure to progress or just normal? A constructivist grounded theory of physiological plateaus during childbirth.

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM: During childbirth, one of the most common diagnoses of pathology is 'failure to progress', frequently resulting in labour augmentation and intervention cascades. However, failure to progress is poorly defined and evidence suggests that some instances of slowing, stalling and pausing labour patterns may represent physiological plateaus. AIM: To explore how midwives conceptualise physiological plateaus and the significance such plateaus may have for women's labour trajectory and birth outcome. METHODS: Twenty midwives across Australia participated in semi-structured interviews between September 2020 and February 2022. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was applied to analyse data, including multi-phasic coding and application of constant comparative methods, resulting in a novel theory of physiological plateaus that is firmly supported by participant data. FINDINGS: This study found that the conceptualisation of plateauing labour depends largely on health professionals' philosophical assumptions around childbirth. While the Medical Dominant Paradigm frames plateaus as invariably pathological, the Holistic Midwifery Paradigm acknowledges plateaus as a common and valuable element of labour that serves a self-regulatory purpose and results in good birth outcomes for mother and baby. DISCUSSION: Contemporary medicalised approaches in maternity care, which are based on an expectation of continuous labour progress, appear to carry a risk for a misinterpretation of physiological plateaus as pathological. CONCLUSION: This study challenges the widespread bio-medical conceptualisation of plateauing labour as failure to progress, encourages a renegotiation of what can be considered healthy and normal during childbirth, and provides a stimulus to acknowledge the significance of childbirth philosophy for maternity care practice.

Models of clinical supervision of relevance to remote area nursing & primary health care: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses in remote primary health care settings work in difficult conditions, in isolated and disadvantaged communities, and often must work beyond their scope to provide advanced assessments and treatments to support the community. Therefore, remote area nurses require support to develop their skills and knowledge to work safely within their full scope of practice. Clinical supervision is widely used in health professions for this purpose; however, models of supervision for nursing have not been implemented or evaluated within remote primary health care settings. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to search the literature to source suitable clinical supervision models that could pertain to the remote area nursing context. DESIGN: An initial search of the literature found no clinical supervision models developed for remote or isolated practice nurses so a scoping review was conducted searching for publications related to advanced practice generalist health practitioners in primary health care, including practice nurses, nurse practitioners and general practitioners. This was seen as a suitable substitute because the phenomena of interest were the model of supervision rather than the specific skills or knowledge being developed. FINDINGS: The scoping review search yielded 251 articles from 5 journal databases of which 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. Each clinical supervision model was described and synthesised using qualitative description. The 11 models of clinical supervision had differing formats including; individual and group clinical supervision, in-person, telephone, medical records review and video case study. DISCUSSION: Whilst several models were described in the literature, none were directly transferrable to the remote area context. The absence of supervision for cultural safety was significant. There was a variety of modes including face-to-face, virtual, individual and group proposed. Cultural considerations were lacking in all of the models. CONCLUSION: Our study recommends a hybrid clinical supervision model suitable for consultation and validation through pilot testing with remote area nurses. There is potential for this model to be used globally in isolated contexts due to the option of virtual participation.

An examination of primary health care nursing service evaluation using the Donabedian model: A systematic review.

Nurses are key to the delivery of global primary health care services. However, there appears to be a lack of evaluation of primary health care nursing delivery models in the published literature. This evaluation is vital to the improvement of patient experiences, national and global health outcomes, and the justification of future investment in primary health care nursing services. The purpose of this review was to explore and analyze the literature that reports on the evaluation of primary health care nursing services, to ascertain the nature and utility of these evaluation methods, and identify opportunities for future research in this area. A systematic review of the published literature was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, using the databases CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute, MEDLINE, and Proquest. Thirty-two articles published between 2010 and 2022 were selected. Results were organized using the Donabedian model. A paucity of research into the evaluation of nurse-led primary health care services was noted. Where evident, evaluation of primary health care nursing services tended to reflect the medical model. Medical outcomes measures dominated evaluation criteria including diagnosis rates, prescription costs, and disease outcomes. Primary health care principles such as service accessibility, cultural appropriateness, and availability were rarely used. The perspectives and experiences of nurses were not sought in service evaluation, including most of the nurse-led services. Development of an evidence-base of nursing primary health care services that are informed by the nursing experience and apply a framework of universal primary health care principles across the structure, process, and outcomes aspects of the service is recommended.

Nursing in a different world: Remote area nursing as a specialist-generalist practice area.

