Predictors of quality of life in older adult patients in Lebanon: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The older adult population in Lebanon is anticipated to double by year 2030. The health care resources available for the geriatric population is limited and there is much reliance on the social support of family caregivers. Older adults have double the rate of hospital utilization in comparison to the regular Lebanese population where 4.5% are hospitalized more than once per year. This study aims to describe self-reported quality of life (QoL) among hospitalized patients "with palliative care needs" and investigate the relationship with its four health domains. METHODS: An observational survey design with a convenience sample of 203 hospitalized patients with palliative care needs above 65 years of age were recruited from three hospitals. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to describe and determine the association between health domains and QoL. RESULTS: Mean age of participants was 78.5 years with the majority being male and married. Participants reported low overall QoL with a mean score of 35.43 (SD =23.45). Anxiety and depression were common findings. "Worrying" (83%), "Feeling nervous" (80%), "Feeling sad" (76%) were dominant psychological symptoms. Low scores were also observed for physical, role and social functioning. Participants suffered from lack of energy (94%), pain (72%), difficulty sleeping (73%) and shortness of breath (64%). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that QoL in the aging Lebanese population is burdened with physical and psychological symptoms. A comprehensive approach that attends to the psychosocial as well as the physical problems in older adults with early integration of symptom management and palliation could improve QoL.

Pediatric palliative care through the eyes of healthcare professionals, parents and communities: a narrative review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pediatric palliative care is a holistic approach that aims to enhance the quality of life of seriously ill children and their families. Despite the documented benefits, many barriers challenge early integration of such care. The lack of knowledge and negative attitudes and beliefs toward pediatric palliative care are often cited among these barriers. This narrative review aims to summarize the existing literature regarding knowledge, attitudes and beliefs toward pediatric palliative care among healthcare professionals, parents and communities. METHODS: Four databases were searched: Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Complete. The search strategy combined Medical Subject Headings, terms and keywords using Boolean operators to retrieve references addressing each concept of interest within the English literature. The initial search was conducted in August 2020 and updated in August 2021. No date limits were set. Two independent authors screened the retrieved papers for eligibility. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: The majority of the 60 retrieved articles (n=49, 82%) were derived from high-income countries, with almost half of them from the United States. The references from developing countries were scattered across continents. The perspectives of healthcare professionals were more extensively explored compared to parents and community samples. Reports describe confusion between pediatric palliative care and end-of-life care. Yet, a positive attitude toward pediatric palliative care prevails whenever respondents possess accurate information about such care.

Capacity building in nurse educators in a Global Leadership Mentoring Community.

Globally, nurse educators participate in the three main role activities of teaching, scholarship, and service. Matching for different global locations and career stages, 12 mentor-mentee pairs completed a one-year coordinated virtual program through Sigma Theta Tau International's Global Leadership Mentoring Community and mentees reported building their nurse educator capacities. The authors describe factors that potentially influence international mentoring such as language, time, technology, and key characteristics of mentoring relationships. Growth in educator roles occurred in the contexts of the culture of academe itself and Boyer's definitions of scholarship. Consistent with Sigma's vision statement, nurse educators have a global presence and responsibility to prepare competent nurses who can advance the health of the world's people. Readers may benefit for future planning of mentoring activities to build capacities in nurse educator roles through international interactions.

Nursing faculty teaching a module in clinical skills to medical students: a Lebanese experience.

Nursing faculty teaching medical students a module in clinical skills is a relatively new trend. Collaboration in education among medical and nursing professions can improve students' performance in clinical skills and consequently positively impact the quality of care delivery. In 2011, the Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Balamand, Beirut, Lebanon, launched a module in clinical skills as part of clinical skills teaching to first-year medical students. The module is prepared and delivered by nursing faculty in a laboratory setting. It consists of informative lectures as well as hands-on clinical practice. The clinical competencies taught are hand-washing, medication administration, intravenous initiation and removal, and nasogastric tube insertion and removal. Around sixty-five medical students attend this module every year. A Likert scale-based questionnaire is used to evaluate their experience. Medical students agree that the module provides adequate opportunities to enhance clinical skills and knowledge and favor cross-professional education between nursing and medical disciplines. Most of the respondents report that this experience prepares them better for clinical rotations while increasing their confidence and decreasing anxiety level. Medical students highly appreciate the nursing faculties' expertise and perceive them as knowledgeable and resourceful. Nursing faculty participating in medical students' skills teaching is well perceived, has a positive impact, and shows nurses are proficient teachers to medical students. Cross professional education is an attractive model when it comes to teaching clinical skills in medical school.