Effect of an end-of-life gerontological nursing education programme on the attitudes and knowledge of clinical nurses: A non-randomised controlled trial

The Effect of Catheter-Related Infection Control Education on Surgical Nurses' Knowledge Levels and Attitudes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Catheters are commonly used in health care. As nurses play an active role in the prevention of catheter-related infections, their knowledge and attitudes on this subject are important. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of an educational intervention about catheter-related infection control precautions on nurses' knowledge levels and attitudes.

METHOD

This study was a single-center randomized controlled trial. The intervention group (n = 35) received evidence-based face-to-face education. The control group (n = 35) received routine in-service training. The nurses' knowledge and attitudes were assessed before, immediately after, and 3 months after the education.

RESULTS

After the training, the intervention group had statistically higher total scores than the control group on both scales immediately after the training (p < .001 and p = .008, respectively) and 3 months after the training (p = .001 and p < .001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The evidence-based structured educational intervention about catheter-related infection prevention practices positively affected the knowledge and attitudes of surgical nurses. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 202x;5x(x):xx-xx.].

Effects of advance care planning training on advanced practice nurse students' knowledge, confidence, and perception of end-of-life care: A mixed-method study

AIMS

This study aimed to assess how an advance care planning training program affected advanced practice nursing students' knowledge, confidence and perception of end-of-life care in South Korea.

BACKGROUND

Effective communication between healthcare providers, patients and their families is one of the most important components of quality end-of-life care. However, nurses in South Korea may feel uncomfortable helping patients and families with advance care planning because of the cultural taboo against talking about dying.

DESIGN

A mixed-method design was used with data obtained from self-administered questionnaires at the onset and end of the advance care planning training program and qualitative data from participant feedback after the program.

METHODS

Data collected from 65 advanced practice nursing students who participated in advance care planning training programs in June-July 2020 and 2021, conducted as part of a graduate clinical practice course, were analyzed. Data were originally collected to examine students' course outcomes. A training program was provided to advanced practice nursing students to improve their knowledge, confidence and perception in advance care planning conversations with their patients. The program comprised three sessions: online lectures, face-to-face simulations and discussions on advance care planning and ethical issues. Changes in advance care planning knowledge, confidence in supporting patients' advance directives, perceived nursing roles in end-of-life treatment decisions and perception of a good death were examined before and after the training.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant increases in participants' advance care planning knowledge, confidence in supporting patients' advance directives and perception of the active role of nurses in patients' end-of-life treatment decisions after the training.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate the effects of training programs on advanced practice nursing students' knowledge, confidence and perception of advance care planning communication. They also provide evidence about what contents and methods can be helpful in developing end-of-life care training for advanced practice nursing students.

Effectiveness of Training Programs About a Palliative Care Approach: A Systematic Review of Intervention Trials for Health Care Professionals

Background: Palliative care (PC) training initiatives have proliferated to assist generalist health care providers (HCPs) develop skills for applying an early PC approach. To date, there is little synthesis of high-level evidence to review the content and effectiveness of these programs. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a systematic review of trials of training inventions to build PC competency in HCPs, according to PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration no. 271741). Materials and Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Clinical Trials for studies published since 2000. Eligible studies were trials assessing PC training for HCPs. Interventions had to address at least two of six PC-related components, adapted from the National Consensus Project: identification or assessment; illness understanding; symptom management; decision making; coping; and referral. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion, using Rayyan, and extracted relevant data. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane ROB2 or ROBINS-I tools. Results: Of 1209 articles reviewed, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, with the majority being conducted in the United States (n = 9) or Europe (n = 8). Nearly all studies (n = 19) collected data through self-reported surveys; administrative (n = 4), clinical outcomes (n = 4), or interaction analysis (n = 6) data were also or solely used. Interventions featured didactic, skill-based training followed by role-play and/or individual coaching. Communication around illness understanding was the most taught PC component. Few interventions involved comprehensive PC training, with 12 studies representing 3 or less of the 6 framework components. Most studies (n = 16) reported a significant positive impact on at least one outcome, most often HCP self-reported outcomes. Conclusions: While many of these interventions demonstrated improved confidence among HCPs in the PC components taught, findings were mixed on more objective outcome measures. Further trial-based evidence is required on comprehensive PC training to help inform these interventions.

Developing a competence framework for gerontological nursing in China: a two-phase research design including a needs analysis and verification study

Background

China faces a serious shortage of competent nurses who can address the healthcare needs of older people in an ageing society. Chinese higher education institutes face serious challenges when it comes to developing new curricula that are capable of educating sufficient numbers of competent gerontological nurses. Therefore, the aim of this research study was to identify and verify competencies for gerontological nurses in China that are needed to provide nursing care for the growing number of older people in all care settings. This study takes into account the possible opportunities that trends and developments may offer in the near future.

Methods

In this study, a two-phase research design was used. The first phase concerned needs analysis, including a situational analysis, a trend analysis and a competence analysis. This process resulted in a draft competence framework. The second phase addressed the verification of the competence framework through a two-round Delphi study with a panel of Chinese and European experts. This process led to the final competence framework.

Results

The final competence framework for gerontological nursing in China included six competencies divided into 13 essential and five relevant learning outcomes. The competencies are: ‘providing gerontological care’, ‘communication and collaboration’, ‘organization of gerontological nursing care’, ‘health promotion’, ‘evidence-based nursing and lifelong learning’ and ‘professional behaviour’.

Conclusion

The framework comprehensively covers the six core competencies that nurses who care for older people should possess. These competencies are well-embedded in a Chinese context. The framework therefore offers concrete, practical suggestions for the competencies and skills that nursing graduates will need to work in current and future professions related to gerontological nursing education and practice.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-01074-y.

Preliminary Effect and Acceptability of an Intervention to Improve End-of-Life Care in Long-Term-Care Facilities: A Feasibility Study

The number of deaths of older adults in long-term care settings will increase with the aging population. Nurses and care workers in these settings face various challenges in providing end-of-life care, and interventions for quality end-of-life care may be useful. This feasibility study aims to explore the preliminary effect and acceptability of an intervention named the EOL Care Tool to improve end-of-life care in long-term-care facilities. We conducted a single-arm quasi-experimental study using mixed methods. This tool consisted of multiple components: professionalized lectures, newly developed structured documents, regular conferences regarding end-of-life care, and educational support from administrators. Twenty-four nurses and fifty-five care workers employed in a long-term care facility participated. For nurses, improvement in attitudes toward end-of-life care (p < 0.05) and interdisciplinary collaboration (p < 0.05) were shown quantitatively. Regarding acceptability, nurses and care workers evaluated the tool positively except for the difficulty of using the new documents. However, qualitative results showed that care workers felt the reluctance to address the work regarding end-of-life care. Therefore, a good preliminary effect and acceptability for nurses were indicated, while acceptability for care workers was only moderate. Revision to address the mentioned issues and evaluation of the revised tool with a more robust research design are required.