Evaluation of Online Learning Modules for Improving Physical Activity Counseling Skills, Practices, and Knowledge of Oncology Nurses

Cancer survivorship: understanding the patients' journey and perspectives on post-treatment needs

BACKGROUND

Cancer treatments have many adverse effects on patient's health leading to poor cardiorespiratory capacity, muscular- degeneration, fatigue, loss of strength and physical function, altered body-composition, compromised immune-function, peripheral neuropathy, and reduced quality of life (QOL). Exercise programs can significantly increase functional capacity when tailored to individual needs, thus improving health. Exercise interventions in cancer rehabilitation, when supported by appropriate nutrition can be effective in attaining a healthy weight and body-composition. The successful rehabilitation program should also include psycho-social education aimed to reduce anxiety and improve motivation.

METHODS

The current study aimed to collect information on the post-treatment needs of cancer patients including barriers and expectations facing them, their caregivers and their families through consultation in focus group interviews. Cancer survivors living in the Republic of Ireland were recruited from the University Hospital Galway, community-based cancer centres, cancer support groups and social media platforms to participate in the study and attend a focus group interview. The focus group discussions were designed to obtain information on the collective views of cancer survivors on relevant topics selected. The topics were developed in consultation with a patient and public involvement (PPI) group supporting the study. The topics list was circulated to all participants prior to the focus group. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Focus group transcripts were analysed subjected to a thematic framework analysis using NVivo.

RESULTS

Thirty-six participants took part in 9 focus groups. Our analysis uncovered two main themes. The first theme 'cast adrift with no direction' was grouped into three sub-themes: everything revolves around treatment; panic and fear; and what exercise should I be doing? The second theme 'everybody is different' was clustered into two sub-themes: side effects get in the way; and personalised exercise program.

CONCLUSION

The study highlighted the lack of information and support needed by patients living with and beyond cancer. The study also highlighted the need for a personalised exercise programme designed to target the individual patient symptoms that would be ideal for the mitigation of long term symptoms and in improving QOL.

Exercise Prescription Practices Among Mental Health Professionals on College Campuses: Testing the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model

BACKGROUND

The co-occurrence of physical inactivity and poor mental health in the college student population can lead to chronic health issues that have negative short-term effects (e.g., academic success). Poor mental health is associated with long-term conditions (e.g., obesity, serious mental illness) that are linked to premature mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine the information-motivation-behavioral (IMB) skills model and evaluate its ability to explain the variance in the use of exercise prescription in mental health treatment.

METHOD

Mental health professionals (MHPs) (n = 255) were recruited from college counseling centers in the USA. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between the predictor variables of information (exercise knowledge and benefits of exercise), motivation (personal beliefs, perceived barriers, and organizational support), and behavioral skills (self-efficacy), and the outcome variable of exercise prescription (i.e., brief counseling and referral for exercise).

RESULTS

The predictors accounted for 23% of the variance in exercise prescription (p = .001). Organizational support had a significant direct effect on exercise prescription (β = 0.27, p = .05). Personal beliefs (β = 0.96, p = .05) and organizational support (β = 0.31, p = .04) had significant direct effects on self-efficacy for prescribing exercise. MHP personal exercise behavior was associated with exercise prescription.

CONCLUSION

MHPs may be willing to support physical activity promotion and exercise prescription, but organizational structures are critical to enhance and sustain the delivery of this adjunctive therapy. The personal exercise history of MHPs may be an important consideration for behavior change interventions. The development and validation of scales are important considerations for future intervention study design.

Patterns of information literacy and their predictors among emergency department nurses: a latent profile analysis based on the person-context interaction theory

BACKGROUND

With the development of information technology, information has been an important resource in clinical medicine, particularly within the emergency department. Given its role in patient rescue, the emergency department demands a high level of information literacy from nurses to effectively collect, analyze, and apply information due to the urgency and complexity of emergency nursing work. Although prior studies have investigated the information literacy of nursing staff, little has been undertaken in examining the patterns of information literacy and their predictors among emergency department nurses.

