Professional identity and preparedness for hospital practice among undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Professional identity is a crucial characteristic that undergraduate nursing students must possess to ensure effective and safe clinical practice. It has been identified as a factor influencing nursing student retention and their intention to remain in the nursing profession. However, the influential factors that impact the development of professional identity among nursing students currently are not well known. OBJECTIVES: To identify factors determining professional identity among undergraduate nursing students and to confirm the relationship between nursing students' professional identity and their preparedness for hospital practice. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: The largest public nursing college in Oman. PARTICIPANTS: 180 full-time undergraduate nursing students in their third and fourth years who had completed at least one clinical course. METHODS: Students completed validated, self-administered paper questionnaires through convenience sampling, including professional identity and preparedness for hospital practice scales. RESULTS: The mean total score for professional identity was 63.3 (SD = 10.5), indicating a moderate level of professional identity. The findings showed a low level of preparedness for hospital practice among nursing students, with, a mean total score of 165.8 out of 246 (SD = 30.4). We found a significant positive association between professional identity and preparedness for hospital practice (r = 0.43, p < 0.001), the number of clinical courses taken (r = 0.15, p = 0.041), enrolment in fourth-year clinical courses (H (4) = 19.9, p = 0.001), grade (H (3) = 7.8, p = 0.049) and the selection of nursing profession as the first choice (H (3) = 28.0, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study has implications for identifying students with lower readiness for hospital practice and providing them with the necessary training. Nursing educators should prioritize reinforcing professional identity among students who have chosen nursing as a secondary option or have a lower grade. This can be achieved by promoting a positive nursing image and fostering a supportive clinical learning environment.

Knowledge, attitudes and acceptance toward Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination: Perspectives of Muslim women and men.

OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading risk factor for the development of anogenital cancers. Most Arab countries lack both HPV education and national HPV vaccination programs. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance toward HPV vaccination in men and women from Oman, a country in the Middle Eastern North Africa region. METHODS: This cross-sectional quantitative study used convenience sampling to recruit male and female participants, aged 18 years and above from all 11 governorates of Oman to complete a validated self-administered questionnaire online in the Arabic language. The questionnaire comprised five sections, with a total of 32 questions. The questionnaire, including Arabic and English versions, was content validated and piloted. RESULTS: A total of 1403 participants, including 952 parents and 369 healthcare providers, completed the survey. The results showed a lack of knowledge regarding HPV infection and vaccines, including among healthcare providers. Less than a quarter of the participants had heard of HPV infection, with digital sources of information being the most common. Factors such as being a woman or a healthcare provider or completing higher levels of education were independently and significantly positively association with HPV awareness (p < 0.001). The majority of the participants lacked vaccine safety knowledge, had concerns about the vaccine's side effects, and sought reassurance of its protection against HPV infection (62%, 71.5%, and 84.6%, respectively). Nevertheless, nearly two-thirds of the participants agreed to take the HPV vaccine, with support for both boys and girls being vaccinated. There was almost universal agreement among the participants regarding the need for parental and adolescent HPV educational programs. CONCLUSION: Omani women and men showed a high level of acceptance and favorable attitude toward HPV vaccination. The study findings support future efforts to implement school and public-level HPV education and a national HPV vaccination program in Oman.

Incidence, Associated Factors, and Outcome of Delirium among Patients Admitted to ICUs in Oman.

Background: The incidence of delirium is high up to 46.3% among patients admitted to ICU. Delirium is linked to negative patient outcomes like increased duration of mechanical ventilation use, prolonged ICU stay, increased mortality rate, and healthcare costs. Despite the importance of delirium and its consequences that are significant, there is a scarcity of studies which explored delirium in Oman. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the incidence of delirium, the association between the selected predisposing factors and precipitating factors with delirium, determine the predicators of delirium, and evaluate its impacts on ICU mortality and ICU length of stay among ICU patients in Oman. Methods: A multicenter prospective observational design was used. A total of 153 patients were assessed two-times a day by bedside ICU nurses through the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). Results: The results revealed that the delirium incidence was 26.1%. Regression analysis showed that sepsis, metabolic acidosis, nasogastric tube use, and APACHE II score were independent predictors for delirium among ICU patients in Oman and delirium had significant impacts on ICU length of stay and mortality rate. Conclusion: Delirium is common among ICU patients and it is associated with negative consequences. Multidisciplinary prevention strategies should be implemented to identify and treat the modifiable risk factors.

Predictors of health-related quality of life in patients with non-communicable diseases: A national cross-section study.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 74% of global deaths and contributed to significant disabilities, worsening health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In NCDs, poor medication adherence, social support, patient-physician relationship, and health literacy decrease HRQoL. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of literature examining the predictors of HRQoL among patients with different types of NCDs. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), including health literacy, social support, patient-physician relationship, and medication adherence, among patients with NCDs. METHODS: This national cross-sectional study used a correlational design and included 800 Omani participants with six NCDs. Self-reported questionnaires were used to measure HRQoL, health literacy, patient-physician relationship, social support, and medication adherence. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine predictors of HRQoL. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 56 years (SD = 15.60). The results revealed that more medication adherence was linked to better physical and role functioning (ß = 0.08, p = .017, ß = 0.07, p = .021, respectively) and mental health (ß = 0.19, p = .000). Social support was independent predictor of physical (ß = 0.19, p = .000), social (ß = 0.09, p = .009), role (ß = 0.07, p = .029) and mental (ß = 0.30, p = .000) functioning. Patients with good health literacy had better social (ß = 0.51, p = .001) and role (ß = 0.10, p = .011) functioning. CONCLUSION: This study holds implications for future efforts to implement interventions improving HRQoL. The study suggested that health literacy, social support and medication adherence are significant predictors, positively influencing physical functioning, social functioning, role functioning, and mental health dimensions of HRQoL among patients with NCDs.

Experiences of Arab male nursing students during high fidelity maternity simulation training.

BACKGROUND: In Arab countries, many nursing schools rely heavily on simulation-based activities to provide experiential learning to male students with regard to maternal and child care; however, no study has been conducted to explore their experiences with such simulation training. AIM: To describe the experiences of male nursing students who were exposed to high-fidelity simulation training related to maternity and child care. METHODS: Husserl's approach to phenomenology guided this study, through the use of a structured interview with 15 Arab male nursing students. A thematic analysis technique served as a framework for the data analysis. FINDINGS: Thematic analysis revealed four essential themes: gained competency; compensation for missed clinical experience; overcoming of cultural or religious barriers; and challenges related to the use of simulation technologies. CONCLUSIONS: High-fidelity simulation can be a viable option to clinical training for enhancing Arab male nursing student competencies when providing maternal and child nursing care, which are often not available in the clinical area or are considered to be off limits due to cultural or religious reasons.