Predicting medical/surgical nurses' delivery of patient pressure injury prevention education within 24 h of hospitalisation.
A cross-sectional sub-study drawn from a larger multisite randomised controlled trial.
A consecutive sub-sample of 300 randomly assigned control group participants was recruited from 20 medical and surgical wards at two major hospitals (July 2020 to August 2023) in Queensland, Australia. Semi-structured observations and chart audit data were collected, including patient education, demographic and clinical data. Binary logistic regression identified hospital site, clinical and patient predictors contributing to pressure injury prevention education delivery by nurses.
Seventeen (5.7%) participants received pressure injury prevention education within the first 24 h of admission. Body mass index was an independent predictor, increasing the odds of nurses delivering patient education.
Few episodes of pressure injury prevention education were observed in this study. As a patient's body mass index rises, they are more likely to receive preventative education from nurses soon after admission.
Our findings underscore the need for standardised inclusive protocols and ongoing nurse training to assess and address education needs beyond single risk factors like body mass index. Further research should explore other factors influencing patient education delivery in hospitals.
This study adhered to STROBE guidelines. Dr. Brett Dyer, statistician, is part of the author team.
No patient or public contribution.
Investigate the perception of male accessibility to the fields of nursing practice by those studying or teaching nursing in England.
Cross-sectional survey.
Online questionnaire with three closed-scale questions and two open-text questions designed to elicit perceptions on the accessibility of men to the fields of nursing practice. The questionnaire was distributed to the staff and students at 61 nursing schools in England. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the closed questions data and inductive content analysis was used to analyse open-text questions data.
Students (n = 52) and staff (n = 51) responded to the survey. Adult (Mdn = 6, IQR = 2) and mental health (Mdn = 6, IQR = 2) were perceived as the most accessible fields of nursing practice to men, and child (Mdn = 4, IQR = 2) the least. Specialised practice areas in acute and emergency (Mdn = 6, IQR = 2), education (Mdn = 6, IQR = 2), leadership (Mdn = 7, IQR = 1), prison services (Mdn = 7, IQR = 1), and research (Mdn = 7, IQR = 2) were rated the most accessible to men and neonatal care (Mdn = 3, IQR = 3) the least. Societal stereotyping and stigma were seen as barriers to men entering the nursing profession. The perception that nursing is a feminised profession persists and a distrust of men is associated with child nursing. Men were viewed as progressing to leadership roles with greater ease than women.
Societal level stereotyping and stigma are perceived as prevalent in nursing practice areas considered less accessible to men entering the nursing profession.
This study adds insight into the gendered nature of nursing and highlights the barriers to men entering a profession with a workforce crisis.
STROBE cross-sectional studies guidelines. COREQ guidelines for content analysis.
No patient or public contribution.
The aim of this study was to develop a conceptual understanding of the role of caring for older adults with combined vision and hearing impairment (DSI).
Dual sensory impairment (DSI) impacts both listening and speechreading communication, function and social participation, meaning that older adults often require support and care to ‘age in place’ successfully. Family carers play a key role in supporting older adults with DSI to maintain social and physical health.
This qualitative study uses Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory (GT) methodology. Data were collected between 2017 and 2019 and analysed using constructivist GT methods. Lengthy interviews with eight family carers of older adults living with DSI explored personal histories of DSI, relationships with families, social networks and health care professionals.
This study demonstrates that caring in this context is predominantly social and ‘invisible’. To reduce the social effort of their family member with DSI and to maintain their own self-identity, family carers adopted a ‘conscious caring’ approach. This is conceptualised as an approach to caring that supports family carers to access resources embedded in their social networks by bridging the gap between the dyad and their broader, more diverse social networks.
This study identifies that a reduction in both close and broader social networks limits personal, social and psychosocial resources and impacts the capacity of the dyad to renegotiate their roles, create and maintain their individual and shared social networks and successfully transition to living with DSI.
