Community-based health programme for nurses and midwives: A mixed methods evaluation.

AIM: To evaluate a community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives. DESIGN: Mixed methods programme evaluation. METHODS: Four studies were included: observational descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) of the health, well-being and experiences of previous programme participants (Study 1); observational exploratory prospective cohort study (longitudinal survey) of health, well-being and experiences of participants who engaged in the programme from 2020 to 2023 (Study 2); qualitative descriptive study (interviews) of experiences and perceptions of nurses and midwives who have engaged with the programme as participants or clinicians (Study 3); observational descriptive study (cross-sectional survey) of experiences and perceptions of programme stakeholders (Study 4). Surveys included validated measures. Data were collected online. Descriptive, repeated measures and thematic analyses were conducted. RESULTS: One-hundred and fifteen participants completed Study 1: 20% (n = 23) reported stress in the severe-to-extremely severe category; 22% (n = 25) reported psychological distress in the moderate-to-severe category. Thirty-one programme participants were followed in Study 2: the effect of the programme on participant well-being over time was not significant. Sixteen programme participants and eight programme clinicians were interviewed (Study 3). Experiences of nurses and midwives engaging with the programme were highly positive and strong attributes of the programme included (1) shared professional experience of clinicians and participants which supported a common language and facilitated understanding, and (2) effective programme leadership, and autonomy and flexibility in the clinicians' role which enabled and supported a positive working experience. Thirty-nine broader stakeholders participated in a cross-sectional survey (Study 4). All stakeholders reported high satisfaction with the programme. Participants considered the programme being 'by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives' critical to the programme's success and value. CONCLUSIONS: The community-based psychological health and well-being programme developed, led and delivered by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives, was a highly valued resource. IMPACT: Levels of stress and burnout in the health workforce are high. A community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives was found to be an important and highly valued resource for nurses and midwives. A programme delivered by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives, was considered critical to programme success. Programme leadership, and autonomy and flexibility in the programme clinicians' roles, facilitated and supported a positive working experience for programme clinicians. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: Quality and safety in patient care is directly impacted by the well-being of nurse and midwives. A community-based psychological health and well-being programme for nurses and midwives was found to be an important and highly valued resource for nurses and midwives. REPORTING METHOD: Survey findings were reported according to STROBE (von Elm et al. in Lancet, 370:1453-1457, 2007) and qualitative findings according to COREQ (Tong et al. in International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 19(6):349-357, 2007). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Be Sweet to Babies: Consumer Evaluation of a Parent-Targeted Video Aimed at Improving Pain Management Strategies in Newborn Infants Undergoing Painful Procedures.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for analgesic effects of parent-led pain management strategies during painful procedures in newborn infants exists; however, such strategies are inconsistently used in practice. A publicly available parent-targeted video demonstrates breastfeeding, skin-to-skin care, and sucrose during painful procedures. Australian parents' use and knowledge of this video and these strategies was unknown. PURPOSE: To determine parents' use of pain management strategies, and perceived acceptability and usefulness of the parent-targeted video. METHODS: A cross-sectional, online, anonymous survey with embedded video. Participants were recruited via social media channels of the Miracle Babies Foundation, an Australian parent support network. Target participants were parents or family members of infants currently or previously hospitalized in neonatal special and/or intensive care nurseries, or high dependency units. RESULTS: A total of 162 of 189 respondents provided sufficient data for analysis; all identified as mothers. Only 6 (4%) had previously seen the video; however, nearly all rated it as potentially useful and helpful (n = 124, 82%). Although most reported that sucrose had been used (n = 112, 84%), fewer reported having used skin-to-skin care (n = 50, 37%), or breastfeeding (n = 33, 25%). Most intended to advocate for skin-to-skin care (n = 108, 88%) or breastfeeding (n = 100, 81%) in future procedures. Perceived barriers to utilizing strategies included lack of information-sharing and organizational practices that excluded parent involvement. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: The video may be valuable in supporting mothers to advocate for their involvement during painful procedures in preterm and sick hospitalized infants. Further research is recommended to explore coordinated strategies targeting parents and healthcare professionals to overcome barriers to implementing parent-led infant pain management strategies.

