Developing competencies in genetics nursing: Education intervention for perinatal and pediatric nurses

A systematic review of genomic education for nurses and nursing students: Are they sufficient in the era of precision health?

BACKGROUND

Integration of genomic content into nursing curricula and continuing education is limited.

PURPOSE

This systematic review aimed to identify educational strategies to deliver genomics content.

METHODS

CINAHL Plus, ERIC, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus electronic databases were searched from January 1, 2003 through July 6, 2023. The three domains of learning: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor were used to categorize educational outcomes. A narrative approach was used to synthesize the data using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

DISCUSSION

Ten studies met inclusion criteria. Quality assessment for bias was conducted independently; study quality ranged from fair to poor. No study used a complete psychometrically tested instrument to measure genomic cognitive or affective knowledge; none measured the psychomotor domain.

CONCLUSIONS

Effective strategies to deliver genomic education are a priority. Development of reliable and valid instruments for the assessment of educational interventions, including the psychomotor skills needed for practice.

Ensuring best practice in genomics education: A theory- and empirically informed evaluation framework

Implementation of genomic medicine into healthcare requires a workforce educated through effective educational approaches. However, ascertaining the impact of genomics education activities or resources is limited by a lack of evaluation and inconsistent descriptions in the literature. We aim to support those developing genomics education to consider how best to capture evaluation data that demonstrate program outcomes and effectiveness within scope. Here, we present an evaluation framework that is adaptable to multiple settings for use by genomics educators with or without education or evaluation backgrounds. The framework was developed as part of a broader program supporting genomic research translation coordinated by the Australian Genomics consortium. We detail our mixed-methods approach involving an expert workshop, literature review and iterative expert input to reach consensus and synthesis of a new evaluation framework for genomics education. The resulting theory-informed and evidence-based framework encompasses evaluation across all stages of education program development, implementation and reporting, and acknowledges the critical role of stakeholders and the effects of external influences.

Ensuring best practice in genomics education: A scoping review of genomics education needs assessments and evaluations

A health workforce capable of implementing genomic medicine requires effective genomics education. Genomics education interventions developed for health professions over the last two decades, and their impact, are variably described in the literature. To inform an evaluation framework for genomics education, we undertook an exploratory scoping review of published needs assessments for, and/or evaluations of, genomics education interventions for health professionals from 2000 to 2023. We retrieved and screened 4,659 records across the two searches with 363 being selected for full-text review and consideration by an interdisciplinary working group. 104 articles were selected for inclusion in the review-60 needs assessments, 52 genomics education evaluations, and eight describing both. Included articles spanned all years and described education interventions in over 30 countries. Target audiences included medical specialists, nurses/midwives, and/or allied health professionals. Evaluation questions, outcomes, and measures were extracted, categorized, and tabulated to iteratively compare measures across stages of genomics education evaluation: planning (pre-implementation), development and delivery (implementation), and impact (immediate, intermediate, or long-term outcomes). They are presented here along with descriptions of study designs. We document the wide variability in evaluation approaches and terminology used to define measures and note that few articles considered downstream (long-term) outcomes of genomics education interventions. Alongside the evaluation framework for genomics education, results from this scoping review form part of a toolkit to help educators to undertake rigorous genomics evaluation that is fit for purpose and can contribute to the growing evidence base of the contribution of genomics education in implementation strategies for genomic medicine.

Health professionals' education related to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among the most underserved in an inequitable healthcare system.

METHODS

Using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology and a social determinants of health framework, we conducted a scoping review of literature on the state of practice in education of healthcare professionals in the health and healthcare needs of this population.

RESULTS

Searches found 4948 articles, with 182 included in the final review. Themes identified included gaps of not being informed by workforce needs, continued use of the medical model of care, not addressing intersectionality with racial/ethnic and other discriminations, and lack of involvement of the population in developing/evaluating programs and promising trends of development of competency-based interprofessional programs with experiential learning.

CONCLUSION

We provide recommendations for best practices in a concerted effort to educate a healthcare workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the health needs of this population.

