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Aim: To explore the health beliefs of clinical and academic nurses from Japan, Australia and China regarding wearing paper masks to protect themselves and others, and to identify differences in participants' health beliefs regarding masks. Background: The correct use of face masks and consensus among health professionals across the globe is essential for containing pandemics, and nurses need to act according to policy to protect themselves, educate the public and preserve resources for frontline health workers. Paper masks are worn by health professionals and the general public to avoid the transmission of respiratory infections, such as COVID‐19, but there appear to be differences in health beliefs of nurses within and between countries regarding these. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used content analysis with a framework approach. Findings: There were major differences in nurse participants' beliefs between and within countries, including how nurses use paper masks and their understanding of their efficacy. In addition, there were cultural differences in the way that nurses use masks in their daily lives and nursing practice contexts. Conclusion: Nurses from different working environments, countries and areas of practice hold a variety of health beliefs about mask wearing at the personal and professional level. Implications for nursing policy and health policy: The COVID‐19 pandemic has sparked much discussion about the critical importance of masks for the safety of health professionals, and there has been considerable discussion and disagreement about health policies regarding mask use by the general public. Improper use of masks may have a role in creating mask shortages or transmitting infections. An evidence‐based global policy on mask use for respiratory illnesses for health professionals, including nurses, and the general public needs to be adopted and supported by a wide‐reaching education campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LIU W., GERDTZ M.F. & LIU T.Q. (2011) A survey of psychiatrists' and registered nurses' levels of mental health literacy in a Chinese general hospital. International Nursing Review 58, 361-369 Background: Mental health literacy (MHL) is the term used to describe people's knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid in the recognition, management or the prevention of illness. Health professionals' levels of MHL will shape the therapeutic relationship in which they work in partnership with patients. Studies have been conducted in Australia and Singapore to determine levels of MHL among members of the general public and health professionals. To date, no such studies have been published in Chinese populations. Aim: The study aims to compare levels of MHL between registered nurses and psychiatrists in a Chinese general hospital. The paper reports participants' diagnosis and beliefs about interventions used to manage depression and schizophrenia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was undertaken among a group of psychiatrists and registered nurses in the psychiatric department of one large teaching hospital in China ( n = 70). Participants completed the survey by rating written vignettes related to depression and schizophrenia. Results: The psychiatrists were highly accurate in correctly diagnosing both depression and schizophrenia; the registered nurses were less so for diagnosing depression. In terms of treatment options, the two groups reached a broad agreement on beliefs about the use of mental health interventions, but differed significantly in the use of some specific mental health interventions. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary information about levels of MHL among Chinese mental health professionals and describes their attitudes towards the helpfulness of interventions used to restore mental health and well-being. Future large-scale studies are required to identify factors that influence beliefs about the use of mental health interventions. The findings have implications for further education of registered nurses in the specialization of mental health nursing in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence-based nursing is widely recognized as the critical foundation for quality care. Aim: To develop a middle-range theory on the process of evidence-based nursing implementation in Chinese context. Methods: A grounded theory study using unstructured in-depth individual interviews was conducted with 56 participants who were involved in 24 evidence-based nursing implementation projects in Mainland China from September 2015 to September 2016. Results: A middle-range grounded theory of 'Taking Root' was developed. The theory describes the evidence implementation process consisting of four components (driving forces, process, outcome, sustainment/regression), three approaches (top-down, bottom-up and outside-in), four implementation strategies (patient-centred, nurses at the heart of change, reaching agreement, collaboration) and two patterns (transformational and adaptive implementation). Limitations: Certain perspectives may have not been captured, as the retrospective nature of the interviewing technique did not allow for 'real-time' assessment of the actual implementation process. The transferability of the findings requires further exploration as few participants with negative experiences were recruited. Conclusion: This is the first study that explored evidence-based implementation process, strategies, approaches and patterns in the Chinese nursing practice context to inform international nursing and health policymaking. The theory of Taking Root described various approaches to evidence implementation and how the implementation can be transformational for the nurses and the setting in which they work. Implications for nursing and health policy: Nursing educators, managers and researchers should work together to improve nurses' readiness for evidence implementation. Healthcare systems need to optimize internal mechanisms and external collaborations to promote nursing practice in line with evidence and achieve clinical outcomes and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the influencing factors of suicidal ideation in Chinese patients diagnosed with stomach cancer. Introduction More recently, links have been made between suicide and cancer. For inpatients with cancer, nurses are at the front line to cope with suicidal issues in clinical settings. Method This study was part of a larger study that investigated psychological strains and related factors associated with suicidal ideation. Thirty-two patients with stomach cancer participated in a face-to-face interview. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Findings Four themes were identified as protective factors against suicidal ideation: suicidal denial and fears of stigmatization; positive coping skills; family connectedness; and desire to live well and longer. Discussion Consistent with previous research, these four protective factors may encourage participants to think more positively about life and cancer. Conclusion Our findings suggest four protective factors for targeted suicide prevention, which may play an important role in future suicide-prevention programmes for Chinese patients diagnosed with stomach cancer. Implications for nursing Nurses may help reduce patients' risk for suicidal ideation more effectively by discussing beliefs, family and meaning in life perspectives, as well as offering health education about positive coping skills. Implications for healthy policy Clinical nurses, hospitals and the government should work collaboratively with each other. It is suggested that Chinese national guidelines for working with the high-risk suicide populations should be considered within a future mental health working plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the disaster experiences of nurses called to assist survivors one month after the 2013 Ya'an earthquake. Background China has experienced an increasing number of earthquake disasters in the past four decades. Although a health and disaster management system was initiated after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, nurses' roles and experiences in a disaster have been overlooked. Methods The researchers used qualitative descriptive design that included 16 participants. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observation notes, after which a qualitative content analysis was conducted. Findings Three major themes emerged: the process of being dispatched from hospitals to the disaster zone, the effort involved in getting to and working in the affected site and reflecting on the challenges they encountered. Discussion About half of the participants had received disaster nursing training before deploying to the disaster site, but they consistently expressed a lack of physical and psychological preparedness regarding the process of being dispatched from their hospitals to the disaster zone. Limitations This was a single-incident experience. Caution should be taken when trying to extend the findings to other parts of China. Conclusion These findings highlighted the need for disaster in-service training as well as for having disaster plans in place. Implications for nursing and health policy Hospital and nursing leaders should provide disaster training opportunities that included topics such as compiling resource inventories, formulating disaster drills and simulations, managing emergencies, and using emergency communication methods. Health policy-makers should be required to prioritize capacity-building training for front-line nurses as well as to develop and implement disaster management plans to better prepare nurses for future disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background 'Ageing in place' is widely promoted as a response to global ageing and increased demand for services, but little evidence is available about what older people think they need in terms of services and supports to remain at home. Aim To investigate older people's needs when ageing in place in order to provide evidence to inform policies and strategies promoting the option of ageing in place. Methods A total of 568 elderly persons in Hangzhou, China, were surveyed in 2009-2011 using a modified questionnaire validated in the USA and China. Results Overall, 88.9% of older adults were satisfied with the community in which they live; 97.2% were satisfied with life quality. Health problems and healthcare access difficulty increased with age. House repairs and housework were the most troubling. Respondents identified high need for social and health promotion services and this varied across age groups. Limitations Cultural adaptation and validation of the questionnaire could have been influenced by differences in socioeconomic and cultural factors. The sample excluded older adults with disabilities, bed-ridden and/or unable to communicate thus limiting the scope of relevance. Conclusion A majority of older adult respondents ageing at home lived a relatively healthy life; however, they required more comprehensive health insurance to cover costs of long-term health problems and access to home care support. Implications for nursing and health policy The needs of community-dwelling older Chinese people in the Xiacheng District are not being fully met and much remains be done to increase community and regional capacity before ageing in place can be promoted as a policy strategy. More generally, nursing and health policies geared to enhance the self-sufficiency of older people residing in their communities must draw upon evidence of assessed needs and client perspectives of their requirements before services can be designed and delivered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background It is important to integrate adolescent health domains into pre-service nursing education in order to enhance undergraduate nursing students' competencies in promoting adolescent health. Aim To determine the effectiveness of a structured adolescent health summer programme for Chinese undergraduate nursing students. Methods A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate differences in the Chinese undergraduate nursing students' perceived competency in promoting adolescent health. A stand-alone adolescent health course was implemented as an intervention with pre- and post-tests of a 2-week intensive summer programme in 2010. The questionnaire included demographics, adolescent health competency checklist and programme evaluation. Descriptive statistics with the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test and the Mann- Whitney U-test were used for data analysis. Results Of the 113 nursing students, seniors perceived higher adolescent health competence mean scores than the juniors in the post-test phase. Majority of nursing students revealed the increasing awareness of the importance in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours and psychosocial well-being after attending the summer programme. They agreed that nurses do have a role to play. Limitations This 2-week summer programme may only have short-term impacts on students' perception. Conclusions A stand-alone adolescent health summer programme can prepare nursing students to respond to the health issues of adolescents by enhancing their competence in health need assessment and service delivery. Implications for nursing and health policy Nurses serve in a leadership role for health policies and programmes. In nursing education, it is important for students to understand how to put in place policies to resolve adolescent health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This study represents an initial effort at examining the association between the construct of self-compassion and human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV)-related anxiety in a multinational population with HIV disease. Background Previous studies have found that self-compassion is a powerful predictor of mental health, demonstrating positive and consistent linkages with various measures of affect, psychopathology and well-being, including anxiety. Methods Cross-sectional data from a multinational study conducted by the members of the International Nursing Network for HIV Research ( n = 1986) were used. The diverse sample included participants from Canada, China, Namibia, the United States of America and the territory of Puerto Rico. Study measures included the anxiety subscale of the Symptom Checklist-90 instrument, the Brief Version Self- Compassion Inventory and a single item on anxiety from the Revised Sign and Symptom Checklist. Findings Study findings show that anxiety was significantly and inversely related to self-compassion across participants in all countries. We examined gender differences in self-compassion and anxiety, controlling for country. Levels of anxiety remained significantly and inversely related to self-compassion for both males ( P = 0.000) and females ( P = 0.000). Levels of self-compassion and anxiety varied across countries. Conclusions Self-compassion is a robust construct with cross-cultural relevance. A culturally based brief treatment approach aimed at increasing self-compassion may lend itself to the development of a cost effective adjunct treatment in HIV disease, including the management of anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]