The experiences and perceptions of rural and remote nurses who provide care to pregnant women in the absence of midwives.

INTRODUCTION: Maternity unit closures in rural and remote settings of Australia have left a substantial gap in services for pregnant women. In the absence of midwives, and when women are unable to attend a maternity facility, registered nurses (RNs) are required to fill the void. While maternity education can attempt to prepare RNs for such encounters, there is little documented to suggest it meets all their physical and psychological needs. The existing challenges for health professionals, practising a vast generalist scope of practice while living and working in a rural and remote location, have been well researched and documented. How nurses feel about the expectation that they work outside their scope of practice to provide maternity care in a rural and remote setting in Australia has not been asked until now. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of RNs who find themselves in this situation. METHODS: The study utilised a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology to examine the experiences and perceptions of rural and remote nurses providing care for pregnant women. RNs working in rural and remote health facilities that had no maternity services were recruited by a purposive sampling method. Semistructured conversational interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was guided by van Manen's analytical approach. RESULTS: Eight nurses participated, and from the data three themes, each with several subthemes, emerged: 'being-in-the-world of the rural and remote nurse' - described how participants viewed rural and remote nursing as an entity with unchangeable aspects that could not be considered in isolation; 'scope of practice - unprepared or underprepared' described how, despite their existing and extensive nursing skills, participants felt ill-equipped theoretically, practically and mentally to care for pregnant women; 'moral distress' - participants expanded their feelings of unpreparedness to include inadequacy, fear, and appropriateness of care delivery. DISCUSSION: The realism of rural and remote nursing practice demonstrates that at some point in their career, rural and remote nurses will care for a labouring and/or pregnant woman at high risk for complications. Participants in this study appeared open and honest in their interviews, displaying pride at their extensive nursing skills and job satisfaction. However, they were unanimous in their discussions of what being a nurse and providing maternity care in a rural and remote setting meant to themselves and to pregnant women. They suggested care was fragmented and inadequate from a workforce that is inadequately prepared and stressed. CONCLUSION: This study has highlighted another concerning aspect of rural and remote midwifery care - the experiences and perceptions of eight nurses delivering care that has previously been overlooked. The united voice of the RNs in this study warrants a platform to speak from and deserves acknowledgement and attention from government and midwifery policy drivers. These nurses, and the women receiving their care, deserve more.

The threshold of rural placement frequency and duration: A repeated cross-sectional study examining rural career aspirations among student nurses.

AIM: This study aimed to explore what changes rural placement had on the perceptions of nursing students and the impact of placement frequency and duration on student considerations for rural practice. BACKGROUND: A strong rural healthcare workforce is a global concern and has led countries to look for creative ways to address this challenge. One approach is to train more health professionals, however, nursing students who grew up or lived in metropolitan or urbanised areas are suggested to be less inclined to pursue a rural career. As such it is posited that recurrent exposure to rural settings may exert a positive impact on future intention for rural practice. However, there is a need to explore the specific thresholds related to both the frequency and duration of rural placement exposure, as well as the cumulative impact multiple rural placements may have on the intention to engage in rural practice. DESIGN: A repeated cross-sectional design. METHODS: All nursing students from an Australian regional university were invited to complete an online questionnaire between 2019 and 2023. Demographic and placement specific questions were included. A modified version of the Nursing Community Apgar tool also measured the importance of key variables in rural career decision-making. Data were analysed using independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVAs. Significance was determined at two-tailed p≤.05. RESULTS: Among the 835 respondents (response rate 15.4%), the average number and duration of rural placements was 2.45 placements and 3.01 weeks respectively. Rural placements did not have an impact on students who resided rurally or regionally. However, among metropolitan students who had experienced more than three rural placements, or more than sixteen cumulative weeks of placement, were significantly more likely to consider rural employment. Greater number of rural placements and longer cumulative duration had the greatest impact. CONCLUSION: Issues related to the nursing rural workforce are dynamic and complex. Understanding the unique drivers that improve the rural experiences among students, particularly metropolitan students, can have an impact on decision-making to pursue employment in rural environments. Importantly, whilst professional and clinical motivation and experiences are influential factors, the socialisation, environment and community features are essential elements that influence students' decisions to pursue a career in rural practice. Undertaking a nuanced approach that facilitates rural practice understanding among students may help shape future employment decision-making.

Nurse Navigators - Champions of the National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework: A solution.

