The use of interprofessional learning and simulation in undergraduate nursing programs to address interprofessional communication and collaboration: An integrative review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To identify how simulation and interprofessional learning are used together in undergraduate nursing programs and undertaken in schools of nursing to address interprofessional communication and collaboration. DESIGN: An integrative literature review. DATA SOURCES: The databases CINAHL, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo and Science Direct were searched to identify articles from 2006 to 2016 that reported on the use of IPL and simulation together in undergraduate nursing education. REVIEW METHOD: Whittemore and Knafl's five step process was used to guide the integrative review of quantitative and qualitative literature. Only peer reviewed articles written in English that addressed undergraduate nursing studies, were included in the review. Articles that did not aim to improve communication and collaboration were excluded. All articles selected were examined to determine their contribution to interprofessional learning and simulation in undergraduate nursing knowledge. RESULTS: The faculties of nursing used interprofessional learning and simulation in undergraduate nursing programs that in some cases were connected to a specific course. A total of nine articles, eight research papers and one narrative report, that focused on collaboration and communication were selected for this review. Studies predominantly used nursing and medical student participants. None of the included studies identified prior student experience with interprofessional learning and simulation. Four key themes were identified: communication, collaboration/teamwork, learning in practice and understanding of roles, and communication. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the identified research relating to the combined teaching strategy of interprofessional learning and simulation that addressed communication and collaboration in undergraduate nursing programs. Further research into the implementation of interprofessional learning and simulation may benefit the emergent challenges. Information drawn from this review can be used in informing education and educational development in the future.

Introducing a design exigency to promote student learning through assessment: A case study.

BACKGROUND: Assessment technologies are often used to classify student and newly qualified nurse performance as 'pass' or 'fail', with little attention to how these decisions are achieved. Examining the design exigencies of classification technologies, such as performance assessment technologies, provides opportunities to explore flexibility and change in the process of using those technologies. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate an established assessment technology for nursing performance as a classification system. METHODS: A case study analysis that is focused on the assessment approach and a priori design exigencies of performance assessment technology, in this case the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016. FINDINGS: Nurse assessors are required to draw upon their expertise to judge performance, but that judgement is described as a source of bias, creating confusion. The definition of satisfactory performance is 'ready to enter practice'. To pass, the performance on each criterion must be at least satisfactory, indicating to the student that no further improvement is required. The Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 does not have a third 'other' category, which is usually found in classification systems. DISCUSSION: Introducing a 'not yet competent' category and creating a two-part, mixed methods assessment process can improve the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 assessment technology. Using a standards approach in the first part, judgement is valued and can generate learning opportunities across a program. Using a measurement approach in the second part, student performance can be 'not yet competent' but still meet criteria for year level performance and a graded pass. CONCLUSION: Subjecting the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 assessment technology to analysis as a classification system provides opportunities for innovation in design. This design innovation has the potential to support students who move between programs and clinicians who assess students from different universities.

Social media used as a health intervention in adolescent health: A systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents are known to be high users of social media, and social media is beginning to be used in health care. The primary objective of this review was to determine the current state of play on the use of social media as a health intervention in addressing the health of adolescents. METHODS: Six databases were searched: CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, ProQuest, Psych Info and Science Direct, from 2000-2013. The review process followed PRISMA guidelines with quality assessments of the selected articles undertaken. RESULTS: Three studies used social media as a health intervention in adolescent health. Facebook was the social media of choice. The way this social media tool was incorporated as the intervention varied. None of the social media interventions had a significant or sustained impact on the primary outcomes of the studies reviewed. Measures of social media process were limited and lacked meaning. CONCLUSIONS: The selected papers provided insight into the beginning phase of using social media as a health intervention to address adolescent health. The review highlights three important areas for consideration when undertaking research on the use of social media as a health intervention for adolescents: the newness of using social media as a health intervention, the importance of the use of rigorous methodological processes when using social media as a health intervention, and the need to develop further knowledge on adolescents' use of social media, in particular their hidden world of social media.