A qualitative study on blood and marrow transplant recipients' perceptions of health professional roles following BMT and preferences for ongoing care.

PURPOSE: Survivors of blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) require life-long follow-up involving both tertiary transplant and primary care services. This paper explores the attitudes and preferences of BMT survivors and their carers regarding the transition from BMT centre care to primary care. METHODS: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with BMT survivors and carers from New South Wales, Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-two BMT survivors and six carers were interviewed. Two themes emerged: (1) 'Relationships with health professionals' and (2) 'Challenges of long-term care'. Participants, particularly rural/regional survivors, had diverse views on the availability of community BMT expertise and identified a range of strategies to optimise care for BMT survivors. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the importance BMT survivors and carers place on their relationships with, and ongoing access to, specialised BMT teams for long-term care. While some are happy to receive community-based care, concerns exist about the capacity of primary care providers, particularly in rural and regional areas. Improved support, communication and coordination between BMT centres and primary care may help facilitate a person-centred, sustainable shared care model. Provider education, use of telehealth and clear delineation of roles and responsibilities may assist in this transition. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: As BMT survivors live longer post-treatment, transitions of care and sustainable long-term care models are needed. A shared care approach, integrating specialised BMT teams and local primary care, may optimise outcomes but requires further development to balance accessibility, preferences, and specialised care needs.

The Navajo Nation Healthy Diné Nation Act: Community Support of a 2% Tax on Unhealthy Foods.

CONTEXT: The Healthy Diné Nation Act (HDNA) of 2014 included a 2% tax on foods of little-to-no-nutritious value ("junk foods") on the Navajo Nation. The law was the first ever in the United States and any Indigenous nation worldwide with a population at a high risk for common nutrition-related conditions. To date, research on community support for food tax legislation among Indigenous nations is entirely lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of support for the HDNA and factors associated with support including sociodemographic variables, knowledge of the HDNA, nutrition intake, and pricing preferences. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: The Navajo Nation. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 234 Navajo Nation community members across 21 communities. OUTCOME MEASURES: The percentage of participants who were supportive of the HDNA. RESULTS: Participants were 97% Navajo, on average middle-aged, 67% reported an income below $25 000 annually, and 69.7% were female. Half of the respondents said they "support" (37.4%) or "strongly support" (13.0%) the tax, while another 35% of people said they were neutral or somewhat supportive; 15% did not support the tax. Participants with higher income ( P = .025) and education ( P = .026) and understanding of the legislation ( P < .001 for "very well" vs "not at all") had increased odds of greater support, as did people who believed that the HDNA would make Navajo people healthier (vs not, P < .001). Age, gender, language, and reported nutrition intake (healthy or unhealthy) were not associated with HDNA support, but participants willing to pay 5% or 12%-15% higher prices for fast food and soda had increased odds of greater support ( P values range from .023 to <.001). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Navajo community members surveyed were moderately supportive of the Navajo Nation tax on unhealthy foods. Higher income and education and understanding of the law were associated with greater support, but nutrition intake was not.

Telehealth's future in Australian primary health care: a qualitative study exploring lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth emerged as a means of safely providing primary healthcare (PHC) consultations. In Australia, changes to telehealth funding led to the reconsideration of the role of telehealth in the ongoing provision of PHC services. AIM: To investigate GPs', registered nurses' (RNs), nurse practitioners' (NPs), and allied health (AH) clinicians perceptions of the sustainability of telehealth in PHC post-pandemic. DESIGN & SETTING: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 33 purposively selected clinicians, including GPs (n = 13), RNs (n = 5), NPs (n = 9), and AH clinicians (n = 6) working in PHC settings across Australia. Participants were drawn from responders to a national survey of PHC providers (n = 217). METHOD: The thematic analysis approach reported by Braun and Clarke was used to analyse the interview data. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed that the perception of providers was represented by the following two themes: lessons learnt; and the sustainability of telehealth. Lessons learnt included the need for rapid adaptation to telehealth, use of technology, and the pandemic being a catalyst for long-term change. The sustainability of telehealth in PHC comprised four subthemes around challenges: the funding model, maintaining patient and provider safety, hybrid service models, and access to support. CONCLUSION: Providers required resilience and flexibility to adapt to telehealth. Funding models must reward providers from an outcome focus, rather than placing limits on telehealth's use. Hybrid approaches to service delivery will best meet the needs of the community but must be accompanied by support and education for PHC professionals.