AIM

To clarify the subtypes of information literacy among nurses in the emergency department and explore the factors affecting profile membership.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 2490 nurses in the emergency department from April to June 2023. The clinical nurses completed the online self-report questionnaires including the general demographic questionnaire, information literacy scale, self-efficacy scale and social support scale. Data analyses involved the latent profile analysis, variance analysis, Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Four latent profiles were identified: 'Low information literacy (Class 1)', 'Moderate information knowledge (Class 2)', 'High information knowledge and support (Class 3)' and 'High information literacy (Class 4)', accounting for 20.14%, 42.11%, 23.36% and 14.39%, respectively. Each profile displayed unique characteristics representative of different information literacy patterns. Age, years of work, place of residence, hospital grade, title, professional knowledge, using databases, reading medical literature, participating in information literacy training, self-efficacy, and social support significantly predicted information literacy profile membership.

CONCLUSIONS

Information literacy exhibits different classification features among emergency department nurses, and over half of the nurses surveyed were at the lower or middle level. Identifying sociodemographic and internal-external predictors of profile membership can aid in developing targeted interventions tailored to the needs of emergency department nurses. Nursing managers should actively pay attention to nurses with low information literacy and provide support to improve their information literacy level.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Insights from the current study of the latent profile analysis are beneficial to hospital managers in understanding the different types of emergency department nurses' information literacy. These insights serve as a reference for managers to enhance nurses' information literacy levels.

Reproductive endocrinology and infertility nurse online orientation program evaluation: a quality improvement initiative

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel online orientation program (Nurses in REI Communication, Knowledge, and Skills [NRCKS]) among new and early-career reproductive endocrinology nurses to make recommendations for program quality improvement.

Design

Quality improvement.

Subjects

Reproductive endocrinology nurses.

Exposure

Online orientation program featuring 8 micromodules.

Main Outcome Measures

Knowledge acquisition, confidence, user experience, skills, and abilities.

Results

Nurses demonstrated a statistically significant increase in reproductive knowledge after completion of NRCKS. Most nurse users felt confident applying knowledge in the clinical settings after program completion. Nurse users had an overall positive experience with interactive components and quality of visuals. Most nurse users gained skills and abilities that they will implement into professional practice. Nurses suggested improving navigation, adding more visuals in content expert presentations, and teaching soft skills necessary for the role of reproductive endocrinology nurses.

Conclusions

Nurses in REI Communication, Knowledge, and Skills was well received by nurse participants and emphasized the receptivity and desire for reproductive health and fertility training among novice reproductive endocrinology nurses. Nurses in REI Communication, Knowledge, and Skills increased nursing knowledge, and nurses felt confident applying newly gained knowledge in the clinical setting on completion. Nurse participants provided invaluable feedback for quality improvement to inform the hard launch. The results emphasize the online orientation's strong potential to close the theory-practice gap.

The Effects of an Educational Intervention on Exercise Advice Behaviors of Thai Oncology Nurses

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate an educational intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior to increase oncology nurses' exercise advice behaviors.

METHODS

A single-group, quasi-experimental repeated measures design study was used with 124 oncology nurses in a Thai cancer institute. The educational intervention included preeducation self-directed activities for 1 hour, a 2-hour group education session, and posteducation outreach contact 1 week later. The outcome measures, including the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs, exercise knowledge, and self-reported exercise prescription behaviors, were collected at three time points: Time 1 (2 weeks preintervention), Time 2 (immediately preintervention), and Time 3 (2 weeks after the intervention).

CONCLUSION

Results indicated a statistically significant increase in scores after the intervention for all outcomes, including the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs (overall P value <.001), exercise knowledge (β = 2.99, P < .001), and exercise prescription behaviors: asking (odds ratio [OR] = 12.98, P < .001), assessing (OR = 6.20, P < .001), referring (OR = 4.10, P < .001), and writing exercise advice (OR = 11.52, P < .001). Additionally, verbal counseling behavior was performed by all participants, and therefore, the odds for verbal counseling were not reported. Structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that attitudes and perceived behavioral control explained 41% of the variance in exercise advice intention. Perceived behavioral control and intention also explained 20% of the variance in self-reported exercise advice behaviors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Attitudinal and perceived behavioral control constructs should be a focus of attention to improve health care professionals' exercise advice behaviors. More focused research is required to examine whether patients engage in and follow the exercise advice provided by oncology nurses.

