School nurses are sometimes the sole healthcare professionals in schools, highlighting their significant role in delivering emergency care and the vital necessity of their competence in emergency nursing care. The scope of practice and ongoing professional development are hypothesized to play significant roles in enhancing these competencies.
Investigate the direct and indirect effects of the scope of current practice and the importance of training on the emergency nursing care competency of school nurses, with career growth serving as a potential mediator.
A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenient sample of 219 school nurses. Data were collected using the career growth of nurses' scale, the emergency nursing care competency scale for school nurses and the scope of school nursing practice tool. Mediation analysis was used to explore the direct and indirect effects of studied variables.
Mediation analysis indicated that the scope of current practice had a significant direct effect on career growth (β = 0.179) and emergency nursing care competency (β = 0.389). The importance of practice also had significant direct effects on career growth (β = 0.164) and emergency nursing care competency (β = 0.220). Additionally, career growth significantly mediated the relationship between both the scope of current practice (β = 0.110) and the importance of practice (β = 0.120) with emergency nursing care competency.
The findings emphasis the critical role of career growth as a mediator between the scope and importance of practice and emergency nursing care competency among school nurses. Expanding the scope of practice and emphasising the importance of professional activities can enhance career growth and improve emergency nursing care competencies.
Nurses scope of practice and clear career advancement through mentorship, advanced certifications, further education and enforcing policies mandating regular emergency care is crucial. Establishing a regulatory framework to define and expand the scope of practice for school nurses is also important.
No patient or public contribution.
Although multimodal rehabilitation programs are effective for substance use disorders and widely used, addiction is still a global socioeconomic problem. Providing practical strategies, such as the HeartMath intervention for managing stress at the moment, helps mitigate the physical, emotional, and psychological impacts associated with substance use disorder, promotes resilience, and enhances treatment motivation.
To investigate the effects of the nurse-led HeartMath Training Program on resilience, emotional adjustment, and treatment motivation among patients with substance use disorder.
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to carry out this study. This study was conducted at the inpatient unit for patients with addiction at Elmaa'mora Hospital for Psychiatric Medicine in Alexandria, Egypt. The subjects were 130 patients with substance use disorders (65 in each group). Researchers used three tools to collect the necessary data: Tool I Resilience Scale, Tool II Brief Adjustment Scale–6, and Tool III Treatment Motivation Questionnaire.
The difference in resilience, emotional adjustment, and treatment motivation between the study and control groups after the Nurse-Led HeartMath training intervention was statistically significant.
The HeartMath Training Program is efficacious in improving resilience and emotional adjustment among patients with substance use disorder and increasing their treatment motivation.
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06437366
Diabetes mellitus is a growing global health concern, with a high prevalence in Egypt. Type 2 diabetes imposes substantial health and economic challenges. Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs, such as the Diabetes Conversation Map, have demonstrated promise in enhancing patient knowledge, self-management, and self-efficacy. However, evidence regarding their direct impact remains scarce, necessitating further investigation.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Diabetes Conversation Map program in improving knowledge retention, self-management, and self-efficacy among type 2 diabetes patients in Egypt.
A prospective, parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Damanhour Health Insurance Outpatient Diabetic Clinic in Egypt. A total of 120 adult patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized into a control group (n = 60), receiving standard diabetes education, and an intervention group (n = 60), attending 8 weekly interactive sessions using the Diabetes Conversation Map. Primary outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and 3 months later.
The intervention group exhibited significant improvements in knowledge, self-management, and self-efficacy compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Additionally, positive correlations between these outcomes were observed post-intervention, replacing negative correlations observed at baseline.
The Diabetes Conversation Map program effectively enhances patient knowledge, self-management, and self-efficacy, supporting its integration into routine diabetes education. Healthcare providers should implement structured, interactive educational interventions to empower patients in managing their condition. Regular follow-ups and reinforcement strategies are necessary to sustain long-term self-efficacy improvements. Policymakers should consider incorporating evidence-based diabetes education into national healthcare programs. Future research should explore digital adaptations of the program to enhance accessibility and engagement.