Telehealth use in Australian primary healthcare during COVID-19: a cross-sectional descriptive survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate Australian primary healthcare professionals' experiences of the rapid upscaling of telehealth during COVID-19. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Two hundred and seventeen general practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals employed in primary healthcare settings across Australia were recruited via social media and professional organisations. METHODS: An online survey was disseminated between December 2020 and March 2021. The survey comprised items about individual demographics, experiences of delivering telehealth consultations, perceived quality of telehealth consultations and future perceptions of telehealth. RESULTS: Telephone was the most widely used method of providing telehealth, with less than 50% of participants using a combination of telephone and video. Key barriers to telehealth use related to the inability to undertake physical examination or physical intervention. Telehealth was perceived to improve access to healthcare for some vulnerable groups and those living in rural settings, but reduced access for people from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Quality of telehealth care was considered mostly or somewhat the same as care provided face-to-face, with actual or perceived negative outcomes related to missed or delayed diagnosis. Overwhelmingly, participants wanted telehealth to continue with guaranteed ongoing funding. Some 43.7% of participants identified the need to further improve telehealth models of care. CONCLUSION: The rapid shift to telehealth has facilitated ongoing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, further work is required to better understand how telehealth can be best harnessed to add value to service delivery in usual care.

Evaluation of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced scale and exploration of coping among primary health care nurses during COVID-19.

AIM: This study aimed to explore primary health care nurses' coping strategies and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) scale. BACKGROUND: Primary health care nurses are experiencing significant COVID-19-related psychological impacts. Beyond understanding the impacts, there is a need to explore coping strategies. METHODS: This online cross-sectional survey was completed by 359 Australian primary health care nurses between October and December 2020. RESULTS: Factor analysis revealed seven factors (support, disengagement and venting, humour, positive reframing, acceptance, substance use and spiritual/religious beliefs) (Cronbach's alpha > .69). There was an association between age, years of nursing and years of primary health care nursing and the factors of 'support', 'disengagement and venting' and 'positive reframing'. Years of experience were also associated with the factor 'humour'. Urban respondents had higher scores for the 'support' factor. CONCLUSIONS: The Brief COPE scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing primary health care nurses' coping. As demographic characteristics impact the coping strategies that nurses use, supports need to be tailored to optimize their impact. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers need to consider the workforce demographics when designing and implementing support strategies. The Brief COPE can identify current coping strategies and inform interventions to build coping capacity.

The impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of care by Australian primary health care nurses.

This qualitative study describes the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of care by Australian primary health care (PHC) nurses. Participants were purposefully recruited following completion of a national survey about PHC nurses' experiences during the pandemic. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted by two experienced researchers and professionally transcribed. The mean duration of interviews was 38.5 min. Thematic analysis revealed three themes about the impact of COVID-19 on PHC nurses' provision of care. These were: workplace adjustments, changes in healthcare delivery and concerns about long-term health impacts of COVID-19. The sudden disruption and de-stabilisation of care delivery was reported as significantly impacting on initial service provision, although participants reported adapting quickly and finding new ways to deliver care. The impact of the pandemic on high risk communities and mental health support needs of clients created additional challenges, although some participants reported positive outcomes such as increased confidence of some clients to provide self-care. There were concerns about the potential long-term health impact on communities due to reduced levels of cancer screening, disrupted management of chronic conditions and reduced opportunistic health assessments. Findings from this study demonstrated how PHC nurses played an important role in the continued provision of PHC by adapting quickly to changed circumstances, adjusting and modifying clinical activities, and by monitoring for future potential negative outcomes from the pandemic. These findings are important for the future management of pandemics and inform the long-term planning of PHC services.

An integrative review of primary health care nurses' mental health knowledge gaps and learning needs.

