Adaption of the Cancer Information Overload Scale for pandemics and assessment of infodemic levels among nurses and midwives.

AIM: This study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 aimed to adapt the Cancer Information Overload Scale and conduct content validity testing. Phase 2 aimed to conduct factorial validity testing of the scale. Phase 3 aimed to assess information overload and the sources of information used by nurses and midwives to keep up-to-date about COVID-19. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of nurses and midwives working in a metropolitan Local Health District in Sydney, Australia, was conducted from May to June 2020. METHODS: Adaptation of the Cancer Information Overload Scale and content validity of the modified scale (as the Pandemic Information Overload Scale) was undertaken by an expert panel comprising of senior nurses and researchers. Factorial validity and reliability of the Pandemic Information Overload Scale were evaluated using exploratory factor analyses using one subsample of the data. Using the second subsample of the data, information overload and sources of information used by nurses and midwives to keep up-to-date about COVID-19 were examined. RESULTS: The Pandemic Information Overload Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring information overload among nurses during a pandemic. Its internal consistency was high (α = 0.81, M = 3.84). CONCLUSION: The 8-item PIO scale is a brief, reliable and psychometrically sound instrument for measuring nurses' and midwives' perceptions of information overload during COVID-19. Mean scores across this study indicated that participants were experiencing above average information overload. Implementing strategies to reduce this overload would optimize clinical decision making and promote patient safety.

Qualitatively exploring the attributes of adaptability and resilience amongst recently graduated nurses.

AIM: To explore newly graduated nurse's understandings and practices of adaptability and resilience in clinical environments. BACKGROUND: The everyday practice of nursing work involves managing emotional and practical everyday demands related to the role. Adaptability and resilience are two critical attributes that equip nurses for this by enabling them to manage challenges and be flexible with their practices and expectations in the face of rapidly changing and unpredictable circumstances. DESIGN: Informed by the theoretical underpinnings of the Person-centred Practice Framework, semi-structured interviews using topic guides were conducted with nine newly graduated registered nurse participants recruited through purposive sampling. Interviews occurred between March-October 2020 with participants working across seven different healthcare settings in three Local Health Districts in NSW, Australia. RESULTS: Analysis of the data generated the core themes of: 1) 'Making sense' explored how nurses defined resilience and adaptability; 2) 'Surviving as the nurse' focused on how nurses experienced adaptability and resilience as a newly qualified nurse; 3) 'Trusting oneself' reflected the interconnection of nurses' developed adaptability and resilience to their clinical self-assurance; and 4) 'Doing it again' described how adaptability and resilience can be further supported by the university sector. Findings demonstrated that adaptability and resilience in combination are essential attributes and required for effective nursing practice post-graduation. However, both collegial and organizational support were found to be lacking in positively reinforcing these attributes in this study. CONCLUSION: Newly graduated nurses can develop adaptability in clinical practice, so they are a more resilient future workforce. However, greater organizational leadership is required to model and strengthen these attributes for nurses. When perceptions, knowledge and experiences of adaptability and resilience are developed using person-centred approaches, they will be used in person-centred ways. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Newly graduated nurses can develop adaptability in clinical practice, so they are a more resilient future workforce. However, greater organizational leadership is required to model and strengthen these attributes for nurses. When perceptions, knowledge and experiences of adaptability and resilience are developed using person-centred approaches, they will be used in person-centred ways.

Life during lockdown: Coping strategies used by preregistration nursing students during COVID-19.

AIM: To explore the coping strategies used by Australian preregistration nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic 'lockdown' period. BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on preregistration nursing students, both physically and psychologically. As campuses closed and online learning commenced, clinical placement access was reduced, with heightened concern about personal and family safety. As such, nursing students were forced to adopt coping strategies to manage their self and the environment. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative study. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-five preregistration nursing students enrolled at a regional Australian university completed a self-administered online survey. RESULTS: Overwhelmingly, student responses revealed that staying connected was the key coping strategy to ensure emotional and mental health wellbeing. Heightened vigilance in infection control measures was also evident, personally and for others. Routines, including exercise, facilitated physical and mental wellbeing. Overall, coping strategies identified by nursing students demonstrated applied resilience during the isolation period. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the adaptive coping strategies used by nursing students can enable nurse academics to understand how to best provide support. This study emphasises the importance of recognising that not all students are able to adapt and 'cope' without supports in place. Future studies should investigate the longer-term impact of COVID-19 within the broader preregistration nursing experience and how this might impact nursing students' future careers.

