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Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which staffing adequacy predicts nursing teamwork, controlling for demographic and background variables. Background: Findings from former studies indicate that hospital, unit and staff characteristics may be related to nursing teamwork, such as type of hospital and unit, role, gender, age, work experience, type of shift worked, shift length, number of working hours per week, overtime and staffing adequacy. Teamwork as well as staffing is identified as significant contributors to patient and staff safety in hospitals. However, the contribution of staffing to the quality of nursing teamwork is scarcely studied. Design: This was a quantitative descriptive cross‐sectional study using the paper‐and‐pencil questionnaire Nursing Teamwork Survey‐Icelandic. Methods: The study was conducted in 27 inpatient units in eight hospitals in Iceland with a sample of 925 nursing staff members. Participants were 567 registered nurses, practical nurses, unit secretaries and nurse unit managers. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist was used for this paper. Results: When controlling for unit type, role, experience on current unit and intent to leave, perceived adequacy of staffing alone explains up to 10% of overall teamwork. Unit type, role, years of experience on current unit and perceived staffing adequacy correlated significantly with overall teamwork. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that unit and staff characteristics, including perceived adequacy of staffing, are associated with and explain the variability in nursing teamwork on inpatient hospital units. The findings of this study provide important information for clinical nurses, nurse managers, policymakers and instructors in health care. Relevance to clinical practice: The findings underline the importance of adequate staffing for nursing teamwork in inpatient hospital units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

rochefort c.m. & clarke s.p. (2010) Nurses’ work environments, care rationing, job outcomes, and quality of care on neonatal units. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(10), 2213–2224. Aim. This paper is a report of a study of the relationship between work environment characteristics and neonatal intensive care unit nurses’ perceptions of care rationing, job outcomes, and quality of care. Background. International evidence suggests that attention to work environments might improve nurse recruitment and retention, and the quality of care. However, comparatively little attention has been given to neonatal care, a specialty where patient and nurse outcomes are potentially quite sensitive to problems with staffing and work environments. Methods. Over a 6-month period in 2007–2008, a questionnaire containing measures of work environment characteristics, nursing care rationing, job satisfaction, burnout and quality of care was distributed to 553 nurses in all neonatal intensive care units in the province of Quebec (Canada). Results. A total of 339 nurses (61·3%) completed questionnaires. Overall, 18·6% were dissatisfied with their job, 35·7% showed high emotional exhaustion, and 19·2% rated the quality of care on their unit as fair or poor. Care activities most frequently rationed because of insufficient time were discharge planning, parental support and teaching, and comfort care. In multivariate analyses, higher work environment ratings were related to lower likelihood of reporting rationing and burnout, and better ratings of quality of care and job satisfaction. Conclusion. Additional research on the determinants of nurse outcomes, the quality of patient care, and the impact of rationing of nursing care on patient outcomes in neonatal intensive care units is required. The Neonatal Extent of Work Rationing Instrument appears to be a useful tool for monitoring the extent of rationing of nursing care in neonatal units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. This paper describes a study that aimed to identify research priorities for the care of infants, children and adolescents at the sole tertiary referral hospital for children in Western Australia. The secondary aim was to stimulate nurses to explore clinical problems that would require further inquiry. Background. Planning for research is an essential stage of research development; involving clinicians in this exercise is likely to foster research partnerships that are pertinent to clinical practice. Nursing research priorities for the paediatric population have not previously been reported in Australia. Design. Delphi study. Method. Over 12 months in 2005–2006, a three-round questionnaire, using the Delphi technique, was sent to a randomly selected sample of registered nurses. This method was used to identify and prioritise nursing research topics relevant to the patient and the family. Content analysis was used to analyse Round I data and descriptive statistics for Round II and III data. Results. In Round I, 280 statements were identified and reduced to 37 research priorities. Analysis of data in subsequent rounds identified the top two priority research areas as (1) identification of strategies to reduce medication incidents (Mean = 6·47; SD 0·88) and (2) improvement in pain assessment and management (Mean = 6; SD 1·38). Additional comments indicated few nurses access the scientific literature or use research findings because of a lack of time or electronic access. Conclusions. Thirty-seven research priorities were identified. The identification of research priorities by nurses provided research direction for the health service and potentially other similar health institutions for children and adolescents in Australia and internationally. Relevance to clinical practice. The nurse participants showed concern about the safety of care and the well-being of children and their families. This study also enabled the identification of potential collaborative research and development of pain management improvement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper reports a study to investigate the relationships among bone mineral density, demographics, knowledge of osteoporosis, beliefs concerning osteoporosis and preventive behaviours of at-risk females with family histories of osteoporosis. Background. Strong evidence demonstrates that genetics is a significant determinant of peak bone mass, with a heritability of 50–90%. However, few studies have examined the bone mineral density of at-risk females with family histories of osteoporosis, particularly in an Asian population. Design. Telephone survey. Methods. The study population ( n = 2890) was recruited from a radiology department at a national university medical centre in northern Taiwan during 2005–2006. In total, 886 females completed a questionnaire via the telephone; the participation rate was 30·7%. Results. The bone mineral density of at-risk females was close to osteopenia status (T score of −1 to −2·49). Most subjects were aware of osteoporosis-related information; however, few clearly understood osteoporosis. Furthermore, subjects reported difficult implementing strategies to improve bone mineral density. Variation in bone mineral density was correlated with self-rated health ( r = 0·56, p < 0·05), knowledge of osteoporosis ( r = 0·66, p < 0·05) and preventive behaviours ( r = 0·68, p < 0·05). Conclusions. This study is to examine risk factors associated with bone mineral density of females with family histories of osteoporosis. Early identification of risk factors for osteoporosis and development of prevention programmes are required to halt the increasing in the incidence of osteoporosis and improve the bone mineral density of at-risk females. Relevance to clinical practice. Nursing care professionals, who emphasise primary, secondary and tertiary prevention with individuals and families, should develop effective prevention strategies for women with family the history of osteoporosis to protect the health of these vulnerable populations at-risk for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]