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Aim: To develop and test the psychometric properties of an expanded catheter self‐management scale for patients with in‐dwelling urinary catheters. Design: A cross‐sectional validation study. Despite the utility of the original 13‐item catheter self‐management scale, this instrument did not include bowel management, general hygiene and drainage bag care, which are fundamental skills in urinary catheter self‐management to prevent common problems resulting in unnecessary hospital presentations. The expanded catheter self‐management scale was developed with 10 additional items to comprehensively assess all five essential aspects of urinary catheter self‐management. Methods: A total of 101 adult community‐dwelling patients living with indwelling urinary catheters were recruited from Western Sydney, Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation, the number of factors to be extracted from the expanded 23‐item expanded catheter self‐management scale was determined using a scree plot. The reliability of the overall scale and subscales was measured using Cronbach's alpha. Convergent validity was assessed using Spearman's correlations between clinical characteristics, overall scale and subscales. Results: The 23‐item expanded catheter self‐management scale yielded a 5‐factor solution, labelled as: (i) self‐monitoring of catheter function, (ii) proactive, help‐seeking behaviour function, (iii) bowel self‐care function, (iv) hygiene‐related catheter site function and (v) drainage bag care function. Cronbach's alpha of the expanded catheter self‐management scale indicating all 23 items contributed to the overall alpha value. Convergent validity results showed a negative correlation between the overall expanded catheter self‐management scale and catheter‐related problems. Conclusion: The 5‐factor structure provided a comprehensive assessment of key aspects of urinary catheter self‐management essential to reduce the likelihood of catheter‐related hospital presentations. Implications: The expanded catheter self‐management scale can be used to assess and monitor effective patient‐centred interventions for optimal self‐management to prevent catheter‐related problems and improve the quality of life of patients. Impact: Many patients start their journey of living with a urinary catheter unexpectedly and are not supported with quality information to care for their catheter.The findings of this study show the correlation between catheter self‐management skills and catheter‐related problems.The expanded catheter self‐management scale (E‐CSM) assists with analysing the self‐management skills of patients living with a catheter and developing tailored interventions to prevent problems and improve their quality of life. In addition, this screening tool can be included in policies, guidelines, and care plans as a standard for improving catheter management and developing educational resources for patients. Reporting Method: STROBE checklist was used to report all aspects of this study comprehensively and accurately. Patient or Public Contribution: Patients living with indwelling urinary catheter and their carers have participated in surveys, interviews and co‐designing interventions. This paper reports the psychometric analysis of the expanded catheter self‐management scale (E‐CSM) used in the patient survey as part of the main study 'Improving Quality of Life of Patients Living with Indwelling Urinary Catheters: IQ‐IDC Study' (Alex et al. in Collegian, 29:405–413, 2021). We greatly value our consumers' contributions and continue to communicate the progress of the study to them. Their contributions will be acknowledged in all publications and presentations. In addition, all participants will be provided the option of receiving the interventions and publications generated from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the satisfaction and experiences of women and staff with the BSOTS in an Australian hospital. Design: Cross‐sectional descriptive survey. Methods: Surveys were distributed to women and staff between February and May 2022. Survey questions reflected satisfaction with triage and provision of care under the BSOTS system (for women) and confidence in using the BSOTS system and its impact on triage‐related care (for staff). Survey data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were analysed using content analysis. Results: There were 50 women and 40 staff (midwives and doctors) survey respondents. Most women were satisfied with triage wait times, the verbal information they received and the time it took for them to receive care. Nearly all midwife participants indicated they had high knowledge and confidence in using the BSOTS. Most staff indicated that the BSOTS supported the accurate assessment of women and had benefits for women, staff and the hospital. Conclusion: The findings showed that women and staff were satisfied with receiving and providing care in a maternity triage setting under the BSOTS system. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Implementing standardized maternity triage approaches such as the BSOTS in health settings delivering care to pregnant women is recommended for improving flow of care and perceptions of care quality by women. Impact: Quality of maternity triage processes is likely to impact the satisfaction of women attending services and the staff providing care. The BSOTS was shown to improve maternity triage processes and was associated with satisfaction of women and staff. Maternity settings can benefit from implementing triage approaches such as the BSOTS as it standardizes and justifies the care provided to women. This is likely to result in satisfaction of women and staff engaged in maternity triage and improve the birth outcomes of women and babies. Reporting Method: The reporting of this paper has followed SQUIRE guidelines. Patient or Public Contribution: Women engaged with maternity services were participants in the study but did not contribute to the design, conduct or publication of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified Chronic Kidney Disease Self‐Management instrument in an English‐speaking population. Background: There is growing evidence that self‐management behaviours can improve outcomes for people with chronic kidney disease. However, there are few suitable instruments available. Design The study was cross sectional, with a test–retest protocol. Method: Adults with chronic kidney disease attending a primary health care between June and December 2015 completed the Chronic