Factors affecting high secure forensic mental health nursing workforce sustainability: Perspectives from frontline nurses and stakeholders.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: There are insufficient nurses to meet current demand for mental health care. This is an international concern. Within England, the impact of staff shortages on the quality of patient care in forensic high secure settings has been highlighted by the national regulatory body for hospitals. Forensic hospital nursing is a distinct specialism within mental health. Forensic nurses must negotiate the therapeutic, ethical and practical challenges of caring for high-risk patients in a locked environment. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: There has been no previous study to ask frontline high secure forensic nurses, union representatives, senior nurses and workforce leads about what factors may be affecting recruitment and retention in their setting. As well as the specialized and challenging nature of the work, participants identified that workforce sustainability was affected by unequal working terms and conditions, the hospital locations and wider national factors, such as changes to how nurse training was funded. They also identified that some strategies that were employed to address workforce shortages, such as day-to-day movement of staff within the hospital and incentive packages for new recruits could be demotivating for established staff. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Forensic high secure nursing workforce strategies should include training, development and career pathways that are specific to the specialism and extend beyond preceptorship for newly qualified staff. There should be clear and equitable employment terms and conditions with remuneration packages that are consistent within and between organizations. Hospital managers should address the effect that movement of staff between wards may have on nurses' morale, therapeutic relationships and safety culture. ABSTRACT: Introduction There has been no previous study of stakeholders' views on recruitment and retention concerns in high secure forensic settings. Aim To identify factors affecting recruitment and retention in high secure hospitals, from the perspectives of stakeholders with experience in forensic mental health nursing. Method Framework analysis of data from fifteen interviews and three focus groups with frontline nurses, nurse leaders, recruitment leads and union representatives from three high secure hospitals in England. Results Six themes emerged from the data: (a) the unique nature of high secure nursing; (b) the impact of short staffing; (c) wider factors affecting the high secure nursing workforce; (d) the location; (e) staff being on different terms and conditions of work; (f) recruitment strategies. Discussion Multiple factors are likely to simultaneously affect high secure hospital recruitment and retention. Findings on the unique nature of high secure work reflect previous qualitative research. The themes of location, working terms and condition and recruitment strategies have not been previously identified in forensic nursing research. Implications for practice Employers should ensure that employment terms and conditions are equitable and consistent. Furthermore, hospital managers should address the effect that movement of staff between wards may have on morale and therapeutic relationships.

An integrative review of nursing staff experiences in high secure forensic mental health settings: Implications for recruitment and retention strategies.

AIMS: To identify the experiences of nursing in high secure forensic mental health settings that may affect staff recruitment and retention. BACKGROUND: Recruitment and retention of Registered Nurses is a vital international concern in the field of mental health. The high secure forensic setting presents unique challenges for the nurse. Studies of nurse's experiences in this setting have not previously been reviewed in the context of workforce sustainability pressures. DESIGN: An integrative review (Whittemore and Knapfl, 2005). DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of data sources: MEDLINE (PubMed), PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Social Services Abstracts, ProQuest Social Sciences Premium collection (IBSS, PAIS, and Sociological Abstracts), and Web of Science from inception to December 2019. REVIEW METHODS: Data extraction, quality appraisal, and convergent qualitative synthesis. RESULTS: Fifteen papers were selected for inclusion in the review, describing 13 studies. Six studies were quantitative, all cross-sectional surveys. There were seven qualitative studies, using a variety of methodologies. Four themes were identified: engagement with the patient group, the ward social environment, impact on the nurse, and implications for practice. CONCLUSION: When policymakers address workforce shortages in high secure forensic nursing they must take account of the unique features of the setting and patient group. Nurses must be adequately prepared and supported to function in an ethically and emotionally challenging environment. IMPACT: This study identified factors affecting workforce pressures in the speciality of forensic mental health nursing. Findings are of interest to national nursing policymakers and workforce leads in mental health service provider organizations, seeking to promote forensic nursing as a career option and retain nursing staff.

'The rollercoaster': A qualitative study of midwifery students' experiences affecting their mental wellbeing.

