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What explains why reductive explanations of social phenomena in the global South persist? This paper addresses this question by considering how researchers' assumptions of their positionality premised upon global North-South explanations of power shape "how" they collect and determine the scope of their data. Building upon standpoint theory's emphasis of knowledge production as material sites of inquiry, we first consider how researchers' positionality assumptions informed how they constructed 'the entirety' of their research sites in one global South context, Jordan. Second, we explore 'moments of mismatch': when researchers' assumptions of their positionality do not align with interlocutors' perceptions. We highlight these moments because they reveal critical relational hierarchies beyond global North-South dichotomies that literally shaped "how" the researchers subsequently expanded and changed the scope of their sites of inquiry in turn. We argue that these moments of mismatch provide fruitful opportunities to engage in more thorough forms of reflexivity that reflect the dynamism of social relations of power in the global South.

Introduction: Although Jordan has made significant progress toward expanding the utilization of facility‐based intrapartum care, prior research highlights that poor service quality is still persistent. This study aimed to identify quality gaps between women's expectations and perceptions of the actual intrapartum care received, while exploring the contributing factors. Methods: Utilizing a pre–post design, quality gaps in intrapartum care were assessed among 959 women pre‐ and postchildbirth at a prominent tertiary hospital in northern Jordan. Data were gathered using the SERVQUAL scale, measuring service quality across reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, and empathy dimensions. Results: The overall mean gap score between women's expectations and perceptions of the quality of intrapartum care was −0.60 (±0.56). The lowest and highest mean gap scores were found to be related to tangibles and assurance dimensions, −0.24 (±0.39) and −0.88 (±0.35), respectively. Significant negative quality gaps were identified in the dimensions of assurance, empathy, and responsiveness, as well as overall service quality (p < 0.001). The MLR analyses highlighted education (β = 0.61), mode of birth (β = −0.60), admission timing (β = −0.41), continuity of midwifery care (β = −0.43), physician's gender (β = −0.62), active labour duration (β = 0.37), and pain management (β = −0.33) to be the key determinants of the overall quality gap in intrapartum care. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of fostering a labour environment that prioritizes enhancing caregivers' empathetic, reassuring, and responsive skills to minimize service quality gaps and enhance the overall childbirth experience for women in Jordan. Patient or Public Contribution: This paper is a collaborative effort involving women with lived experiences of childbirth, midwives, and obstetrics and gynaecologist physicians. The original idea, conceptualization, data generation, and coproduction, including manuscript editing, were shaped by the valuable contributions of stakeholders with unique perspectives on intrapartum care in Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the level of nurses' competencies while providing care to COVID-19 patients. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive, correlational design was used to collect data from nurses who were providing care to COVID-19 patients at four public hospitals. Findings: A total of 377 nurses (64.5% females) aged 23–50 consented to participate and completed the survey. The mean score of nurses' competencies in providing care to COVID-19 patients was 2.5 (SD = 0.81). The results of correlation coefficient tests disclosed a significant positive correlation between reported competence level and sex rpb (377) = 0.18, p < 0.01; working area rpb (377) = 0.2, p < 0.01; disaster experience rpb (377) = 0.16, p < 0.01; disaster education rpb (377) = 0.25, p < 0.01; and disaster training rpb (377) = 0.31, p < 0.01. Research limitations/implications: The COVID-19 pandemic response heavily relied on nurses. However, they had a gap in clinical competencies that indicates an urgent need to incorporate disaster management courses in basic nursing education and to update training in hospitals based on nurses' needs to improve their capabilities in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigated the perceived level of Jordanian nurses' competencies in providing care to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Midwives can play a pivotal role in promoting natural-birth experiences. However, limited information is available about Jordanian laboring women’s experiences of natural childbirth guided by midwives. Understanding women’s experiences of natural birth can inform healthcare providers and policymakers to improve the care provided for laboring women. Purpose: This study aims to explore women's experiences of natural childbirth in a midwife-led care unit. Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach guided the study protocol. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews with 10 Jordanian women who experienced natural childbirth in a midwife-led care unit. Results: Two main themes emerged: “The journey of empowerment “and “being prepared for natural childbirth". The first theme consisted of two sub-themes: Making an informed decision, and being supported. The second theme consisted of three sub-themes: The power of the place, being satisfied with natural-childbirth practices, and feeling relieved. Conclusion: Women had positive childbirth experiences shaped by having autonomy in decision-making, perceived support, and being satisfied with the midwife-led care unit. Women’s positive experiences emphasize the need for social and political change to promote natural childbirth. Implications for Nursing: This paper provides evidence that supports the incorporation of midwife-led units to promote natural childbirth. New data will play a critical role in strengthening the responsibilities of nurses and midwives by raising public awareness and calling for policy changes to promote natural childbirth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of stroke in younger adults is rising, particularly among women living with stroke who face multiple physical, psychological, and social challenges that negatively affect their quality of life. Consequently, women's roles in life would be negatively affected at home, work, and in society. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of women suffering from a stroke in Jordan. This paper uses semi-structured interviews to present a descriptive phenomenological study of eight young women suffering from a stroke. The Colaizzi (1978) method was used to analyze interview transcripts. Three main emerging themes that describe the lived experiences of women with a stroke: 1) Experiencing stroke as a woman; 2) Stroke and the intimate relationship with the spouse; 3) Challenges of women's journey while receiving health care. After their stroke, Jordanian women have experienced profound, interrelated, and multifaceted difficulties in all aspects of their life and relationships inside and outside the family. Whilst healthcare providers recognize these stressful symptoms; however, there is a lack of attention and care to meet these needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability of a nurse to make effective clinical decisions is the most important factor that can affect the treatment quality. However, several factors can affect the ability of nursing and midwifery students to make effective clinical decisions. Objectives: This study aims to identify the confounding factors that may affect the clinical decision making of nurses and thus patient outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed in this study. An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 269 nursing and midwifery students selected through purposive sampling, 224 of whom completed the questionnaire. The valid and reliable nursing decision-making instrument, which consisted of 24 items, was employed to gather the data, and descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were employed for the data analysis. Data was collected from November to the end of December 2022. Results: Among the respondents, 72.8% were female, and the average age was 20.79 years (SD = 1.44). The vast majority of the respondents (94.6%) was unmarried, and 74.1% were pursuing a nursing degree. The simple linear regression analysis showed that clinical decision making had a negative and significant relationship with social media usage of an average of 6 h a day (β=−0.085). Moreover, the male nursing students obtained lower clinical decision-making scores (β= −0.408) compared with the female nursing students. Conclusion: Social media usage and gender have a considerable effect on the clinical decision making of the nursing and midwifery students. Therefore, the confounding factors that can affect the clinical decision making of nurses should be discussed further, and strategies to address such factors should be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Climate change poses a worldwide challenge with anticipated exacerbation in the future, resulting in irreversible consequences. Nursing students may be vulnerable to experiencing psychological effects associated with climate change. Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward climate change and their psychological distress. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 377 nursing students from three universities located in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt in the Middle East. Data collection was conducted using scales for assessing nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards climate change and their psychological distress. Correlations were assessed and multiple regression analysis was conducted to explore the predictors of students' psychological distress. Results: The current study showed that knowledge regarding climate change significantly and positively correlated to the attitude toward climate change (r = 0.213), then again, the score of psychological distress significantly and negatively correlated to the score of students' knowledge and attitude regarding climate change (r = − 0.182 and − 0.110 respectively). Regression analyses showed that academic achievement had the strongest positive impact on students' psychological distress, while knowledge regarding climate change and attitude toward climate change had negative impacts (β = 0.381, β=-0.205, and β=-0.045 respectively). Moreover, knowledge and attitude regarding climate change were found to be significant predictors of students' psychological distress, collectively accounting for 18.2% of the observed variance. Conclusions/Implication for future practice: The findings highlight the importance of incorporating climate change into nursing education programs. By enhancing nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards climate change, there is potential to reduce their psychological distress. This study underscores the need for curriculum reforms that integrate climate change topics, aiming to foster a well-informed and resilient future nursing workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and the discontinued face-to-face clinical practicum had negative consequences on nursing and midwifery students at many levels. The clinical learning environment includes all the training and learning experiences that nursing students undergo during their clinical practicum. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the nursing and midwifery students' practicum training in governmental and private universities and academic faculties of nursing in Jordan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 1025 nursing and midwifery students from academic faculties of nursing of both governmental and private Jordanian universities was conducted in September 2021. The research group from two Jordanian universities designed and validated a 13-item survey to determine and evaluate the impact of mass lockdowns on nursing and midwifery students' practicum training. The responses were assessed using descriptive and inferential analyses. Results: The findings revealed that the lockdown had a negative impact on nursing and midwifery students' self-confidence and competency in performing nursing procedures. The academic year of the students was a significant independent predictor of their self-confidence and competency levels in performing nursing procedures. Conclusion: The study concluded that nursing and midwifery students were dissatisfied with their clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to poor self-confidence in performing nursing procedures. The study group recommended repeating the clinical practicum, incorporating extensive laboratory and hospital courses, and implementing a one-year internship for newly graduated nurses and midwives to address the training gap and enhance self-confidence in clinical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Amidst the global rise in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), effective management of the disease has become increasingly important. Health literacy, particularly in non-English speaking populations, plays a crucial role in this management. To address the lack of suitable tools for Arabic-speaking diabetic patients, this study developed and validated the Jordanian Diabetic Health Literacy Questionnaire (JDHLQ). (2) Methods: A sample of 400 diabetic patients from Jordan, with a balance in gender, age, and educational background, was recruited from an endocrinology outpatient clinic. The JDHLQ, consisting of informative and communicative sections, underwent rigorous validation. Utilizing principal component analysis and Rasch analysis, the JDHL's reliability and validity were evaluated. (3) Results: The results showed moderate proficiency in understanding and communicating diabetes-related information and confirmed the reliability and validity of the JDHLQ. (4) Conclusions: These findings emphasize the importance of culturally appropriate health literacy tools in enhancing patient understanding, engagement, and overall management of T2DM in Arabic-speaking communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the skills of Jordanian Arabic-speaking fourth graders with learning difficulties in terms of auditory