Kidney Disease Self‐Management instrument. Construct validity was determined using exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency and test–retest reliability using Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation. For convergent validity, the relationships between knowledge, self‐efficacy and self‐management were investigated. Results: The Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self‐Management instrument has 17 items grouped into four factors: self‐integration, seeking social support, adherence to lifestyle modification and problem solving. The instrument demonstrated good reliability. Self‐efficacy was positively correlated with self‐management scores, although there was no correlation between chronic kidney disease knowledge and self‐management. Conclusions: The Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self‐Management instrument was found to be a valid and reliable patient‐reported outcome measure. It can be used in clinical practice to support self‐management, as well as future research. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? The burden of chronic kidney disease is rising mostly due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes and hypertension.Chronic kidney disease progression can be slowed with effective self‐management behaviours.Patient‐reported outcome measures need testing in target populations prior to implementation in clinical settings and research. What this paper adds? The Australian version of the Chronic Kidney Disease Self‐Management instrument demonstrated good validity and reliability in the target population.The instrument is suitable to use in research testing interventions to improve self‐management of chronic kidney disease. The implications of this paper: Clinicians can use this patient‐reported outcome measure to assess for changes in CKD self‐management behaviours following patient education.The instrument can be used to identify individuals in need of support for self‐management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Health literacy is an important predictor of health outcomes. The Health Literacy Questionnaire has been widely adopted to measure health literacy and has been translated into multiple languages including Chinese. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese Health Literacy Questionnaire. Methods: Data were obtained from a sample of 362 Chinese immigrants from Chinese community organizations in New South Wales, Australia. Statistical analyses include descriptive and exploratory factor analyses. Results: A seven‐factor solution was derived from 39 of the original 44 items, all with acceptable to excellent internal consistency but differing from the original construction. The health literacy subscale scores were negatively associated with age and with age at immigration, but positively associated with duration of stay (years) in Australia, better English proficiency and current employment. Differing interpretations of the questions based on Chinese culture could possibly explain the variations between the two versions. Conclusion: The simplified Chinese Health Literacy Questionnaire measures some central concepts of health literacy well. However, the questionnaire may require further development, especially in linguistic and cultural aspects. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? The Health Literacy Questionnaire has been translated and validated in multiple languages with good reliability and validity. What this paper adds? The study addresses issues that may be related to cultural adaptation and language interpretation of the simplified Chinese version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire. The implications of this paper: It is important for researchers and clinicians to evaluate the cultural sensitivity of translated questionnaires within the specific context before application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objective: To capture the experiences of nurses in relation to the acutely physiologically deteriorating consumer. Background: Improving the physical health care of consumers with mental illness has been widely adopted as a priority for mental health nursing. Much of the effort thus far has focused on routine screening, prevention and treatment of common comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and cancer. There has been less focus on the acutely physiologically deteriorating consumer in the mental health setting. Further study is warranted since this issue poses a set of highly complex challenges for nurses within the inpatient setting. Method: An exploratory, descriptive study was employed using focus groups to gather narrative data, which was then subject to qualitative analysis. Eleven mental health inpatient wards within a local health district in Sydney, Australia, were studied, comprising ward‐based nurses (n = 64) and nurse unit managers (n = 8). This paper follows the COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative health research. Results: Qualitative data analysis revealed three themes central to the nurses' experience: (a) lack of clarity (subthemes: procedures and leadership accountability); (b) confidence in the workforce (subthemes: knowledge and skills, training needs, relevant experience, collaboration with emergency and medical teams, stigmatising attitudes); and (c) complexity (subthemes: complexity as the new norm and suitability of the mental health environment). Conclusion: The themes found in this study can be used to guide and inform healthcare policy, protocols, education and processes around building a more confident nurse workforce for the acutely physiologically deteriorating consumer. Relevance to clinical practice: Findings provide a rich data set for the generation of measurement tools and protocols to guide physical health care and evaluate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: What is known on the subject?: Contemporary mental health policy stipulates consumer participation in all aspects of mental health services including service evaluation and other forms of mental health research.Research is identified as underpinning quality mental health services, and therefore, consumers researchers could enhance the mental health sector by contributing to the quality, credibility and relevance of mental health research. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: Non‐consumer researchers generally supported the concept of a consumer expert reference group for researchers at the individual and institutional level.A consumer expert reference group should reflect diversity and offer expertise relevant to the topic of research and may represent one way to normalize partnerships with consumer researchers and realize the benefits they can bring to research. What are the implications for practice?: Quality mental health services are underpinned by robust research evidence. It is crucial that consumers are active participants in research activity.The availability of a consumer expert reference group could facilitate collaborations between consumer and non‐consumer researchers and contribute to a stronger consumer focus embedded in mental health research. Introduction: Contemporary mental health policy identifies consumers as active participants in all aspects of mental health services from design to evaluation. Consumer researchers should be actively involved in mental health research and contribute to quality service delivery. Aim: To gain a snapshot of mental health researcher views on strategies for increasing research by or with consumers in mental health through the establishment of an Expert Consumer Researcher Group (ECRG). Methods: Cross‐sectional survey of 41 non‐consumer mental health researchers from Australia or New Zealand. Results: The introduction of an ECRG was considered an effective strategy for linking consumer and non‐consumer researchers and providing specialist advice on research design and methodology. The most suitable location for this group was identified as within consumer advocacy agencies (71%), universities (66%) or research funding bodies (66%). Participants rated their likelihood of seeking advice from the ECRG as high. Discussion: Research participants supported the value of an ECRG. They emphasized the importance of ensuring the group reflected a diversity of views and offered specialized expertise related to the specific topic. The ECRG could benefit both individual researchers and larger research organizations. Implications for practice: An ECRG could facilitate collaborations with consumer researchers and in turn enhance the quality of mental health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This qualitative study explored the experiences of neonatal nurses with facilitating closeness between parents and babies with congenital abnormalities in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Background: Babies with congenital abnormalities often require admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Parents may experience emotional distancing from their baby, due to their response to their baby's congenital abnormality, as well as physical separation due to their baby's hospitalisation in the NICU. NICU nurses can help facilitate the development of closeness between babies and parents in the NICU. Method: This qualitative interpretive description study involved face‐to‐face, semi‐structured interviews with twelve neonatal nurses following which the data collected were thematically analysed. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist were used in preparing this paper. Results: Three major themes emerged from the analysis—"Everyone copes differently," "You have to focus on what is the normal thing" and "It's very much an individualised approach." Participants often felt unprepared to care for babies with congenital abnormalities and implemented coping mechanisms to overcome the emotional labour they experienced. Skin‐to‐skin cuddles were considered the most beneficial strategy for parents to develop closeness with their baby. Participants recognised that they sometimes "pushed" parents into engaging with their baby. Participants highlighted the importance of individualised, supportive care for these parents. Conclusions: Neonatal nurses require increased education about congenital abnormalities and individualised care to support them in caring for babies with congenital abnormalities. Relevance to clinical practice: Further research is needed on parental experience of developing closeness with a baby with a congenital abnormality in the NICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine whether the work–life interface (through work–family conflict and overall work–life balance) moderates the relationship between work ability and workplace demands and resources. Design: This study used a cross‐sectional survey design to collect data from 426 employees working in residential aged care. Methods: A paper‐based questionnaire was distributed to all permanent and casual employees at eight aged care facilities in Melbourne, Australia, between June ‐ September 2013. Moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS v. 2.13 in SPSS v. 22. Results/Findings: As expected, workplace demands and resources directly influenced workers' work ability. In addition, moderate‐to‐high levels of work–family conflict and low‐to‐moderate levels of satisfaction with work–life balance combined interactively with particular workplace demands and resources (relationships with management, physical demands, and safety climate) to reduce work ability. Conclusions: This study advances understanding of how work–life balance and work–life conflict can influence work ability levels and shows that addressing the work–life interface may be a legitimate means to improve work ability, potentially leading to continued workforce participation. Impact: Staff retention in the residential aged care sector needs to be addressed. One possible means of achieving this is through improving work ability. This study expanded knowledge of how the work–life interface may influence work ability. The research demonstrated that relationships between work ability and particular workplace demands and resources were moderated by the work–life interface. This finding has implications for how human resources managers of residential aged care facilities may improve workforce retention—through facilitating employees to manage the work–life interface better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives The aim of the Paediatric International Nursing Study was to explore the utility of key performance indicators in developing person-centred practice across a range of services provided to sick children. The objective addressed in this paper was evaluating the use of these indicators to benchmark services internationally. Background This study builds on primary research, which produced indicators that were considered novel both in terms of their positive orientation and use in generating data that privileges the patient voice. This study extends this research through wider testing on an international platform within paediatrics. Design The overall methodological approach was a realistic evaluation used to evaluate the implementation of the key performance indicators, which combined an integrated development and evaluation methodology. Methods The study involved children's wards/hospitals in Australia (six sites across three states) and Europe (seven sites across four countries). