To understand the social representations of bedside milk expression (BME) among mothers of preterm newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
Qualitative descriptive study.
The study was conducted from July to August 2024 in two NICUs of a referral maternity hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil. Nineteen mothers of hospitalised premature newborns participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and subjected to thematic content analysis.
Mothers perceived BME as a meaningful act of protection and bonding, though some were unfamiliar with the practice. Emotional ambivalence was common, shaped by prior breastfeeding experiences and the context of prematurity. Discomfort related to privacy and shared spaces was noted. Support from healthcare professionals was essential to promote understanding and adherence.
Social representations of BME are shaped by emotional, social and institutional experiences. Anchored in prior breastfeeding experiences and cultural meanings of maternal care, the practice is objectified through both gestures of affection and tangible barriers.
Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, should receive training to support mothers in BME. Structural improvements, privacy and emotional support are essential for fostering maternal autonomy and confidence.
This study highlights the barriers to BME, emphasising the role of healthcare support and the need for better infrastructure, privacy and training to enhance maternal confidence and breastfeeding.
The study followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist.
None.
This paper highlights the pivotal role of healthcare professional support in overcoming barriers to BME and promoting breastfeeding practices.
Fresh breast milk is considered the gold standard for reducing complications and improving survival in preterm infants. BME is recommended as an effective strategy to ensure the availability of fresh breast milk. Mothers' social representations of this practice remain underexplored within the neonatal intensive care context.
Explores mothers' social representations of BME in NICUs, addressing a significant gap in qualitative research. Reveals how emotional, social and institutional factors shape mothers' perceptions, motivations and challenges related to BME. Highlights the need for targeted professional support, improved infrastructure and privacy to enhance maternal autonomy and adherence to milk expression practices.
Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, should receive specialised training to provide technical guidance and emotional support, enhancing mothers' confidence and autonomy in BME. Improving infrastructure and ensuring privacy in NICUs are crucial to creating supportive environments that facilitate milk expression and strengthen maternal–infant bonding. Institutional policies should integrate maternal-centred strategies to support breastfeeding continuity and promote humanised neonatal care.
Approximately 25% of the Brazilian population suffers from mental disorders, a prevalence exacerbated by systemic and cultural factors such as socioeconomic inequalities, underfunded mental health services, regional disparities, and persistent stigma. These conditions significantly impact hospital care. Nurses, due to their direct contact with these patients, face challenges ranging from managing physical conditions to handling verbal aggression and psychiatric crises. This study aimed to assess the scientific evidence regarding nursing care for hospitalized patients with psychiatric disorders.
A systematic review with a mixed-methods approach was conducted, registered in PROSPERO (#CRD42022359288) and guided by PRISMA standards. Databases, such as MEDLINE, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and BDEnf, were searched using keywords like “Mental disorder,” “Psychiatric health,” “Nursing care,” and “Hospital.” Methodological quality was assessed using JBI and SQUIRE tools. The integration of quantitative and qualitative components occurred through meta-aggregation of qualitative data and frequency-based coding of quantitative themes, allowing thematic convergence across study designs.
Six studies were included. Meta-aggregation revealed frequent terms, such as “Nurse,” “Emergency,” “Screening,” “Patient,” and “Care.” Similarity analysis linked “Nurse” with “perception” and “experience” and “Emergency” with “Screening” and “Mental health,” highlighting the importance of experience and training. Five categories emerged: (1) professional experience (19.05%, showing skill gaps despite experience); (2) caring process (19.05%, stressing efficient screening); (3) barriers and challenges (19.05%, revealing difficulty with comorbidities); (4) training process (19.05%, identifying training deficiencies); and (5) therapeutic interventions (23.81%, discussing restraint use). These percentages refer to the proportional frequency of themes identified across the total number of studies analyzed. For thematic classification, only statistically significant chi-square values (p < 0.05) were considered in the grouping of content.
Nursing care for psychiatric patients in hospitals faces challenges like insufficient training and difficulty managing psychiatric comorbidities. Recommendations include incorporating structured mental health content into nursing curricula and hospital-based continuing education programs. These strategies may guide future healthcare policies in Brazil by improving patient safety, reducing hospital readmissions, and promoting more humane, evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
The findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted education and training to improve nursing care for psychiatric patients in hospital settings.
To explore the characteristics of oral healthcare education interventions for stroke clinicians and the effectiveness of these interventions in improving the oral health knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and practice among acute stroke clinicians.
Scoping review, guided by Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) framework.
