The term early career researcher (ECR) is commonly used, although its meaning is expressed by a wide range of definitions which vary globally, and may be institutionally determined.
Increasingly, the challenges associated with such time-bound definitions of ECRs are being acknowledged. Many bodies which offer funding for ECRs (eg, see
Commentary on: Boucher NA, Tucker MC, White BS, et al. Frontline clinician appraisement of research engagement: "I feel out of touch with research". J Gen Intern Med 2023:1–7. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08200-9.
Leadership action by prioritising clinical research activities and introducing a range of clinician engagement strategies for research can lead to better staff retention and patient care. Implementation of clinician engagement strategies needs further research to clarify and enhance key benefits for staff and patients.
There is a growing body of international research evidence highlighting the benefits of clinicians’ research engagement and documenting associated barriers and facilitators.
Commentary on: Marko S, Wylie S, Utter J. Enablers and barriers to healthy eating among hospital nurses: a systematic review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2023 Feb;138:104412. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104412. Epub 2022 Dec 5
Multi-faceted interventions are key in addressing various influences on nurses’ healthy eating beyond individual choices. Rigorous studies are needed to assess multi-level socio-ecological interventions’ effectiveness on nurses’ eating habits.
Nurses, despite playing a significant role in healthcare, have been found to possess poor dietary habits and face elevated rates of chronic illnesses. A recent systematic review by Marko and colleagues explored factors influencing healthy eating among nurses in hospital settings. Barriers included high accessibility of unhealthy foods, high costs and lack of storage/preparation facilities. Enablers included proximity to healthy options, roster planning and structured workplace programmes. Supportive networks were an interpersonal enabler, while work culture and...
Commentary on: Bell T, Sprajcer M, Flenady T, Sahay A. Fatigue in nurses and medication administration errors: A scoping review. J Clin Nurs. 2023 Sep;3217-18,:5445-5460. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16620. Epub 2023 Jan 27.
Revising the ‘safe working hours policy’, limiting overtime, and developing fatigue management systems are vital approaches for managing nurses’ fatigue and reducing medication administration errors (MAEs). Future research should use large-scale studies and diverse approaches of data collection to better report registered nurses’ (RNs) fatigue’s impact on MAEs.
Preventing MAEs is a top priority to ensure patient safety. The presence of fatigue among RNs has been recognised as a growing factor in the occurrence of MAEs.
Since 2019, the nursing profession has been frequently represented in mainstream media in the UK through the lenses of the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, industrial action. In 2020, during COVID, we saw the nursing profession praised, with weekly neighbourhood applause and thanks to the National Health Service (NHS) staff schemes. In 2023, when, for the first time in history nurses voted to strike (fair pay for nursing), nurses again received media attention. Conversely, the media chose to report how striking nurses (and other health professional staff) contributed to long waiting lists in the NHS and unhelpfully, demonstrated how 64% of poll voters (n=7955) did not think nurses should have a better pay deal.
Commentary on: Sarkhosh S, Abdi Z, Ravaghi H. Engaging patients in patient safety: a qualitative study examining healthcare managers and providers' perspectives. BMC Nurs. 2022 Dec 29;211,:374. doi: 10.1186/s12912-022-01152-1.
Without a shift in organisational culture, patient participation in patient safety may continue to be haphazard in Iranian hospitals. Researchers should consider and report the impact of gender when investigating patient participation in care.
Despite Iran’s economic crisis, brought on by sanctions, years of war and improper government resource management, Iranian healthcare is now considered among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Commentary on: Al-Hammouri MM, Rababah JA. Work family conflict, family work conflicts and work-related quality of life: The effect of rotating versus fixed shifts. J Clin Nurs. 2023 Aug;32(15–16):4887–4893. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16581. Epub 2022 Nov 11.
Given this study’s findings of the negative impact of rotating shifts on nurses’ work and family life, the use of rotating shifts in hospitals should be reconsidered. Since this is the first study to be conducted on the topic, more research is needed.
Rotating shifts are a common way for hospitals to distribute night shift work instead of keeping nurses in fixed night shifts.
