Valoraciones de docentes y evaluadores sobre evaluación del aprendizaje en la carrera de enfermería / Evaluations by Professors and Evaluators about Learning Assessment in the Nursing Major

Introducción: La evaluación del docente y del evaluador está centrada en criterios de valoración que la posiciona en el paradigma interpretativo, pues busca llegar a comprender e interpretar experiencias académicas sobre la calidad y el compromiso docente. Objetivo: Describir la valoración de docentes y evaluadores sobre evaluación del aprendizaje en la carrera de enfermería. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo transversal, en la carrera de enfermería de la Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, Ecuador, durante primer trimestre del 2018. Universo de 41 docentes y 9 evaluadores que impartieron docencia durante el periodo estudiado, se aplicó un cuestionario y lista de chequeo, validados por criterios de expertos. Se calcularon frecuencias absolutas, porcentajes y varianzas, las comparaciones para los grupos de docentes y evaluadores se realizaron con prueba U de Mann-Whitney. El nivel de significación si p ≤ 0,05. Resultados: Existieron consistencias y similitud entre las valoraciones de la heteroevaluación durante el proceso, los valores encontrados en docentes y evaluadores están entre intervalos 0,80 y 0,89, en evaluadores superior a 0,85, equivalente a resultado fiable, con consistencia interna del instrumento, el indicador con mayor tendencia negativa evidenció 24,39 por ciento, lo que significa que en la evaluación no se alcanzan los logros deseados. Conclusiones: Los evaluadores áulicos consideran que en la evaluación no se alcanzan los logros deseados, que se evidencian aspectos que no corresponden con los preceptos de la evaluación del aprendizaje y que por lo general resulta ser lo típico del proceso evaluativo tradicional, a pesar de estar normado por Reglamento Nacional para Evaluación Estudiantil en Ecuador(AU)

Introduction: Evaluation by any professor or evaluator is centered on assessment criteria belonging to the interpretive paradigm, since it is aimed at understanding and interpreting academic experiences concerning quality and commitment of the professor. Objective: To describe evaluation by professors and evaluators on learning assessment in the Nursing major. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out, during the first trimester of 2018, in the Nursing major of Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, Ecuador. The universe was made up of 41 teachers and nine evaluators teaching during the study period. A questionnaire and a checklist, validated using expert judgment, were applied. Absolute frequencies, percentages and variances were calculated. The comparisons for the groups of professors and evaluators were made using Mann-Whitney U test. Differences were statistically significant if P ≤ 0.05. Results: There were consistencies and similarity among the evaluations of heteroassessment during the process; the values found in professors and evaluators are in the intervals between 0.80 and 0.89. In evaluators, it is greater than 0.85, equivalent to a reliable result, with internal consistency of the instrument. The indicator with the greatest negative trend showed 24.39 percent, which means that the desired achievements were not reached in assessment. Conclusions: Classroom evaluators consider that the desired achievements are not reached in assessment, that aspects that do not correspond to the precepts of learning assessment are evidenced, and that, in general, it turns out to a typical characteristic in traditional assessment, despite being regulated by the National Regulation for Student Assessment in Ecuador(AU)

Escape Room Relay Race: "Go for the Gold" in Formative Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Immersive learning activities, such as escape room educational gaming in nursing simulation laboratories, have proven to be effective teaching strategies that promote communication and teamwork. These activities also provide educators with opportunities to assess clinical skills competencies, as well as providing them with a means for evaluating the transfer of didactic knowledge to clinical practice. METHOD: An obstetrical skills relay race with an escape room element was created as a formative evaluation method to determine if nursing students were able to demonstrate competency related to the identified learning needs. RESULTS: The competitive aspects of this learning activity were perceived as exciting and motivating by the educators and students. CONCLUSION: An escape room-themed relay race incorporated into an obstetric skills laboratory is considered an innovative and formative evaluation method, as well as an engaging and motivating learning activity for nursing students. [J Nurs. Educ. 2020;59(11):646-650.].

Quality Assurance in Nursing Education: A Qualitative Study Involving Students and Newly Graduated Nurses.