Original full-text studies reporting educational oral healthcare interventions for stroke clinicians, including but not limited to nurses, were eligible for inclusion. Included studies were extracted and appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklist aligned to the study methodology. Narrative synthesis was used to describe heterogeneous findings.
Key electronic bibliographic databases including CINAHL, Cochrane, MEDLINE (Ovid), ProQuest, Pubmed, and Scopus, in addition to grey literature, were searched for studies published between 1st January 2000 and 20th January 2024.
Five studies conducted in acute inpatient settings were included: two randomised controlled trials, two mixed-methods studies, and one quality improvement project. Most (n = 4) studies developed complex interventions that included education and other components (products, referral pathways, assessment tools), and were delivered either face-to-face or as an online program. Most studies reported positive changes in oral health knowledge, attitudes, and confidence. There was limited measurement of the acceptability and feasibility of the interventions, with only one study reporting positive feedback from clinicians. There was no evidence to support changes in clinical practice following any of the included interventions.
Existing evidence indicates interventions for stroke clinicians have some potential for building stroke clinicians' capacity to provide adequate oral healthcare. There is however no evidence linking these interventions to optimised patient outcomes. There is a need for research focused on the implementation and dissemination of tailored oral health educational interventions incorporating clinically meaningful outcomes.
Existing oral healthcare educational interventions appear to have a positive effect on stroke clinicians' oral health knowledge, confidence, and attitudes. Educational interventions in oral healthcare are perceived to be acceptable and feasible; however, further research is needed to design and test the effect of new interventions.
Integrated oral healthcare is particularly important for stroke survivors who are at greater risk of preventable aspiration pneumonia. This scoping review highlights the characteristics of existing educational programs for stroke clinicians, their effectiveness, and gaps in existing evidence. Review findings substantiate the need for future research to enhance existing oral healthcare interventions, to translate knowledge acquired from training into clinical practice, and to capture appropriate measures of effect.
The PRISMA-ScR Checklist.
This review was registered with the Open Science Framework registry (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/4BWVF).
The aim of this umbrella review was to summarise the existing evidence on the effectiveness of nursing interventions targeted at adult patients in hospitals.
Existing systematic reviews were synthesised.
The literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and the Cochrane Library by two of the authors until June 6th 2024 without a time limit.
A total of 2652 records were identified. After screening the titles and abstracts, 2421 records were excluded. Then two records were excluded as they were not retrieved, and 125 records were excluded during full-text review as they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Finally, 11 reviews (141 original studies) were included in the quality assessment and were analysed narratively.
The most commonly used interventions were educational, followed by preventive, observative, or combinations of various interventions. All interventions were targeted at the care of somatic patients. The interventions lacked detailed descriptions of their content and duration. Nursing interventions were found to reduce anxiety, depression, disorder symptoms, pain intensity, length of hospital stay, serious adverse effects, mortality, infections and pressure ulcer prevalence.
There is limited high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of nursing interventions used by nurses at hospital settings. While nursing interventions can improve hospital patient outcomes, more high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses are needed. Only preventive interventions (such as pressure ulcer prevention and use of early warning scores) consistently showed positive effects and are relatively easy to implement in hospital nursing practice. Other interventions are not yet widely integrated into standard care in hospitals. It is necessary to study the cost-effectiveness of nursing interventions.
This umbrella review did not include any patient or public involvement.
This umbrella review of systematic reviews adheres to the PRISMA statement.
To develop and validate a screening tool to identify patients with cardiovascular disease at risk of poor oral health and requiring referrals.
This study was part of a larger pilot study involving a cross-sectional survey and an oral health assessment conducted with patients with cardiovascular disease.
A four-item screening tool was developed by an expert panel and validated through a cross-sectional survey of patients with cardiovascular disease. The survey contained the tool and the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) (first gold standard). Additionally, all survey participants were provided a clinical oral health assessment (second gold standard). Sensitivity and specificity analysis was undertaken comparing the tool to the two gold standards to assess patients with cardiovascular disease at risk of poor oral health.
Three hundred and twenty-one participants completed the cross-sectional survey and eighty nine undertook the oral health assessment. Results from both approaches showed that the tool had high sensitivities (OHIP-14 = 89%, Oral assessment = 88%) and low specificities (OHIP-14 = 33% and Oral assessment = 24%).
The four-item screening tool is a simple and valid tool to identify patients with cardiovascular disease at risk of poor oral health and requiring a dental referral. The tool could be incorporated into routine practice of nurses across various cardiac settings.
