Food culture of faith communities and potential impact on childhood obesity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the food culture within faith communities (FC) in order to examine the consumption of away-from-home foods, and to provide an evidence base for the future development of healthy away-from-home meal initiatives though FCs. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A qualitative descriptive design informed by an ethnographic method of free listing was utilized. A purposive sample of 34 FC leaders from seven distinct FCs participated in this study. RESULTS: The top five salience scores for five research questions are considered in detail. Of note, food is provided at multiple FC events including at worship time and Bible or group study, but also as part of school, youth programming, and special events. The purposes of serving food were reported to be not only for modes of entertainment and fellowship but also for promoting attendance and providing basic nutrition needs. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals practicing in public health, faith community nursing, or in community health nursing are apt to engage in focused dialogues regarding the multidimensional health problem of childhood obesity. This research study directs nurses to consider food culture as a dimension of importance, especially within FCs. Appreciating FC food culture is important because many families engage in the settings for years, decades, and possibly a life span.

Guidance for using mixed methods design in nursing practice research.

The mixed methods approach purposefully combines both quantitative and qualitative techniques, enabling a multi-faceted understanding of nursing phenomena. The purpose of this article is to introduce three mixed methods designs (parallel; sequential; conversion) and highlight interpretive processes that occur with the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative findings. Real world examples of research studies conducted by the authors will demonstrate the processes leading to the merger of data. The examples include: research questions; data collection procedures and analysis with a focus on synthesizing findings. Based on experience with mixed methods studied, the authors introduce two synthesis patterns (complementary; contrasting), considering application for practice and implications for research.

Caring Across the Continuum: A Call to Nurse Leaders to Manifest Values Through Action With Community Outreach.

As health reform continues to advance, there is a need for nurse leaders to broaden their perspective related to possible nursing practice models and potential community partners in order to successfully address caring, accomplish the triple aim mandate, and achieve suitable metrics for maximum reimbursement. Intentional efforts must be made by nurse leaders to maximize caring and ensure that professional nurses are responding to the key drivers shifting health care delivery in the 21st century. Academic-practice collaboration (APC) and community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) align well. Together, they provide an ideal mechanism to pursue endeavors that extend evidence for caring services across the health care continuum. One APC/CBPAR model for community outreach that can maximize individual and population health outcomes is highlighted in this article. Furthermore, useful action steps are offered that could be taken by a nurse leader to develop and maintain any form of APC/CBPAR in order to manifest values through caring action across the health care continuum.

Growing Nurse Leaders: Their Perspectives on Nursing Leadership and Today's Practice Environment

With the growing complexity of healthcare practice environments and pending nurse leader retirements, the development of future nurse leaders is increasingly important. This article reports on focus group research conducted with Generation Y nurses prior to their initiating coursework in a Master's Degree program designed to support development of future nurse leaders. Forty-four emerging nurse leaders across three program cohorts participated in this qualitative study conducted to capture perspectives about nursing leaders and leadership. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze and code the data into categories. We discuss the three major categories identified, including: idealistic expectations of leaders, leading in a challenging practice environment, and cautious but optimistic outlook about their own leadership and future, and study limitations. The conclusion offers implications for future nurse leader development. The findings provide important insight into the viewpoints of nurses today about leaders and leadership.

Do Faith Communities Have a Role in Addressing Childhood Obesity?

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric obesity is a multifaceted phenomenon. A partnership with faith-based communities to address the issue has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to describe the cultural beliefs of faith community leaders regarding childhood obesity and to examine attitudes about their role in addressing the issue. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A qualitative descriptive design informed by ethnographic methods and triangulation of multiple data sources was utilized to assess the cultural beliefs of faith community leaders. A purposive sample of 13 leaders (nine females, four males) from seven multicultural and multigenerational local faith communities participated in the study. No more than three participants from any one faith community were enrolled in the study. RESULTS: Twenty-first century lifestyle challenges, accountability of behaviors (a dichotomy that fluctuated between individual responsibility to community and/or social responsibility), and the need for intentionality emerged as themes from the data. CONCLUSIONS: Faith community leaders envisioned a role for faith communities in addressing childhood obesity. Findings support the ongoing development of population based health promotion programs through faith community engagement. The findings provide a foundation for nurses partnering with faith communities on health promotion programs targeting childhood obesity to address family health issues in a holistic way.