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used during the implementation process, however, this paper reports the quantitative data only, which used survey, observations and documentary review. Results The findings demonstrate the quality of care being delivered to children and their families across different international sites. The benchmarking does, however, highlight some differences between paediatric and general hospitals, and between the different key performance indicators across all the sites. Conclusions The findings support the use of the key performance indicators as a novel method to benchmark services internationally. Whilst the data collected across 20 paediatric sites suggest services are more similar than different, benchmarking illuminates variations that encourage a critical dialogue about what works and why. Relevance to clinical practice The transferability of the key performance indicators and measurement framework across different settings has significant implications for practice. The findings offer an approach to benchmarking and celebrating the successes within practice, while learning from partners across the globe in further developing person-centred cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To report a systematic review of the psychometric properties of self-report instruments to identify the symptoms of anxiety in pregnancy to help clinicians and researchers select the most suitable instrument. Background Excessive anxiety in pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, developmental and behavioural problems in infants and postnatal depression. Despite recommendations for routine psychological assessment in pregnancy, the optimal methods to identify anxiety in pregnancy have not been confirmed. Design Psychometric systematic review. Data sources A systematic literature search of the multiple databases (1990-September 2014). Review methods Identification of self-report instruments to measure anxiety in pregnancy using COSMIN guidelines to assess studies reporting a psychometric evaluation of validity and reliability. Results Thirty-two studies were included. Studies took place in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the Netherlands. Seventeen different instruments were identified. Measures of validity were reported in 19 papers and reliability in 16. The overall quality of the papers was rated as fair to excellent using the COSMIN checklist. Only one paper scored excellent in more than one category. Conclusion Many instruments have been adapted for use in different populations to those for which they were designed. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale have been tested more frequently than other instruments, yet require further assessment to confirm their value for use in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objective This paper aims to explore the ways in which neonatal nurses understand the experience of parents who have experienced infertility, conceived a baby via in vitro fertilisation and delivered an extremely premature infant. The chance of a poor long-term outcome for the baby is significant; therefore, parental anguish plays out in the neonatal intensive care. Background Current literature suggests that infertility is a significant issue for ageing women and many couples experience multiple cycles of invitro-fertilisation ( IVF) treatment to achieve a pregnancy. Babies conceived through IVF are more likely to have genetic disorders, and be born prematurely. When the baby is born through IVF and is also born extremely prematurely, it creates a crisis situation for the parents. This paper will focus on the parental anguish of achieving a pregnancy through IVF to see the baby born extremely prematurely (defined as ≤ 24-week gestation). It will examine parental anguish from caregiver perspective of the neonatal nurse who supports the parents through this very difficult time. Design This study used interviews with neonatal nurses, and drew insights from interpretative phenomenology. Methods This research used a combination of a questionnaire and a series of interviews in a qualitative study informed by phenomenology. The analysis of the interview data involved the creation of key themes following extensive coding of thematic statements and the analysis of the emerging themes. Results This paper outlines the neonatal nurses' understanding of parental anguish and overwhelming sadness in parents whose baby was conceived by IVF, and was also born extremely prematurely. The theme of 'seeking parenthood' was synthesised from two sub-themes - 'longing for a baby' and 'the desperation to become parents'. Conclusion This study identified that neonatal nurses bear witness to parental anguish as their hopes of taking home a live baby might not be realised. The time, effort and money required to achieve a pregnancy does not mean that the baby will be spared the outcomes of extreme prematurity and the risk factors associated with IVF. The parents may be left empty handed. Therefore, the word precious becomes a metaphor for the IVF baby as the neonatal team try desperately to give the parents their much longed baby. Relevance to clinical practice Delayed child bearing has an impact on fertility, with maternal age having the most impact on the ability to conceive. Babies conceived through IVF technologies have a higher risk of genetic abnormalities and being born prematurely, and this will impact on the neonatal intensive care availability. Extreme prematurity and IVF can significantly impact on the baby's outcome. Witnessing parental anguish can be a major source of stress for the neonatal nurses. Neonatal nurses need to develop strategies not only to help the parents but also to prevent the parents' overwhelming sadness from affecting their ability to function in the neonatal intensive care unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary Comparing three bespoke practice development (PD) projects reveals similarities in the principles of person-centred practice and cathartic personal growth, as relevant concepts to mental health., PD offers a collaborative approach to practice-driven quality improvement initiatives suitable to the psychologically