OBJECTIVE: Remote area nurses provide primary health care services to isolated communities across Australia. They manage acute health issues, chronic illness, health promotion and emergency responses. This article discusses why their generalist scope of practice should be formally recognised as a specialist nursing practice area. DESIGN: Constructivist grounded theory, using telephone interviews (n = 24) with registered nurses and nurse practitioners. SETTING: Primary health care clinics, in communities of 150-1500 residents across Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 24 nurses participated in this study. RESULTS: Nurses' perceived their clinical knowledge and skill as insufficient for the advanced, generalist, scope of practice in the remote context, especially when working alone. Experience in other settings was inadequate preparation for working in remote areas. Knowledge and skill developed on the job, with formal learning, such as nurse practitioner studies, extending the individual nurse's scope of practice to meet the expectations of the role, including health promotion. CONCLUSION: Remote area nursing requires different knowledge and skills from those found in any other nursing practice setting. This study supports the claim that remote area nursing is a specialist-generalist role and presents a compelling case for further examination of the generalist education and support needs of these nurses. Combined with multidisciplinary collaboration, developing clinical knowledge and skill across the primary health care spectrum increased the availability of health resources and subsequently improved access to care for remote communities. Further research is required to articulate the contemporary scope of practice of remote area nurses to differentiate their role from that of nurse practitioners.

Remote area nursing: best practice or paternalism in action? The importance of consumer perspectives on primary health care nursing practice in remote communities.

This paper reports on a study that aimed to understand how remote area nurses implemented primary health care principles in the Australian remote health care setting. Twenty-four Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners who worked in remote health services without inpatient facilities were interviewed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Findings revealed that nurses in this study aimed to practice in a way that was guided by Indigenous empowerment and social justice. However, some nurses questioned elements of their practice such as 'chasing' people for appointments or routine screening required by clinical guidelines that may not reflect the values of Indigenous peoples. Nurses expressed concern that they may be reinforcing past colonising practices and their actions may be considered paternalistic rather than empowering. Nurses in this study wanted to develop partnerships and provide nursing care that aligned with the health and wellbeing expectations of communities. However, ways of communicating the needs of communities and the development of partnerships between health providers and communities need to be developed. The present study calls for further research from the perspective of remote community members in order to develop ways of sharing knowledge about health and wellbeing between remote area nurses and communities.

The delivery of Primary Health Care in remote communities: A Grounded Theory study of the perspective of nurses.

BACKGROUND: Australia has vast areas of desert, wilderness and offshore islands where nurses provide the majority of health care services. The residents of Australia's remote communities generally have poorer health status than their metropolitan counterparts. Despite recognition of Primary Health Care as a comprehensive model of acute and preventative care well suited to areas of high health and social need, there is little known about how nurses employ the Primary Health Care model in practice. OBJECTIVES: This study described and explained from the perspective of nurses, the actions and interactions involved in the delivery of Primary Health Care in remote communities. DESIGN: This study was conducted from a Constructivist Grounded Theory perspective. SETTINGS: The setting was community health centres or Aboriginal Medical Services located in 'remote' or 'very remote' areas. Communities with inpatient health services were excluded. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty four Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and nursing academics participated. Participants had worked or were working, in a variety of remote communities across Australia. Length of service ranged from three months to over 15 years nursing in remote areas. METHODS: Data were collected through 23 telephone interviews and an expert reference group. Theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis were used to reach theoretical saturation. RESULTS: The core issue participants faced was the inability to provide Primary Health Care. Four conditions impacted on the core issue: understanding the social world of the remote community, availability of resources, clinical knowledge and skill and, shared understanding and support. The process of doing the best you can with what you have, emerged as the way participants dealt with the inability to provide Primary Health Care. The process involved four primary activities: facilitating access to health care, continually learning, seeking understanding, and home-making in a work environment. The outcome of this process was considered to be making compromises to provide Primary Health Care. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the substantive theory: making compromises to provide Primary Health care services in the remote Australian setting. Understanding the process of making compromises could direct employers and educators in their efforts to improve the provision of Primary Health Care in a variety of settings. Increased attention to the education, resources and support of nurses is likely to increase access to safe, quality care for remote communities.

Revisiting the Pain Resource Nurse Role in Sustaining Evidence-Based Practice Changes for Pain Assessment and Management.