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the prevalence of mental illness in the community. While specialist mental health nurses have advanced training and skills in mental health care, supporting mental health is a key role for all nurses. As front-line health care professionals, primary health care (PHC) nurses need to be prepared and confident in managing mental health issues. Aim: To critically analyse and synthesise international literature about the knowledge gaps and learning needs of PHC nurses in providing mental health care. Design and methods: An integrative review. The quality of papers was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted into a summary table and analysed using narrative analysis. Data sources: CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science and EBSCO electronic databases were searched between 1999 and 2019. Papers were included if they reported original research which explored mental health education/training of nurses working in PHC. Findings: Of the 652 papers identified, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Four themes were identified: preparedness; addressing knowledge gaps, education programs, and facilitators and barriers. Discussion: Despite increasing integration of physical and mental health management in PHC, there is limited evidence relating to knowledge gaps and skills development of PHC nurses or their preparedness to provide mental health care. Conclusion: Findings from this review, together with the global increase in mental illness in communities arising from COVID-19, highlight the need for PHC nurses to identify their mental health learning needs and engage in education to prepare them to meet rising service demands.

Mental health, safety and support during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study of primary health care nurses.

AIM: The aim of this study is to explore primary health care nurses' mental health, concerns and perceived safety and supports during COVID-19. BACKGROUND: Respiratory pandemics have negative impacts on nurses' wellbeing. While literature is replete with hospital nurses' experiences, there is less exploration of COVID-19 impacts on primary health care nurses. Given the importance of primary health care nurses in the health system, understanding their experiences is vital. METHODS: Three hundred and fifty nine primary health care nurses responded to an online cross-sectional survey. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) was used to measure emotional state. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: DASS-21 scores indicated that 39.6% of participants were experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress. Of those, 41.8% were experiencing symptoms on one scale, 26.9% were experiencing symptoms on two scales and 31.2% were experiencing symptoms across all three scales. Most participants identified that their feelings were related to COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is having a significant impact on primary health care nurses' mental health. Nurse managers need to develop strategies to effectively address nurses' concerns and effectively support them to sustain the workforce during and after the pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Findings from this study can inform the design of effective nurse support programmes to reduce mental health impacts and promote staff wellbeing during the pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on primary health care delivery in Australia.

AIMS: To validate the 'safe and effective staffing tool' and explore the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of Australian primary health care (PHC). DESIGN: A national survey was conducted from October to December 2020. METHODS: The online survey was distributed via social media and professional organisations to PHC nurses. RESULTS: Three-hundred fifty-nine PHC nurses participated. A two-factor solution was found with factors named; 'Perception of quality of care provided' and 'Personal satisfaction with care delivered'. Cronbach's alpha demonstrated good internal consistency for the total scale (α = .915) and each subscale (α = .879/α = .864). Nearly three-quarters of participants (71.3%) were satisfied with the quality of care they delivered. Participants working in general practice, and those with more nursing experience had significantly higher scores in the factor 'perceptions of quality of care provided' and the total 'quality and satisfaction with care'. A lack of time, inadequate supervision and support, and performing non-nursing duties were reported to be impacting care quality. Most participants (80.5%) reported that COVID-19 had impacted negatively on the detection and management of non-COVID related health conditions. CONCLUSION: The 'safe and effective staffing tool' is a valid and reliable measure of perceived quality of care and satisfaction with care delivered. Many PHC nurses perceive that there has been an overall reduction in the quality of care delivered due to COVID-19 and feel that there is a lack of adequate supervision and workplace support. Given the limited baseline data, further research is required to understand the extent that COVID-19 impacts these findings. However, this study demonstrates that strategies need to be implemented to support PHC nurses to provide high-quality care to optimise health outcomes and maintain nurse satisfaction. IMPACT: This is the first attempt to evaluate care quality in Australian PHC. Policymaking requires this evidence to drive changes to better support PHC nurses.