There is a gap in the literature regarding the impact of sensory impairments on complex communication, health and social care needs of older adults and the role that family carers play. Registered nurses require complex communication skills to support older persons with DSI during health and social care interactions. A better understanding of DSI itself, as well as understanding the key role family carers play in integrating care for their family member, is crucial to delivering person-centred care.
This study addresses a growing social gerontological issue and identifies the role that family carers play in integrating health and social care for their family member with DSI. Better professional recognition of DSI and increased visibility of the challenges of living with DSI could help address barriers to effective communication between service providers, formal care support staff and those with DSI. Integrating family carers into care teams is critical to improving health and social care experiences for both caregiver and care receiver.
This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.
To synthesise the existing literature on effective interventions aligned with the 2015 U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines to address workplace violence against nurses.
An integrative review.
PubMed, Embase, CINAH, and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published between 2010 and 2023. Articles addressing WPV interventions and published in English were included.
Thirty-seven of 834 articles met the inclusion criteria. The review revealed several strategies to address workplace violence in healthcare settings, with staff training being the most common strategy. However, most interventions were researcher-designed, often excluding input from nurses or other stakeholders. Limited managerial support for nurses following the incidents was another prominent finding.
Although safety training programmes are common, there are critical gaps in managerial support and nurse involvement in intervention development. Further research should focus on incorporating nurse contributions and strengthening managerial support to enhance prevention efforts.
Addressing workplace violence in healthcare settings requires a comprehensive approach beyond safety training. Active nurses' participation in intervention design and enhanced managerial support are essential for creating effective solutions. Healthcare administrators should create environments that empower nurses to contribute to solutions.
This review highlights existing gaps in interventions and emphasises the need for collaborative and nurse-centered approaches to address workplace violence.
The reporting of this review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
No patient or public contribution.
Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency that occurs following childbirth. Women are often cared for in general psychiatric units or in psychiatric Mother and Baby units. Postpartum psychosis is associated with a significant risk of relapse. There is a need to explore how women perceive care to understand what works well or needs further improvement.
This review aimed to explore women's experiences of care and support for postpartum psychosis.
A systematic review using meta-ethnographic methods was conducted.
Comprehensive searches were conducted between 4 March 2024 and 4 March 2025 on five databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science). Backward and forward chain searching was also undertaken.
Critical appraisal was conducted following screening. Reciprocal and refutational translation were used to form the synthesis, and a line of argument was developed. The eMERGe reporting guidelines were used.
Fifteen studies were included within this synthesis. All the studies were conducted in high income countries and included 235 women. Three main themes were developed. ‘Navigating the unknown’ explored women's perceptions of postpartum psychosis as a less well-known condition, and their informational needs. ‘The double-edged sword of care’ found that there were helpful elements of formal mental health care, but that accessing care was sometimes traumatic, stigmatising and conflicting to women's identities. ‘Seeking consolation and recovery’ explored women's need for psychological support and experiences of peer support.
The findings of this review highlighted women's needs in respect to informational support, medication support, psychological support and in-patient care settings. Mother and baby units were strongly preferred by women.
The findings highlighted a need for specialised care for postpartum psychosis.
There were no patient or public contributions.
Prospero (CRD42024515712)
To determine whether the I-DECIDED assessment and decision tool enhances peripheral intravenous catheter assessment, care and decision-making in paediatrics.
Quasi-experimental, interrupted time-series study.
An interrupted time-series study was conducted in a paediatric inpatient unit at a public teaching hospital in Brazil. The participants were patients aged less than 15 years old with a peripheral intravenous catheter, and their parents or guardians. Data were collected between January and July 2023, encompassing six time points, three pre-intervention and three post-intervention. Evaluation data were based on the I-DECIDED tool, including idle devices, dressings, complications, patient/family awareness, hand hygiene, disinfection and documentation.
We conducted 585 peripheral intravenous catheter observations, with 289 in the pre-intervention phase and 296 in the post-intervention phase, inserted in 65 hospitalised children, 30 in the pre-intervention phase and 35 in the post-intervention phase. After the intervention, reductions were observed in the number of idle catheters, substandard dressings and complications. Patients and family members reported an increase in device assessment, hand hygiene and peripheral intravenous catheter disinfection. Additionally, there was an increase in documentation of decision-making performed by nurses and nursing technicians/assistants.
