Associations between nurse characteristics, institutional characteristics and perceived nurse knowledge and self-efficacy of reporting suspected child abuse and neglect.

AIM: To determine the association between nurse and institutional characteristics and perceived professional nurse knowledge and self-efficacy of reporting child abuse and neglect. DESIGN: A sample of N = 166 nurses were recruited to respond to the Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (RSCAN) survey. METHODS: A multiple linear regression examined whether nurse characteristics and institutional characteristics were associated with the two RSCAN survey domain scores. RESULTS: Perceived knowledge of a workplace child abuse and neglect protocol was associated with the knowledge subscale. Education and child abuse and neglect expertise were significant predictors of the self-efficacy subscale. Nurses with a master's or higher degree and those who identified as being either forensic, paediatric or Emergency Department nurses, had less perceived institutional barriers to self-efficacy of reporting child abuse and neglect. CONCLUSION: This study provides a preliminary insight into the institutional barriers and facilitators of nurses as child abuse and neglect mandated reporters. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: To encourage innovative education and collaborations to support nurses as fully informed child abuse and neglect mandated reporters. IMPACT: This research identifies the gaps and facilitators of nurses as child abuse and neglect mandated reporters to inform healthcare professionals and academic institutions on the importance of nurse education and experience in nurse knowledge and self-efficacy in reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. REPORTING METHODS: The authors of this study have adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines: STROBE. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There is no patient or public contribution as the study only looked at nurses.

Professional Identity in Nursing Scale 2.0: A national study of nurses' professional identity and psychometric properties.

BACKGROUND: Professional identity is a relatively new concept in the nursing and health care literature. Using the definition of Professional Identity in Nursing (PIN) as its main construct, the authors developed and tested the second iteration of the Professional Identity in Nursing Scale (PINS 2.0) used to measure PIN from two perspectives, self and environment. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PINS 2.0. METHODS: To assess psychometric validity and reliability, a split-sample analysis was conducted. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on one half of the sample (n = 322) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the other half of the sample (n = 312). Descriptive statistics were also performed and analyzed. RESULTS: According to the EFA pattern of parameter coefficients and CFA fit statistics (PINS-self: χ2(399) =1059.495, p < .001, CFI = 0.934, RMSEA = 0.072, SRMR = 0.032; PINS-environment: χ2(399) =929.019, p < .001, CFI = 0.946, RMSEA = 0.065, SRMR = 0.029), the PINS 2.0 shows adequate psychometric properties for measuring the concept of PIN with the following 4 constructs: 1) values and ethics, 2) knowledge, 3) leadership, and 4) professional comportment. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were: PINS 2.0-self = 0.97 and PINS 2.0-environment =0.98. CONCLUSION: We further advance the assessment of the psychometric properties of the PINS 2.0 to measure PIN from the perspective of self and environment.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the reporting suspected child abuse and neglect (RSCAN) scale for United States registered nurses.

PURPOSE: In the United States (US), nurses have a mandated duty to report child abuse and neglect (CAN). Despite comprising the highest proportion of the US healthcare workforce, limited research has explored the institutional barriers they face in reporting suspected CAN. Furthermore, there is no existing valid and reliable measure of reporting relevant to US. The purpose of this research is to develop and psychometrically evaluate a scale to measure nurse knowledge and self-efficacy as CAN mandated reporters. DESIGN AND METHODS: The Reporting Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (RSCAN) tool was developed from two existing international tools to examine institutional barriers and facilitators to US nurses' professional knowledge and reporting of CAN. A convenience sample of one hundred and sixty-six US nurses primarily from the Pacific Northwest responded to an online survey. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's α were used to examine validity and internal consistency, respectively, of an initial 16-item scale. RESULTS: A two-factor model consisting of eight items indicated good model fit (CFI = 0.986, RMSEA = 0.049, and SRMR = 0.028) and was internally consistent (Cronbach's α = 0.822). CONCLUSION: RSCAN is the first US instrument to reliably measure nurses' professional knowledge and self-efficacy of reporting suspected CAN. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Future research can build upon these findings to recognize and support nurses in their mandated role to report CAN.

"It's Like Your Whole Body Hates You": Experiences of Withdrawal, Distress, and Barriers to Relief Among Adults Receiving Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder.

ABSTRACT: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted concurrent with a larger study investigating the effects of hyperbaric oxygen treatment on withdrawal symptoms for adults receiving daily methadone for opioid use disorder. The aims of this study were to (a) evaluate the perceptions of withdrawal symptoms and sleep characteristics of study participants and (b) explore the experiences of participation in the parent trial of hyperbaric oxygen treatment.Adults with opioid use disorder can experience distressing symptoms related to withdrawal as well as co-occurring symptoms; sleep impairment is frequently reported. Few studies have examined how adults who receive medication for opioid use disorder experience sleep. A preliminary study of adults receiving daily methadone found that withdrawal symptoms were improved after hyperbaric oxygen treatment. This study explores the narrative of opioid users who report their overall experiences with withdrawal and sleep as well as their experiences of hyperbaric therapy.A convenience sample of six participants was recruited, who represented a small subgroup of participants who completed the larger hyperbaric treatment study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis guidelines proposed by Schreier (2012). All participants described poor overall sleep hygiene and disturbed sleep. More than half of the respondents reported improved or eliminated withdrawal symptoms, and all reported improvement in sleep quality after participation in the sleep study.This companion study confirms that subjective sleep disturbance may be prevalent for adults with opioid use disorder. Participants felt the experience of hyperbaric oxygen treatment produced a positive effect on sleep.