Development and Evaluation of the Altered Student Study Environment Tool: A Tool to Measure Nursing Student Concerns Relating to Academic Progression During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Rapid alterations to study environments during COVID-19 raised concerns for nursing students about their academic progression. AIM: The study aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Altered Student Study Environment Tool (ASSET) and the relationship between students' concerns, demographics, COVID-19-related knowledge, and communication received from the university. METHOD: The 11-item ASSET and investigator-developed questions were administered to prelicensure nursing students using an anonymous online survey. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 234 students. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure, namely, attending clinical placement, completion of clinical placement, and grade attainment. Students with higher scores on knowledge had significantly lower concerns for the subscale attending clinical placement. Full-time students had significantly higher concerns for the subscale completion of clinical placement. CONCLUSION: The ASSET is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to measure concerns relating to the effects of altered study environments on academic progression.

The COVID-19 pandemic - A focus on nurse managers' mental health, coping behaviours and organisational commitment.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of COVID-19 has substantially impacted frontline health care workers, including nurse managers. To date, no studies have been conducted to examine the impact COVID-19 has had on Nurse Managers' mental health, coping strategies and organisational commitment. AIM: To investigate the mental health, coping behaviours, and organisational commitment among Nurse Managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Cross-sectional study involving 59 Nursing Managers from one Local Health District in Sydney Australia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected relating to demographics, anxiety, coping strategies and organisational commitment. RESULTS: Overall, approximately three quarters of the Nurse Managers had high anxiety scores. Managers who had worked longer as a nurse had higher scores for adaptive coping strategies and 41% of Nurse Managers considered leaving their jobs. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to minimise anxiety and enable coping as part of organisational disaster, emergency or crisis planning for Nurse Managers may result in decreased anxiety and stress levels, increased use of adaptive coping strategies and lower intent to leave the organisation and the nursing profession.

Understanding the support needs of Australian nursing students during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

Background: COVID-19 has caused significant disruption. This has been particularly evident within the university student population where their traditional ways of learning were abruptly reorganised and support structures removed.Objective: This paper aims to explore undergraduate student nurses' perceptions of the support required from the university during COVID-19 using the Achievement Goal Theory framework.Design: Data were collected via an online survey of undergraduate student nurses from an Australian university. This paper is reporting the data from a single open-ended item asking participants about their support needs from the University. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Of the 178 students who responded 206 individual statements were provided about the support they would like from the university. Four primary themes emerged, Support beyond academia, Academic support, Online learning readiness and Clinical practice units and clinical placement. The students identified that their needs during this pandemic include financial needs, social isolation, needs for more communication and unpreparedness for online teaching.Conclusion: Several factors were identified by participants about the additional support required from the university during COVID-19. Understanding and addressing these factors have the potential to improve student support during COVID-19 and support students in future crises.Impact statement: Understanding what support students perceive they require from the university during significant disruption will assist in future crisis management planning.

Generational differences in psychological wellbeing and preventative behaviours among nursing students during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Many nursing programmes have had to swiftly move online in response to COVID-19. Nursing students are often a heterogenous group that traverses generational boundaries. Exploring generational differences may assist in developing support systems for specific groups. This study sought to examine psychological wellbeing and preventative behaviours among nursing students from the iGeneration in comparison to older generations. METHOD: A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken using a convenience sample of pre-registration nursing students studying at two Australian Universities, one regional and one metropolitan. About 631 pre-registration nursing students completed an online survey. RESULTS: An independent samples t-test revealed that students from the iGeneration possess higher anxiety compared to nursing students from older generations (p = .000). Compared to iGeneration participants, older generation participants had significantly higher scores for knowledge of COVID-19 (p = .015). iGeneration participants utilised social media to source information about COVID-19 far more than older generations (p = .008). iGeneration participants were significantly more concerned than older generations about the impact of COVID-19 on completing their clinical placement (p = .014). Older generations tended to have higher academic preventative behaviours, with significant mean scores for not attending university if they or others they knew had symptoms of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Given the differences between generation groups with regard to psychological wellbeing, knowledge about COVID-19, and concerns about studying in an altered study environment, strategies should be targeted to generational groups. Anxiety negatively impacts the quality of life, educational performance and clinical practice and is experienced more frequently in the iGeneration. Therefore it is crucial for nursing educators to reflect on how they engage this generation in the online space to provide support, stability and a sense of connection. This will contribute towards ensuring a well-prepared future nursing workforce who may encounter other pandemics and isolating events. IMPACT STATEMENT: Compared with other generations, iGeneration students have a greater likelihood to experience mental health issues, isolation and insecurity. Nursing leaders and educators must be sensitive to such intergenerational differences, to ensure they are developing a skilled and productive workforce.

Anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic umbrella review of the global evidence.