Exploration and Description of Faith-Based Health Resources: Findings Inform Advancing Holistic Health Care.

It is important to use all holistic resource opportunities in communities, such as integrative healing centers, and mind-body-spirit approaches to health. These holistic approaches may be realized through nontraditional avenues, such as faith-based resources. This article reports on an exploratory study that describes faith-based resources supporting holistic health in a southeastern region of the United States. A working definition for "faith-based health resources" was "ecumenical and interfaith community-based, open-access health resources that include in mission for service a reference to faith." Excluded from the definition were institutional services from hospitals, focused social services from area agencies, and federally funded services.

Support for caring and resiliency among successful nurse leaders.

Health care practice settings are replete with competing priorities for nurse leaders who are responsible to the staff, the organization, and the patients and their families. In the midst of the competing priorities, there is a mandate for successful nursing leadership that is patient centered. To support the continuance of nurse leader success and avoid discouragement and attrition, a caring and resilient model for leadership may be necessary. This article considers the practices of nurse leaders that support caring, resiliency, and, ultimately, their success. Successful navigation toward patient-centered solutions through the intentional and inextricably linked living caring and resiliency was enhanced with practices of self-care, accountability, and reflection. Within each of the 3 intentional practices, a primary process emerged that revealed how nurse leaders actualize their caring and resiliency. The practices and mutually supportive processes are discussed. Useful questions are provided to guide any nurse leader who is contemplating practices of self-care, accountability, and reflection for supporting caring and resiliency.

Succession planning for the future through an academic-practice partnership: a nursing administration master's program for emerging nurse leaders.

A global nursing leadership shortage is projected by the end of this decade. There is an urgent need to begin developing emerging nurse leaders now. This article describes the work of an academic-practice partnership collaborative of nurse leaders. The goal of the partnership is to develop and promote an innovative enhanced nursing administration master's program targeted to young emerging nurse leaders, who have not yet moved into formal leadership roles. An action research design is being used in program development and evaluation. Qualities needed by emerging leaders identified through research included a need to be politically astute, competency with business skills required of nurse leaders today, comfort with ambiguity, use of a caring approach, and leadership from a posture of innovation. The current curriculum was revised to include clinical immersion with a nurse leader from the first semester in the program, a change from all online to online/hybrid courses, innovative assignments, and a strong mentorship component. Eighteen young emerging nurse leaders began the program in January 2012. Early outcomes are positive. The emerging nurse leaders may be uniquely positioned, given the right skills sets, to be nurse leaders in the new age.

Maximizing caring relationships between nursing assistants and patients: care partners.

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are an integral part of the care team in most hospitals. The chief nursing officer at a community hospital in Florida developed a program of communication, education, and accountability to highlight the role of the CNA as a team member. This easy-to-implement initiative resulted in increased understanding about the CNA role in delivering high-quality patient care and increases in patient satisfaction with responsiveness of staff to call lights.

Sustaining health in faith community nursing practice: emerging processes that support the development of a middle-range theory.

This article reveals processes that support theoretical development for holistic nursing in the context of a faith community. The emerging processes enhance the articulation of the holistically focused practice, add clarity to faith community nursing activities and outcomes, and contribute to theoretical clarification and development. Theoretical clarity is essential to guide faith community nursing practice, research, and education because there is tremendous potential for the specialty practice to contribute to the health of a community across the continuum of caring and because to date there has been no unifying model for this practice proposed. A lack of a theoretical basis can result in disparate and disconnected approaches to studying, testing, and promoting the practice.

Transition support for the newly licensed nurse: a programme that made a difference.