Implementation of the I-DECIDED assessment and decision tool in a paediatric unit significantly improved the assessment, care and decision-making regarding peripheral intravenous catheters.
Opportunity to enhance practice standards, elevate the quality of care provided to paediatric patients, contribute to improved patient outcomes, advance evidence-based practice in vascular access management and enhance patient experience through increased involvement in care.
To influence clinical practice and healthcare policies aimed at improving peripheral intravenous catheter care and patient safety in paediatric settings.
No patient or public contribution to the design of this study.
To synthesise the evidence on implementation strategies used to implement transitional care interventions for adult surgical patients.
Scoping review.
Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE were searched in August 2023 and updated June 2025, followed by citation searches. Studies were screened independently by two researchers, and one extracted data, another verified its accuracy. Studies about transitional care interventions for adult surgical patients were coded according to the ‘Five classes of implementation strategies’ and the ‘Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice and Research recommendations’ framework, to illuminate the review findings.
Based on 27 studies included in the scoping review, staff education, changes to staffing and electronic systems, and change management techniques were frequently used implementation strategies. Implementation strategies were mostly used with patients undergoing colorectal and cardiac surgery in Asia and the United States. Scale-up strategies and capacity-building initiatives for people in charge of spearheading the change initiatives were less common.
To further the field, future research could focus on capacity-building and scale-up strategies, fidelity reporting, and financial implications of implementation in a wider range of surgical populations and settings. Work is needed to effectively implement surgical transitional care interventions in real-world settings.
Our findings provide strategies for hospital leaders to adopt when implementing transitional care interventions for surgical patients.
Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist.
Determined review focus, interpreted findings, and contributed to manuscript.
The Open Science Framework.
Identify desired training content for shift-working nurses to improve their sleep and fatigue.
A descriptive qualitative design.
We recruited night shift nurses (N = 23) to provide feedback during virtual focus groups/interviews. Data collection occurred in the U.S. between March and June 2024. Participants were presented with sleep and fatigue topics derived from the literature. Focus group/interview data were collected and transcribed. Data were analysed using a hybrid deductive-inductive manifest content analysis with an a priori coding schema based on topics shared during data collection. Data not fitting the schema, yet informing content, were analysed inductively.
Three themes aligned with literature-derived topics. Theme 1, Why We Sleep and Why Should Nurses Care, explains the importance of sleep to health. Theme 2, Sleep Practices for Nurses to Support Health and Social Relationships, describes healthy strategies to promote sleep for enhanced quality of life. Theme 3, Fatigue and Work, illustrates the significance of nurse sleep and fatigue risk mitigation to safe working conditions and patient care.
Study findings highlight night shift nurses' interest in gaining evidence-based information to promote their sleep. Sleep education and training could fill a knowledge and skills gap, not often offered in school or workplace.
Identifying themes relevant to nurses may help increase the development and availability of sleep education and training currently tailored for nurses.
Study findings describe content night shift nurses' desire for sleep and fatigue training, serving as an important first step in developing programmes most relevant to shift-working nurses. Our analysis found the findings largely align with key components workers should receive in sleep education and training and reinforced the need for employers to offer such training. This study could benefit the nursing workforce and employers who expect rested, high-functioning nurses to care for patients.
Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
No patient or public contribution.
Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06105307
To explore women's experience of the period after completion of cancer treatment for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN): a descriptive exploratory study.
A descriptive exploratory qualitative study.
Women diagnosed with the rare pregnancy-related cancer GTN who had completed their treatment participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. Twenty-two interviews were conducted in June 2024 and digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analysis used reflective thematic analysis.