Primary Health Care Nurses' Perceptions of Risk During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 has presented health care professionals with unprecedented challenges. Significant risks have emerged as nurses have continued to work in delivering frontline health care during the pandemic. Feeling "at risk" has significant deleterious effects on nurses. The study sought to explore the perceptions of risk by Australian primary health care nurses (PHC) during COVID-19. METHODS: Twenty-five Australian PHC nurses were purposively recruited from survey respondents who indicated a willingness to be interviewed. Phone interviews were undertaken between June and August 2020. Audio-recordings were transcribed and analyzed thematically. FINDINGS: Participants shared concerns about risks in the workplace that emerged during COVID-19 and described the strategies used to mitigate these identified risks. Three themes were identified: (a) Professional concerns, (b) Personal/family concerns, and (c) Patient needs. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding PHC nurses' perceptions of risk during COVID-19 provides an important insight into how they can be better supported to manage the risks that they face and feel safer in their workplace. Ensuring that PHC nurses are well-supported is important to optimize job satisfaction, reduce burnout and improve patient care. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There is a need to ensure that nurses feel safe during crises such as pandemics to protect both individual nurses and the broader workforce. Protecting the health workforce is essential to optimizing service delivery and promoting health outcomes.

Experiences of Australian primary healthcare nurses in using telehealth during COVID-19: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to explore the experiences of Australian primary healthcare (PHC) nurses in the use of telehealth during COVID-19. Telehealth was defined as the use of any telecommunications mode (eg, telephone and videoconferencing) to deliver healthcare. DESIGN AND SETTING: Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews undertaken in Australian PHC. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five PHC nurses who had participated in a national survey about their experiences during COVID-19 were recruited using purposive sampling. METHODS: Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted from June to August 2020. Interviews lasted a mean of 38.5 min. They were audio-recorded and transcribed before thematic analysis was undertaken. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research were followed. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified: preparedness, accessibility of telehealth, care experience and impacts on the PHC nurses' role. Some nurses were experienced in the use of telehealth, while others indicated a lack of preparation and limited appropriate technology to support its use. Telehealth enabled patients to access care but did not support complex clinical assessment. Participants indicated that patient engagement in telehealth was dependent on access and confidence using technology, perceived safety when physically attending the practice and the value they placed on care via telehealth. Many participants expressed frustration about telehealth funding and its impact on facilitating nurses to practise to their full scope. CONCLUSION: Telehealth has provided a means to continue PHC service delivery during COVID-19. While there are advantages to adopting this technology, considerations of the challenges and lessons from this experience are important to inform the future implementation of telehealth initiatives.

The psychological well-being of primary healthcare nurses during COVID-19: A qualitative study.

AIM: To explore primary healthcare nurses' psychological well-being related to the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants between June and August 2020 who indicated their willingness to participate in an interview following a national survey. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim by professional transcribers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The importance of professional and public support and acknowledgement of the nurses' role during the pandemic positively influenced feelings of being valued. The psychological impact of negative experiences increased anxiety and stress levels. Participants reported a range of self-care strategies, including increased vigilance with infection control at home and work and attention to physical exercise and diet. Most participants remained positive about their roles and career decisions, although some indicated that the negative psychological impacts prompted re-evaluation of their career. CONCLUSIONS: Primary healthcare nurses have been exposed to a range of personal and professional stressors during the pandemic that have impacted their psychological well-being. Awareness of stressors and an understanding of what has helped and what has impacted well-being are important in guiding future workplace support systems. Further work to explore the long-term impact of these stressors and the effectiveness of coping strategies employed by primary healthcare nurses is warranted. IMPACT: Managers and professional organisations need to consider the personal and professional stressors that have impacted on primary healthcare nurses' psychological well-being to promote health and well-being among nurses following COVID-19.

Structured yet simple approaches to primary care data quality improvements can indeed strike gold.

General practice data provide important opportunities for both population health and within-practice initiatives to improve health. Despite its promise, a lack of accuracy affects the use of such data. The Sentinel Practices Data Sourcing (SPDS) project is a structured chronic disease surveillance and data quality improvement strategy in general practice. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate data quality improvement in 99 participating practices over 12 months. Quantitative data were obtained by measuring performance against 10 defined indicators, whereas 48 semi-structured interviews provided qualitative data. Aggregated scores demonstrated improvements in all indicators, ranging from minor to substantially significant improvements. Participants reported positively on levels of support provided, and acquisition of new knowledge and skills relating to data entry and cleansing. This evaluation provides evidence of the effectiveness of a structured approach to improve the quality of primary care data. Investing in this targeted intervention has the potential to create sustained improvements in data quality, which can drive clinical practice improvement.

Understanding perceptions of health, lifestyle risks and chronic disease in middle age.