Examining the Effectiveness of an E-Learning Training Course for Coaches of a Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Program

Small Steps for Big Changes (SSBC) is a community-based diabetes prevention program (DPP). SSBC utilizes a motivational interviewing (MI) informed counseling style to deliver a structured diet and exercise curriculum to empower healthy behavioral modifications and prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D). An electronic learning (e-learning) platform to train SSBC coaches was developed to improve flexibility, reach, and accessibility. While e-learning has shown to be an effective mode of teaching content to health professionals, less is known in the context of DPP coaches. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the SSBC e-learning course. Twenty coaches (eleven fitness staff personnel and nine university students) were recruited through existing fitness facilities to participate in the online SSBC coach training which included completing pre- and post-training questionnaires, seven online modules of content and a mock client session. Knowledge regarding MI (Mpre = 3.30 ± 1.95, Mpost = 5.90 ± 1.29; p < 0.01), SSBC content (Mpre = 5.15 ± 2.23, Mpost = 8.60 ± 0.94; p < 0.01), and T2D (Mpre = 6.95 ± 1.57, Mpost = 8.25 ± 0.72; p < 0.01), and self-efficacy to deliver the program (Mpre = 7.93 ± 1.51, Mpost = 9.01 ± 1.00; p < 0.01) all significantly increased from pre- to post e-learning training. Participants reported positively on the user satisfaction and feedback questionnaire with a mean score of 4.58/5 (SD = 0.36). These findings suggest e-learning platforms are a promising mode to improve DPP coaches' knowledge, counseling skills, and to bolster confidence in program delivery with high levels of satisfaction. E-learning to train DPP coaches allows for effective and feasible expansion of DPP's, ultimately permitting more reach to adults living with prediabetes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41347-023-00316-3.

The Effectiveness of an Online Learning Strategy on Changing Physical Activity Counseling Practice in Nurses

BACKGROUND

Nurses may be well poised for providing physical activity guidance and support to patients.

PURPOSE

The purposes of this study were to examine the effectiveness of a concise, evidence based online learning modules strategy (OLMS) for improving nurses' physical activity counselling.

METHODS

68 nurses were randomly assigned to either an OLMS group or control group. The OLMS group completed a series of six online learning modules aimed at improving physical activity counselling practice.

RESULTS

The OLMS group, compared to the control group, showed a trend for improvement in Physical Activity Counselling Practice (p = .063) after controlling for baseline values, and significant improvement in (a) Self-efficacy for Physical Activity Counselling (p = .001), (b) Knowledge of Physical Activity Guidelines, (p = .031), and (c) Perceived Benefits of Physical Activity Counselling (p = .014) over the course of the intervention. No significant change was found for Barriers for Providing Physical Activity Counselling (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The OLMS tested may be an effective means for improving self-efficacy, knowledge, and perceived benefits of physical activity counselling, suggesting the utility of online learning strategies for improving nurses' physical activity counselling practice. Given barriers to providing physical activity counselling were not affected by the intervention, future interventions and policy change could target these barriers specifically in order to give nurses more tools and time for reaching patients and addressing physical activity counselling in practice.

Factors related to promotion of physical activity in clinical oncology practice: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To map which factors have been considered, explored, and found to influence physical activity (PA) promotion by oncology physicians and nurses (OPN).

METHODS

A scoping review of empirical studies was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the PRISMA-ScR guideline. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the QATSDD tool.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine publications were included. The methodological quality of the studies was low to moderate. Studies have shown a positive attitude towards PA and recommending PA. PA knowledge seems to influence PA promotion by OPNs to some extent. Structural barriers for PA promotion are the most endorsed barriers but to what extent they influence PA promotion is unclear. The demographic and professional characteristics of OPNs and their PA behavior do not seem to influence PA promotion to a greater extent. Patients' PA interest, health characteristics, and medical conditions are additional factors. Their implications for PA promotion are not fully elucidated.

