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Objectives: To identify the dermatological system drugs that may be prescribed by Chinese dermatological nurses through expert consensus. Methods: A 2-round study, consisting of 32 medical and nursing experts, was conducted using the Delphi method from September 2019 to June 2020. Microsoft Excel 2019 and IBM SPSS Ver. 22 were used to analyze the results of the consultations. Results: A total of 63 drugs across 13 categories were identified as relevant to Chinese nurses working in dermatological departments. Among these drugs, 1 drug was generally prescribed independently, 17 drugs tended to be prescribed collaboratively, and 45 were prescribed either independently or in collaboration with others. Conclusions: This expert consensus determines the prescription drugs that may be prescribed by dermatology nurses in China, which can be used as the key content of prescription drug training for dermatology nurses in future. The results of the study could provide a basis for the implementation of nurses’ prescription rights in China in future and provide a reference for the formulation of relevant legislation on nurses’ prescription rights.

Objective To evaluate the effects of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in children. Methods The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library were systematically searched. The retrieve inception date was between October 2001 and October 2019. Two reviewers independently performed the data extraction and assessed methodology quality. Studies were limited to randomized clinical trials comparing calcium supplement with a placebo for bone mineral density in children. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 6 randomized controlled trials involving 408 participants (calcium supplementation group: 198; placebo group: 210) were finally included in this study. The meta-analysis revealed that, compared with placebos, calcium supplementation had no effect on the bone mineral densities [the whole-body: SMD with CI = 0.43 (−0.05–0.91), P=0.08, I 2 = 75%; the 2nd–4th lumbar vertebrae: SMD with 95% CI = 0.27 (−0.17 to 0.70), P = 0.07, I 2 = 0%)]. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the results of the whole-body bone mineral density were unstable and that the bone density of the 2nd–4th lumbar spine was robust. Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis suggested that calcium supplementation did not improve bone mineral density in children. However, there continues to be a need for more high-quality studies to verify this fact in the future.

Objective To review and analyze the basic information and distribution of core articles in the global research frontier of nursing, so as to ascertain the current trend in the field. Methods A total of 37 highly cited essential science indicator (ESI) papers in the nursing discipline were retrieved, which were compared with the core article collection of the ESI research frontier in January 2019 to understand the current nursing research frontiers. Subsequently, a statistical analysis of the core articles that constituted the nursing research frontiers was performed using a bibliometric method. The analysis was conducted with multiple aspects including the number of core articles, total number of citations, average publication year, issuing country, participating institution, citing paper, journal distribution, and core researcher. Results At present, the two international research frontiers of nursing are patient-centered care (Research Frontier 1) and missed care (Research Frontier 2). These two frontiers include a total of 12 core articles, 6 of which are highly cited Web of Science-indexed nursing papers. Research Frontier 1 includes three core articles that were cited 389 times. Research Frontier 2 includes nine core articles that were cited 841 times. Articles in the two frontiers were cited by 454 and 841 papers, respectively, most of which are in the United States. In addition, the 12 core articles were published across eight journals, the impact factors of which are all relatively high. Lastly, Research Frontier 1 involves 11 authors, whereas Research Frontier 2 involves 49 authors, of which seven authors have published more than two articles. Conclusions The core articles in the frontier of international nursing research demonstrate distinctive features in their issuing country/region, journal distribution, and participating institution. Review and analysis of the core articles of international nursing research frontiers can help nursing staff understand the current research hotspots and consequently perform corresponding scientific research to promote the development of the nursing discipline.

Objective To investigate the necessary eligibility criteria for prescriptive authority for midwives, gather suggestions from experts on training content for prescriptive authority for midwives, and explore the scope of practice of their prescriptive authority in certain circumstances. The results of this study could serve as a reference for the development of policies on prescriptive authority for midwives. Methods Based on a literature search and semistructured interviews, a modified Delphi method was first used to conduct 2 rounds of expert consultation on eligibility criteria and training content for prescriptive authority for midwives. This stage included nursing experts (20) and medical experts (16) engaged in midwifery in many tertiary Grade A hospitals in China. Subsequently, consultation on the scope of practice of prescriptive authority for midwives was conducted with nursing experts (18) and medical experts (14) engaged in midwifery in many tertiary Grade A hospitals in China. The suggestions from the experts were analyzed using statistical methods to confirm the eligibility criteria for prescriptive authority, training content, circumstances, scope of practice for prescriptive authority, and the prescription forms. Results Among the consulted experts, 70.59% (the highest acceptance rate) considered an undergraduate degree to be the minimum educational requirement for midwives to be eligible for prescriptive authority, 85.29% (the highest acceptance rate) considered the supervisor nurse to be the minimum technical position experience necessary for midwives to be eligible for having prescriptive authority, and 50% (the highest acceptance rate) considered 5 years to be the minimum number of years of experience in the specialty for midwives to be eligible for prescriptive authority. The applicants should at least be practicing at Grade C hospitals, which was the consensus among 91.18% of the consulted experts. Among the consulted experts, 100%, 100%, 97.06%, 94.12%, and 94.12% agreed that the applicants should have knowledge in pharmacology, laws and ethics, nursing, diagnostics, and midwifery, respectively. The consulted experts confirmed 22 related course topics and identified 6 specific circumstances in which the midwives could partially practice prescriptive authority, including uterine atony, excessive uterine contraction, postpartum hemorrhage, premature rupture of fetal membranes, normal labor, and neonatal asphyxia. Under these 6 circumstances, the consulted experts commonly agreed that there were 20 medication prescriptions and 13 auxiliary examination prescriptions that could be prescribed by midwives. Of these prescriptions, 51.5% were independent prescriptions, 30.3% were protocol prescriptions, and the remaining 18.2% were both independent and protocol prescriptions. Conclusions Midwives who have an undergraduate degree, supervisor nurse position, and 5 years of practice in Grade C hospitals are considered eligible to apply for prescriptive authority. Partial prescriptive authority could be granted after regulated training in fundamental theories and practices, which could improve the independence and professionalism of midwifery.

As nursing becomes a first-level discipline, the central focus of the development process of nursing science is the independent exploration of the future path of nursing care. Although many countries have made efforts to develop nursing as an independent discipline, no remarkable advancement has been achieved due to the incorrect understanding of the relationship between nursing and medicine and the improper comprehension of other factors involved in the process of nursing reform. Teaching and practicing nursing also face many problems. Based on our understanding of the relationship between nursing and medicine and through a careful analysis of the existing problems in the current nursing discipline, this paper provides some insights into the future directions of nursing development by exploring the independently developing nursing discipline in foreign countries.

This study proposes the establishment of a knowledge-system ontology in the nursing field. It uses advanced data mining techniques, digital publishing technologies, and new media concepts to comprehensively integrate and deepen nursing knowledge and to aggregate sources of knowledge in specialized technical fields. This study applies all forms of media and transmission channels, such as personal computers and mobile devices, to establish a knowledge-transmission system that provides knowledge services such as knowledge search, update retrieval, evaluation, questions and answers (Q&As), online viewing, information subscription, expert services, push notifications, review forums, and online learning. In doing so, this study creates an authoritative and foundational knowledge service engine for the nursing field, which provides convenient, flexible, and comprehensive knowledge services to members of the nursing industry in a digital format.

At present, with the continuous development of the trend of population aging worldwide, more elderly people are increasingly facing serious life disorders caused by physical and mental disability. In this study, the common symptoms and the nursing practice related to diseases of the disabled elderly are reviewed with reference to the basic concepts of disability care and the current situation of domestic and foreign research, which is expected to provide the basis for the construction of a new model of disability nursing.