New graduate nurses have difficulty recognizing and managing the early signs of clinical decline, resulting in a Failure to Rescue (FTR) event and preventable patient death. To address this gap, Garvey developed a series of Clinical Warning Curves as an instructional tool for new graduate nurses in an academic medical center. The Garvey Clinical Warning Curve models depict the progression of clinical changes in six body systems that occur before cardiac arrest.
The purpose of this study was to establish the content validity, reliability, and usability of the Garvey Clinical Warning Curves among healthcare experts and new-graduate nurses.
The current study was a cross-sectional, observational, validation survey design. Content experts used the content validity index (CVI) to evaluate the Curves.
All but the temperature curves were rated as “acceptable” (CVI >0.60) for relevance, clarity, and ambiguity. The new graduate nurses who reviewed the case studies and placed patients onto the Clinical Warning Curves did so similarly, generating high intraclass correlation (ICC) scores. The usability survey components measured the perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility for the use of the six Clinical Warning Curves in practice settings. All components of the Curves had an average score of 4.0 or greater except for the level of complexity which scored 3.88.
The Garvey Clinical Warning Curves emerged as valid and reliable tools that aid new graduate nurses in recognizing subtle signs of clinical decline. Because timely recognition and communication of clinical decline are key to preventing FTR events and avoiding patient deaths, it would be beneficial to provide the Clinical Warning Curves as a bedside resource for new graduate nurses during their orientation to the unit or within a nurse residency program.
To evaluate the incidence of skin-related complications attributable to incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) using an external female urinary catheter device strategy for urinary incontinent (UI) patients in acute care.
Multicenter quality improvement study.
Randomized allocation of two commercially available external female urinary catheter devices was used in hospitalized UI female patients. Daily nursing skin assessments were documented in the electronic health record before, during and after external catheter device application. Methods and results were reported following SQUIRE guidelines.
Three hundred and eighty-one patients from 57 inpatient care units were included in the analysis. Both catheter devices were associated with an overall low risk (5 %) of new or worsening skin breakdown.
The overall benefit of external catheters is most persuasive for skin integrity, rather than infection prevention.
Significant negative outcomes are associated with UI patients. External female urinary catheters are a non-invasive alternative strategy to reduce exposure of regional skin to urine contamination and IAD-related skin complications. Use of external female urinary catheters in hospitalized UI female patients offers low risk (5%) of new or worsening overall skin breakdown.
Hospitalized UI female patients were screened for external catheter device eligibility by the bedside nurse. The quality improvement review committee waved consent because the intervention was considered standard care.
The aim of this paper is to develop a preliminary theory that explores in depth into understanding the experiences of women who have suffered a spontaneous perinatal loss during any trimester of their pregnancy regarding their emotional response to this loss.
A grounded theory approach was used, and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with Spanish women who suffered a spontaneous perinatal loss.
Theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis were used to reach theoretical saturation. EQUATOR guidelines were followed, using the COREQ checklist.
The “Perinatal loss, a devastating cyclone,” a situation-specific nursing theory, explains the process that a woman experiences when she loses her baby at any stage of pregnancy, drawing an analogy with tropical cyclones as natural disasters that destroy everything in their path. This situation-specific theory includes three dimensions, explaining the phases identified in the perinatal loss process (phase prior to impact [before the perinatal loss], impact phase [diagnostic moment], emergency phase [hospital care], relief or honeymoon phase [return home], disillusionment or stock-taking phase [after the first postloss days at home], reconstruction and recovery phase [grief construction process] and consequences [with an eye to the future]). Three intervention areas were described around the perinatal loss process: “rescue area” (partner, grandparents, and siblings of the deceased baby), “relief area” (healthcare professionals), and “base camp” (society).
The situation-specific nursing theory “Perinatal loss, a devastating cyclone” is the final product of a grounded theory study that provided an in-depth analysis of women's experiences when they suffer a spontaneous perinatal loss at any point in their pregnancy.
The situation-specific theory “Perinatal loss, a devastating cyclone” with the seven identified phases and the three areas of intervention could be used as a framework for healthcare professionals in their clinical practice as a guide to support women in this disfranchised grief.
Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, is a subjective experience, and can only be assessed by patient-reported outcomes. These instruments should be reliable, valid and responsive.
To identify and critically appraise the available evidence for the measurement properties of specific patient-reported outcome measures used for dysmenorrhea.