OBJECTIVE: Midwifery student mental wellbeing is an important consideration for the sustainability of the profession, however it has seldom been the subject of empirical research. Previous studies of the lived experience of midwifery students have focused on the impact of transition experiences and student satisfaction, rather than specifically on mental health and students' views on support for their mental wellbeing. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews. SETTING: A midwifery undergraduate programme in one university in the South of England. PARTICIPANTS: 20 BSc midwifery students. FINDINGS: Two inductive themes were developed from our analysis. The theme of 'the rollercoaster' encapsulated students' experience over the length of the course, characterised by multiple culture shocks of being in different worlds, from one clinical placement to the next, from university to clinical placement. This experience was emotionally taxing. The theme of 'being noticed, feeling connected' encapsulated midwifery students' views on what could help them enjoy their training. They wanted to be seen as individuals by at least one educator, they wanted opportunities to connect with their peers and they wanted the support available to them to be consistent. CONCLUSIONS: Listening to students' insights into the lived experience of being a midwifery student can enable midwifery educators to improve the way courses are designed and support structures are put in place. The importance of having consistent contact with peers and educators cannot be underestimated. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The emotional demands of midwifery training must be acknowledged. Educators should identify ways in which they can provide students with consistent individualised support and regular opportunities to meet with their peers.

Client attrition in the Nurse-Family Partnership® : Revisiting metrics of impact in a home visitation program in the United States.

The Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) is an evidence-based home-visiting program for low-income, first-time mothers. NFP® has demonstrated benefits for reducing child maltreatment and improving parenting, child development and families' economic self-sufficiency. It is now implemented widely in the US where, despite the use of home visits, which generally reduce barriers to program participation, only 35% of clients nationwide complete the 2.5-year program. This concurrent mixed-methods study was conducted in 2013 in an urban northeastern US NFP site and included administrative program data, surveys (n = 56), in-depth interviews (n = 14) with nurse home visitors, and focus groups with nurse supervisors (n = 13). We explored associations between nurses' attrition rates and their perspectives on client attrition and retention strategies. We further conducted an inductive thematic analysis of the qualitative data. Findings indicate that nurses' attrition rates were not significantly associated with their views and strategies to retain clients. Nurses and supervisors noted that clients' competing priorities and 'chaotic lives' primarily explained attrition. They thought that clients often left the program upon receiving enough information and skills or achieving key milestones, which may reflect reaching a saturation point, albeit prior to the full completion of the program. We offer recommendations to assess performance based on client accomplishments rather than whether they participated until the prescribed endpoint.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Growth and Metabolic Bone Disease in a Pediatric Global Cohort Undergoing Chronic Hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess worldwide differences among pediatric patients undergoing hemodialysis. Because practices differ widely regarding nutritional resources, treatment practice, and access to renal replacement therapy, investigators from the Pediatric Investigation and Close Collaboration to examine Ongoing Life Outcomes, the pediatric subset of the MONitoring Dialysis Outcomes Cohort (PICCOLO MONDO) performed this cross-sectional study. We hypothesized that growth would be better in developed countries, possibly at the expense of bone mineral disease. STUDY DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed growth by height z score and recommended age-specific bone mineral metabolism markers from 225 patients <18 years of age maintained on hemodialysis, between the years of 2000 to 2012 from 21 countries in different regions. RESULTS: The patients' median age was 16 (IQR 14-17) years, and 45% were females. A height z score less than the third percentile was noted in 34% of the cohort, whereas >66% of patients reported normal heights, with patients from North America having the greatest proportion (>80%). More than 70% of the entire cohort had greater than the age-recommended levels of phosphorus, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and North America, where we also observed the greatest body mass index z score (0.99 ± 1.6) and parathyroid hormone levels (557.1 [268.4-740.5]). Below-recommended parathyroid hormone levels were noted in 26% and elevated levels in 61% of the entire sample, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. Lower-than-recommended calcium levels were noted in 36% of the entire cohort, particularly in Latin America. CONCLUSIONS: We found regional differences in growth- and age-adjusted bone mineral metabolism markers. Children from North America had the best growth, received the most dialysis, but also had the worst phosphate control and body mass index z scores.

Lipid levels are inversely associated with infectious and all-cause mortality: international MONDO study results.

Cardiovascular (CV) events are increased 36-fold in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, randomized controlled trials to lower LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and serum total cholesterol (TC) have not shown significant mortality improvements. An inverse association of TC and LDL-C with all-cause and CV mortality has been observed in patients on chronic dialysis. Lipoproteins also may protect against infectious diseases. We used data from 37,250 patients in the international Monitoring Dialysis Outcomes (MONDO) database to evaluate the association between lipids and infection-related or CV mortality. The study began on the first day of lipid measurement and continued for up to 4 years. We applied Cox proportional models with time-varying covariates to study associations of LDL-C, HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TGs) with all-cause, CV, infectious, and other causes of death. Overall, 6,147 patients died (19.2% from CV, 13.2% from infection, and 67.6% from other causes). After multivariable adjustment, higher LDL-C, HDL-C, and TGs were independently associated with lower all-cause death risk. Neither LDL-C nor TGs were associated with CV death, and HDL-C was associated with lower CV risk. Higher LDL-C and HDL-C were associated with a lower risk of death from infection or other non-CV causes. LDL-C was associated with reduced all-cause and infectious, but not CV mortality, which resulted in the inverse association with all-cause mortality.

