PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE AMONG NURSES IN MALAYSIA.

Background: Nurses' knowledge, skills and competencies are paramount for their preparedness to respond to emergency situations. This paper aims to test the psychometric properties and to determine the factor structure of the Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) among nurses in Malaysia. Methods: There were 418 nurses in Sabah, Malaysia participated in this study. Besides, EPIQ, The Nurse Assessment of Readiness scale and the self-regulation scale were used to the validity of EPIQ. Results: The study revealed that the nine dimensions of EPIQ demonstrated very good reliability and construct validity. All the items showed good intercorrelation. The result of Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a 3-factor solution model of EPIQ. The first factor was recategorized into four sub-factor due to the large number of the items loaded in this factor. Conclusions: The findings revealed that the EPIQ has strong psychometric properties. This scale can be used to measure nurses' preparedness in managing the emergency event in Malaysia.

The effect of work setting and demographic factors on caring behaviour among nurses in the public hospitals and public health services, Sabah, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: The nursing profession's uniqueness contributes to the development of knowledge, experience, age, education, economy, and position, as well as a unique gender role. Thus, the development and advancement of demographic characteristics of nurses while in this profession influences their caring behavior. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of work setting and demographic factors on nurses' caring behaviour, as well as the differences in nurses' caring behaviour based on demographic factors between nurses in public hospitals and nurses in public health services in Sabah, Malaysia. METHODS: This research is a cross-sectional study using the survey method. Data were collected from 3,532 nurses (88.3% response rate) in public hospitals and public health services within Sabah, Malaysia. Data were analysed using two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The two-way ANOVA test revealed no significant impact of the work setting on CB, nor was there a notable interaction between the work setting and demographic factors influencing nurses' CB. However, demographic factors such as gender, age, education, economic status, position, and experience had a significant effect on CB. CONCLUSION: The present research has provided convergent evidence on the effect of demographic factors on nurses caring behavior and the differences in caring behavior based on demographic factors among nurses in public hospitals and public health services in Sabah, Malaysia.

Do Contextual and Demographic Factors Help Malaysian Nurses Prepare in Dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic?

As of 11 October 2020, Sabah comprised a quarter of all COVID19 cases reported in Malaysia since the start of the pandemic last January 2020. In this pandemic, nurses serve in vital roles to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. This study aims to explore the nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 outbreak situation in Sabah, Malaysia, examining the contextual (e.g., participated in an actual major disaster event) and demographic factors (e.g., age and working experience that may influence nurses' preparedness for managing the COVID-19 pandemic). A total of 317 nurses in Sabah, Malaysia were involved in this study. The Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire (EPIQ) contained 41 items and was used to assess civilian nurses' perceived familiarity with 9 competency dimensions of preparedness. The mean scores of nurses' preparedness indicated a moderate level of nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 pandemic (mean ranging from 2.89 to 3.79). The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the nurses who actively participate in an actual major disaster event and who were not active in a total of preparedness and all dimensions (t = 2.79, df = 285, p = 0.006) (except in familiarity with decontamination and familiarity with special populations), across working experience (F(2,291) = 5.09, p = 0.007) (except familiarity with Incident Command System and role), and age among nurses ((F(3,290) = 2.68, p = 0.047)) (total of preparedness, familiarity with ethical issues in triage, epidemiology, and surveillance, and psychological issues). Overall, this study has made a significant theoretical contribution, as well as in clinical implications in the field of nursing practice, by addressing the impact of contextual and demographic factors on nurses' preparedness in managing the COVID-19 outbreak situation. This study will help nurses to understand the skills, abilities, knowledge, and actions needed to respond, mitigate, and prepare for emergencies during pandemics and disasters.

The Impact of Working Environment on Nurses' Caring Behavior in Sabah, Malaysia.

Aims: This study aims to investigate 5 types of work environment influencing nurses' caring behavior, namely (i) participation in hospital affairs, (ii) foundations for quality of care, (iii) manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses, (iv) staffing and resource adequacy, and (v) nurse-physician relations. Design: This research is a cross-sectional study using the survey method. Methods: Data were collected from 3,532 nurses working in public hospitals and health clinics within Sabah, Malaysia in 2015. The hypothesized model was evaluated using partial least squares method. Results: The findings reveal that all forms of work environment have a positive effect on nurses' caring behavior except for staffing and resource adequacy which shows a negative effect on caring behavior. Conclusion: Overall, this study has added to theoretical contributions in the academic and research fields as well as in practical implications in the field of nursing practice by addressing the influence of work environments on caring behavior. Implications for Nursing Management: The present research has provided convergent evidence on the role of the working environment in influencing the behavior of nurses working in hospitals and health clinics in Sabah, Malaysia.

The role of debridement in wound bed preparation in chronic wound: A narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the types of wound debridement and update the available scientific consensus on the effect of wound debridement. METHODS: The articles were searched through CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Medline database for relevant articles on all types of wound debridement. Articles included were all systematic review on the effectiveness of wound debridement-related outcome, published within the year 2017 until Aug 2021, in English. RESULTS: A total of seven scientific articles had been selected for review out of 318 screened. The authors reviewed a total of 318 titles and abstracts related to wound debridement effectiveness. Seven articles that were selected were narratively reviewed by two authors. The findings of the review were organized into autolytic, enzymatic, sharp, surgical, biological, and mechanical debridement methods and includes the advantages and disadvantages of each. The author further explored on the role of wound debridement according to wound bed preparation model. Articles were synthesized and organized based on the authors, year, total studies included in the systematic review, study range of year, total sample, debridement method, wound types, and findings. CONCLUSION: Maggot debridement therapy showed a consistent finding in terms of effectiveness in debriding chronic wounds. The newer debridement method includes hydro-surgery, low-frequency ultrasonic and enzymatic collagenase debridement were getting more attention due to faster wound bed preparation and less painful. However, these newer method of debridements showed inconclusive findings and the patient safety was not clearly defined. A higher level of review is warranted in the future study.

Nurses' Preparedness, Readiness, and Anxiety in Managing COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nurses' preparedness has been very important for them to treat patients effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic and serve the community. Nurses provide a vital role in mitigating the effects of health crises. In order to help nurses better understand their skills, abilities, and knowledge, as well as the actions that they should take to manage care, the research aims of this study are to (1) investigate the level of preparedness, readiness, and anxiety among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak in Sabah, Malaysia; (2) examine the effects of various differences in preparedness and readiness among nurses; and (3) examine the effect of COVID-19 preparedness on anxiety among nurses. The results revealed that the nurses were moderately competent in managing the COVID-19 care situation. Each of the 3 differentiating characteristics (age, work experience, and previous disaster experience) did not predict how nurses would manage COVID-19 preparedness significantly. Besides, we also found only 2 dimensions of preparedness (familiarity with epidemiology and surveillance and familiarity with psychological issues) significantly predicted nurses' anxiety levels. Familiarity with epidemiology and surveillance predicted nurses' anxiety positively; in contrast, familiarity with psychological issues negatively influenced nurses' anxiety.