Complex responses to treatment completion were revealed, described by some as a ‘double-edged sword’. The end of treatment routine, coupled with recovery from physical effects, left space for the impact of all they had experienced to ‘hit home’. Multiple concerns and losses were described, including issues relating to pregnancy, self-identity, confidence, fear of recurrence, work and relationships. Gaps in immediate post-treatment support services created challenges for recovery.
The study provides valuable insight into the physical, emotional and social impact of GTN experienced by patients following treatment. The findings highlight the importance of continuing support in the immediate post-treatment period. This study has identified ways in which services can be improved, recognising the need for an individual-tailored approach to reflect the complex responses of patients to treatment completion.
The findings reveal that many women begin to process the implications of their diagnosis and treatment following the completion of their treatment. The end of treatment can be a time when support from healthcare staff is reduced due to fewer routine contacts with healthcare staff. However, these findings suggest the need for nurses to ensure services continue to provide support during the post-treatment recovery phase.
The interview schedule was reviewed by women previously treated for GTN.
To investigate clinicians' views on barriers and facilitators to implementing pressure injury prevention guideline recommendations for nutrition assessment and treatment, and de-implementing inappropriate alternating pressure air mattress allocation.
A qualitative descriptive study adhering to the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines.
We conducted face-to-face or videoconference focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews with clinicians recruited from a metropolitan tertiary hospital. Participants were purposively sampled according to their years of clinical practice. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed inductively to derive barriers and facilitators to guideline uptake. These were then mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework and behaviour change techniques to inform an evidence-based implementation intervention development to improve guideline uptake.
Thirteen nurses, four occupational therapists and three dietitians were interviewed. Six themes illustrate three guideline-specific barriers and three common facilitators influencing nutrition- and mattress-related guideline uptake. The three barriers were: (1) nurses devalue the use of validated tools in nutrition screening; (2) nurses prioritise vital-sign-related nursing duties over feeding assistance according to clinical urgency; and (3) nurses consider air mattresses a preventative strategy irrespective of patient PI risks. Facilitators to improve guideline uptake were: (1) nurse-led interdisciplinary collaboration, (2) carer involvement and (3) easily accessible updated guidelines. Different Theoretical Domains Framework domains and behaviour change techniques were mapped to the identified nutrition- and mattress-related barriers.
The findings highlight three key nurses' attitudinal barriers to nutrition- and mattress-related guideline uptake, which inform the development of theory- and end-user-informed implementation interventions in pressure injury prevention.
An implementation strategical plan that addresses attitudinal barriers to improving guideline uptake for nutrition assessment and treatment and reducing air mattress overprescription appears critical in developing an intervention to enhance value-based practice, which will need to be evaluated in future trials.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
To review older persons' lived experiences and perceptions of loneliness in residential care facilities and characterise mechanisms underlying their experiences through a comprehensive loneliness model.
A systematic review synthesising qualitative research on the experiences of loneliness among older people living in residential care facilities.
This review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines with quality appraisal conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist.
Articles published in English (2014–2024) from CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science.
Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria, representing 357 participants across 10 countries and regions. Three core themes of loneliness were identified: relational and individualised loneliness experiences, perception and emotional distress and the influence of context and cognitive processes in modulating loneliness. A conceptual model delineating the mechanisms of older residents' loneliness in residential settings was developed.
This review highlights the influence of older persons' residential context and cognitive processes, particularly their perceptions, in triggering loneliness. The perceptions of reduced social control and insufficient social connections in residential settings exacerbate older persons' loneliness, precipitating distressing emotional responses and diminished quality of life.
Residential care facilities have a crucial responsibility in establishing a supportive atmosphere conducive to positive social engagement for older residents. Future research must explore strategic transformations of older persons' perceptions through mechanistic targets and tailored care plans to reshape their social expectations within the context of residential care facilities, potentially mitigating loneliness.
This review addresses the problem of understanding the mechanisms and experiences of loneliness among older persons in residential care facilities. The findings highlight the critical need for supportive social environments and targeted interventions in residential care settings to improve residents' well-being and quality of life globally.
Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research statement.
No patient or public contribution.