Background: Assuring quality training for future nursing professionals is essential to preserving population health and socio-economic development. Quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area places students in a leading role to transform and improve higher education programs. Therefore, an innovative way of reviewing strengths and weaknesses of the nursing education program of a Spanish university has been developed. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to explore the perceptions and opinions of nursing students and newly-qualified nurses regarding the contents of the nursing curriculum in order to improve its quality. Methods: Descriptive and exploratory qualitative research was carried out involving 12 newly-qualified nurses and 12 student nurses. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were performed. Results: Based on the thematic analysis, two themes emerged: improving clinical practices and reviewing the theoretical curriculum. Conclusions: Among the improvements suggested by the participants, the most relevant ones were establishing a clear structure of learning contents in the practicum, and redistributing the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System ECTS credits in various courses of the study program. However, additional evidence is needed prior to proceeding with any changes.

Evaluation of a nurse-led intervention program in heart failure: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Several trials have evaluated the effect of disease management programs in heart failure (HF) with diverse results. The aim of this study was to develop a simple nurse-led clinic intervention program for patients with HF and assess whether this intervention positively affects the prognosis of patients, their care costs and perceived quality of life (QoL). METHODS: Between 2011 and 2013, 127 patients with reduced ejection fraction were prospectively randomly allocated (1:2) to standard care or intervention program. Primary composite endpoint was all-cause mortality and hospital readmissions. Secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality, all-cause hospital readmissions, readmissions for HF, time to first readmission and QoL improvements assessed by "Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire" (MLHFQ). An intention-to-treat analysis was performed. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 2-years, no differences were found in the primary composite endpoint. Likewise, there were no differences between groups in the predefined secondary endpoints of mortality and readmissions from any cause. However, in the intervention group, readmissions for HF were significantly reduced (35% vs. 18%; p=0.04) and QoL significantly improved (MLHFQ±SD: 2.29±14 vs. 10.9±14.75; p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HF, the use of a nurse-led intervention program significantly improves perceived QoL and reduce HF hospital readmissions.

The economic impact of a nurse practitioner-directed lung cancer screening, incidental pulmonary nodule, and tobacco-cessation clinic.

OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer screening programs have become increasingly prevalent within the United States after the National Lung Screening Trial results. We aimed to review the financial impact after programmatic implementation of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner-led programs of Lung Cancer Screening and Tobacco Related Diseases, Incidental Pulmonary Nodule Clinic, and Tobacco Cessation Services. METHODS: We reviewed revenue from 2013 to 2016 by our nurse practitioner-led program. Encounters were queried for charges related to outpatient evaluation and management, professional procedures, and facility charges related to both outpatient and inpatient procedures. Revenue was normalized using 2016 data tables and the national Medicare conversion factor (35.8043). RESULTS: Our program evaluated 694 individuals, of whom 75% (518/694) are enrolled within the lung cancer-screening program. Overall revenue associated with the programs was $733,336. Outpatient evaluation and management generated revenue of $168,372. In addition, professional procedure revenue accounted for an additional $60,015 with facility revenue adding an additional $504,949. CONCLUSIONS: A nurse practitioner-led program of lung cancer screening, incidental pulmonary nodules, and tobacco-cessation services can provide additional revenue opportunities for a Thoracic Surgery and Interventional Pulmonology Division, as well as a health care system. The current national, median annual wage of a nurse practitioner is $98,190, and the cost associated directly to their salary (and benefits) may remain neutral or negative within certain programs. However, the larger economic benefit may be realized within the division and institution. This potential additional revenue appears related to evaluation of newly identified diseases and subsequent evaluations, procedures, and operations.

Towards a competency assessment tool for nurses in ethics meetings.

BACKGROUND: Nurses require specific knowledge, skills and attitudes to participate competently in various forms of ethics meetings. The literature does not state the contents of the knowledge, skills and attitudes nurses need for ethics meetings. Without such a competency profile, it cannot be assessed in how far nurses actually possess these qualities for ethics meetings. OBJECTIVE: Corroborating an existing profile of the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes in the form of a questionnaire contributes to the development of a tool to determine the competence nurses need for ethics meetings. QUESTION: In how far can this profile be confirmed by a quantitative follow-up in a random sample? DESIGN: A questionnaire was developed to determine in how far nurses with prior involvement in ethics meetings recognise the earlier competency profile as important and comprehensive. PARTICIPANTS: It was made available to subscribers of the digital newsletter of three widely read nursing journals in the Netherlands. Data collection and analysis took place in the spring of 2013. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Care was taken to state explicitly in the questionnaire that participation in the survey was completely voluntary and anonymous. FINDINGS: To a high degree, nurses with involvement in ethics meetings recognise the knowledge, skills and attitudes from the earlier interviews when presented as a survey. DISCUSSION: Although the sample was small, the respondents and the results reflect known characteristics of nurses serving on ethics meeting. CONCLUSION: This may be helpful to recruit and prepare nurses for professional ethics in nursing care, and to develop a tool to assess to what extent nurses actually possess competence for ethics meetings.

