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Although social work, as a profession, has increasingly emphasized the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP), social work students do not consistently learn to infuse EBP as a process in their daily practice, contributing to low EBP uptake in the field. Communicating evidence to clients is an ethical imperative for informed consent and a precondition for shared decision-making; however, students are not adequately trained to talk to clients about research evidence as part of intervention planning and contracting. This article describes the development of a competency framework for communicating research evidence within the therapeutic relationship, in support of a teaching and learning innovation aimed at cultivating holistic competence in Master of Social Work students as they learn about and perform EBP. The competency framework draws on models and practices from social work, medicine, nursing, psychology, and related disciplines. The development of competencies in the communicative process within EBP is part of an evolving pedagogical approach that may serve to enhance EBP education in social work.

Preparing students for social work practice is an important responsibility shared by field education and schools of social work. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to social work practice training and education in the classroom and field. This teaching note describes an online simulation-based learning activity known as Virtual Practice Fridays that was adapted from an in-person activity in response to the pandemic. Virtual Practice Fridays was a 10-week seminar for two cohorts of master of social work students, each facilitated by two PhD students who were supervised by a faculty member. Master of social work students developed holistic competence, including knowledge, skills, and self-awareness, as they met with two simulated clients over several sessions. Students described unique features of this simulation-based learning activity that supported their learning, such as working with clients virtually, having an opportunity to see simulated clients for several sessions from assessment to termination, and being able to use the time completed at Virtual Practice Fridays toward fulfillment of practicum hours. This was a new experience for the doctoral students and faculty member, and it permitted us to reflect on how to effectively teach students about social work practice. Implications for social work practice and education are discussed.

Canadian social workers were surveyed about early adversities, mental health, and resilience. Bivariate analysis (n = 236) was conducted to understand relationships between predictor and outcome variables; and logistic regression analyses were conducted for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and resilience. The impact of pandemic-related factors was also investigated. The results indicate that social workers are experiencing concerning levels of mental health issues, with significantly lower levels of resilience in younger social workers. A trauma and resilience informed approach to workplace policies and practices is urgently required to support social workers' mental health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional models of palliative care are largely inaccessible to homeless persons, and their preferences regarding end-of-life care are poorly understood. The purpose of the present scoping review is to summarize the burgeoning gray and academic literature on end-of-life care for homeless persons. Five medical databases, seven social science databases, and four gray literature databases were searched, resulting in 57 relevant titles. Six themes emerged: (a) Characteristics of homeless persons who require end-of-life care; (b) preferences and concerns of homeless persons approaching the end of life; (c) the role of spirituality for homeless persons at the end of life; (d) barriers to care at the patient, provider, and institutional or structural levels; (e) inclusive models of palliative care; and (f) implications for policy and practice. Practitioners and homeless persons must negotiate many obstacles in the provision and receipt of palliative care. However, there is tremendous potential and opportunity to improve the quality of life at the end of life for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated the association between cancer and complete mental health (CMH). CMH includes optimal functioning as well as the absence of psychopathology. Methods: Secondary data analyses of the nationally representative 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. This study used bivariate and logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios of CMH among community dwellers aged 50 and older with current cancer (n = 438), previous cancer (n = 1,174) and no cancer history (n = 9,279). CMH had three elements: (1) absence of mental illness, addictions and suicidal thoughts in the past year; (2) almost daily happiness or life satisfaction in the past month; (3) psychosocial well-being. Control variables included socio-demographics, health behaviours, current physical health and lifetime history of mental illness and childhood maltreatment. Results: Adults aged 50 and over with current cancer had a much lower prevalence of CMH (66.1%) than those with previous cancer (77.5%) and those with no cancer history (76.8%). After adjusting for 17 variables, the odds of CMH among those with current cancer remained substantially lower (OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.49–0.79) than those without cancer. Among those who had ever had cancer, the odds of CMH were higher for female, white, married, and older respondents, as well as those with higher socioeconomic status, and no history of childhood physical abuse, substance abuse, depression or anxiety disorder. Conclusions: Those with former cancer have comparable odds of CMH to those with no cancer history, suggesting a high level of resilience among cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate models, by accurately forecasting future weather events, can be a critical tool in developing countermeasures to reduce crop loss and decrease adverse effects on animal husbandry and fishing. In this paper, we investigate the efficacy of various regional versions of the climate models, RCMs, and the commonly available weather datasets in Kenya in predicting extreme weather patterns in northern and western Kenya. We identified two models that may be used to predict flood risks and potential drought events in these regions. The combination of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and weather station data was the most effective in predicting future drought occurrences in Turkana and Wajir with accuracies ranging from 78 to 90%. In the case of flood forecasting, isolation forests models using weather station data had the best overall performance. The above models and datasets may form the basis of an early warning system for use in Kenya's agricultural sector., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is placing unprecedented pressure on a nursing workforce that is already under considerable mental strain due to an overloaded system. Convergent evidence from the current and previous pandemics indicates that nurses experience the highest levels of psychological distress compared with other health professionals. Nurse leaders face particular challenges in mitigating risk and supporting nursing staff to negotiate moral distress and fatigue during large-scale, sustained crises. Synthesizing the burgeoning literature on COVID-19-related burnout and moral distress faced by nurses and identifying effective interventions to reduce poor mental health outcomes will enable nurse leaders to support the resilience of their teams., Aim: This paper aims to (1) synthesize existing literature on COVID-19-related burnout and moral distress among nurses and (2) identify recommendations for nurse leaders to support the psychological needs of nursing staff., Methods: Comprehensive searches were conducted in Medline, Embase and PsycINFO (via Ovid); CINAHL (via EBSCOHost); and ERIC (via ProQUEST). The rapid review was completed in accordance with the World Health Organization Rapid Review Guide., Key Findings: Thematic analysis of selected studies suggests that nurses are at an increased risk for stress, burnout and depression during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Younger female nurses with less clinical experience are more vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes., (Copyright © 2021 Longwoods Publishing.)