CONCLUSIONS

The varied results across the studies, together with the methodological limitations of the studies, make it unclear to what extent the explored factors influence PA promotion by OPNs.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

More research into what influences OPNs' engagement in PA promotion is warranted to support clinical PA promotion.

A qualitative study identifying challenges resulting from complex evidence on lifestyle factors and cancer: perspectives from Black and Latina cancer survivors and healthcare providers

PURPOSE

Most breast cancer survivors have challenges with adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors. This may be due to contextual challenges that result from the complex nature of the evidence. To address this gap, we explored the experiences of breast cancer survivors of color and oncology healthcare providers.

METHODS

Content analysis with inductive and deductive approaches was used for semi-structured interviews with 26 female breast cancer survivors and 10 oncology healthcare providers from Greater New Haven, Connecticut.

RESULTS

Survivors identified substantial confusion on the evidence regarding lifestyle behaviors and breast cancer, stemming from inadequate healthcare provider counseling and an overreliance on informal sources of information. Providers identified lack of evidence-based knowledge as a barrier to counseling on these topics. There was a mixed perspective regarding the consistency of evidence, stemming from a combination of gaps in the available evidence and accessing evidence-based knowledge from a wide range of professional resources. Some providers perceived the guidelines as consistent; others felt guidelines were constantly changing, impacting how and on what they counseled. Therefore, many healthcare providers in oncology care relied on generic messaging on lifestyle behaviors after a cancer diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Inconsistent information sources, the rapidly changing evidence, and gaps in the current evidence contribute to generic messaging about lifestyle behaviors and may inhibit a survivor's ability to engage in behavior change. Consistent and uniform healthy lifestyle guidelines for cancer outcomes may address both provider and patient level barriers to knowledge.

Perception of the prognostic impact of physical activity among cancer survivors: a narrative review

Purpose

Little is known about cancer survivors’ perceptions of the prognostic impact of physical activity (PA) and the association between perceptions and PA. Therefore, the present narrative review aimed to identify cancer survivors' perceptions of the prognostic impact of PA, perception barriers, and association with PA.

Methods

A literature search was performed via PubMed and Scopus with search terms including “physical activity”, “cancer survivor”, and “perception” in November 2022. Inclusion criteria were studies that investigated cancer survivors’ perceptions of the prognostic impact of PA written in English. Studies were excluded for patients undergoing cancer treatment or advanced cancer patients only.

Results

Our search identified a total of 13,080 articles, and 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. The study sample size ranged from 8 to 1003 participants. Most studies showed that cancer survivors poorly understood the prognostic impact of PA. Perception barriers were cited as a lack of advice from health care professionals (HCPs). Several studies reported a positive association between the perception of the prognostic impact of PA and actual PA.

Conclusions

This narrative review revealed that most reports showed that cancer survivors have a poor perception of the prognostic impact of PA. In addition, the lack of advice from HCPs may also be contributing to the lack of perception among cancer survivors. Therefore, to increase the amount of PA among cancer survivors, it is necessary to improve the perception of the prognostic impact of PA in both cancer survivors and HCPs.

Expanding the Informatics Competencies of Nurse Practitioners Through Online Learning

Nurse practitioners' informatics competencies are not well-understood. Limited evidence alludes to the potential need to improve the informatics competencies of nurse practitioners. The primary purpose of this study was to analyze the informatics competencies of nurse practitioners, including nurses training to become nurse practitioners, before and after completing an online learning module in nursing informatics. Six topics were covered in the investigator-developed learning module. A pretest-posttest, one-group, quasi-experimental design was used in the study. The link to the study was emailed to members of a local nurse practitioners' association in California and graduate nursing students at a public university in Missouri. The study was also shared on a professional networking Web site, LinkedIn. Data were collected from 15 nurse practitioners and two nurse practitioner students, using a demographic questionnaire and an 18-item self-assessment of informatics competency scale. A related-samples Sign test was conducted to compare the pretest and posttest scores. Statistically significant median increases ( P = .001 to <.001) were found in five areas. Findings suggest that the online learning module expanded the participants' competencies in specific areas of informatics. The results also provide an initial understanding of nurse practitioners' informatics competencies and inform future iterations of the study.