Educational strategies in the health professions to mitigate cognitive and implicit bias impact on decision making: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive and implicit biases negatively impact clinicians' decision-making capacity and can have devastating consequences for safe, effective, and equitable healthcare provision. Internationally, health care clinicians play a critical role in identifying and overcoming these biases. To be workforce ready, it is important that educators proactively prepare all pre-registration healthcare students for real world practice. However, it is unknown how and to what extent health professional educators incorporate bias training into curricula. To address this gap, this scoping review aims to explore what approaches to teaching cognitive and implicit bias, for entry to practice students, have been studied, and what are the evidence gaps that remain. METHODS: This scoping review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. Databases were searched in May 2022 and included CINAHL, Cochrane, JBI, Medline, ERIC, Embase, and PsycINFO. The Population, Concept and Context framework was used to guide keyword and index terms used for search criteria and data extraction by two independent reviewers. Quantitative and qualitative studies published in English exploring pedagogical approaches and/or educational techniques, strategies, teaching tools to reduce the influence of bias in health clinicians' decision making were sought to be included in this review. Results are presented numerically and thematically in a table accompanied by a narrative summary. RESULTS: Of the 732 articles identified, 13 met the aim of this study. Most publications originated from the United States (n=9). Educational practice in medicine accounted for most studies (n=8), followed by nursing and midwifery (n=2). A guiding philosophy or conceptual framework for content development was not indicated in most papers. Educational content was mainly provided via face-to-face (lecture/tutorial) delivery (n=10). Reflection was the most common strategy used for assessment of learning (n=6). Cognitive biases were mainly taught in a single session (n=5); implicit biases were taught via a mix of single (n=4) and multiple sessions (n=4). CONCLUSIONS: A range of pedagogical strategies were employed; most commonly, these were face-to-face, class-based activities such as lectures and tutorials. Assessments of student learning were primarily based on tests and personal reflection. There was limited use of real-world settings to educate students about or build skills in biases and their mitigation. There may be a valuable opportunity in exploring approaches to building these skills in the real-world settings that will be the workplaces of our future healthcare workers.

Axoglial interactions in myelin plasticity: Evaluating the relationship between neuronal activity and oligodendrocyte dynamics.

Myelin is a critical component of the vertebrate nervous system, both increasing the conduction velocity of myelinated axons and allowing for metabolic coupling between the myelinating cells and axons. An increasing number of studies demonstrate that myelination is not simply a developmentally hardwired program, but rather that new myelinating oligodendrocytes can be generated throughout life. The generation of these oligodendrocytes and the formation of myelin are influenced both during development and adulthood by experience and levels of neuronal activity. This led to the concept of adaptive myelination, where ongoing activity-dependent changes to myelin represent a form of neural plasticity, refining neuronal functioning, and circuitry. Although human neuroimaging experiments support the concept of dynamic changes within specific white matter tracts relevant to individual tasks, animal studies have only just begun to probe the extent to which neuronal activity may alter myelination at the level of individual circuits and axons. Uncovering the role of adaptive myelination requires a detailed understanding of the localized interactions that occur between active axons and myelinating cells. In this review, we focus on recent animal studies that have begun to investigate the interactions between active axons and myelinating cells and review the evidence for-and against-the ability of neuronal activity to alter myelination at an axon-specific level.

The TAM receptor Tyro3 regulates myelination in the central nervous system.

Myelin is an essential component of the mammalian nervous system, facilitating rapid conduction of electrical impulses by axons, as well as providing trophic support to neurons. Within the central nervous system, the oligodendrocyte is the specialized neural cell responsible for producing myelin by a process that is thought to be regulated by both activity dependent and independent mechanisms but in incompletely understood ways. We have previously identified that the protein Gas6, a ligand for a family of tyrosine kinase receptors known as the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mertk) receptors, directly increases oligodendrocyte induced myelination in vitro. Gas6 can bind to and activate all three TAM receptors, but the high level of expression of Tyro3 on oligodendrocytes makes this receptor the principal candidate for transducing the pro-myelinating effect of Gas6. In this study, we establish that in the absence of Tyro3, the pro-myelinating effect of Gas6 is lost, that developmental myelination is delayed and that the myelin produced is thinner than normal. We show that this effect is specific to the myelination process and not due to changes in the proliferation or differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells. We have further demonstrated that the reduction in myelination is due to the loss of Tyro3 on oligodendrocytes, and this effect may be mediated by activation of Erk1. Collectively, our findings indicate the critical importance of Tyro3 in potentiating central nervous system myelination. GLIA 2017 GLIA 2017;65:581-591.

MYRF is a membrane-associated transcription factor that autoproteolytically cleaves to directly activate myelin genes.

The myelination of axons is a crucial step during vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) development, allowing for rapid and energy efficient saltatory conduction of nerve impulses. Accordingly, the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the CNS, and their expression of myelin genes are under tight transcriptional control. We previously identified a putative transcription factor, Myelin Regulatory Factor (Myrf), as being vital for CNS myelination. Myrf is required for the generation of CNS myelination during development and also for its maintenance in the adult. It has been controversial, however, whether Myrf directly regulates transcription, with reports of a transmembrane domain and lack of nuclear localization. Here we show that Myrf is a membrane-associated transcription factor that undergoes an activating proteolytic cleavage to separate its transmembrane domain-containing C-terminal region from a nuclear-targeted N-terminal region. Unexpectedly, this cleavage event occurs via a protein domain related to the autoproteolytic intramolecular chaperone domain of the bacteriophage tail spike proteins, the first time this domain has been found to play a role in eukaryotic proteins. Using ChIP-Seq we show that the N-terminal cleavage product directly binds the enhancer regions of oligodendrocyte-specific and myelin genes. This binding occurs via a defined DNA-binding consensus sequence and strongly promotes the expression of target genes. These findings identify Myrf as a novel example of a membrane-associated transcription factor and provide a direct molecular mechanism for its regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and CNS myelination.