"Permission to Touch": Nurses' Perspectives of Interpersonal Contact during Patient Care.

The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' perceptions about the use of interpersonal touch in their clinical practice. A qualitative descriptive approach with content analysis method was used to identify common themes. Registered nurses (N = 22) participated in focus groups and individual interviews. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) touch and massage as a resource, (b) individualized boundaries, and (c) professional role conflict. While the approach to touch varied, stories about the positive impacts that touch can have on patient care were consistently evident throughout the data. Implications for practice include incorporating areas from the themes into the development of educational programs focusing on how to integrate touch into practice as a comforting resource, while keeping individual's preferences in mind.

National Study of Nursing Faculty and Administrators' Perceptions of Professional Identity in Nursing.

BACKGROUND: Establishing a professional identity in nursing is integral to professional development, yet this area of inquiry remains understudied. PURPOSE: This segment of a multiphased national study measured nursing faculty's perceived level of importance regarding key components of professional identity in nursing using the newly developed Professional Identity in Nursing Survey (PINS). METHODS: Fifty subject matter experts from nursing education, practice, and regulation utilized the DeVellis scale development process to develop the PINS over the course of 2 years. Nearly 1200 nurse educators evaluated the importance of a 34-item scale relating to professional identity in nursing. RESULTS: At endorsement of 95% or greater, 28 items were found to be important components of nursing identity. Effective communication, integrity, and being trustworthy and respectful were reported as most important to nursing identity. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse educators identified the important items to assess professional identity in nursing. Item refinement and psychometric evaluation of the survey are the next phase of the multiphased study.

Registered Nurses' Experiences Taking Breaks on Night Shift: A Qualitative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue mitigation strategies among night shift workers can include deliberate use of restful work breaks, taking naps, and consuming caffeine. However, nurses have frequently reported missing break opportunities, and the rationale for missed breaks remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to describe and interpret the lived experience of hospital night shift nurses taking breaks and the meaning of this phenomenon as it relates to the workplace. METHODS: Registered nurses (n = 16) from a U.S. community hospital were interviewed about how they took rest breaks during their shift. Data were analyzed with methods consistent to interpretive phenomenology. FINDINGS: Identified themes about the breaks included (a) breaks are a time to eat, (b) breaks are inconsistently supported by unit-level structures and processes, and (c) breaks are a luxury, not a right. CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: Nurses in this study reported an absence of consistent and restorative breaks. Organizations should analyze gaps within systems and processes to optimize a consistent, restorative nature of the break experience among nurses working night shift.

National Study on Faculty and Administrators' Perceptions of Civility and Incivility in Nursing Education.

BACKGROUND: Incivility among nursing faculty and administrators lowers morale, damages relationships, and threatens workplace health and productivity. PURPOSE: This national study examined nursing faculty and administrators' perceptions of civility and incivility in nursing education, ways to address the problem, and psychometric properties of the Workplace Incivility/Civility Survey (WICS). METHODS: A convergent mixed-methodological study was used to conduct the study. A factor analysis and other reliability analyses were conducted on the WICS. RESULTS: Respondents included 1074 faculty and administrators who identified types and frequency of incivility, severity and contributors to the problem, reasons for avoiding incivility, and strategies to improve civility. Eight themes of uncivil behaviors were garnered. The WICS was shown to be a psychometrically sound instrument to measure civility and incivility. CONCLUSION: This study reported faculty and administrators' perceptions of civility and incivility in nursing education and provided evidence-based strategies to prevent and address the problem.

Professional identity and hospital-based registered nurses: A phenomenological study.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses continue to struggle to define their role as professionals in the hospital-setting often being represented in media as less competent than other health care providers. Paradoxically, an annual poll of the public consistently identifies nursing as the most trusted profession. This dichotomy of simultaneously being considered incompetent yet holding a high level of trust leads nurses to question their own professional identity. A gap exists in the literature about the professional identity of nurses who work directly with patients in the hospital environment. METHODOLOGY: Therefore, the aim of this interpretive phenomenology study was to describe the lived experience of nurses working with patients in the hospital environment and the meaning of this phenomenon as it relates to their professional identity. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: (a) being validated as an expert by providers within the healthcare system; (b) working well as a valued member of a team; (c) advocating for the patient's needs despite opposition; and (d) Valuing human-ness in the patient. IMPLICATIONS: The findings provide a deeper representation of the practice of hospital-based nurses and implications for Anchornurses to be empowered in their workplace.