Improving pressure ulcer risk assessment and management using the Waterlow scale at a London teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: Pressure ulcers (PUs) cost the National Health Service (NHS) up to 4% of its health care expenditure. Arising from this are also clinical negligence claims, where inadequate risk assessment has been cited as one of the principal drawbacks in the prevention of PUs. This two-cycle audit aims to examine the consistency and accuracy of risk assessment of patients, and demonstrates how simple focused interventions can improve the quality of care provided. METHOD: The Waterlow pressure ulcer risk assessment tool was employed to assess inpatients during a 6-month period at a London teaching hospital. Patients were risk assessed, and examined to detect PUs and to determine the type of mattress. We compared our findings with clinical (nursing and medical) documentation. Interventions were made through questionnaires given to staff, educational sessions, presentations and posters addressing where improvements could be made in risk stratifying patients. A repeat audit was carried out 24 months later and the results from both cycles were compared. Statistical analysis was carried out using Fisher's exact and the Student's T-test. RESULTS: In total 100 in-patients were assessed in each cycle with a mean age of 71.4 years in cycle 1 and 70.1 years in cycle 2. A nursing Waterlow score was recorded for 81% of patients in cycle 1 and 100% in cycle 2 (p<0.05). In cycle 1, the average nursing score was significantly lower than that from the study (mean 13.7 versus 17.1, median 14.0 versus 18.0; p<0.05), but after intervention this had reduced to a minimal difference (mean 8.5 versus 9.0, median 8.0 versus 9.0, p=0.08). CONCLUSION: Nursing scores recorded in the notes were lower than the study scores in cycle 1, primarily from a failure to appropriately assess certain categories of the Waterlow scale. These differences reduced after focused education of staff. Our results suggest that targeted interventions tailored towards nursing and medical staff can result in improvements in the risk assessment for prevention and subsequent management of PUs. However, it also highlights the need for increased input from the entire multidisciplinary team in order to reduce the morbidity caused by PUs. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: The authors have no conflict of interest. No funding was received for this study.

Assessment of clinical judgment in nursing orientation: time well invested.

There is a correlation between patient safety and nursing orientation. The authors discuss a mixed-method study that supports the efficacy of using a competency-based process to assess knowledge and judgment skills of registered nurses in a community hospital. This assessment is the backbone of the competency-based orientation.

Evaluation of a statewide public health nursing training in Utah.

Public health nurses continue to struggle to provide culturally relevant services that focus on the multiple needs of an ethnically diverse population while at the same time providing services to the population at large. This article describes the formative research, implementation, and results of a statewide effort to broaden UtahAEs public health nurses perception about their role and responsibility in addressing and serving the emerging needs of underserved and atrisk populations in Utah. A total of 51% of Utah state and local health department public health nurses participated in the training. There was a statistically significant increase in the mean level of perceived understanding of topic material from pretest to posttest, and 80% of participants reported applying what they learned in the training to their practice. Our experience demonstrates that even with limited resources, it is possible to deliver high quality training to a large proportion of public health nurses practicing in urban, rural, and frontier populations; observe significant results in their comprehension of training material and, most importantly; see application of what they learned in the training to their health care practice.

The snapshot pre-registration assessment tool. Part 1: background, literature and research.

This is the first of a two-part article that presents a new assessment tool - the snapshot - for pre-registration nurses in clinical practice, that is being used at Kingston University/St George's University of London during year 3 of the Diploma and BSc programmes. A pilot study of the use of the snapshot in a simulation environment had previously been undertaken and as a result of this, the snapshot was piloted as part of continuous clinical assessment in practice on two cohorts of third-year pre-registration student nurses. An evaluative study was undertaken. This article describes the background to the project, the literature and the research methods used to undertake the evaluative research study. Part 2 will focus on the findings and a discussion of these findings mapped against the literature.

Comparing community and specialty provider-based recruitment in a randomized clinical trial: clinical trial in fecal incontinence.