Indian nurses' beliefs on physical activity promotion practices for cancer survivors in a tertiary care hospital-a cross-sectional survey

Purpose

To describe the physical activity (PA) promotion practices, beliefs, and barriers of Indian nurses working with cancer survivors, and to gain preliminary insights into how their educational qualification might affect PA promotion practices.

Methods

A validated questionnaire was used to obtain the data (N = 388). Sub-group comparisons were performed based on nursing qualification i.e., Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSc) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) using Mann-Whitney U test and chi square analysis for continuous and categorical variables, respectively.

Results

The nurses believed that oncologists (47%) followed by physiotherapists (28.9%) were primarily responsible for providing information regarding PA to cancer survivors. The most common period in which the nurses' promoted PA was post treatment (31.7%), although very few nurses (13.3%) promoted PA across more than one of the three treatment periods. Nurses felt that PA had many benefits for cancer survivors; improved mental health (87.7%) and HRQoL (81.1%). Lack of knowledge (42.2%) and lack of time (41.6%) were the most frequently cited barriers. The comparisons based on educational qualification did not typically reveal many significant differences.

Conclusion

Indian nurses both BSc and GNM qualified, wish to promote PA to cancer survivors despite numerous barriers, across various stages of treatment and believe PA is beneficial to the survivors in the process of recovery. Overcoming these barriers might aid in better promotion of PA to cancer survivors.

Implication for cancer survivors

Nurses working in a tertiary care hospital in India are willing to promote PA amongst cancer survivors but require more training and support in this area of practice.

Online training resources to aid therapeutic radiographers in engaging in conversations about physical activity and diet: A mixed methods study

INTRODUCTION

This study explored changes in therapeutic radiographers' (TRs) self-reported knowledge and skills to engage in conversations about physical activity and diet with people living with and beyond cancer following completion of publicly available online courses.

METHODS

Participants were randomly assigned to two of five online courses that aim to support health professionals to engage in conversations about physical activity and diet in the oncology setting. Participants rated their agreement with 18 statements related to the COM-B (capability, opportunity and motivation-behaviour) model components following completion of an online course on healthy diet (n = 16) and physical activity (n = 21). Semi-structured telephone interviews (n = 21) were also conducted. Analysis of the interviews was guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework.

RESULTS

Overall, the online courses were acceptable and the TRs in this study self-reported improved COM to deliver advice on physical activity and diet. The inclusion of the evidence and scientific rationale on the benefits of diet and physical activity, and also guidance on how to start conversations with patients were highlighted as important features of the courses. Suggestions for adaptations to the nutrition courses included the need for content that accounts for the side effects cancer patients experience while undergoing treatment. To support the implementation of training and the delivery of advice on these topics, multi-disciplinary working, organisational support and guidance around professional role boundaries were highlighted as important.

CONCLUSION

Current publicly available online courses on physical activity and diet for oncology health professionals can reduce some barriers among TRs to providing advice to those living with and beyond cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Existing online training courses could be used to support TRs to deliver physical activity and dietary advice in practice. Findings show that these courses can be disseminated within radiotherapy departments. The results also highlight a number of important considerations for the implementation of brief health behaviour advice and online training interventions on physical activity and diet within cancer care.

The Effectiveness of mHealth and eHealth Tools in Improving Provider Knowledge, Confidence, and Behaviors Related to Cancer Detection, Treatment, and Survivorship Care: a Systematic Review

Mobile health (mHealth) and eHealth interventions have demonstrated potential to improve cancer care delivery and disease management by increasing access to health information and health management skills. However, there is a need to better understand the overall impact of these interventions in improving cancer care and to identify best practices to support intervention adoption. Overall, this review intended to systematically catalogue the recent body of cancer-based mHealth and eHealth education and training interventions and assess the effectiveness of these interventions in increasing health care professionals' knowledge, confidence, and behaviors related to the delivery of care along the cancer continuum. Our initial search yielded 135 articles, and our full review included 23 articles. We abstracted descriptive data for each of the 23 studies, including an overview of interventions (i.e., intended intervention recipients, location of delivery, topic of focus), study methods (i.e., design, sampling approach, sample size), and outcome measures. Almost all the studies reported knowledge gain as an outcome of the education interventions, whereas only half assessed provider confidence or behavior change. We conclude that there is some evidence that mHealth and eHealth interventions lead to improvements in cancer care delivery, but this is not a consistent finding across the studies reviewed. Our findings also identify gaps that should be addressed in future research, offer guidance on the utility of mHealth and eHealth interventions, and provide a roadmap for addressing these gaps.