AIM: The aim of this paper is to explore the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of middle-aged Australians around their health, lifestyle risks and chronic disease. BACKGROUND: Health promotion and risk reduction are important to stem the rising prevalence of chronic disease. While there has been much emphasis on supporting these strategies in older Australians, there has been less attention on those in middle age. However, as this group age, their health will inevitably be impacted by lifestyle risk. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews. Reporting was guided by the COREQ checklist. METHODS: Thirty-four participants aged 40-65 years were recruited across South Eastern New South Wales, Australia, using convenience sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by four registered nurses with qualitative research experience. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen women and 18 men participated in the interviews. Four themes emerged, namely: adopting healthy lifestyles; denial; an impetus for change; and sustaining change. Perceptions about what constituted good health varied, with male participants being more ambivalent about their health. Impetus for change was mostly influenced by family history, awareness of health risks and identification of risks by health professionals. Participants found sustaining change challenging, particularly with regard to smoking cessation and dietary modifications. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the perceptions of health of middle-aged people is important and enables health professionals to engage in early behavioural change conversations that consider perceived barriers to lifestyle modification. Findings from this study emphasise the importance of discussions about lifestyle risk to reduce the future burden of chronic disease. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: These findings illustrate the importance of understanding perceptions of health to guide primary health care nurses to develop person-centred health promotion and chronic disease prevention strategies in this age group.

Exploring job satisfaction and turnover intentions among general practice nurses in an Australian Primary Health Network.

AIM: To explore the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of general practice nurses and examine factors that influence job satisfaction and turnover intention. BACKGROUND: Workforce issues such as satisfaction, retention and turnover intention have been explored in acute care. However, increasingly nurses are being employed outside hospitals. General practice is a significantly different work environment to acute care. Understanding workforce issues in community settings is important for employers, managers and policymakers to sustain and grow this workforce to meet consumer demands. METHOD: A descriptive survey was conducted within a single Primary Health Network in Australia. RESULTS: Having an identified practice nurse leader/manager, feeling that their training and qualifications are used to the full and not feeling isolated, alone or lacking opportunities for mentoring were all significantly correlated with higher job satisfaction. The lowest average satisfaction scores related to pay. 44.9% of participants were unsure whether they would remain working in general practice. The relationship between total job satisfaction and intention to leave was significant. CONCLUSION: These findings guide managers in developing strategies to recruit and retain nurses in general practice employment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Managers must consider factors influencing job satisfaction and turnover intention to maximize recruitment and retention of nurses.

The Experiences of Primary Healthcare Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an international health crisis of a scope not seen in our lifetime. While much attention has been paid to health workers in critical care and acute areas, nurses working outside of hospitals are also significantly affected. This study sought to investigate the experience of nurses working in Australian primary healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, it sought to understand the implications on their employment status, role, and access to personal protective equipment. DESIGN AND METHODS: Nurses employed in primary healthcare across Australia were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey through social media and professional organizations. The survey tool was composed of demographics, and of questions about the nurses' employment, work role, and access to personal protective equipment. FINDINGS: Of the 637 responses received, nearly half (43.7%) reported a decrease in hours and threatened or actual loss of employment. While most respondents felt that they had sufficient knowledge about COVID-19, they expressed concern about work-related risks to themselves and their family. Most respondents described never or only sometimes having sufficient personal protective equipment in their workplace. Just over half of respondents (54.8%) felt well supported by their employer. A third of respondents (34%) perceived that care provided in their workplace was significantly or slightly worse than before the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of primary healthcare nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study findings highlighted a concerning level of insecurity around primary healthcare nursing employment, as well as issues with the availability of personal protective equipment for these nurses. The perception that the pandemic has resulted in reduced quality of care needs further exploration to ensure that those with chronic conditions are supported to maintain and promote health. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding the implications of COVID-19 on the primary healthcare nursing workforce is vital to ensure staff retention and care quality. Ensuring that the community remains healthy and supported at home is vital to both reduce the burden on the health system and reduce secondary mortality.

Middle-aged Australians' perceptions of support to reduce lifestyle risk factors: a qualitative study.