informed mental health context., Creating a workplace culture that allows all involved to contribute to service improvement can be achieved through embracing a PD-driven change management strategy that aims to stimulate culturally sensitive care delivery., Abstract Practice development ( PD) in mental health nursing has been progressing over the last decade; however, the level and impact of PD activity in the field of mental health remains poorly understood outside localized project impact. More specific reporting and comparative analysis of PD outcomes will improve this situation. In response, this paper presents three case scenarios from work taking place in Australia and New Zealand, as working examples of how PD methodologies have been applied within mental health practice settings. Using a comparative framework that captures the contributing assumptions, practices, processes and conditions imperative to effective PD work within a mental health-care context, three case vignettes are reviewed. The critical question driving this paper is 'what mental health-care services does PD offer in terms of transformational change approaches and the promotion of effective workplace cultures?' Conditions considered necessary for successful PD initiatives within mental health contexts are explored such as how PD converges and diverges with mental health-related theories, plus where and how PD activity best integrates with the specific elements associated with mental health-care provision. The findings are further reviewed in line with reports of PD outcomes from other fields of health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term Non-Medical Surgical Assistant (NMSA) encompasses all roles where healthcare clinicians without a medical degree provide clinical services during the perioperative cycle. The role of NMSA is gaining momentum within Australia. It is timely to ascertain who is preforming the role and quantify the practice setting and scope of practice to enable a nationally recognised platform for role evolution. For two months in 2015 a NMSA Practice Audit was available online. Sampling was initially of a convenience modality. A total of 83 clinicians responded. The majority of NMSAs were experienced RNs [>11yrs]; held post-graduate qualifications [80%], practiced predominantly in metropolitan areas [65%] and had been performing the role for 8 years or less. The specialty with the highest uptake of the NMSAs is orthopaedic surgery. This paper provides an overview of NMSAs practicing in Australia and provides cost effective evidence of the need for this service in Australian healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? The only previous quantitative study that examined nurses' use of assessment tools to identify antipsychotic medication side effects found that about 25% of mental health nurses were using assessment tools., No previous studies have examined factors that influence the manner in which mental health nurses assess antipsychotic medication side effects., What this paper adds to existing knowledge? One-third of the respondents were not aware of any antipsychotic medication side-effect assessment tool, and only one-quarter were currently using an assessment tool., 'Service responsibility' was significantly associated with ongoing use of antipsychotic medication assessment tools, indicating that respondents with more positive attitudes to their service were more likely to continue using antipsychotic medication assessment tools., What are the implications for practice? The low level of awareness and use of antipsychotic medication side-effect assessment tools indicates that nursing educational institutions should incorporate more detail about these tools in course content, and emphasize in particular the benefits that result from the use of these tools in clinical practice., Service processes contributed significantly to the use of antipsychotic medication assessment tools, which indicates that managers need to foster workplace cultures that promote routine use of these tools., Abstract Introduction Limited evidence suggests that only a minority of mental health nurses regularly use standardized assessment tools to assess antipsychotic medication side effects, but the factors that contribute to the non-routine use of these tools remain unknown. Aim To examine Australian mental health nurses' awareness of, and attitudes towards, side-effect assessment tools, and also identify factors the influence the use of these tools. Methods A cross-sectional survey was undertaken through distributing an online questionnaire via email to members of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. Completed questionnaires were received from 171 respondents. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the 'service responsibility' and 'personal confidence' scale scores, and awareness, previous use and ongoing use of antipsychotic medication assessment tools. Results Only one-quarter of the respondents (26.5%) were currently using an assessment tool. 'Service responsibility' was significantly associated with ongoing use of antipsychotic medication assessment tools ( Β = 3.26; 95% CI 0.83-5.69). 'Personal confidence' did not influence the ongoing use of assessment tools ( Β = −0.05; 95% CI −1.06-1.50). Implications for clinical practice Stakeholders can incorporate 'service responsibility' processes to foster increased use of assessment tools, which may enhance the identification antipsychotic medication side effects and improve the quality of care for service users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This study aimed to compare the findings of the quality of nursing doctoral education survey across seven countries and discuss the strategic directions for improving quality. Background No comparative evaluation of global quality of nursing doctoral education has been reported to date despite the rapid increase in the number of nursing doctoral programmes. Design A descriptive, cross-country, comparative design was employed. Methods Data were collected from 2007-2010 from nursing schools in seven countries: Australia, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, UK and USA. An online questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of nursing doctoral education except for Japan, where a paper version was used. Korea and South Africa used e-mails quality of nursing doctoral education was evaluated using four domains: Programme, Faculty (referring to academic staff), Resource and Evaluation. Descriptive statistics, correlational and ordinal logistic