Development of an evidence-informed recommendation guide to facilitate physical activity counseling between oncology care providers and patients in Canada

Decision support aids help reduce decision conflict and are reported as acceptable by patients. Currently, an aid from the American College of Sports Medicine exists to help oncology care providers advise, assess, and refer patients to physical activity (PA). However, some limitations include the lack of specific resources and programs for referral, detailed PA, and physical function assessments and not being designed following an international gold standard (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation [AGREE] II). This study aimed to develop a recommendation guide to facilitate PA counseling by assessing the risk for PA-related adverse events and offering a referral to an appropriate recommendation. Recommendation guide development followed AGREE II, and an AGREE methodologist was consulted. Specifically, a stakeholder group of oncology care providers and cancer survivors were engaged to develop the assessment criteria for comorbidities, PA levels, and physical function. Assessment criteria were developed from published PA interventions, consultations with content experts, and targeted web-based searches for cancer-specific PA programs. Feedback on the recommendation guide was solicited from stakeholders and external reviewers with relevant knowledge and clinical experience. Independent AGREE methodologists appraised the development process. The recommendation guide is a five-page document, including a preamble, assessment criteria for absolute contraindications to PA, comorbidities, and PA/functional capacity with a list of appropriate resources. Independent AGREE methodologists rated the development process as strong and recommended the guide for use. The recommendation guide has the potential to facilitate PA counseling between oncology care providers and cancer survivors, thus, potentially impacting PA behavior.

Nurses' perceptions of their role with respect to promoting physical activity in adult patients: a systematic review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To identify the nurses' perceptions of their role with respect to promoting physical activity in adult patients and factors related to this role perceptions.

BACKGROUND

Ageing and chronic diseases are often accompanied by a decrease in physical activity. Nurses are in an excellent position to promote physical activity, because of their close and frequent interactions with patients. However, they often fail to actively stimulate patients to physical activity due to a lack of time, competing priorities and their focus on acute problems. Unclear was how nurses view their professional role in the promotion of physical activity.

DESIGN

Systematic literature review.

METHODS

PubMed, COCHRANE and CINAHL EBSCO were searched for papers published from 2006 to September 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality, using MMAT criteria. Thematic synthesis was used to analyse the data. The PRISMA statement was followed for reporting.

RESULTS

Overall, 10 quantitative, eight qualitative and one mixed methods study were included in the review. Analyses of these studies resulted in six themes: (1) active and professional role; (2) the recognised importance; (3) fear of patient falling; (4) patient's present health and need; (5) interdisciplinary context and responsibility; and (6) nurses' knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses perceive they have an active role in the promotion of physical activity and consider it as important and part of their professional role. Clear guidance increased education and stronger awareness of guidelines might enable nurses to translate their perceived role into daily practice. This will enhance professional fulfilment as well as patients' physical activity.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The findings guide the development of interventions that aim to improve nursing care with respect to the promotion of physical activity and help managers and educators to provide appropriate resources and education.

Effectiveness of a Theory- and Web-Based Adaptive Implementation Intervention on Nurses' and Nursing Students' Intentions to Provide Brief Counseling: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Brief counseling can motivate patients to initiate health behavior change. However, increasing the provision of brief counseling by nurses is difficult due to contextual and practitioner-level factors impeding nurses' motivation and intentions to provide brief counseling (eg, unfavorable attitude toward brief counseling, lack of perceived control linked to barriers). Theory-based implementation interventions could address these practitioner-level factors and support evidence-based practice in the context of brief counseling. Web-based, adaptive e-learning (electronic learning) programs are a novel type of implementation intervention that could address the limitations of current brief counseling training programs, such as accessibility and personalization.