INTRODUCTION: Nurse Navigators were introduced in Queensland, Australia, in 2016. Nurse Navigators coordinate person-centred care, create partnerships, improve care coordination and outcomes and facilitate system improvement, independently of hospital or community models. They navigate across all aspects of hospital and social services, liaising, negotiating and connecting care as needed. People stay with Nurse Navigators for as long as required, though the intent is to transition them from high-care needs to self-management. Nurse Navigators are a working model in rural and remote areas of Queensland. OBJECTIVE: To describe where the rural and remote Nurse Navigator position fits within the Rural Remote Nursing Generalist Framework and to define the depth and breadth of the rural and remote Nurse Navigator's scope of practice. DESIGN: Using template analysis, data from focus groups and interviews were analysed against the domains of the recently released National Rural and Remote Nursing Generalist Framework. Navigators working in rural and remote areas across Queensland Health were invited to an interview (n = 4) or focus group (n = 9), conducted between October 2019 and August 2020. FINDINGS: Rural and remote Nurse Navigators are proficient in all domains of the framework and actively champion for their patients, carers and the communities where they live and work. DISCUSSION: This research demonstrates that rural and remote Nurse Navigators are a working model of advanced nursing practice, acting as 'champions' of The Framework. CONCLUSION: The Nurse Navigator model of care introduced to Queensland exemplifies proficient registered nurse practice to the full extent of their knowledge and skill.

Examining the roles of rural nurses in resuscitation care: An ethnographic study.

INTRODUCTION: Rural nurses play a vital role in the provision of resuscitation care, as first responders and often the sole healthcare professionals delivering timely interventions with greater role autonomy and extended scope of practice. Whilst there is a developing body of literature describing the 'generalist' roles of rural nurses when providing care in acute care settings, little is known about the roles rural nurses assume during a resuscitation. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the role/s that rural nurses enact when delivering resuscitative care to their rural community. DESIGN/METHODS: An ethnographic methodology was used across two rural hospital sites in Australia, involving non-participant observation and interviews. RESULTS: Reflexive thematic analysis led to three themes that described the resuscitative roles of rural nurses: Senior and junior nurse, formal and informal leadership roles, multiple roles. CONCLUSION: This study has placed a spotlight on rural nurse's capacity to be adaptive in a dynamic and highly variable resuscitative environment. Building leadership capacity should be a rural nursing workforce strategy, aimed at supporting the unique roles that rural nurses undertake when working with various external teams during resuscitations.

Impacto del confinamiento domiciliario por COVID-19 en población con diabetes tipo 2 de una zona rural / Impact of home confinement due to COVID-19 in the population with Type 2 diabetes of a rural area

Objetivo: determinar el impacto del confinamiento domiciliario por la pandemia de COVID-19 sobre el control de la hemoglobina glicosilada (Hb1Ac) y el riesgo cardiovascular de personas diabéticas residentes en una zona rural de Cataluña, así como su autopercepción del control de la enfermedad.Método: estudio descriptivo longitudinal retrospectivo con personas diagnosticadas de DM2 usuarias de los servicios de Atención Primaria del Institut Català de la Salut, en el área rural del Ripollés (Cataluña, España). Se recogieron datos de la historia clínica sobre: Hb1Ac, riesgo cardiovascular (según la ecuación Framingham-REGICOR), edad, sexo, tabaquismo, tensión arterial, peso, índice de masa corporal y variables bioquímicas; tanto antes como después del confinamiento y se compararon. Además, se les administró un cuestionario ad hoc sobre salud autopercibida.Resultados: participaron N= 233 personas con una edad media de 69,8 (DE: 10) años, mayoritariamente hombres (56,2%) y no fumadores (90,3%). El 46,3% tenía un buen control de Hb1Ac preconfinamiento que aumentó al 48,1% (p= 0,555). No se detectaron diferencias significativas entre el promedio de HbA1c antes (7,26; DE: 1,17) y después (7,28; DE:1,23) del confinamiento. La mayoría de los participantes tenía un riesgo cardiovascular medio (51,4%) o alto (25,7%) y aumentó 0,11 puntos posconfinamiento (p= 0,307). El 18% de los encuestados (N= 42) percibió un empeoramiento del control de la DM2 tras el confinamiento, principalmente debido al sedentarismo (42,8%) y a cambios en la dieta (21,4%).Conclusiones: el confinamiento no generó impacto en los niveles de Hb1Ac en el riesgo cardiovascular, ni en la autopercepción del manejo de la DM2 de los pacientes con diabetes de un área rural.(AU)