Current State of Genomics in Nursing: A Scoping Review of Healthcare Provider Oriented (Clinical and Educational) Outcomes (2012-2022)

In the 20 years since the initial sequencing of the human genome, genomics has become increasingly relevant to nursing. We sought to chart the current state of genomics in nursing by conducting a systematic scoping review of the literature in four databases (2012-2022). The included articles were categorized according to the Cochrane Collaboration outcome domains/sub-domains, and thematic analysis was employed to identify key topical areas to summarize the state of the science. Of 8532 retrieved articles, we identified 232 eligible articles. The articles primarily reported descriptive studies from the United States and other high-income countries (191/232, 82%). More than half (126/232, 54.3%) aligned with the "healthcare provider oriented outcomes" outcome domain. Three times as many articles related to the "knowledge and understanding" sub-domain compared to the "consultation process" subdomain (96 vs. 30). Five key areas of focus were identified, including "nursing practice" (50/126, 40%), "genetic counseling and screening" (29/126, 23%), "specialist nursing" (21/126, 17%), "nurse preparatory education" (17/126, 13%), and "pharmacogenomics" (9/126, 7%). Only 42/126 (33%) articles reported interventional studies. To further integrate genomics into nursing, study findings indicate there is a need to move beyond descriptive work on knowledge and understanding to focus on interventional studies and implementation of genomics into nursing practice.

Cohort Study on the Effect of Psychological Education for Nurses in Psychiatric Department

With the deepening of the medical and health system, high-quality nursing service with the reform of nursing service model and the provision of holistic nursing care for patients as the core connotation is being comprehensively carried out. With the continuous improvement of medical quality, people's awareness of health has gradually increased. They have put forward higher requirements for medical quality, nursing service quality, and medical care safety. Under the influence of these conditions, the workload and work pressure of clinical nurses continue to increase, and mental health problems become increasingly prominent. According to relevant data, the detection rate of occupational stress among nurses was 100%, and the proportion of nurses who perceived considerable stress was 60.9%, which seriously affected their work efficiency and quality of life. However, the physical and mental health of the frontline nurses working in psychiatric hospitals is not optimistic. This study explored the effects of psychological education among nurses in the department of psychiatry. The results showed that psychological education intervention among nurses in the department of psychiatry could alleviate their professional tiredness, effectively improve their psychological elasticity and happiness index, and thus improve sleep quality and promote their physical and mental health development.

Educational Interventions to Improve Nurses' Competency in Genetics and Genomics: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Regardless of profession and area of practice, every health care provider must possess basic knowledge and skills to integrate genetics and genomics into practice. Nurses play a pivotal role in providing health care, and they should be well equipped to apply genetics and genomics to health care settings. This scoping review explored the existing literature of educational interventions to improve nurses' competencies, including knowledge, attitudes, and skills in genetics and genomics.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted with the Joanna Briggs Institute method for scoping reviews. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ERIC in March 2021. We included original research studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals that reported findings on the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve nurses' competencies in genetics or genomics.

RESULTS

A total of 17 studies were included in the scoping review. Registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nursing faculty were targeted with different types of interventions, including face-to-face education, online/remote education, and written materials.

CONCLUSION

Limited research shows that various educational interventions improved the competencies in genetics and genomics among nurses with different degrees and areas of practice. Research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of educational interventions by reliable assessment methods for nurses with appropriate sample sizes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(1):13-20.].

The Importance of Genomic Literacy and Education in Nursing

Genetic discoveries and technological advances have been changing nursing care delivery, which modifies the roles and practices of nursing in society. Although the need for education of nurses in the field of genomics has been recognized in the 1960s, many countries still have no clear guidelines in this field of education and training. The purpose of this study was to evaluate current genomics content in the curriculum of undergraduate and graduate programs of studies in nursing in Croatia, and to measure the genomic literacy of Croatian undergraduate nursing students through assessing participants’ understanding of genomic concepts most critical to nursing practice. The curriculum of undergraduate and graduate programs of nursing classes of 2020/2021 were independently analyzed by the authors. For measuring the knowledge of essential genomic concepts among nurses, a Genomic Nursing Concept Inventory (GNCI^©) instrument was employed. Results indicate that the current genomics content, for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in Croatia, is inadequate and not concordant among universities. Moreover, the genomic literacy of Croatian undergraduate students (Undergraduate program 10) was found to be low. Scores across respondents ranged from 3 to 22 (out of possible 31), with a mean scale score 9.8 (SD 5.3) (31.6% correct). We can conclude that the curriculum for undergraduate and graduate programs of Studies in nursing should be revised to implement the latest genomic practices and approaches to genomics education while nurses should acquire an adequate level of genomic literacy in order to produce desired outcomes of competency in nursing practice.