Acute Kidney Injury in Sub-Sahara Africa: A Single-Center Experience from Khartoum, Sudan.

BACKGROUND: The burden of acute kidney injury (AKI) is high in Africa. While there are no reliable statistics about AKI in Africa, the Global Snapshot Study of the 0by25 initiative of the International Society of Nephrology has determined dehydration, infections, animal envenomation, and complications during pregnancy as the main causes. METHODS: This study was conducted at the Soba University Hospital (SUH), Khartoum, Sudan, a tertiary referral center. We included all hemodialysis patients treated for AKI at SUH between -January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 in the study. We reviewed patients' hospital records and characterized pathogenesis, treatment, and patient outcomes. In addition, we investigated survival by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Out of 520 patients who received emergency HD, 71 patients (14%) had AKI (age 40.6 ± 17.3 years, 56.5% were males). Glomerular and tubular-interstitial diseases were the leading cause of AKI, followed by envenomation and intoxication by hair dye. Patients received a median of 5 dialysis sessions for a median of 8 days. In 32 patients (45%) renal function recovered, 10 patients (14%) died, and 29 patients (41%) remained dialysis-dependent. Mortality was significantly higher in females compared to men (hazard ratio 4.1 [95% CI 1.02-16.67]). Outcomes were worse in patients with pre-renal AKI and intoxications. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a higher mortality in females and in patients with pre-renal AKI and intoxications. Awareness of factors associating with poor outcomes is central to diagnostic and therapeutic efforts, and must be considered in the design of initiatives to reduce risk factors and improve outcomes of AKI in developing countries.

Association between Heights of Dialysis Patients and Outcomes: Results from a Retrospective Cohort Study of the International MONitoring Dialysis Outcomes (MONDO) Database Initiative.

BACKGROUND: Tall people have improved metabolic profiles and better cardiovascular outcomes, a relationship inverted in dialysis patients. We investigated the relationship between height and outcomes in incident hemodialysis (HD) patients commencing treatment in an analysis of the international Monitoring Dialysis Outcomes (MONDO) database. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we included incident HD patients commencing treatment between -January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010 and investigated the association between height and mortality using the MONDO database. A 6-months baseline period preceded 2.5 years of follow-up, during which we recorded patient mortality. Patients were stratified in region-specific deciles of the respective database's population (Asia Pacific, North and South America, and Europe) and we developed Cox-proportional hazard models (additionally adjusted for age, gender, post-dialysis weight, eKt/V, albumin, interdialytic weight gain, phosphorus, and predialysis systolic blood pressure) for each database. RESULTS: We studied 23,353 patients (62 ± 15 years old, 42% female, body mass index 26 ± 6 kg/m2, height 165 ± 10 cm). We found a trend of increasing hazard ratio of death (HR) with increasing height for Asia Pacific, Europe, and South America. In the fully adjusted models, for South America, we found a trend of increasing HR without significance among deciles >5. In Europe, deciles 8-10 had significantly increased HR. No clear trend was found in North America. CONCLUSION: We found an increasing risk of death with increasing height in all regions, except North America. While the reasons remain unclear, further research may be warranted.

The Virtual Anemia Trial: An Assessment of Model-Based In Silico Clinical Trials of Anemia Treatment Algorithms in Patients With Hemodialysis.

In silico approaches have been proposed as a novel strategy to increase the repertoire of clinical trial designs. Realistic simulations of clinical trials can provide valuable information regarding safety and limitations of treatment protocols and have been shown to assist in the cost-effective planning of clinical studies. In this report, we present a blueprint for the stepwise integration of internal, external, and ecological validity considerations in virtual clinical trials (VCTs). We exemplify this approach in the context of a model-based in silico clinical trial aimed at anemia treatment in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Hemoglobin levels and subsequent anemia treatment were simulated on a per patient level over the course of a year and compared to real-life clinical data of 79,426 patients undergoing HD. The novel strategies presented here, aimed to improve external and ecological validity of a VCT, significantly increased the predictive power of the discussed in silico trial.