Registration No: R000061691, Trial ID: UMIN000054044
It is unclear whether routine testing of women for group B streptococcus (GBS) colonisation either in late pregnancy or during labour reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis, compared with a risk factor-based strategy.
Cluster randomised trial.
320 000 women from up to 80 hospital maternity units.
Sites will be randomised 1:1 to a routine testing strategy or the risk factor-based strategy, using a web-based minimisation algorithm. A second-level randomisation allocates routine testing sites to either antenatal enriched culture medium testing or intrapartum rapid testing. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis will be offered if a test is positive for GBS, or if a maternal risk factor for early-onset GBS infection in her baby is identified before or during labour. Economic and acceptability evaluations will be embedded within the trial design.
The primary outcome is all-cause early (
The trial received a favourable opinion from Derby Research Ethics Committee on 16 September 2019 (19/EM/0253). The allocated testing strategy will be adopted as standard clinical practice by the site. Women in the routine testing sites will give verbal consent for the test. The trial will use routinely collected data retrieved from National Health Service databases, supplemented with limited participant-level collection of process outcomes. Individual written consent will not be sought. The trial results, and parallel economic, qualitative, implementation and methodological results, will be published in the journal Health Technology Assessment.
This study aims to determine key workforce variables (demographic, health and occupational) that predicted National Health Service (NHS) staff’s absence due to illness and expressed intention to leave their current profession.
Staff from 18 NHS Trusts were surveyed between April 2020 and January 2021, and again approximately 12 months later.
Logistic and linear regression were used to explore relationships between baseline exposures and four 12-month outcomes: absence due to COVID-19, absence due to non-COVID-19 illness, actively seeking employment outside current profession and regularly thinking about leaving current profession.
22 555 participants (out of a possible 152 286 employees; 15%) completed the baseline questionnaire. 10 831 participants completed the short follow-up questionnaire at 12 months and 5868 also completed the long questionnaire; these participants were included in the analyses of sickness absence and intention to leave, respectively. 20% of participants took 5+ days of work absence for non-COVID-19 sickness in the 12 months between baseline and 12-month questionnaire; 14% took 5+ days of COVID-19-related sickness absence. At 12 months, 20% agreed or strongly agreed they were actively seeking employment outside their current profession; 24% thought about leaving their profession at least several times per week. Sickness absence (COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related) and intention to leave the profession (actively seeking another role and thinking about leaving) were all more common among NHS staff who were younger, in a COVID-19 risk group, had a probable mental health disorder, and who did not feel supported by colleagues and managers.
Several factors affected both workforce retention and sickness absence. Of particular interest are the impact of colleague and manager support because they are modifiable. The NHS workforce is likely to benefit from training managers to speak with and support staff, especially those experiencing mental health difficulties. Further, staff should be given sufficient opportunities to form and foster social connections. Selection bias may have affected the presented results.
To examine the impact of climate anxiety on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with COPD. It also explores how climate anxiety interacts with clinical factors, such as disease severity and comorbidities, to influence QoL.
Cross-sectional.
A total of 270 COPD patients were recruited using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected through structured interviews and clinical assessments, incorporating the Climate Anxiety Scale, the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire and the BODE Index. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of QoL.
The study found a statistically significant association between climate anxiety and both QoL (r = 0.81, p < 0.01) and COPD severity (r = 0.76, p < 0.01). COPD severity (B = 4.68, p < 0.01) and climate anxiety (B = 0.28, p < 0.01) were predictors of QoL. Among the covariates, former smokers, older patients and multiple comorbidities reported significantly worse QoL (B = 4.80, p = 0.03; B = 0.43, p < 0.01; B = 0.85, p = 0.02, respectively). Collectively all predictors explained 86% of the variance in QoL.