Objective: to determine the impact of home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the control of glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) and cardiovascular risk in diabetic persons living in a rural area of Catalonia, as well as their self-perception of disease controlMethod: a descriptive longitudinal retrospective study with persons diagnosed with T2D and users of the Primary Care services of the Institut Català de la Salut, in the rural area of Ripollés (Catalonia, Spain). Data were collected from clinical records about: Hb1Ac, cardiovascular risk (according to the Framingham-REGICOR equation), age, gender, smoking, blood pressure, weight, body mass index and biochemical variables, both before and after lockdown; and they were compared. Besides, an ad hoc questionnaire on self-perceived health was administered.Results: the study included N= 233 persons with a mean age of 69.8 (SD: 10) years, mostly male (56.2%) and non-smoking (90.3%). Of these, 46.3% had good control of their Hb1Ac before the confinement, which increased to 48.1% (p= 0.555). No significant differences were detected between the average HbA1c before (7.26; SD: 1.17) and after the confinement (7.28; SD:1.23). The majority of participants had medium (51.4%) or high cardiovascular risk (25.7%), and this increased by 0.11 points post-confinement (p= 0.307). There was a perception of worsening in their T2D after the confinement by 18% of participants (N= 42), mainly due to sedentarism (42.8%) and changes in their diet (21.4%).Conclusions: lockdown did not generate any impact on Hb1Ac levels in cardiovascular risk, or in the self-perception of T2D management of patients with diabetes in a rural area.(AU)

Addressing the challenges of early career rural nursing to improve job satisfaction and retention: Strategies new nurses think would help.

AIMS: To (a) explore the experiences of early career registered nurses in rural hospitals in Australia and (b) identify strategies they believe would help increase job satisfaction and retention. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive design. METHODS: Thirteen registered nurses located in outer regional, remote or very remote (herein 'rural') Australian hospitals participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants had graduated from a Bachelor of Nursing program in 2018-2020. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and an essentialist, bottom-up approach. RESULTS: Seven themes related to the experiences of rural early career nursing: (1) appreciate diverse scope of practice; (2) rewarding sense of community and opportunity to give back; (3) staff support determines the quality of experience; (4) feeling underprepared and the need for ongoing education; (5) diverse views on the optimal length of rotation and level of input into choice of clinical area; (6) difficulty maintaining work/life balance due to work hours and rostering; and (7) lack of staff and resources. Strategies to improve nurses' experiences included: (1) assistance with accommodation and transport; (2) social gatherings to enhance connection; (3) sufficient orientation and supernumerary time; (4) increased frequency of contact with clinical facilitators and multiple mentors; (5) prioritizing clinical education across diverse topics; (6) greater involvement in choice of rotations and clinical areas; and (7) desire for more flexible work hours and rostering. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the experiences of rural nurses and explored their suggestions for how to overcome challenges in their roles. Greater consideration of early career registered nurses' needs and preferences is vital to improving and maintaining a satisfied, dedicated and sustainable rural nursing workforce. IMPACT: Many of the strategies for improving job retention identified by nurses in this study could be actioned at a local level, with little financial or time investment. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution.

The impact of rural nursing and midwifery clinical placements from the perspective of health service staff.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of providing nursing and midwifery student placements from the perspective of regional, rural and remote health service staff involved in hosting students. SETTING: Hospital and health services across regional, rural and remote southern Queensland. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six nursing and midwifery staff working in clinical and/or management roles who were direct clinical supervisors of students or in leadership positions with responsibility for overseeing and supporting clinical placements. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews exploring the experiences and perspectives of nursing and midwifery health service staff who support student placements. Data were subject to thematic analysis. RESULTS: Five key themes were identified as follows: (a) bringing new ideas and perspectives, (b) opportunities for development, (c) supporting the future rural workforce (d) impacts on workload and productivity and (e) strategies for balancing supervision. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that there are a range of perceived benefits and challenges of providing nursing and midwifery student placements within regional, rural and remote settings. The findings also indicate that there are opportunities to further support rural health services to optimise the positive impacts and mitigate the challenges of providing placements. To do so requires collaboration between health services and education providers to allocate students appropriately to health services and support health service staff.