AIM: To describe and evaluate a collaborative programme that supports newly licensed registered nurses (RNs). BACKGROUND: New RN transition is recognized globally as a challenge. Nurse managers desire successful programmes that support transition into professional practice. One community developed and implemented an on-going programme that supported the new RNs transition and leadership development. METHODS: One hundred and nine newly licensed nurses participated in a 10-month programme. Quantitative data were collected and analysed. The present study reports on the evaluation of the programme. RESULTS: Skill acquisition occurred, retention improved, and transition was supported. Leadership development and psychosocial and technical skills sets improved for participants involved with the programme. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The results of the present study suggest that transition support is valuable. Enhanced retention, improved transition and leadership development were noted. Newly licensed RNs gained leadership, patient care and professionalism skills, and were supported with their transition. The results demonstrate that Nurse Managers need to consider opportunities to offer their newly licensed nurses a programme that is targeted for transition support and leadership development.

A methodological review of faith-based health promotion literature: advancing the science to expand delivery of diabetes education to Black Americans.

Non-traditional avenues, such as faith-based organizations (FBOs), must be explored to expand delivery of diabetes self-management education (DSME) to benefit Black Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The purpose of this study was to methodologically review the faith-based health promotion literature relevant to Blacks with T2D. A total of 14 intervention studies were identified for inclusion in the review. These studies detailed features of methods employed to affect health outcomes that DSME similarly targets. Analysis of the faith-based studies' methodological features indicated most studies used (1) collaborative research approaches, (2) pre-experimental designs, (3) similar recruitment and retention strategies, and (4) culturally sensitive, behaviorally oriented interventions with incorporation of social support to achieve positive health outcomes in Black Americans. Findings indicate FBOs may be a promising avenue for delivering DSME to Black Americans. Informed by the findings, a focused discussion on advancing the science of faith-based interventions to expand delivery of DSME to Black Americans with diabetes is provided.

Faith: a concept analysis.

AIM: This paper reports a concept analysis of faith. BACKGROUND: There are numerous scholars who consider spirituality and religiosity as they relate to health and nursing. Faith is often implied as linked to these concepts but deserves distinct exploration. In addition, as nursing practice conducted within communities of faith continues to emerge, concept clarification of faith is warranted. METHOD: Qualitative analysis deliberately considered the concept of faith within the lens of Margaret Newman's health as expanding consciousness. Data sources used included a secondary analysis of stories collected within a study conducted in 2008, two specific reconstructed stories, the identification of attributes noted within these various stories and selected philosophical literature from 1950 to 2009. FINDINGS: A definition was identified from the analysis; faith is an evolving pattern of believing, that grounds and guides authentic living and gives meaning in the present moment of inter-relating. Four key attributes of faith were also identified as focusing on beliefs, foundational meaning for life, living authentically in accordance with beliefs, and interrelating with self, others and/or Divine. CONCLUSION: Although a seemingly universal concept, faith was defined individually. Faith appeared to be broader than spiritual practices and religious ritual and became the very foundation that enabled human beings to make sense of their world and circumstances. More work is needed to understand how faith community nursing can expand the traditional understanding of denominationally defined faith community practices and how nurses can support faith for individuals with whom they encounter within all nursing practice.

Developing the leadership skills of new graduates to influence practice environments: a novice nurse leadership program.

The authors of the recently published Institute of Medicine on the Future of Nursing report emphasized the importance of preparing nurses to lead change to advance health care in the United States. Other scholars linked practice environments to safe quality care. In order for nurses to fully actualize this role in practice environments, they need to possess leadership skills sets that identify and respond to challenges faced. New nurses are no exception. This article presents a program with a 5-year track record that is designed to support transition and enhance the skill sets of leadership for new nurses in their first year of practice. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation measurements at baseline and postprogram provided data for evaluation of the first 4 cohorts in the program. Evaluative outcomes presented indicate that new nurses gained leadership and translational research skills that contributed to their ability to influence practice environments. Nonetheless, practice environments continue to need improvement and ongoing leadership from all levels of nursing must be upheld.