OBJECTIVE

This paper presents a study protocol for evaluating the effectiveness of the E_MOTIVA implementation intervention-a theory- and web-based adaptive e-learning program-to increase nurses' and nursing students' intentions to provide brief counseling for smoking, an unbalanced diet, and medication nonadherence.

METHODS

A two-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial will be conducted with nurses and nursing students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Quebec, Canada. Participants in the experimental group will be allocated to the E_MOTIVA intervention-a theory- and web-based adaptive e-learning program-while participants in the active control group will be allocated to the E_MOTIVB intervention, a knowledge- and web-based standardized e-learning program. The E_MOTIVA intervention was designed to influence the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (eg, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) in the context of brief counseling. The Cognitive Load Index and User Engagement Scale will be used to assess participants' cognitive load and engagement related to e-learning. Participants will complete the Brief Counseling Nursing Practices Questionnaire-Abridged Version at baseline and follow-up. All study measures will be completed online.

RESULTS

The study is ongoing. The results of the study will provide answers to the primary hypothesis (H1) that experimental group participants will demonstrate a greater change in the score of intentions to provide brief counseling between baseline (-T1) and follow-up (T4). Secondary hypotheses include greater improvements in scores of attitude (H2), subjective norms (H3), perceived control (H4), behavioral beliefs (H5), normative beliefs (H6), and control beliefs (H7) regarding brief counseling in the experimental group between baseline and follow-up. We also anticipate lower intrinsic and extrinsic cognitive loads (H8, H9), higher germane cognitive load (H10), and higher engagement (H11, H12) in the experimental group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will be among the first in evaluating a novel type of implementation intervention, a theory- and web-based adaptive e-learning program, in nurses and nursing students. This type of intervention has the potential to support evidence-based practice through accessible, personalized training in wide-ranging domains in nursing.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN32603572; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN32603572.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/18894.

Systematic review of the effect of training interventions on the skills of health professionals in promoting health behaviour, with meta-analysis of subsequent effects on patient health behaviours

Background

We aimed to identify, synthesise and evaluate randomised control trial evidence on the effects of healthcare professional training on the delivery quality of health behaviour change interventions and, subsequently, on patient health behaviours.

Methods

Systematic review with narrative synthesis of effects on delivery quality and meta-analysis of health behaviour outcomes. We searched: Medline, EMBASE, PsychInfo, AMED, CINAHL Plus and the Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials up to March 2019. Studies were included if they were in English and included intervention delivery quality as an outcome. The systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (registration: CRD42019124502).

Results

Twelve-studies were identified as suitable for inclusion. All studies were judged as being high risk of bias with respect to training quality outcomes. However with respect to behavioural outcomes, only two of the six studies included in the meta-analysis had a high risk and four had some concerns. Educational elements (e.g. presentations) were used in all studies and nine included additional practical learning tasks. In eight studies reporting delivery quality, 54% of healthcare professional communication outcomes and 55% of content delivery outcomes improved in the intervention arm compared to controls. Training that included both educational and practical elements tended to be more effective. Meta-analysis of patient health behavioural outcomes in six-studies found significant improvements (Standardised mean difference (SMD): 0.20, 95% confidence interval: 0.11 to 0.28, P < 0.0001, I² = 0%). No significant difference was found between short (≤6-months) and long-term (> 6-months) outcomes (SMD: 0.25 vs 0.15; P = 0.31).

Conclusions

Delivery quality of health behaviour change interventions appears to improve following training and consequently to improve health behaviours. Future studies should develop more concise /integrated measures of delivery quality and develop optimal methods of training delivery.

The Influence of Cancer Patient Characteristics on the Recommendation of Physical Activity by Healthcare Professionals

BACKGROUND

Although physical activity (PA) is beneficial for patients with cancer, healthcare professionals (HCP) still scarcely recommend it. This study aimed to determine how HCP' sociodemographic and professional characteristics and their subjective assessments of patient characteristics are associated with their PA recommendations to patients with cancer.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey (paper-pencil or online) was completed by 929 HCP (159 general practitioners, 382 specialized physicians, and 388 oncology nurses). The survey collected information on HCP' sociodemographic and professional characteristics, PA recommendation frequency, and the likelihood of 13 patient characteristics influencing PA recommendations (on a 7-point Likert scale).