Fall risk management using clinical decision support in a rural nursing-led primary care practice.

BACKGROUND: The leading cause of injuries among older adults in the United States is unintentional falls. The American Geriatrics Society/British Geriatrics Society promote fall risk management in primary care; however, this is challenging in low-resource settings. LOCAL PROBLEM: Archer Family Health Care (AFHC), an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)-managed and federally designated rural health clinic, identified a care gap with falls adherence to guidelines for patients at higher risk for falls. METHODS: The aim of this quality improvement effort was to integrate an evidence-based fall risk management tool in a rural nurse-managed primary care practice. A standardized fall risk management process with a new brief paper-based clinical decision support (CDS) tool was developed and tested in two phases. INTERVENTION: Phase 1 focused on developing a fall risk management CDS tool, identifying the primary care visit workflow, communicating the workflow patterns to the AFHC staff, and collaborating with the staff to identify when and who should implement the tool. Phase 2 focused on implementation of the fall risk management CDS tool into standard practice among older adults aged 65 years and older. RESULTS: We found that integrating the tool did not disrupt the workflow of primary care visits at AFHC. The most common recommended intervention for patients at risk of falling was daily vitamin D supplementation. CONCLUSION: This project revealed that it is feasible to introduce a brief fall risk management decision support tool in an APRN-managed rural primary care practice.

Building a rural workforce through identifying supports for rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students: A systematic scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: There is a long-standing undersupply of nursing and allied health professionals in rural Australia. Rural, mature-aged people form an untapped section of rural communities that could help to address these workforce needs. There is little understanding of the supports required to assist rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students to complete their studies and enter the rural health workforce. OBJECTIVE: To scope factors influencing rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students' ability to access, participate, and succeed in higher education. DESIGN: A scoping review of the international rural nursing and allied health and education literature was undertaken. Five databases (CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, Education Resources Information Center [ERIC], Embase, and Education Research Complete), key peer-reviewed journals, and Australian grey literature were searched. FINDINGS: Fourteen articles were included in the review. Ten studies described rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health student characteristics, 6 described barriers to students participating and succeeding in higher education, and 4 described student supports. DISCUSSION: This review found limited evidence to guide higher education providers in attracting, supporting and retaining rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students. In particular, evidence of student supports is required beyond those manifested by students themselves or their family, to include offerings from university and government sources. CONCLUSION: Substantially more research attention is needed to understand the experiences of rural, mature-aged nursing and allied health students, and supports required for this cohort to access, participate and successfully complete higher education.

Profesionalización de Enfermería Rural, circulación de saberes y políticas estatales de salud en La Araucanía-Chile, años 1970-1990 / Profissionalização da Enfermagem Rural, circulação do conhecimento e políticas estaduais de saúde em La Araucanía-Chile, 1970-1990 / Rural Nursing professionalization, knowledge circulation and state health policies in the Araucania region-Chile, 1970-1990

Con el objetivo de develar la profesionalización de la enfermería rural, sus saberes y las políticas de salud en la Región de La Araucanía-Chile, años 1970-1990, se realiza una investigación histórica, descriptiva. Se trabaja historia oral, incluyendo 8 enfermeras y un enfermero. Los datos se analizan por codificación en base a criterio temático. Se trabaja rigor con triangulación por investigador y criterios de Guba y Lincoln. Se respetan los principios éticos de Ezekiel Emanuel. Como resultado surgen las metacategorías: Ejercicio profesional de enfermería rural marcado por necesidades sociales, Dualidad del ejercicio profesional, Formación de auxiliares rurales-capacitación, Liderazgo en programas de salud y Transformación de las condiciones de vida personal. Se concluye que los enfermeros desempeñaron su rol del cuidado de la salud, con abnegación y sacrificio, con destacada vocación en base a las necesidades enfrentadas, debiendo adaptarse a la ruralidad, viviendo realidades complejas en un entorno de pobreza y vulnerabilidad social, desarrollándose personal y profesionalmente.(AU)