Integrating caring theory with nursing practice and education: connecting with what matters.

Theory-based nursing practice positively influences many outcomes in healthcare organizations. As a response to limited human and economic resources, a college of nursing and a for-profit healthcare organization worked in partnership to develop a project that focused on developing and demonstrating the value of a dedicated education unit grounded in caring theory. The authors describe the development of the project, initial outcomes, and the relevance to nursing administration.

State of research for Faith Community Nursing 2009.

The aim of this paper is to report the current state of research for Faith community Nursing (FCN), reviewing the related research literature dating back to 1993. Over 20 years old, the practice of FCN is a maturing specialty practice that links religious communities and health through professional nursing, but no review of research literature is published. The review of the literature was done utilizing the Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed. The keyword terms selected for search were: faith community nursing, parish nursing, and/or church nursing for the years 1993-2008. The review identifies four major content areas in the FCN research literature: (1) development and implementation of FCN practices; (2) roles and activities of faith community nurses; (3) FCN evaluation and documentation; and (4) congregation perceptions of FCN. Overall, findings indicate the FCN literature documents successful approaches for developing faith community programs, provides descriptive analyses of this specialty practice and perceptions associated with the practice, yet inadequately addresses the relationship of FCN to patient outcomes. To advance the effectiveness for this growing specialty, emphasis must be placed on measuring FCN components and related outcomes with analyses yielding evaluative data on the efficacy of this practice in terms of educational, psychosocial, spiritual, and physiological care.

An Interdisciplinary Framework for Palliative and Hospice Education and Practice.

Leading highly functional health care teams in all practice settings is sustained through the identification of a conceptual framework to guide education and practice. This article presents an interdisciplinary framework for palliative and hospice education and practice. The framework builds on theoretical caring to convey elements of relational, holistic and compassion; articulates interprofessional tenets for guiding values; and aligns with constructs for palliative and hospice best practices. The framework invites those at the bedside and in leadership to be intentional in attending to education and the necessary activities that address the day-to-day operations of palliative and hospice care, as well as, honoring all interdisciplinary collaboration that supports quality outcomes and inspires actions that transform.

The first year of practice: new graduate nurses' transition and learning needs.

Although the phenomenon of reality shock has been acknowledged as part of the new graduate nurse transition for decades, there is evidence to suggest that the problems with the transition into practice are more serious today. This article presents findings about the new graduate nurse transition and learning needs from qualitative research conducted in a community-based novice nurse transition program. The new graduate nurse transition and learning needs are examined through the eyes of new graduates and the nursing leaders and preceptors who work with them. Recommendations are offered for continuing education initiatives that can be designed to meet these needs.

Self-Care for Nurse Leaders in Acute Care Environment Reduces Perceived Stress: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study Merits Further Investigation.

Acute care practice settings are stressful. Nurse leaders face stressful demands of numerous competing priorities. Some nurse leaders experience unmanageable stress, but success requires self-care. This article presents a repeated measures intervention design study using mixed methods to investigate a self-care simple meditation practice for nurse leaders. Themes and subthemes emerged in association with the three data collection points: at baseline (pretest), after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks (posttest) from introduction of the self-care simple meditation practice. An analysis of variance yielded a statistically significant drop in perceived stress at 6 weeks and again at 12 weeks. Conducting future research is merited.

Structured Coaching Programs to Develop Staff.

Health care environments are complex and chaotic, therein challenging patients and professionals to attain satisfaction, well-being, and exceptional outcomes. These chaotic environments increase the stress and burnout of professionals and reduce the likelihood of optimizing success in many dimensions. Coaching is evolving as a professional skill that may influence the optimization of the health care environment. This article reflects on three coaching programs: Gallup Strengths-Based Coaching, Dartmouth Microsystem Coaching, and Health and Wellness Nurse Coaching. Each approach is presented, processes and outcomes are considered, and implications for educators are offered. Continuing education departments may recognize various coaching approaches as opportunities to support staff professionals achieve not only the triple aim, but also the quadruple aim. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(8):373-378.