OBJECTIVES: To summarise the evidence relating to the prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: An umbrella review of systematic reviews was undertaken using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methods. DATA SOURCES: The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, JBI Evidence Synthesis, MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL were searched in March 2021 for reviews published in English. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Systematic reviews reporting the prevalence of anxiety and depression among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two researchers screened each abstract and independently reviewed full text articles. Study quality was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal tool for systematic reviews, and the degree of overlap in primary studies was calculated. RESULTS: Ten systematic reviews (100 unique studies), including 169 157 HCWs from 35 countries were included. The prevalence of anxiety among all HCWs ranged from 22.2% (95% CI 21.3% to 23.1%) to 33.0% (95% CI 31.9% to 34.1%). The prevalence of anxiety among physicians (n=5820) was reported to be between 17% and 19.8% and for nurses (n=14 938) between 22.8% and 27%. The prevalence of depression among all HCWs ranged from 17.9% (95% CI 17.1% to 18.8%) to 36% (95% CI 34.9% to 37.1%). The prevalence of depression among physicians (n=643) and nurses (n=8063) was reported to be 40.4% and 28%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation evident in the presence of anxiety and depression among HCWs. In particular, the prevalence of depression among physicians was high. Strategies to reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression are urgently required. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021238960.

COVID-19: Knowledge, anxiety, academic concerns and preventative behaviours among Australian and Indian undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To compare knowledge, anxiety, academic concerns and preventative behaviours between undergraduate nursing students in Australia and India during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Based on the World Health Organization's direction for containment of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), countries implemented varying levels of restrictions including closure of university campuses and providing on line undergraduate education. METHODS: Students in NSW, Australia and Kerala, India completed an online survey assessing their (a) knowledge and source of information about COVID-19; (b) anxiety; and coping strategies; (c) academic concerns; and (d) preventative behaviours. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise the data. RESULTS: Data from 99 Australian and 113 Indian undergraduate nurses were analysed. Greater number of Indian students indicated having sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.08, 0.63), getting information about COVID-19 from social media (OR 0.03; 95% CI 0.01, 0.07) and being concerned about 'attending clinical placement' (MD-1.08; 95% CI -1.94, -0.23). Australian students reported significantly higher levels of anxiety (MD 1.99 95% CI 1.21, 2.78), difficulty sleeping (OR 18.00; 95% CI 6.76, 47.96), concentrating (OR 33.22; 95% CI 13.85, 79.67) and eating (OR 14.05; 95% CI 3.19, 61.84). Greater number of Australian students indicated that they would go to the University if they needed to meet with other students (OR 9.21; 95% CI 3.08, 27.55), had to access the library (OR 7.20; 95% CI 3.26, 15.90) or had a group assignment (OR 2.93; 95% CI 1.26, 6.77). CONCLUSIONS: Wide variations were present in knowledge, anxiety, academic concerns and preventative behaviours among undergraduate nursing students in two countries. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Undergraduate students may benefit from additional support from the University and staff in the clinical setting with online learning and resources in order to adjust to the 'new normal' and enable them to achieve academic success.

Implications for COVID-19: A systematic review of nurses' experiences of working in acute care hospital settings during a respiratory pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Pandemics and epidemics are public health emergencies that can result in substantial deaths and socio-economic disruption. Nurses play a key role in the public health response to such crises, delivering direct patient care and reducing the risk of exposure to the infectious disease. The experience of providing nursing care in this context has the potential to have significant short and long term consequences for individual nurses, society and the nursing profession. OBJECTIVES: To synthesize and present the best available evidence on the experiences of nurses working in acute hospital settings during a pandemic. DESIGN: This review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews. DATA SOURCES: A structured search using CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, MedNar, ProQuest and Index to Theses was conducted. REVIEW METHODS: All studies describing nurses' experiences were included regardless of methodology. Themes and narrative statements were extracted from included papers using the SUMARI data extraction tool from Joanna Briggs Institute. RESULTS: Thirteen qualitative studies were included in the review. The experiences of 348 nurses generated a total of 116 findings, which formed seven categories based on similarity of meaning. Three synthesized findings were generated from the categories: (i) Supportive nursing teams providing quality care; (ii) Acknowledging the physical and emotional impact; and (iii) Responsiveness of systematised organizational reaction. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses are pivotal to the health care response to infectious disease pandemics and epidemics. This systematic review emphasises that nurses' require Governments, policy makers and nursing groups to actively engage in supporting nurses, both during and following a pandemic or epidemic. Without this, nurses are likely to experience substantial psychological issues that can lead to burnout and loss from the nursing workforce.