Aiming to reveal the rural nursing professionalization, knowledge circulation and statehealth policies in the Araucania region in Chile, from 1970 to 1990, a historical, descriptiveinvestigation is carried out. Oral history is worked, including 9 nurses through snowball sampling.The data are analysed by coding based on thematic criteria. Rigor is worked by researchertriangulation and Guba and Lincoln criteria. Ezekiel Emanuel's ethical principles are respected. Asa result, the following metacategories emerge: Professional rural nursing practice marked by socialneeds, Professional practice duality, Rural assistants training, Health programs leadership andPersonal living conditions transformation. It is concluded that nurses performed their role as healthcare managers with abnegation and prominent vocation based on the needs they faced, adaptingthemselves to rurality, living complex realities in an environment of poverty and socialvulnerability, thus, developing personally and professionally.(AU)

Com o objetivo de desvelar a profissionalização da enfermagem rural, seus conhecimentose políticas de saúde na região de La Araucanía-Chile, 1970-1990, é realizada uma investigaçãohistórica, descritiva. A história oral é trabalhada, incluindo 8 enfermeiros e um enfermeiro. Osdados são analisados por codificação com base em critérios temáticos. Trabalhamos rigorosamentecom a triangulação pelo pesquisador e pelos critérios de Guba e Lincoln. Os princípios éticos deEzequiel Emanuel são respeitados. Como resultado, emergem as metacategorias: Práticaprofissional de enfermagem rural marcada por necessidades sociais, Dualidade de práticaprofissional, Capacitação de auxiliares rurais, Liderança em programas de saúde e Transformaçãodas condições de vida pessoal. Conclui-se que os enfermeiros desempenharam seu papel naatenção à saúde, com auto-sacrifício e sacrifício, com uma vocação destacada com base nasnecessidades enfrentadas, tendo que se adaptar à ruralidade, vivendo realidades complexas em umambiente de pobreza e vulnerabilidade social, desenvolvendo pessoal e profissionalmente.(AU)

Experiences of Western Australian rural nursing graduates: A mixed method analysis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the current rural graduate programmes in Western Australia adequately support new graduate nurses transitioning into practice. BACKGROUND: Graduate nurse's transition to employment is a time of significant change and challenge, often resulting in periods of transition shock. These challenges are magnified in rural areas where graduates have to relocate to commence their career with limited rural nursing experience. Graduate programmes were developed to smooth the transition for university trained bachelor's degree registered nurses into the workforce. Supportive graduate nursing programmes are essential for enabling transition to practice and reduce attrition rates. DESIGN: Longitudinal convergent mixed method parallel design was informed by Duchscher's transition stage model. METHOD: Thematic analysis was applied to all interviews. COREQ checklist was completed. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse the survey responses. RESULTS: New graduates cycled through both transition shock and honeymoon periods on commencement of employment, reporting high levels of satisfaction in simultaneity with signs of transition shock. Satisfaction dropped within 7 months indicating a transition crisis before an adjustment period occurred at the end of their graduate year. Limited resources were highlighted as obstacles to providing adequate support to rural graduate nurses. CONCLUSION: The honeymoon stage of transition co-existed with transition shock at the commencement of graduate programmes, which may obscure the need for continuing adequate support. Inadequate and/or a lack of preceptorship was evident throughout the Western Australian rural graduate programmes. Graduate programmes need to be structured but flexible to allow for individual differences in graduates' and clinical contexts. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Structured but flexible graduate programmes allow for individual differences in graduates and clinical situations. New graduate nurses would benefit from a break midway through their graduate year to assist and overcome the transition crisis stage. Education of nurses undertaking the preceptor role is required to deliver adequate support to graduate nurses and decrease transition shock.