analysis and dictation tests. It mainly aims to investigate the relationship between students' abilities to perform auditory analyses and dictation tests. The sample in the study consists of 110 Jordanian fourth graders, who are then divided into 54 students with learning difficulties who are diagnosed as having a satisfactory level of reading and writing and 56 typically developing students. The students are asked to respond to two tests, the auditory analysis and the phonological awareness test, which are prepared by the researcher himself. The results demonstrate a statistically significant positive correlation between the auditory analysis and dictation skills of fourth-grade students with learning difficulties. This means that improving the auditory analysis skills corresponds to an increase in the dictation skills of these students. The results also reveal a statistically significant correlation between auditory analysis and dictation skills in typically developing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nursing performance is a key indicator of patients' care quality and safety. Most healthcare research tools are available in the English language; however, nurses around the world can employ these tools if rigorously adapted and cross-culturally validated. Aims and objectives: This study aims to provide a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the six-dimension scale of nursing performance to be used among Arabic-speaking nurses. Design: The study employed a descriptive, correlational design with a cross-sectional approach. Methods: A five-step cross-cultural adaptation process was adopted. The scale was administered to 216 Jordanian nurses between January 2022 to April 2022. SPSS and AMOS were used for descriptive and correlation analyses and testing the six-dimension model through structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The current study produced a valid, reliable, culturally adapted Arabic language version of the six-dimension scale of nursing performance. The internal consistency of the tool was supported by a Cronbach Alpha's value of 0.99. The model's goodness of fit indices were: CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.048, and CMIN/df = 1.49. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the scale identified three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00., explaining 75.22% of the variance. A subsequent EFA, specifying six factors, yielded 79.79% explained variance. All item factor loadings exceeded 0.30, confirming the scale's robust factor structure. Conclusions: This study proved that following a robust cross-cultural adaptation process results in a reliable and valid measure of nursing performance to be used among Arabic-speaking nurses. The study supports the dimensionality of nursing performance as evidenced by the SEM results. Therefore, the findings have the potential to considerably enhance studying nursing performance in healthcare fields in Arabic-speaking nurses. Relevance to clinical practice: The validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Arabic version of the Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance have direct implications for improving the quality of nursing services, enhancing patient safety, promoting cultural competence, and supporting the professional growth of Arabic-speaking nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within scholarly literature as well as reports from humanitarian actors, including international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies and local NGOs, Syrian marriages are often described in static, essentialist ways that reinforce Orientalist assumptions. Based on feminist ethnographic research with Syrian women and men in Jordan, this article explores marriages in historical and intersectional context, before and during displacement. The article challenges common representations of Syrian marriages and advances how Syrian women's power and agency are understood. It emphasizes women's role in deciding to marry (or not) and discusses violence and love in marriage and resistance to proposed love marriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the online information-seeking behaviours of breast cancer patients at Jordan University Hospital, focusing on their dissatisfaction with available online health resources and its impact on their well-being and anxiety levels. Methods: Employing descriptive phenomenology and convenience sampling, we conducted five Skype-based focus groups with 4-6 breast cancer survivors each, from March to July 2020. Data analysis was performed using NVivo, following Braun and Clark's inductive thematic analysis framework. Results: The thematic analysis revealed critical insights into survivors' interactions with online cancer resources, identifying key subthemes such as the quality of online information, cyberchondriasis, health literacy and search strategies, the distress caused by counterproductive searches, and the tendency to avoid internet searches. Conclusion: The study underscores the challenges breast cancer survivors face in accessing online health information, especially in Arabic. It highlights the need to improve the quality and accessibility of these resources. Enhancing the cultural relevance of online materials and educating patients on effective information evaluation are crucial. These measures can significantly boost health literacy, mitigate anxiety, and provide better support for breast cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19-related restrictions imposed to reduce viral transmission have highlighted the need to support the importance of maternal breastfeeding. Clear guidelines for consistent practices across settings have been drawn up on the basis of the best available data. Emerging recommendations call to increase nurses' and midwives' awareness of these guidelines. Objective: This study aimed to explore nurses' and midwives' awareness of the recommended breastfeeding practices and associated factors in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. This study was conducted in clinical settings representing Jordan's North, Middle, and Southern regions. One hundred seventy nurses and midwives were selected through a convenient sampling technique. Results: The mean total score of the awareness was 7.78 (SD = 1.60); 62.9% of participants were highly aware of the recommended breastfeeding practices. Nurses and midwives who were aware of the recommended breastfeeding practices during the pandemic of COVID-19 (90.7%) were more likely to perceive COVID-19 preventive measures as effective than those who were not aware of breastfeeding practices (74.6%) (χ2 = 7.886, p =.005), while work experience in years (χ2 = 8.966, p <.01) was significantly associated with awareness of the breastfeeding recommended practices. Conclusion: Most Jordanain nurses and midwives were highly aware of the recommended breastfeeding practices during COVID-19 pandemic. This awareness was positively associated with working experience and perceiving that the preventive measures of COVID-19 are effective. Educational programs for nurses and midwives about breastfeeding practice recommendations are necessary to help mothers obtain appropriate care and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]