Climate anxiety significantly contributes to reduced QoL in COPD patients, beyond disease severity and demographic factors. Addressing psychological distress in COPD management is essential to improving patient outcomes.
Nurses should recognise climate anxiety as a key variable influencing COPD management. Incorporating climate anxiety screening into nursing assessments and providing targeted interventions can enhance patient support and improve overall COPD care.
Climate anxiety is an emerging concern in COPD. While previous research has focused on physical and clinical determinants of COPD-related QoL, climate anxiety remains underexplored. This study provides new evidence that climate anxiety is a predictor of poorer QoL, highlighting the need for holistic nursing interventions that address both physical and psychological health.
This study was reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE).
Patients with COPD were involved in this study.
Menopause is associated with significant physical, psychosocial, and emotional changes that can negatively affect women's quality of life (QoL). In response to this, psychological interventions like mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in alleviating menopausal symptoms and improving psychological well-being.
A comprehensive randomized controlled trial was conducted from May to August 2024 at Damanhour University, Egypt. One hundred and twenty menopausal women were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 60), which participated in seven mindfulness sessions, or the control group (n = 60), which received general health education. Pre and postintervention data were collected using the Menopause-Specific QoL questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Independent samples t-tests were performed to compare groups, while paired t-tests assessed within-group changes post-intervention. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d, ensuring a robust and reliable data analysis.
The intervention group showed significant improvements across all domains of menopause-specific QoL, including vasomotor (d = 0.788, p < 0.01), psychosocial (d = 1.042, p < 0.01), physical (d = 0.809, p < 0.01), and sexual (d = 0.794, p < 0.01). Additionally, significant reductions were observed in anxiety (d = 1.221, p < 0.01), stress (d = 1.030, p < 0.01), and depression (d = 0.880, p < 0.01), along with a significant increase in mindfulness (d = 1.335, p < 0.01) postintervention.
The MBIS significantly improved menopause-specific QoL and reduced anxiety, stress, and depression while enhancing mindfulness in menopausal women. These findings suggest that mindfulness-based interventions could be game changers in managing menopausal symptoms and improving overall psychological well-being, offering hope for a better QoL for menopausal women.
The research will primarily impact healthcare providers working with menopausal women, particularly those offering psychological support or nonpharmacological treatments. It also impacts menopausal women themselves by providing evidence-based intervention options that could alleviate menopausal symptoms. Furthermore, researchers and policymakers focusing on women's health and mental well-being may use these findings to inform future studies and healthcare strategies.
Women from Damanhur University.
This trial was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov database under the registration number NCT06421909
Building nursing process competency among beginner nurses is a pivotal need in contemporary, complex, fast-paced nursing practice. However, transitioning from the educational phase to practicing as a nurse can be a significant adjustment. New practitioners often experience a period of shock, which may present challenges in developing nurse competency. Fostering system thinking among those nurses could buffer the negative signs of transition shock and cultivate nursing process competencies at earlier times.
This study explores the relationship between transition shock and nursing process competency among early career nurses and investigates the moderating effect of system thinking on this relationship.
This cross-sectional correlational exploratory study was conducted at four large hospitals in Egypt. Data were collected from 393 nurses from the first of February 2024 to the end of April 2024 using the transition shock scale, the competency of nursing process questionnaire, and the system thinking scale. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the study variables.
A statistically significant negative correlation exists between transition shock, nursing process competency, and system thinking among early-career nurses. System thinking is positively associated with nursing process competency. System thinking positively moderates the relationship between transition shock and nursing process competency among early-career nurses. Transition shock and system thinking account for 23.9% of the variance in nursing process competency among early-career nurses.
Transition shock is an inevitable phenomenon among early-career nurses, negatively affecting their competency in the nursing process. System thinking buffers this adverse effect and significantly augments nursing process competency among this set of nurses. Predicting and mitigating transition shock among early-career nurses is pivotal in building nursing process competency. Nurse educators must develop curricula that cultivate system thinking skills among nursing students, which enables them to buffer transition shock after graduation.