regression were employed. Results A total of 105 deans/schools, 414 faculty and 1149 students/graduates participated. The perceptions of faculty and students/graduates about the quality of nursing doctoral education across the seven countries were mostly favourable on all four domains. The faculty domain score had the largest estimated coefficient for relative importance. As the overall quality level of doctoral education rose from fair to good, the resource domain showed an increased effect. Conclusions Both faculty and students/graduates groups rated the overall quality of nursing doctoral education favourably. The faculty domain had the greatest importance for quality, followed by the programme domain. However, the importance of the resource domain gained significance as the overall quality of nursing doctoral education increased, indicating the needs for more attention to resources if the quality of nursing doctoral education is to improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

scott k., white k., johnson c. & roydhouse j.k. (2011) Knowledge and skills of cancer clinical trials nurses in Australia. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(5), 1111-1121. Abstract Aims. This paper is a report of the development and testing of a questionnaire measuring knowledge and skills of cancer clinical trials nurse in Australia. Background. The role of cancer clinical trials nurse, widely acknowledged as an integral member of the clinical research team, has evolved in recent years. Elements of the clinical trials nurse role in cancer have previously been described. To evaluate specific cancer clinical trials nurse educational and training needs, the development of a valid and reliable tool is required. Methods. In 2009, a study was conducted in three stages. Stage I: questionnaire development and pilot testing; stage II: focus group; stage III: national survey. Internal consistency reliability testing and multi-trait analysis of item convergent/divergent validity were employed. Regression analysis was used to identify predictors of clinical trials nurse knowledge and skills. Results. The national survey was a 48-item questionnaire, measuring six clinical trial knowledge and seven skills sub-scales. Of 61 respondents, 90% were women, with mean age 43 years, 19 years as a Registered Nurse and 5 years as a cancer clinical trials nurse. Self-reported knowledge and skills were satisfactory to good. Internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha: knowledge = 0·98; skills = 0·90). Criteria for item convergent/divergent validity were met. Number of years as cancer clinical trials nurse was positively related to self-reported knowledge and skills. Conclusion. Preliminary data suggest that the national survey is reliable and valid. Data have contributed to better understanding the knowledge and skills of cancer clinical trials nurse in Australia and development of a postgraduate course in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

gardner g., gardner a., middleton s., della p., kain v. & doubrovsky a. (2010) The work of nurse practitioners. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(10), 2160–2169. Aim. This paper is a report of a study of variations in the pattern of nurse practitioner work in a range of service fields and geographical locations, across direct patient care, indirect patient care and service-related activities. Background. The nurse practitioner role has been implemented internationally as a service reform model to improve the access and timeliness of health care. There is a substantial body of research into the nurse practitioner role and service outcomes, but scant information on the pattern of nurse practitioner work and how this is influenced by different service models. Methods. We used work sampling methods. Data were collected between July 2008 and January 2009. Observations were recorded from a random sample of 30 nurse practitioners at 10-minute intervals in 2-hour blocks randomly generated to cover 2 weeks of work time from a sampling frame of 6 weeks. Results. A total of 12,189 individual observations were conducted with nurse practitioners across Australia. Thirty individual activities were identified as describing nurse practitioner work, and these were distributed across three categories. Direct care accounted for 36·1% of how nurse practitioners spend their time, indirect care accounted for 32·0% and service-related activities made up 31·9%. Conclusion. These findings provide useful baseline data for evaluation of nurse practitioner positions and the service effect of these positions. However, the study also raises questions about the best use of nurse practitioner time and the influences of barriers to and facilitators of this model of service innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middleton S, Gardner G, Gardner A, Della P, Gibb M, Millar L. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2010; 16: 517-524 The first Australian nurse practitioner census: A protocol to guide standardized collection of information about an emergent professional group Internationally, collection of reliable data on new and evolving health-care roles is crucial. We describe a protocol for design and administration of a national census of an emergent health-care role, namely nurse practitioners in Australia using databases held by regulatory authorities. A questionnaire was developed to obtain data on the role and scope of practice of Australian nurse practitioners. Our tool comprised five sections and included a total of 56 questions, using 28existing items from the National Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Census and nine items recommended in the Nurse Practitioner Workforce Planning Minimum Data Set. Australian Nurse Registering Authorities ( n = 6) distributed the survey on our behalf. This paper outlines our instrument and methods. The survey was administered to 238 authorized Australian nurse practitioners (85% response rate). Rigorous collection of standardized items will ensure health policy is informed by reliable and valid data. We will re-administer the survey 2 years following the first survey to measure change over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Title. Chinese Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire: development andpsychometric testing with Chinese-Australian women. Aim. This paper is a report of the development and psychometric testing of the Chinese Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire, a culturally sensitive questionnaire for measuring Chinese-Australian women’s beliefs, knowledge and attitudes towards breast cancer and breast screening practices. Background. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer morbidity among Chinese-Australian women. They are, however, 50% less likely to participate in all types of breast examination. A valid and reliable instrument to explore the breast cancer beliefs is essential for the development of interventions to promote breast cancer screening practices. Method. Items for the questionnaire were drawn from a literature review and in-depth interviews. A panel of professional experts and lay women evaluated face and content validity. The instrument was translated from English to Chinese using back-translation. In 2008, a total of 292 Chinese-Australian women aged 22–78 years who were resident of Australia were included in testing the instrument. Multi-trait analysis and Cronbach’s alpha were used to assess internal consistency reliability and exploratory factor analysis assessed construct validity. Results. The final 13-item questionnaire had satisfactory validity and internal consistency. Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was 0·76, and for the three subscales ranged from 0·70 to 0·79. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the scale reduced to three factors. Conclusion. Preliminary data suggest that the Chinese Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire is a valid, reliable and culturally sensitive instrument for the measurement of Chinese-Australian women’s beliefs, knowledge and attitudes about breast cancer and breast cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Bioscience content within undergraduate nursing degrees provides foundational knowledge of pathophysiology, anatomy, physiology, microbiology and pharmacology. However, nursing students often find studying the bioscience components of undergraduate nursing program daunting (Friedel & Treagust 2005, Craft et al. 2013). This is related to factors such as the volume of content, degree of difficulty and insufficient linkage between bioscience concepts and nurses' clinical practice. Students who are unable to conceptualise the relevance of bioscience with nursing subjects and subsequent nursing practice may not appreciate the broader importance of bioscience, and hence may adopt a surface approach to learning (Craft et al. 2013). The aim of this study was to develop a model within Nursing Practice in the Context theory subject, to include a bioscientist lecturing to complement the nursing lecturer, in order to explicitly demonstrate links between physiology, pathophysiology and nursing practice. Background A deep understanding of bioscience and the ability to draw on this information in the context of nursing clinical practice is integral to achieving high standards of patient care. For example, registered nurses with appropriate bioscience knowledge can contribute to diagnosis and hence influence patient outcomes (Prowse & Health 2005). Nurses' foundational knowledge, including bioscience understanding, is critical to their role as a 'knowledge broker' by being an advocate for patient safety (Logan & Angel 2011). Hence, the importance of bioscience is apparent within the workplace. In addition, during undergraduate studies, the importance of bioscience is appreciated by some students, who agree that bioscience forms the foundation of nursing and hence we believe that a good level of bioscience knowledge is required for nursing clinical practice (Friedel & Treagust 2005, Craft et al. 2013). Although bioscience has been shown to be integral to effective nursing practice, bioscience content requires con-textualisation. To demonstrate the relevance of bioscience to nursing students, nursing academics have been included within a bioscience unit, whereby the nursing academic within a bioscience laboratory session on the pulmonary system would discuss the clinical aspects of lung volume testing and what inaccuracies may arise if the patient is not relaxed (Larcombe & Dick 2003). On the other hand, almost half of nursing educators agreed that their science background was insufficient to their understanding of bioscience relevant to nursing (Friedel & Treagust 2005). This lack of confidence in nursing educators bioscience knowledge may limit their ability to teach bioscience effectively to nursing students. In our project, we approached the contextualisation of bioscience by developing a model that incorporated a bioscientist into a nursing subject, to show the relevance of bioscience for patient care. As far as we are aware, our project reports for the first time on a bioscientist teaching into a clinical nursing unit to strengthen the pathophysiology content, which may improve the integration of these subject topics. Methods The model developed in this project was a unique, two-part lecture structure: (1) the bioscientist teaching the physiology and pathophysiology in the first component of the lecture, followed by (2) the nurse academic focussing on the context of nursing practice, which included the referring to pathophysiology taught by the bioscientist. The bioscience-clini-cal nursing team teaching approach was conducted during the 2nd year of the Bachelor of Nursing course, after all bioscience subjects had been completed (prior content taught by bioscientists included anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology). A 15-item quantitative questionnaire was developed, with responses scored on a Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree). Questionnaire items related to patient care, pathophysiology-nursing links, and the relevance of the bioscientist contribution. Questionnaires were paper based and distributed to all students who attended a lecture towards the end of the semester (lecture attendance not compulsory). Time during the lecture was provided for completion and return; students were advised that participation was optional and anonymous. Convenience sampling was used; of the 88 students enrolled, a total of 43 students returned completed surveys. Means and frequency distributions of survey items were calculated, and internal consistency was determined using Cronbach's alpha test (value 0-7). Results The most important findings from this study are that more than 90% of respondents agreed that having a bioscientist who focused on nursing student needs helped to increase knowledge of patient conditions, and bioscientist teaching was beneficial to relate physiology and pathophysiology to nursing care (Table 1). This demonstrated that the teaching approach used was