Recruitment of participants to clinical trials remains a significant challenge, especially for research addressing topics of a sensitive nature such as fecal incontinence (FI). In the Fiber Study, a randomized controlled trial on symptom management for FI, we successfully enrolled 189 community-living adults through collaborations with specialty-based and community-based settings, each employing methods tailored to the organizational characteristics of their site. Results show that using the two settings increased racial and ethnic diversity of the sample and inclusion of informal caregivers. There were no differential effects on enrollment, final eligibility, or completion of protocol by site. Strategic collaborations with complementary sites can achieve sample recruitment goals for clinical trials on topics that are sensitive or known to be underreported.

[Instrument to assess nursing care delivery stystems "IzEP". Making nursing care systematically visible for practice, management and science]. / Instrument zur Erfassung von Pflegesystemen "IzEP". Pflegerische Organisation für Praxis, Management und Wissenschaft sichtbar machen.

Network activities and publications show a rising interest in nursing care delivery systems like primary nursing. There are aspects in quality and outcomes attributed to primary nursing to answer the changes in health care. To assign outcomes in nursing to different kinds of nursing care delivery systems and for systematic developing of primary nursing in a unit one needs a special assessment instrument. IzEP, the instrument to assess nursing care delivery systems, relates the nursing care delivery system of a unit to primary nursing. This article describes the development of the instrument, testing of reliability, validity and possibilities for using.

Measuring the dose of nursing intervention.

PURPOSE: To increase awareness of the many issues involved in measuring the dose of nursing intervention in nursing interventions effectiveness research. METHODS: Identify critical issues in measurement of the dose of nursing intervention and discuss decisions regarding dosage measurement made in a study of the effectiveness of nursing interventions. FINDINGS: A single method can be applied to resolve two critical issues in intervention dosage measurement. CONCLUSIONS: Those conducting nursing interventions effectiveness research must think explicitly about how intervention dosage will be measured and reported so that dosage can be replicated in research and practice. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Measuring and reporting the dose of nursing intervention in research is essential to the development of an evidence base adequate to support practice.

Health Impact Assessment as a framework for evaluation of local complex projects.

Health impact assessment (HIA) has been used to predict effects of a local parenting strategy and develop an evaluation framework. Methods used included literature searches, inequalities profiling, interviews with key informants and a review of available cost data. Four priority areas, where parenting can potentially impact, were identified: education, antisocial behaviour, lifestyle choices and mental health. The results concerning mental health are presented here. Improving the quality of parenting can impact on a child's mental health. The costs relating to the mental health outcomes are high and parenting is a cost-effective method to address the family dynamics that impact on this. Intermediary indicators, including clear boundaries, time spent as a family and parental involvement can be used to evaluate the intervention in the short-term, although there are difficulties in their measurement. The HIA process can improve cross-sectorial working, increased community participation and keep inequalities on the agenda.

An assessment of the implementation of the provincial cervical screening programme in selected Primary Health Care Clinics in the Ilembe Region, KwaZulu-Natal.

Cervical cancer is almost completely preventable, yet it is the second most prevalent cancer amongst women in South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in particular has a high mortality rate of cervical cancer and 1: 40 women die from cancer of the cervix. Therefore, in 1997 a cervical screening policy and programme was implemented in the province. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the implementation of selected aspects of the Provincial cervical screening programme in selected Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics in Ilembe Region, KZN. Results indicated that there was a lack of resources needed for implementing the programme in rural clinics compared to urban clinics. However, all clinics in the study had an adequate supply of the drugs needed for the treatment of abnormal smears. On reviewing the records, the researcher noted that most of the results indicated that smears had adequate cells needed for analysis. However, the results indicated that there was a problem with follow-up of clients with abnormal smears. Feedback to the clinics from the referral hospital regarding the outcome of the visit was inadequate. The results indicated that the mechanisms of record keeping were inadequate. Therefore, the above results indicate that problems exist at the selected PHC clinics that may result in ineffective implementation of the cervical screening programme.

Issues in nursing: strategies for an Internet-based, computer-assisted telephone survey.