The PRISMA statement was used to report this systematic review. Databases searched were PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar (April 2021; updated on February 2023). Original studies with primary data collection, with no restriction on language and publication date that reported psychometric properties of one or more dysmenorrhea-related patient-reported outcome measure. The literature searches, selection of studies, data extraction and assessment of the risk of bias were performed independently by two reviewers and followed the COSMIN guidelines.
Thirty studies were analysed in this review, and 19 patient-reported outcome measures were evaluated. The instruments varied in relation to the measured construct and measurement properties (validity, reliability and responsiveness). The methodological quality of the studies and the quality of evidence of the patient-reported outcome measures were variable. Among the 13 studies that reported the development of patient-reported outcome measures, most had inadequate methodological quality, and the overall rating was insufficient or inconsistent.
The Dysmenorrhea Symptom Interference (DSI) scale was the only identified patient-reported outcome measure that has the potential to be recommended because of its sufficient rating combined with moderate quality of evidence for content validity. Future studies should further evaluate the measurement properties of the existing patient-reported outcome measures, or develop new patient-reported outcome measures following the COSMIN methodology.
Not applicable as this is a systematic review.
PROSPERO protocol: CRD42021244410. Registration on April 22, 2021.
To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the training process, procedures, measures and recruitment strategies necessary for a future investigation to test the reliability and validity of using positivity resonance measures in health care encounters.
Although the measurement of positivity resonance is promising, and non-participant observation is considered effective, their approaches to studying nurse–patient relationships have not been fully explored.
A mixed-methods observational study.
Video recordings of 30 nurse–patient dyads completing telehealth video visit encounters were edited and coded using behavioural indicators of positivity resonance. A post-visit survey gathered data on the participants' perceptions of positivity resonance and the study procedures. The research team completed memos and procedural logs to provide narrative data on the study's training, coding, recruitment and operational procedures. The study included 33 persons with cancer and 13 oncology nurses engaging in telehealth video visit encounters at an academic oncology ambulatory care center located in the southeastern United States.
Study procedures were found to be feasible and acceptable to participants. An adequate sample of participants (N = 46) were enrolled and retained in the study. Interrater reliability, as evidenced by Cohen's weighted kappa, ranged from .575 to .752 and interclass correlation coefficients >.8 were attainable within a reasonable amount of time and with adequate training. Behavioural indicators of positivity resonance were observed in all telehealth visits and reported by the participants in the perceived positivity resonance survey. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist guided reporting.
Designing research around the concept of positivity resonance is an innovative and feasible approach to exploring how rapport is cultivated within nurse–patient relationships.
Measuring positivity resonance may hold promise for exploring patient and nurse outcomes including trust, responsiveness, health-related behaviours, well-being, resilience and satisfaction.
The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist guided the reporting of results to ensure that adequate details of the study were provided to ensure an accurate and complete report.
Planning of the research design and study procedures was done in consultation with nurse clinicians with experience with telehealth and managers responsible within the practice setting where the study was conducted. This ensured the study procedures were ethical, safe, secure and did not create unnecessary burden to the study participants. The study included collecting data from nurse and patient participants about the acceptability of the study procedures.
To demonstrate how interoperable nursing care data can be used by nurses to create a more holistic understanding of the healthcare needs of multiple traumas patients with Impaired Physical Mobility. By proposing and validating linkages for the nursing diagnosis of Impaired Physical Mobility in multiple trauma patients by mapping to the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) and Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) equivalent terms using free-text nursing documentation.
A descriptive cross-sectional design, combining quantitative analysis of interoperable data sets and the Kappa's coefficient score with qualitative insights from cross-mapping methodology and nursing professionals' consensus.
Cross-mapping methodology was conducted in a Brazilian Level 1 Trauma Center using de-identified records of adult patients with a confirmed medical diagnosis of multiple traumas and Impaired Physical Mobility (a nursing diagnosis). The hospital nursing free-text records were mapped to NANDA-I, NIC, NOC and NNN linkages were identified. The data records were retrieved for admissions from September to October 2020 and involved medical and nursing records. Three expert nurses evaluated the cross-mapping and linkage results using a 4-point Likert-type scale and Kappa's coefficient.