Commentary on: Kamau S, Koskenranta M, Kuivila H, et al. Integration strategies and models to support transition and adaptation of culturally and linguistically diverse nursing staff into healthcare environments: an umbrella review. Int J Nurs Stud 2022;136:104377. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104377. Epub 2022 Oct 10.
Healthcare organisations must invest resources for effective integration of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) nurses. Research on nurse integration must evaluate CALD nurse’s needs, goals, and prospects for retention.
Kamau et al’s
The authors
Commentary on: Mikovits JC. "I don't feel like I'm a person": Nursing knowledge of transgender care through the lens of transgender people. J Adv Nurs. 2022 Sep;78(9):3012–3024. doi: 10.1111/jan.15308. Epub 2022 Jun 1.
Nurses have an ethical imperative to provide patient-centered care that honours all aspects of one’s identity, including gender identity. Further research is needed to better understand the healthcare experiences of transgender people of intersecting identities and those with varying economic resources.
Transgender people experience numerous health inequities due to societal discrimination and stigma.
Commentary on: Ulupınar F, Erden Y. Intention to leave among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak: A rapid systematic review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Nurs. 2022 Nov 27. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16588. Epub ahead of print.
During COVID-19, nurses experienced stress, anxiety and fear. Psychological support will help retain staff. Further longitudinal studies on the long-term psychological impacts of the pandemic are needed.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses was unprecedented with high volumes of critically ill patients. This strain on direct care nurses included an increased workload, long hours, separation from family, potential exposure and patient death.
Commentary on: Yanbei R, Dongdong M, Yun L, Ning W, Fengping Q. Does perceived organization support moderate the relationships between work frustration and burnout among intensive care unit nurses? A cross-sectional survey. BMC Nurs. 2023 Jan 23;22(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12912-023-01180-5.
Providing intensive care unit (ICU) nurses with organisational supports by showcasing that the organisation cares about their well-being, gives importance to their opinions, is proud of their achievements will decrease their work frustration. Future research and auditing of programmes and events to monitor organisational support to ICU nurses in reduction of work frustration and burn-out. Such monitoring systems could translate into better patient outcome.
The psychological strain of caring for very ill patients causes significant mental stress for all ICU healthcare professionals. When stress is prolonged, it might eventually cause burn-out and deterioration of patient...
Commentary on: Iyasere CA, Wing J, Martel JN, et al. Effect of increased interprofessional familiarity on team performance, communication, and psychological safety on inpatient medical teams: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 Nov 1;182(11):1190–1198. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.4373.
Team member familiarity has a positive impact on teamwork and interprofessional communication. Organisational design should consider team member familiarity.
Interprofessional teamwork matters for patient and workforce outcomes. Familiarity of team members is associated with improved teamwork and communication, safety and quality of care, utilisation and patient outcomes. However, much of the existing research is observational in nature. This study evaluated the impact of a team member familiarity intervention on the quality of nurse and resident interactions, perceptions of organisational climate and care outcomes.
This single site randomised clinical trial evaluated the effect of a resident scheduling intervention designed to...
This edition of the Evidence Based Nursing (EBN) resources page is focused on further information to support the editorial by Alison Twycross and Jane Wray ‘NHS (National Health Service (NHS) England Long-term Workforce Plan: Can this deliver the workforce transformation so urgently needed or is it just more rhetoric?’
EBN has published a number of commentaries that provide useful additional information relating to the UK NHS workforce.
Supporting positive workplace cultures focused on staff well-being is discussed in;
Commentary on: Saragih ID, Tarihoran DETAU, Rasool A, Saragih IS, Tzeng HM, Lin CJ. Global prevalence of stigmatization and violence against healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2022;54(6):762–71. doi: 10.1111/jnu.12794. Epub 12 Jul 2022.
Health administrators and policymakers should appropriately address issues of stigmatisation and violence against healthcare workers through strategic planning that considers the unique nature of the workplace as well as local culture to ensure better healthcare for the patients. Future research should focus on synthesising evidence-based preventive strategies and management protocols to avert the escalation of stigmatisation and violence towards healthcare workers during catastrophic public health crises.
Violence in the workplace is a common issue in healthcare settings. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of reports in...