Nursing informatics skills relevance and competence for final year nursing students

Background: The increasing use of technology in nursing practice requires nursing students to be competent in nursing informatics with an attitude of acceptance of technology in the healthcare environment. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to determine final year nursing students' perceptions and skills in nursing informatics and their attitudes towards computerisation in nursing practice. Method: The study population were 198 final year nursing students from a selected university in the Western Cape, South Africa. All-inclusive sampling was used. A descriptive survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire which included two validated scales, namely the validated Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment Tool (NICAT) and the Nurses' Attitudes towards Computerisation scale. Means and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the ratings of the perceived relevance of nursing informatics skills in nursing practice, perceived levels of competence in nursing informatics skills and attitudes towards computers were calculated. Results: A total of 91 undergraduate respondents completed the survey. Computer literacy skills were rated overall as most relevant (4.23, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 4.06­4.40) and the skills perceived most competent (4.16, 95% CI: 3.81­4.22). The respondents had an overall positive score for attitudes towards computerisation in healthcare (67.34, s.d. = 10.40, 95% CI: 65.18­69.51). Conclusion: The study concluded that computer literacy skills, informatics literacy skills and information management skills were relevant to nursing practice, despite varying levels of competence in these skills among nurses.

A cross-sectional study of depression among women attending antenatal clinics in Blantyre district, Malawi

Background: Pregnancy is a period associated with major psychological and social changes in the life of a woman and can be associated with anxiety and depression. Aim: To describe demographic, clinical and risk profile of antenatal depression among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Blantyre district, Malawi. Setting: The study was conducted in eight antenatal clinics in Blantyre district, Malawi. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 480 randomly selected pregnant women attending antenatal clinics was conducted. Prevalence was determined using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) which was validated against a sub-sample using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. The risk factors of depression were assessed using the Pregnancy Risk Questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of antenatal depression using the EPDS was 19% (95% CI 15.5% ­ 22.5%, n= 91) and was comparable to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (25.8%[95%CI=17.5­34], n=25). The key risk factors that predicted antenatal depression were: 'being distressed by anxiety or depression for more than 2 weeks during this pregnancy'(OR=4.1 [2.1­7.9], p≤ 0.001); 'feeling that a relationship with partner is not an emotionally supportive one' (OR=3.5 [1.4­8.4], p=0.01); 'having major stresses, changes or losses in the course of this pregnancy' (OR=3.2 [1.7­6.2], p=0.01); 'feeling that father was critical of her when growing up' (OR=3.2 [1.4­7.6], p=0.01); and 'having history of feeling miserable or depressed for ≥ 2 weeks before this pregnancy' (OR=2.4 [1.3­4.4], p=0.01). Conclusion: This study confirmed the high-prevalence rate of depression in this group and illustrated that antenatal depression was associated with being distressed by anxiety or depression; support from partner; major stresses during pregnancy; and history of feeling miserable or depressed before pregnancy. This study also found a history of poor relationship between pregnant women and their fathers during childhood

Parents Perceptions of Stress in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Rwanda

Background: Having a newborn infant hospitalised in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an unexpected and stressful event for a family. A number of potential stressors to which family members of patients in these units may be exposed have been identified; although no studies about this issue have been conducted in Rwanda.Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and analyse parental perception of stress that resulted from having their infant admitted to a NICU in Kigali; Rwanda.Method: A quantitative survey was used to describe and analyse parents' perceptions of stress when they had an infant admitted to a NICU. The Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was used to measure the level of stress that those parents experienced.Results: The results indicated that parents experienced stress from having their infants cared for in a NICU. The most stressful events were the appearance and behaviour of the baby with a mean score of 4.02; whilst the subscale items related to sights and sounds were found to be the least significant source of stress for parents with a mean score of 2.51. In addition; the current study found that parents' age; educational level; occupation; and infant birth weight were associated with parental stress.Conclusion: The study established that a range of factors was responsible for parental stress when a baby was cared for in a NICU. Identification of these factors could enable health professionals from a hospital in Kigali; Rwanda; to facilitate parents' adjusting and coping