The study describes the design and implementation of an Internet-based, computed-assisted telephone survey about the care-planning process in 107 long-term care facilities in the Midwest. Two structured telephone surveys were developed to interview the care planning coordinators and their team members. Questionmark Perception Software Version 3 was used to develop the surveys in a wide range of formats. The responses were drawn into a database that was exported to a spreadsheet format and converted to a statistical format by the Information Technology team. Security of the database was protected. Training sessions were provided to project staff. The interviews were tape-recorded for the quality checks. The inter-rater reliabilities were above 95% to 100% agreement. Investigators should consider using Internet-based survey tools, especially for multisite studies that allow access to larger samples at less cost. Exploring multiple software systems for the best fit to the study requirements is essential.

Research on the frontlines of healthcare: a cooperative learning approach.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice is a common goal in hospitals, but learning about research so that the practice can be done is often challenging for clinicians. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to (a) develop a process that supports organizational and staff development while conducting research and (b) conduct a research study in the emergency department (ED) to examine patient population, satisfaction, and waiting room issues. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team of clinicians and scientists was assembled to learn and do research while evaluating the ED waiting room of a Level I trauma center. A cooperative learning method approach was used to teach research concepts as the study was designed and implemented. RESULTS: The team demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of research concepts by being involved actively in the creation and implementation of the preintervention study. Using information from photographs, observations, and a questionnaire, the team identified the following key dissatisfaction areas: (a) atmosphere (including comfort with environment, neatness and cleanliness, and noise), (b) telephones, (c) parking and thoroughfare, (d) professional behavior and staff presence (including personal attention), (e) security, and (f) triage and confidentiality. DISCUSSION: The model of working in partnership with researchers and using cooperative, collaborative research is an effective way to evaluate and address issues related to quality of care while learning about the research concepts needed to put evidence into practice.

Nurses' assessments and patients' perceptions: development of the Night Nursing Care Instrument (NNCI), measuring nursing care at night.

BACKGROUND: Nursing care provided at night has a different purpose and objective to that provided during the day. A review of the literature does not reveal any scientifically tested research instruments for evaluating and comparing the nurse's assessment of nursing care with the patient's perception at night. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop and test an instrument for evaluating nursing care and to compare nurses' assessments with patients' perceptions of nursing care provided at night. DESIGN: The study was carried out in two phases; the first had an explorative design and the second an evaluative and comparative design. The Night Nursing Care Instrument (NNCI) included two questionnaires; one for nurses and one for patients. These questionnaires were developed from a nursing framework and covered the following three areas: 'nursing interventions', 'medical interventions' and 'evaluation'. METHODS: Nurses (n = 40) on night duty on a medical ward at a central hospital in southern Sweden were consecutively selected, to participate in the study. The patients (n = 80) were selected by means of convenience sampling. In order to achieve construct validity, factor analysis of each individual area was carried out. Reliability in terms of internal consistency was tested by Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The overall NNCI had acceptable reliability and validity. There was no statistically significant difference between nurses' assessments and patients' perceptions in any of the three areas of 'nursing interventions', 'medical interventions' or 'evaluation'. The patients rated night nursing care as satisfactory for the majority of the items. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: These findings demonstrate that it is possible to create a short instrument with acceptable reliability and validity, which is easy to use in clinical practice. The results also show that night nurses need to improve their ability to assess patients' needs during the night to increase the quality of night nursing care.

Describing use of nursing interventions for three groups of patients.

PURPOSE: To describe the nursing interventions used most frequently during an acute hospital stay for three patient groups. METHODS: Analysis of nursing interventions documented by use of the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) contained in an electronic clinical database obtained from 33 general inpatient units in one large health care facility from July 1, 1998, to June 30, 2002. The numbers of hospitalizations for each sample in the analyses were: 1,435 in the heart failure group, 567 in the hip fracture procedures group, and 11,756 in the fall prevention group. FINDINGS: The mean number of interventions done at least once during a single hospitalization ranged from 18 to 22 for the three samples. For the total number of patient hospitalizations for each group, the number of interventions ranged from 94 for the hip fracture procedures sample to 182 for the fall prevention sample. Seven interventions were done twice or more a day in at least 20% of the sample in all three groups. Patterns of interventions during the first 6 days of care differed by intervention and sample, indicating that nursing care was individualized. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the types of information that can result from analysis of actual clinical nursing data documented with standardized language (Nursing Interventions Classification) in a nursing information system. The knowledge of nursing interventions used in clinical practice has major implications for staff development and nursing education. The information is also useful in making staffing decisions for different types of patient populations.