Implementation and use of the Safewards model in healthcare services: A scoping review.

Safewards is a multi-intervention mental health nursing model of practice improvement aimed at preventing and reducing conflict and containment. The use of Safewards has now extended beyond mental health settings. Implementation of Safewards has been reported to be challenging and therefore requires an evidence-informed and structured approach. This review's objectives were to: (i) Comprehensively map approaches used to implement Safewards interventions; (ii) Characterise the outcomes measured in Safewards implementation studies; and (iii) Identify the facilitators and barriers to Safewards training and its implementation in practice. All quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods publications of Safewards, the interventions, evaluations, barriers and facilitators from all healthcare services internationally were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews were used to guide methodology. Data were reported according to the 12 items of the TIDieR. Twenty-seven publications reported the implementation of Safewards. Descriptions were limited for reporting items such as intervention descriptions, materials, resources, specific procedures and processes, modifications made to interventions and delivery of interventions and training. No consistent theoretical implementation framework was reported. Collaboration, leadership, feedback and co-design were strong drivers for staff buy-in, engagement and success for implementation in mental health and acute settings. Transparency, replicability and generalisation require a detailed description of all elements of an intervention being implemented. Without adequate information, only assumptions can be drawn about the clinical governance and process of the implementation and training, and it is difficult to conclude when attempting to replicate the interventions.

Transcriptional regulation and specification of neural stem cells.

With the discovery two decades ago that the adult brain contains neural stem cells (NSCs) capable of producing new neurons, a great deal of research has been undertaken to manipulate these cells to repair the damaged nervous system. Much progress has been made in understanding what regulates adult neural stem cell specification, proliferation and differentiation but much remains to be determined. Lessons can be learned from understanding how embryonic neural stem cells produce the exquisitely complicated organ that is the adult mammalian nervous system. This review will highlight the role of transcriptional regulation of mammalian neural stem cells during embryonic development and compare these to the adult neural stem cell/neural precursor cell (NPC) niches of the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Normal physiological NSC/NPC regulation will be explored, as well as their regulation and responses following neural injury and disease. Finally, transcriptional regulation of the endogenous NSC/NPCs will be compared and contrasted with embryonic stem/induced pluripotent stem (ES/iPS) cell-derived NSC/NPCs. Recapitulation of the embryonic sequence of transcriptional events in neural stem cell development into specific neuronal or glial lineages improves directed differentiation of ES/iPS cells and may be useful for activation and specification of endogenous adult neural stem cells for therapeutic purposes.

Wellbeing measures for workers: a systematic review and methodological quality appraisal.

Introduction: Increasing attention on workplace wellbeing and growth in workplace wellbeing interventions has highlighted the need to measure workers' wellbeing. This systematic review sought to identify the most valid and reliable published measure/s of wellbeing for workers developed between 2010 to 2020. Methods: Electronic databases Health and Psychosocial Instruments, APA PsycInfo, and Scopus were searched. Key search terms included variations of [wellbeing OR "well-being"] AND [employee* OR worker* OR staff OR personnel]. Studies and properties of wellbeing measures were then appraised using Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments. Results: Eighteen articles reported development of new wellbeing instruments and eleven undertook a psychometric validation of an existing wellbeing instrument in a specific country, language, or context. Generation and pilot testing of items for the 18 newly developed instruments were largely rated 'Inadequate'; only two were rated as 'Very Good'. None of the studies reported measurement properties of responsiveness, criterion validity, or content validity. The three instruments with the greatest number of positively rated measurement properties were the Personal Growth and Development Scale, The University of Tokyo Occupational Mental Health well-being 24 scale, and the Employee Well-being scale. However, none of these newly developed worker wellbeing instruments met the criteria for adequate instrument design. Discussion: This review provides researchers and clinicians a synthesis of information to help inform appropriate instrument selection in measurement of workers' wellbeing. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=79044, identifier: PROSPERO, CRD42018079044.

