Efficacy of a theoretical and practical programme to newly hired nursing personnel in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A pilot study.

AIMS: (1) to design a training programme for newly hired nursing personnel and (2) to determine self-perception and perceived stress before and after the theoretical and practical parts of the programme with high fidelity simulation activities. METHODS: A pilot quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study without control group conducted in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit from October 2018 to April 2019 was conducted. A newly hired nursing personnel training programme was first designed and delivered. Later, the participants' self-perception was assessed, as well as their perceived stress and grade of satisfaction using two different Likert scales. RESULTS: A total of 20 newly hired nurses participated in the study, 90% (n = 18) were female with a median age of 25.5 ± 4.53 years. Higher scores were obtained in participants' self-perception before and after the theoretical training. Lower significant median scores of the participants' stress perception were found (6.9 ± 1.57 versus 5.6 ± 1.794). In the practical part of the programme, we obtained higher scores in all items, as well as lower median scores in stress perception (6.4 ± 1.73 versus 5.6 ± 1.93). CONCLUSIONS: A theoretical and practical programme for newly hired nursing personnel in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit improved participants' self-perception and reduced their perceived median scores in stress levels.

Eficacia de un plan de acogida teórico-práctico dirigido a profesionales de enfermería de nueva incorporación en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátrica: estudio piloto / Efficacy of a theoretical and practical programme to newly hired nursing personnel in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: a pilot study

Objetivos: Diseñar un plan formativo de acogida a enfermeras/os de nueva incorporación y 2) determinar la autopercepción y el estrés percibido antes y después de la realización de la parte teórica y práctica con simulación de alta fidelidad. Método: Se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto de diseño cuasiexperimental tipo pretest-postest sin grupo control en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (UCIP), de octubre de 2018 a abril de 2019. En primer lugar, se diseñó un plan formativo teórico y práctico que se impartió a todo el personal de nueva incorporación de la unidad. Posteriormente, se evaluó la autopercepción personal, el estrés percibido y el grado de satisfacción mediante dos escalas tipo Likert. Resultados: Participaron en el estudio un total de 20 enfermeras/os de nueva incorporación, el 90% (n = 18) eran del sexo femenino, con una edad media de 25,5 ± 4,53 años. Al comparar los datos obtenidos pre y post formación teórica con relación a la autopercepción personal se constató un aumento de puntuación en todos los ítems. A la vez, se objetivaron puntuaciones medias menores de estrés (6,9 ± 1,57 vs. los 5,6 ± 1,79). En la parte práctica se obtuvo también un aumento de las puntuaciones, así como una tendencia a la disminución de las puntuaciones medias globales de estrés percibido (6,4 ± 1,73 vs. 5,6 ± 1,93). Conclusiones: Un plan de acogida teórico-práctico mediante simulación clínica (SC) impartido a enfermeras/os de nueva incorporación de una UCIP mejoró su autopercepción sobre el nivel de conocimientos y disminuyó las puntuaciones medias de estrés.(AU)

Aims: to design a training programme for newly hired nursing personnel and (2) to determine self-perception and perceived stress before and after the theoretical and practical parts of the programme with high fidelity simulation activities. Methods: A pilot quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study without control group conducted in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit from October 2018 to April 2019 was conducted. A newly hired nursing personnel training programme was first designed and delivered. Later, the participants’ self-perception was assessed, as well as their perceived stress and grade of satisfaction using two different Likert scales. Results: A total of 20 newly hired nurses participated in the study, 90% (n = 18) were female with a median age of 25.5 ± 4.53 years. Higher scores were obtained in participants’ self-perception before and after the theoretical training. Lower significant median scores of the participants’ stress perception were found (6.9 ± 1.57 versus 5.6 ± 1.79). In the practical part of the programme, we obtained higher scores in all items, as well as lower median scores in stress perception (6.4 ± 1.73 versus 5.6 ± 1.93). Conclusions: A theoretical and practical programme for newly hired nursing personnel in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit improved participants’ self-perception and reduced their perceived median scores in stress levels.(AU)

Brain angiogenic gene expression in fetuses with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess potential differences in the expression of antiangiogenic and angiogenic factors and of genes associated with chronic hypoxia in cerebral tissue of euploid fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) vs those without. METHODS: Cerebral tissue was obtained from 15 fetuses with CHD and 12 control fetuses that had undergone termination of pregnancy. Expression profiles of the antiangiogenic factor soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), the angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF), and of genes associated with chronic hypoxia were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction in tissue from the frontal cortex and the basal ganglia of the fetuses. RESULTS: Expression of sFlt-1 was 48% higher in the frontal cortex (P = 0.0431) and 72% higher in the basal ganglia (P = 0.0369) of CHD fetuses compared with controls. The expression of VEGF-A was 60% higher (P = 0.0432) and that of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha was 98% higher (P = 0.0456) in the basal ganglia of CHD fetuses compared with controls. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in the expression of PlGF and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha. CONCLUSION: An overall dysregulation of angiogenesis with a net balance towards an antiangiogenic environment was observed in the cerebral tissue of fetuses with CHD, suggesting that these fetuses may have an intrinsic angiogenic impairment that could contribute to impaired brain perfusion and abnormal neurological development later in life. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.