successful, emphasising the relevance of physiology and pathophysiology to patient conditions and outcomes. Similarly, most respondents saw the relevance of pathophysiology to clinical nursing practice, and were confident in their ability to apply pathophysiology to nursing practice. The majority of respondents also valued having a bioscientist teach with the nursing lecturer in this unit. Conclusions The results of our study show overwhelming support for this model, including a bioscientist who is focussed on the needs of nursing students, complementing the nursing lecturer, in a nursing practice subject. Students indicated that they could contextualise bioscience concepts with clinical nursing practice, and importantly, made links with patient care. First-year students have been shown to be confident that when they reach the workplace, they will recognise the relevance of bioscience to nursing (Craft et al. 2013), and our study of second-year students indicated that our teaching approach was effective in enhancing these connections. Registered nurses who draw on bioscience knowledge have been shown to improve patient care (Prowse & Health 2005, Logan & Angel 2011), and strategies to link bioscience content with clinical nursing practice that are integral for effective nurses. Relevance to clinical practice Our data strongly supported our model of physiology and pathophysiology teaching team delivered by a bioscientist and nursing academic, was successful in providing students with the ability to conceptualise pathophysiology for patients and clinical practice. Improved understanding of the knowledge and application of pathophysiology will better inform clinical decisions, and ultimately improve quality of patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of breast cancer patients will experience some level of emotional distress, with some patients having long‐term psychological maladjustment. Personal and social resources play a role in recovery yet the interplay between these factors warrants further examination. This study aimed to investigate the interaction of psychosocial factors impacting women in their breast cancer trajectory, at 2 years or less following diagnosis (stages I‐III). Design A longitudinal cohort study approach was used in this study. Methods: The sample consisted of n = 49 participants. Data were collected between June 2013 and October 2013 and followed for 12 months across the trajectory of the disease. Results: The mean age was 56.6 years (SD 11.6 years). Most participants had stage I or stage II breast cancer. Time (over three time points—4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months) after diagnosis was significantly associated with the body image (P = .003) and age (P = .004). Conclusion: Older women with breast cancer reported less concern regarding body image than their younger peers. These findings suggest that posttreatment younger women may require access to psychological support posttreatment. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? The majority of breast cancer patients experience some level of emotional distress, with some patients having long‐term psychological maladjustment.Personal resources (ie, self‐image, optimism, and perceived control) and social resources (ie, social support) play a central role in recovery.The interplay between the personal and social resources is not well known particularly in the first 2 years postdiagnosis What this paper adds? Older women with breast cancer reported less concern regarding body image than their younger peers.Older women also experienced more positive future perspectives when compared with younger women.Younger women appeared less adaptive psychologically. The implications of this paper: There are known psychological impacts for women who have breast cancer, and nurses are well placed within their scope of practice to undertake routine mental state examination of these patients.Younger women who have breast cancer in particular may require additional psychological supports during the first 2 years postdiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop a model of factors influencing meeting family needs when a relative was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Background: Studies identify individual factors impact on the needs of family members with a relative in ICU. No studies have reported on relationships between these factors and/or the extent of influence of multiple factors on family needs. Design: Observational, correlational, and predictive study design. Methods: Data were collected from August 2013 to June 2014 using validated scales and a demographic tool. The setting was a large tertiary referral hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Structural equation modelling was undertaken. Results: One hundred and seventy ICU family members participated. Factors included in the developed model were consistent with the literature. Family member anxiety had direct and significant influence on ICU family needs (β = 0.21). Gender was also found to have direct influence (β = 0.19), suggesting female family members were more likely to report needs being met. Family member coping self‐efficacy (β = −0.40) and family member depression (β = −0.33) were mediating variables. Discussion: Interventions to meet family needs within the ICU should take into account family member levels of anxiety, depression, and coping self‐efficacy with consideration of gender. Further model validation is required to confirm findings. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Families experience a crisis when a loved one is admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).While the literature identifies many factors influencing meeting ICU family needs, it is not clear which demographic, psychological, or information‐related factors are directly and/or indirectly associated with meeting family needs.Relationships between the factors are also unclear.What this paper adds? Development and testing of a multivariate prediction model to highlight factors that have direct, indirect, and mediating influence on meeting family needs while their relative is in ICU.The implications of this paper: Factors of family member's level of anxiety and depression, coping self‐efficacy, and gender have significant influence directly and/or indirectly on meeting family needs.Additional research is needed to validate the model.The factors identified in this study should be taken into consideration when developing interventions to meet family needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]