New graduate nurse wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health: A quantitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of work to positive mental health is increasingly apparent. Transition into the workplace causes a range of stressors for new graduate nurses who experience both psychological wellbeing and illbeing in their first year of practice. OBJECTIVE: To determine published prevalence, predictors, barriers and enablers of new graduate registered nurse wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health. DESIGN: Systematic review of quantitative research. DATA SOURCES: Databases included Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica database, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online and Psychological Information. Quantitative and mixed-methods studies were considered for inclusion if published in English from 2009 to 2019 reporting primary data analysis including new graduate nurses' wellbeing, work wellbeing and mental health. REVIEW METHODS: Quantitative studies were systematically identified then screened and appraised against pre-determined inclusion criteria. Analysis was conducted by grouping according to analytical methods and results reported as a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. The quality of the evidence was variable with just a quarter of the studies being assessed as meeting the quality criteria on all nine measures. For the new graduate nurses prevalence of wellbeing, levels of resilience, optimism, and hope were found to be high. For work wellbeing, most reported higher job satisfaction by 12-months. For work illbeing, levels of burnout were moderately high, predominantly in terms of emotional exhaustion, and stress was initially high, particularly in terms of workload, but decreased over time. For the predictors, job satisfaction was positively predicted by structural empowerment and career satisfaction, and negatively predicted by co-worker incivility, supervisor incivility and emotional exhaustion. For work illbeing, stress was a positive predictor for intent to leave. Stress reductions were associated with momentary levels of high task mastery, social acceptance and role clarity. CONCLUSIONS: For new graduate nurses, levels of emotional exhaustion, workload and stress were moderately high to high initially, decreasing over time as the graduate nurses' job satisfaction increased. Most studies focused on the nurses' intent to resign or stay and both psychological capital and work engagement positively predicted intent to stay whereas work stress positively predicted intent to resign. Resilience and group cohesion moderated the negative effects of some variables, thus may be potential enablers of work wellbeing. The standards of research reporting or design were generally sub-optimal according to quality indicators. Systematic review registration number: (CRD42020148812).

The oligodendrocyte-enriched orphan G protein-coupled receptor Gpr62 is dispensable for central nervous system myelination.

BACKGROUND: Myelination is a highly regulated process in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) whereby oligodendrocytes wrap axons with multiple layers of insulating myelin in order to allow rapid electrical conduction. Establishing the proper pattern of myelin in neural circuits requires communicative axo-glial interactions, however, the molecular interactions that occur between oligodendrocytes and axons during developmental myelination and myelin maintenance remain to be fully elucidated. Our previous work identified G protein-coupled receptor 62 (Gpr62), an uncharacterized orphan g-protein coupled receptor, as being selectively expressed by mature oligodendrocytes within the CNS, suggesting a potential role in myelination or axoglial interactions. However, no studies to date have assessed the functional requirement for Gpr62 in oligodendrocyte development or CNS myelination. METHODS: To address this, we generated a knockout mouse strain lacking the Gpr62 gene. We assessed CNS myelination during both postnatal development and adulthood using immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and western blot. In addition, we utilized AAV-mediated expression of a tagged Gpr62 in oligodendrocytes to determine the subcellular localization of the protein in vivo. RESULTS: We find that virally expressed Gpr62 protein is selectively expressed on the adaxonal myelin layer, suggestive of a potential role for Gpr62 in axo-myelinic signaling. Nevertheless, Gpr62 knockout mice display normal oligodendrocyte numbers and apparently normal myelination within the CNS during both postnatal development and adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in spite of being well-placed to mediate neuronal-oligodendrocyte communications, Gpr62 is overall dispensable for CNS myelination.

Pharmacogenetic stimulation of neuronal activity increases myelination in an axon-specific manner.

Mounting evidence suggests that neuronal activity influences myelination, potentially allowing for experience-driven modulation of neural circuitry. The degree to which neuronal activity is capable of regulating myelination at the individual axon level is unclear. Here we demonstrate that stimulation of somatosensory axons in the mouse brain increases proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) within the underlying white matter. Stimulated axons display an increased probability of being myelinated compared to neighboring non-stimulated axons, in addition to being ensheathed with thicker myelin. Conversely, attenuating neuronal firing reduces axonal myelination in a selective activity-dependent manner. Our findings reveal that the process of selecting axons for myelination is strongly influenced by the relative activity of individual axons within a population. These observed cellular changes are consistent with the emerging concept that adaptive myelination is a key mechanism for the fine-tuning of neuronal circuitry in the mammalian CNS.

Cellular mechanisms of adaptive myelination: bridging the gap between animal studies and human cognition.

Voelker and colleagues propose that we may illuminate learning-associated phenomena such as generalization by considering white matter plasticity. Consistent with this idea, human neuroimaging studies reveal learning-induced changes in adult white matter. Animal studies reveal that some forms of learning induce, and are dependent on, generation of new oligodendrocytes. Nevertheless, it remains unclear which alterations to myelin structure are most relevant to learning, and humans and rodents may profoundly differ in their capacity for oligodendrogenesis in adulthood. A full understanding of these issues will be critical to appreciating the role of adaptive myelination in human neuroplasticity.