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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]

Aim: To explore Registered Nurses' attitudes and behaviour towards patients' use of complementary therapies. Background: Despite high rates of use of complementary therapies by the general population, little is known of how nurses respond to patients' use of these therapies. Design: A two-phase sequential exploratory mixed methods design. Methods: Nineteen Registered Nurses working in Australia participated in a semi-structured interview in 2015-2016 and emerging themes informed the development of a quantitative survey instrument administered online nationwide in 2016. Findings: Emerging key themes "Promoting safe care"; "Seeking complementary therapies knowledge";" Supporting holistic health care"; and "Integrating complementary therapies in practice" were reflected in survey results. Survey responses (N = 614) revealed >90% agreement that complementary therapies align with a holistic view of health and that patients have the right to use them. Most nurses (77.5%) discussed complementary therapies with patients and 91.8% believed nurses should have some understanding of the area. One-third did not recommend complementary therapies and there was a lack of overall consensus as to whether these therapies should be integrated into nursing practice. Nurses with training in complementary therapies held more positive views than those without. Conclusion: Nurses were generally supportive of patients' interest in complementary therapies, although their primary concern was safety of the patient. Despite broad acceptance that nurses should have a basic understanding of complementary therapies, there was a lack of consensus about recommendation, integration into nursing practice and referral. Further research should explore how nurses can maintain safe, patient-centred care in the evolving pluralistic healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To develop and psychometrically test the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit-Nursing Knowledge and Skills Test - a multiple-choice test for measuring the key nursing knowledge and skills required for safe, competent practice. Background Intensive care graduate nurse residency or orientation programmes are key strategies in the development of safe and competent practitioners. Essential to these programmes is an evaluation of knowledge and skills. Multiple-choice examinations provide a valuable way of evaluating broad knowledge and skills; however, there has been limited work in this area to date. Design Psychometric evaluation. Methods The instrument was administered to 79 nurses from four paediatric intensive care units in Australia and New Zealand over 18 months between 2008-2010. Internal consistency using Kuder-Richardson 20, item analysis and construct validity using the 'known groups' technique were explored. Results Kuder-Richardson 20 reliability estimate for the 109-item test was 0·85. Instrument scores were significantly higher amongst nurses with postgraduate education and more years of paediatric intensive care experience. Item difficulty indices ranged from 0·08 to 1, with a mean item difficulty of 0·66. Item discrimination ranged from 0·2-0·8. Conclusion Testing of the instrument demonstrated encouraging psychometric properties. With additional refinement, this tool could provide educators and managers with an instrument to assist in the assessment of knowledge and skill acquisition. The instrument requires further testing in different samples of paediatric intensive care nurses to enable validation in other settings and cross-cultural comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]