State responses to COVID-19: Potential benefits of continuing full practice authority for primary care nurse practitioners.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state governments removed the scope of practice restrictions on nurse practitioners (NPs), allowing them to deliver care to patients without restrictions. PURPOSE: To support policy makers' efforts to grant full practice authority to NPs beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, this manuscript summarizes the existing evidence on the benefits of permanently removing state-level scope of practice barriers and outline recommendations for policy, practice, and research. METHODS: We have conducted a thorough review of the existing literature. FINDINGS: NP full scope of practice improves access and quality of care and leads to better patient outcomes. It also has the potential to reduce health care cost. DISCUSSION: The changes to support full practice authority enacted to address COVID-19 are temporary. NP full practice authority could be part of a longer-term plan to address healthcare inequities and deficiencies rather than merely a crisis measure.

Evidence for a new paradigm of the ministry of parish nursing practice using the nursing intervention classification system.

A national study of parish nurses used the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) Use Survey (3rd Ed.) to characterize parish nursing practice. The study categorized NIC interventions based on frequency of use by parish nurses. The majority of nursing interventions focused on the Behavioral Domain, which supports psychosocial functioning and facilitates lifestyle changes and the Coping Assistance Class, which includes spiritual support. Data provides evidence to further understand what parish nurses do in their daily practice, as well as clarifies the complexity and scope of this specialty practice. Findings confirm that parish nursing is a specialty nursing practice as well as a ministry. Objective descriptions of parish nurse practice, including the identification of the most commonly used parish nurse interventions, will assist in providing direction for defining the role of the parish nurse and providing a basis for reviewing the current content of parish nurse curriculum. The database, which uses a standardized nursing language, also provides evidence for a new paradigm of the ministry of parish nursing practice that is intelligible to other nurses, policy makers, and funders.

The use of peer leadership to teach fundamental nursing skills.

A peer leadership course provided undergraduate nursing students an opportunity to develop nursing skills while growing in areas of professional socialization, communication, collaboration, organization, and leadership. Junior and senior students served as peer leaders while observing, coaching, and reinforcing the learning of sophomore students in a fundamentals of nursing laboratory course. The authors describe the benefits of the peer leadership course.

Religiosity/spirituality and substance use in adolescence as related to positive development: a literature review.

Positive youth development interventions are strategies to address adolescent health risk behaviors and are recommended in Healthy People 2020. Although the incorporation of spirituality into these programs has been recommended, much of the empirical literature actually addresses religiosity rather than spirituality. The purpose of our review of 36 studies published between 2007 and 2013 was to (1) examine the relationship of religiosity and/or spirituality to substance use and abuse in adolescence, (2) discuss the measurement and meaning of the concept of spirituality in contrast to religiosity in adolescence, and (3) discuss the implications of these empirical studies for the concept of positive youth development. Findings from this literature review supported earlier findings of an inverse relationship between religiosity and substance use, a lack of or inconsistent definition of spirituality and religiosity as well as limited measures to address these constructs. Recommendations from this review include dedicated work by interdisciplinary teams to address consistency in definitions and creation of consistent tools that include consideration of the stages of development included in the adolescent years. From a research and clinical perspective, an interprofessional approach to clarify the concepts of spirituality and spiritual development would not only benefit research but could inform the substance abuse prevention field. This work is essential to insure that evidence-based strategies, which include religiosity and spirituality, are developed with the goal of protecting youth and supporting positive development of adolescents.

Providing coping assistance for women with behavioral interventions.

OBJECTIVE: To describe what parish nurses believe is essential to their practice and identify what nursing interventions they most frequently use. DESIGN: Descriptive cross sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: The International Parish Nurse Resource Center provided a list of nurses who completed the standardized core curriculum on parish nursing and were currently working in parish nurse roles in faith communities in the United States. METHODS: The Nursing Intervention Classification System Survey was mailed to 2,330 parish nurses with return envelopes. RESULTS: The 1,161 parish nurse respondents (50% return) resided in faith communities in 47 states and represented major religious denominations from Christian and non-Christian religious affiliations. Participants identified the most frequently used nursing interventions were in the behavioral domain and coping assistance system. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses working in faith communities are frequently using nursing interventions related to health promotion and coping assistance. The findings are valuable to all nurses in identifying strategies and collaborations for enhancing the well-being of women and their families. Improving quality of life through the collaborative support of community agencies, health care providers, and members of the faith community are integral to women's health.

Coping with endometriosis.

Endometriosis not only has physical implications for women but also may affect their sexuality, self-image, and hopes for childbearing. This article discusses the role of parish nurses in a community faith-based setting collaborating to provide comprehensive care for women who are diagnosed with endometriosis. Physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of care are highlighted. Traditional and complimentary treatments are described. Examples of outcomes for women in the described program are included in case study exemplars.

Addressing spiritual leadership: an organizational model.

The Joint Commission requires health systems to address spiritual care. Research indicates that spirituality is associated with better physical, psychological, and social health and that culturally diverse populations and individuals at end-of-life often request spiritual care. The authors report the results of a consensus conference of 21 executives representing 10 large faith-based health systems who discussed the input, process, and outcomes of a corporate model for spiritual leadership. Specific initiatives are highlighted.