BACKGROUND: Effective pain management is unlikely to occur without consistent and timely assessments. To improve assessment and management of pain, ward-based pain resource nurses were introduced in 2007 to facilitate hospital-wide evidence-based practice changes using three key targets. One-year post implementation of this quality improvement project, promising results were revealed. AIMS: The purpose of this study, 8 years post implementation, was to (a) evaluate sustained practice improvements in pain assessment and management, (b) assess current pain resource nurse knowledge and attitudes to pain, (c) explore characteristics of the pain resource nurse role, as well as (d) any perceived contextual changes regarding study findings. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was used to address study aims. Quantitative data were collected from documentation audits and a "Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain." Qualitative interviews explored the characteristics of the pain resource nurse role, and a focus group discussion explored the context of change. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed for the documentation of pain scores on admission and for each nursing shift. Survey results highlighted potential knowledge deficits in key practice areas, even though interview findings suggested that pain resource nurses provided a resource for peers, raised awareness of best practice, and imparted knowledge to other ward staff. An important facilitator for the pain resource nurse role was the ongoing collaboration and support from specific pain teams, and barriers to engage in the role were competing workload priorities, and limited awareness among other ward staff. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Implementing and sustaining evidence-based practice change in clinical practice is challenging. Ongoing evaluation is necessary for identifying the long-term implications of practice improvement interventions and issues that influence the adoption of evidence-based practice. Strategies to address barriers, and to increase awareness and engagement of the pain resource nurse role with wider collaboration require further investigation.

Exploring the quality of life at the end of life (QUAL-E) instrument with Australian palliative care hospital patients: hurdles and directions.

The provision of care that enhances the quality of life at the end of life is a fundamental goal of palliative care services. This pilot study explored the application of the Quality of Life at the End of Life (QUAL-E) instrument in a sample of 52 patients who were hospitalized in two metropolitan Western Australian hospitals. Participants were given the option to complete the QUAL-E either as a self-report (n = 9, 17.3 percent) or, aided by a research assistant, as a structured interview (n = 43, 82.7 percent). The instrument demonstrated patient acceptability and face validity, particularly when it was administered with the assistance of a research assistant. Despite having difficulty with some questions, patients expressed their appreciation at being given the opportunity to contribute to the research and to reflect upon and give voice to their thoughts and feelings. Health practitioners indicated that the instrument could be a valuable tool for holistic assessment and service evaluation. We suggest that minor changes be made to the QUAL-E before it is used further in an Australian context; we also recommend that this instrument be tested in other settings and populations.

Nurse retention: a review of strategies to create and enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings.

OBJECTIVES: This paper summarises and critically reviews strategies identified in the literature which support retention of nurses by the creation and enhancement of positive practice environments in the clinical setting. DESIGN: Literature review. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was undertaken in February 2012 of major healthcare-related databases, Cinahlplus, Medline, and Proquest. REVIEW METHODS: The keywords "nurs* AND practice AND environment" were used in the first instance. Additional keywords "retention strategies" were also searched. Abstracts were reviewed and articles which potentially outlined strategies were identified. Reference lists were scanned for other potential articles. Articles in languages other than English were excluded. Lake's Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index provided a framework from which to assess the strategies. RESULTS: Thirty-nine papers reported strategies for creating a positive practice environment. Only two articles reported on a pre-test post-test evaluation of the proposed strategy. Strategies included: empowering work environment, shared governance structure, autonomy, professional development, leadership support, adequate numbers and skill mix and collegial relationships within the healthcare team. CONCLUSIONS: Creating positive practice environments enhances nurse retention and facilitates quality patient care. Managers and administrators should assess and manage their practice environments using a validated tool to guide and evaluate interventions.

Reducing the risk of violence towards remote area nurses: a violence management toolbox.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the knowledge of a panel of experts to develop possible ways of minimising the risk of occupational violence towards remote area nurses. DESIGN: The Delphi method using open-ended questionnaires and an online survey to measure support for suggested control measures. SETTING: Remote area nursing posts across Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A panel of expert remote area nurses (n = 10) from geographically diverse regions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Identified and described measures with the potential to reduce the risk of violence. RESULTS: A 'toolbox' of strategies was suggested in recognition of the complex nature of occupational violence within the remote health context. Job-specific education included de-escalation techniques, risk assessment and cultural safety training. Professional support included access to counselling and debriefing services. Organisational responsibilities included: adequate staffing to provide backup, policies and procedures and action from management when hazards are identified. Community collaboration with the health service in developing orientation programs, safety plans and addressing violence within the community was also recommended. CONCLUSION: A variety of strategies were identified that could be used to reduce the risk of occupational violence towards remote health care staff. Further development and assessment of this 'toolbox' of strategies is recommended to address the high incidence of violence towards remote health professionals in Australia and overseas.