RESULTS

Descriptive results showed that 37.6% of HCP indicated often recommending PA and 41.7% indicated routinely recommending PA. More professional experience was associated with a higher reported PA recommendation frequency among specialized physicians and oncology nurses. Patient characteristics could be assigned to three higher-level categories. Characteristics from the categories "medical side effects" and "low affinity for PA" were more frequently judged by HCP as reasons for recommending PA and characteristics belonging to "indicators of poor general health" as reasons for not recommending PA. In all professional groups, the inclusion of patient characteristics resulted in additional variance explained in the prediction of a routine PA recommendation.

CONCLUSIONS

HCP in this study reported that they frequently recommend PA to patients with cancer. However, HCP consider cancer patient characteristics to influence their decision whether to recommend PA. Future research and interventions should aim to enable HCP to provide adequate PA recommendations to patients with cancer having different characteristics.

Behavior change counseling training programs for nurses and nursing students: A systematic descriptive review

OBJECTIVES

(1) To systematically review the literature on behavior change counseling (BCC) training programs targeting nurses and nursing students; (2) to characterize these training programs according to their content (i.e., targeted health behavior[s], BCC approaches taught, BCC techniques taught), structure, and modes of delivery.

DESIGN

A systematic, descriptive literature review.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL and Embase were searched with no time limitation in August 2018.

REVIEW METHODS

A systematic, descriptive literature review structured according to Paré et al.'s methodology and the PRISMA guidelines. Primary studies were included if they evaluated a BCC training program with nurses or nursing students. Review authors screened studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality using the MERSQI. Data was synthesized through narrative synthesis, descriptive statistics, and content analysis.

RESULTS

From a pool of 267 articles, we included 25 articles published between 2003 and 2018. Two studies scored as low quality (8%), 18 as moderate quality (72%), and 5 as high quality (20%). Physical activity (n = 14; 56%) and smoking (n = 11; 44%) were the most frequently targeted health behaviors. Eleven BCC approaches were cited (e.g., motivational interviewing), and 48 BCC techniques were identified (e.g., eliciting and scaling change talk). The median number of training sessions was 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 5), the median training program duration was 3 h (IQR 6.25 h), and median training period was 24.5 days (IQR 110 days). Programs were most often delivered as seminars and workshops.

CONCLUSIONS

High-quality studies reporting the assessment of BCC training programs with nurses and nursing students are scarce. There was significant heterogeneity in terms of the BCC approaches and techniques taught. Current evidence suggests nurses and nursing students learn BCC mainly through active, realistic practice. However, computer-based training programs are rapidly gaining ground. Further research emphasizing theory-based BCC training programs is warranted.

Are healthcare professionals being left in the lurch? The role of structural barriers and information resources to promote physical activity to cancer patients

PURPOSE

Although many cancer patients benefit from physical activity (PA), healthcare professionals (HCP) still do not promote it routinely. Including different groups of HCP, this study aimed to examine how structural barriers are perceived as impeding by HCP for promoting PA to cancer patients, how the perceptions of structural barriers are associated with promoting PA, and how HCP react to information resources.

METHODS

A total of 287 physicians in outpatient care, 242 physicians in inpatient care, and 388 oncology nurses completed our questionnaire (paper-pencil or online). Participants assessed nine different structural barriers (on a 4-point Likert Scale) and reported their PA promotion frequency. Further, they could request three different kinds of information resources about PA in oncological settings.

RESULTS

Across professional groups, more than 70% of HCP indicated that they promoted PA to their cancer patients often or routinely. Oncology nurses indicated that they were more impeded in promoting PA by six structural barriers than physicians (all p < .01). "Not enough time per patient" and "lack of an expert contact person" were associated with a reduced PA promotion in two professional groups (all p < .05). Information resources were requested by 69.5% of the participants: mostly physicians working in outpatient care and especially by those perceiving structural barriers.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a big proportion of HCP reported that they frequently promoted PA, our findings suggest that HCP still perceive structural barriers. The perception and influence of structural barriers differed between professional groups, pointing to the importance of profession specific guidance.