Testing telediagnostic obstetric ultrasound in Peru: a new horizon in expanding access to prenatal ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: Ninety-four percent of all maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and the majority are preventable. Access to quality Obstetric ultrasound can identify some complications leading to maternal and neonatal/perinatal mortality or morbidity and may allow timely referral to higher-resource centers. However, there are significant global inequalities in access to imaging and many challenges to deploying ultrasound to rural areas. In this study, we tested a novel, innovative Obstetric telediagnostic ultrasound system in which the imaging acquisitions are obtained by an operator without prior ultrasound experience using simple scan protocols based only on external body landmarks and uploaded using low-bandwidth internet for asynchronous remote interpretation by an off-site specialist. METHODS: This is a single-center pilot study. A nurse and care technician underwent 8 h of training on the telediagnostic system. Subsequently, 126 patients (68 second trimester and 58 third trimester) were recruited at a health center in Lima, Peru and scanned by these ultrasound-naïve operators. The imaging acquisitions were uploaded by the telemedicine platform and interpreted remotely in the United States. Comparison of telediagnostic imaging was made to a concurrently performed standard of care ultrasound obtained and interpreted by an experienced attending radiologist. Cohen's Kappa was used to test agreement between categorical variables. Intraclass correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used to test agreement between continuous variables. RESULTS: Obstetric ultrasound telediagnosis showed excellent agreement with standard of care ultrasound allowing the identification of number of fetuses (100% agreement), fetal presentation (95.8% agreement, κ =0.78 (p < 0.0001)), placental location (85.6% agreement, κ =0.74 (p < 0.0001)), and assessment of normal/abnormal amniotic fluid volume (99.2% agreement) with sensitivity and specificity > 95% for all variables. Intraclass correlation was good or excellent for all fetal biometric measurements (0.81-0.95). The majority (88.5%) of second trimester ultrasound exam biometry measurements produced dating within 14 days of standard of care ultrasound. CONCLUSION: This Obstetric ultrasound telediagnostic system is a promising means to increase access to diagnostic Obstetric ultrasound in low-resource settings. The telediagnostic system demonstrated excellent agreement with standard of care ultrasound. Fetal biometric measurements were acceptable for use in the detection of gross discrepancies in fetal size requiring further follow up.

The Practice of Home Visiting by Community Health Nurses as a Primary Healthcare Intervention in a Low-Income Rural Setting: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Home visit is an integral component of Ghana's PHC delivery system. It is preventive and promotes health practice where health professionals render care to clients in their own environment and provide appropriate healthcare needs and social support services. This study describes the home visit practices in a rural district in the Volta Region of Ghana. Methodology. This descriptive cross-sectional study used 375 households and 11 community health nurses in the Adaklu district. Multistage sampling techniques were used to select 10 communities and study respondents using probability sampling methods. A pretested self-designed questionnaire and an interview guide for household members and community health nurses, respectively, were used for data collection. Quantitative data collected were coded, cleaned, and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences into descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analysed using the NVivo software. Thematic analysis was engaged that embraces three interrelated stages, namely, data reduction, data display, and data conclusion. RESULTS: Home visit is a routine responsibility of all CHNs. The factors that influence home visiting were community members' education and attitude, supervision challenges, lack of incentives and lack of basic logistics, uncooperative attitude, community inaccessibility, financial constraint, and limited number of staff. Household members (62.3%) indicated that health workers did not adequately attend to minor ailments as 78% benefited from the service and wished more activities could be added to the home visiting package (24.5%). CONCLUSION: There should be tailored training of CHNs on home visits skills so that they could expand the scope of services that can be provided. Also, community-based health workers such as community health volunteers, traditional birth attendants, and community clinic attendants can also be trained to identify and address health problems in the homes.

Point-of-Care Haematology Analyser Quality Assurance Programme: a rural nursing perspective.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Rural health services without an onsite laboratory lack timely access to haematology results. Set in New Zealand's far north, this paper provides a rural nursing perspective on how a health service remote from a laboratory introduced a haematology analyser suitable for point-of-care use and established the associated quality assurance programme. ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEM Five broad areas were identified that could impact on successful implementation of the haematology analyser: quality control, staff training, physical resources, costs, and human resource requirements. RESULTS Quality control testing, staff training and operating the haematology analyser was more time intensive than anticipated. Finding adequate physical space for placement and operation of the analyser was challenging and costs per patient tests were higher than predicted due to low volumes of testing. STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVEMENT Through a collaborative team approach, a modified quality assurance programme was agreed on with the supplier and regional point-of-care testing co-ordinator, resulting in a reduced cost per test. The supplier provided dedicated hours of staff training. Allocated time was assigned to run point-of-care testing quality assurance. LESSONS Having access to laboratory tests can reduce inequalities for rural patients, but natural enthusiasm to introduce new point-of-care technologies and devices needs to be tempered by a thorough consideration of the realities on the ground. Quality assurance programmes need to fit the locality while being overseen and supported by laboratory staff knowledgeable in point-of-care testing requirements. Associated costs need to be sustainable in both human and physical resources.

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.

Conscientious objection to medical assistance in dying in rural/remote nursing.