Increasingly, middle-aged people are demonstrating lifestyle risk factors that increase their risk of developing chronic disease. Reducing lifestyle risk in middle age can significantly reduce future morbidity and mortality and improve quality of life. Understanding peoples' perceptions of health support is important to inform health professionals and policymakers regarding strategies to support lifestyle risk reduction. This paper seeks to explore middle-aged Australians' perceptions of support for lifestyle risk reduction. Thirty-four middle-aged Australians were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The overarching theme 'support for healthy lifestyles' comprised three subthemes. 'Engagement with general practice' highlighted gender differences in why people attend and what impacts their access to general practice. 'Providing information' emphasised participants' experiences of lifestyle risk communication in general practice. Finally, 'Sources of support' revealed participants' current health advice-seeking behaviours. Findings highlight a need for general practices to better engage middle-aged people in behaviour change and educate them about the role of general practice in prevention and health promotion. Consistent messaging across the community and strategies that focus on gender-specific concerns are likely to ensure that middle-aged people are able to make informed choices about seeking support for lifestyle risk reduction.

The support needs of Australian primary health care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To identify Australian primary health care nurses' immediate support needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has had widespread implications for primary health care nurses. Supporting these nurses' capacity to deliver quality care ensures that ongoing health needs can be met. METHODS: Primary health care nurses were recruited to an online survey via social media and professional organisations in April 2020. RESULTS: Six-hundred and thirty-seven responses were included in the analysis. Participants provided 1,213 statements about perceived supports required to provide quality clinical care. From these, seven key categories emerged, namely personal protective equipment, communication, funding, industrial issues, self-care, workplace factors and valuing nurses. CONCLUSION: A number of key issues relating to personal health and safety, care quality and job security need to be addressed to support primary health care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing these support issues can assist in retaining nurses and optimizing the role of primary health care nurses during a pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Responding to the needs of primary health care nurses has the potential to facilitate their role in providing community-based health care. This knowledge can guide the provision of support for primary health care nurses during the current pandemic, as well as informing planning for future health crises across the health service.

Experiences of registered nurses in a general practice-based new graduate program: a qualitative study.

Nurses are increasingly needed in primary healthcare settings to support community-based healthcare delivery. Programs to facilitate transition of new graduate nurses are well established in acute care; however, there are few similar programs reported in settings like general practice. This paper sought to explore the experiences of new graduate registered nurses and their registered nurse mentors in a new graduate program within Australian general practice. New graduates (n = 9) and their mentors participated in interviews before, during and at the conclusion of a 12-month new graduate program. Interviews were digitally audio-recorded and professionally transcribed verbatim before being analysed using thematic analysis. Eighteen new graduate and 10 mentor interviews were conducted, revealing four themes. Preparation and Opportunities describes the influence that pre-registration education had on preparing nurses for general practice employment. Exceeding Expectations highlights the positive experiences within the program. Program Challenges draws attention to the difficulties experienced by participants, and Future Career Intentions explores future career plans. This study highlights that a general practice new graduate nurse program has the potential to build the workforce. However, strengthening undergraduate preparation of nurses around primary health care and addressing funding issues in general practice, are important to promote the success of such programs.

Work satisfaction and future career intentions of experienced nurses transitioning to primary health care employment.

AIM: To explore registered nurses' reflections on transitioning from acute to primary health care employment, and future career intentions. BACKGROUND: Reforms in primary health care have resulted in increasing demands for a skilled primary health care nursing workforce. To meet shortfalls, acute care nurses are being recruited to primary health care employment, yet little is known about levels of satisfaction and future career intentions. METHOD: A sequential mixed methods study consisting of a survey and semi-structured interviews with nurses who transition to primary health care. RESULTS: Most reported positive experiences, valuing work/life balance, role diversity and patient/family interactions. Limited orientation and support, loss of acute skills and inequitable remuneration were reported negatively. Many respondents indicated an intention to stay in primary health care (87.3%) and nursing (92.6%) for the foreseeable future, whilst others indicated they may leave primary health care as soon as convenient (29.6%). CONCLUSION: Our findings provide guidance to managers in seeking strategies to recruit and retain nurses in primary health care employment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To maximize recruitment and retention, managers must consider factors influencing job satisfaction amongst transitioning nurses, and the impact that nurses' past experiences may have on future career intentions in primary health care.