The de-identified records of 44 patients were evaluated and then were mapped to three NOCs related to nurses care planning: (0001) Endurance; (0204) Immobility Consequences: Physiological, and (0208) Mobility and 13 interventions and 32 interrelated activities: (6486) Environmental Management: Safety; (0840) Positioning; (3200) Aspiration Precautions; (1400) Pain Management; (0940) Traction/Immobilization Care; (3540) Pressure Ulcer Prevention; (3584) Skincare: Topical Treatment; (1100) Nutrition Management; (3660) Wound Care; (1804) Self-Care Assistance: Toileting; (1801) Self-Care Assistance: Bathing/Hygiene; (4130) Fluid Monitoring; and (4200) Intravenous Therapy. The final version of the constructed NNN Linkages identified 37 NOCs and 41 NICs.
These valid NNN linkages for patients with multiple traumas can serve as a valuable resource that enables nurses, who face multiple time constraints, to make informed decisions efficiently. This approach of using evidence-based linkages like the one developed in this research holds high potential for improving patient's safety and outcomes.
In this study, there was no direct involvement of patients, service users, caregivers or public members in the design, conduct, analysis and interpretation of data or preparation of the manuscript. The study focused solely on analysing existing de-identified medical and nursing records to propose and validate linkages for nursing diagnoses.
To explore youth, caregiver and staff perspectives on their vision of trauma-informed care, and to identify and understand potential considerations for the implementation of a trauma-informed care programme in an inpatient mental health unit within a paediatric hospital.
We applied the Interpretive Description approach, guided by complexity theory and the Implementation Roadmap, and used Applied Thematic Analysis methods.
Twenty-five individuals participated in individual or group interviews between March and June 2022, including 21 healthcare professionals, 3 youth and 1 caregiver. We identified two overarching themes. The first theme, ‘Understanding and addressing the underlying reasons for distress’, related to participants’ understanding and vision of TIC in the current setting comprising: (a) ‘Participants’ understanding of TIC’; (b) ‘Trauma screening and trauma processing within TIC’; (c) ‘Taking “a more individualized approach”’; (d) ‘Unit programming’; and (e) “Connecting to the community”. The second theme, ‘Factors that support or limit successful TIC implementation’ comprises: (a) ‘The need for a broad “cultural shift”’; (b) ‘The physical environment on the unit’; and (c) ‘Factors that may limit successful implementation’.
We identified five key domains to consider within trauma-informed care implementation: (a) the centrality of engagement with youth, caregivers and staff in trauma-informed care delivery and implementation, (b) trauma-informed care core programme components, (c) factors that may support or limit success in implementing trauma-informed care within the mental health unit and (d) hospital-wide and (e) the importance of intersectoral collaboration (partnering with external organizations and sectors).
When implementing TIC, there is an ongoing need to increase clarity regarding TIC interventions and implementation initiatives. Youth, caregiver and healthcare professional participants shared considerations important for planning the delivery and implementation of trauma-informed care in their setting. We identified five key domains to consider within trauma-informed care implementation: (a) the centrality of relational engagement, (b) trauma-informed care programme components, (c) factors that may support or limit successful implementation of trauma-informed care within the mental health unit and (d) hospital-wide and (e) the importance of intersectoral collaboration. Organizations wishing to implement trauma-informed care should consider ongoing engagement with all relevant knowledge user groups throughout the process.
Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR).
The local hospital research institute's Patient and Family Advisory Committee reviewed the draft study methods and provided feedback.
The purpose of this study was to identify coping strategies, resources, and strengths that predict well-being in a community-based sample of youth with varying levels of adversity.
Grounded in the resilience portfolio model, we used a mixed methods approach with data from a cross-sectional sample of 231 youth ages 8–17.
Data were collected using a survey, participant-generated timeline activity, and brief interview. Measures included assessments of coping and appraisal, resilience resources and assets, and subjective well-being and depression.
Active and passive coping strategies predicted subjective well-being and depression. Controlling for demographics and coping, meaning making strengths and supportive relationships were significant predictors of subjective well-being and lower depression, and decreased the impact of adversity on these outcomes.
The results of this study provide support for the resilience portfolio model in a community-based sample of youth, with relationships as predicted for subjective well-being and symptoms of depression. For both outcomes, family relationships held the strongest associations with positive well-being and lower symptoms of depression. Supportive relationships with peers, meaning making strengths, interpersonal strengths, less passive coping, and fewer adverse life events were also associated with better outcomes.
These findings underscore the need to assess youth resources and strengths and to design interventions that target these protective factors for all youth, regardless of exposure to adversity.
A theory-informed understanding of resources and strengths that predict youth well-being is essential to inform strengths-based interventions for pediatric research and practice. The resilience portfolio model is a useful framework for understanding predictors of youth well-being.