In 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada legalized medical assistance in dying in Canada. Similar to jurisdictions where this has been a more long-standing option for end-of-life care, the Supreme Court's decision in Canada included a caveat that no healthcare provider could be compelled to participate in medical assistance in dying. The Canadian Nurses Association, in alignment with numerous ethical guidelines for healthcare providers around the globe, maintains that nurses may opt out of participation in medical assistance in dying if they conscientiously object to this procedure. The realities of implementing medical assistance in dying are still unfolding. One area that has received little attention in the literature thus far is the ability of nurses who aid with, rather than administer, medical assistance in dying to conscientiously object. This is particularly significant in rural and remote areas of Canada where geographic dispersion and limited numbers of nursing staff create conditions that limit the ability to transfer care or call on a designated team. Exercising conscientious objection to medical assistance in dying in rural and remote areas, by way of policies developed with an urban focus, is one example of how the needs of rural nurses and patients may not be met, leading to issues of patient access to medical assistance in dying and retention of nursing staff. To illustrate the complexities of nurses' conscientious objection to medical assistance in dying in a rural setting, we apply an ethical decision-making framework to a hypothetical case scenario and discuss the potential consequences and implications for future policy. Realizing that conscientious objection may not be a viable option in a rural or remote context has implications for not only medical assistance in dying, but other ethically sensitive healthcare services as well. These considerations have implications for policy in other jurisdictions allowing or considering medically assisted deaths, as well as other rural and remote areas where nurses may face ethical dilemmas.

Nursing interfaces in rural care: an integrative review / Interfaces de enfermería en la atención rural: una revisión integradora / Interfaces da enfermagem no cuidado rural: revisão integrativa

ABSTRACT Objective: to know the issues in evidence in rural nursing. Method: a six-stage integrative review. Data was collected from May to July 2017, in the SciELO, CUIDEN, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, with "Rural nursing" as descriptor. The analysis used was qualitative with the construction of subsets and topics. Results: of the 30 articles analyzed, 32% addressed professional training; 25% collective health-related practices; 12% hospital care; 10% job satisfaction; 7% were dedicated to telehealth and 3% of the studies addressed the following topics: nurses' recruitment and permanence in rural areas, continuing education, and professional practice in urgency and emergency regulation centers. Conclusion: working in rural areas demands that nurses face particularities such as isolation, difficulty of access, diverse socioeconomic conditions and specific epidemiological profiles, which influence the professional practice, making it a challenge.

RESUMEN Objetivo: conocer los temas en evidencia en la enfermería en el territorio rural. Método: revisión integradora compuesta por seis etapas. Los datos se recolectaron de mayo a junio de2017 en las bases de datos SciELO, CUIDEN, PubMed y ScienceDirect, con el siguiente descriptor: "Rural nursing". El análisis empleado fue el cualitativo con la elaboración de subconjuntos y temas. Resultados: de los 30 artículos analizados, el 32% abordaron la formación profesional; el 25%, acciones relacionadas con la salud colectiva; el 12%, la atención hospitalaria; el 10%, la satisfacción en el trabajo; el 7% estaban dedicados a la telesalud y el 3% de los estudios trataron dos temas: reclutamiento y permanencia de las enfermeras en el Espacio rural, educación permanente y desempeño profesional en la central de regulación de urgencias y emergencias. Conclusión: para desempeñarse profesionalmente en el territorio rural, una enfermera debe hacer frente a diversas particularidades como el aislamiento, la dificultad de acceso, condiciones socioeconómicas diversas y perfiles epidemiológicos específicos, que influyen sobre la práctica profesional, factores que la convierten en un desafío.

RESUMO Objetivo: conhecer os temas em evidência na enfermagem no território rural. Método: revisão integrativa composta por seis etapas. Os dados foram coletados no período de maio a julho de 2017, nas bases SciELO, CUIDEN, PubMed, ScienceDirect, com o descritor "Rural nursing". A análise utilizada foi qualitativa com a construção de subconjuntos e tópicos. Resultados: dos 30 artigos analisados 32% abordavam a formação profissional; 25% ações relacionadas a saúde coletiva; 12% assistência hospitalar; 10% a satisfação no trabalho; 7% dedicaram a telessaúde e 3% dos estudos trataram dos temas: recrutamento e permanência das Enfermeiras no Espaço rural, educação permanente e a atuação profissional em central de regulação de urgência e emergência. Conclusão: a atuação no território rural demanda à enfermeira enfrentar particularidades como isolamento, dificuldade de acesso, condições socioeconômicas diversas e perfis epidemiológicos específicos, que influenciam a prática profissional, o que a torna um desafio.