Interventions using digital technology to promote family engagement in the adult intensive care unit: An integrative review.

BACKGROUND: Family engagement is a key component of safe and effective care in the intensive care unit (ICU). As the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare settings, it is important to review the current science of family engagement interventions in the ICU using digital technology. OBJECTIVES: This integrative review aimed to identify and evaluate studies that used digital technology to promote family engagement in adult ICUs and synthesize study findings. METHODS: Following the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched. We included studies conducted in the adult ICU setting; involved family engagement during ICU stay; and used digital technology to engage family members. We excluded studies that were not peer-reviewed or in English. Study findings were assessed using the model of family engagement in the ICU RESULTS: Of 2702 articles, 15 articles were analyzed. Various technologies (e.g., web-, tablet-, or SMS-based tools, video-conferencing, etc.) were used to provide information; augment the decision-making process; provide virtual access to family conferences or interdisciplinary rounds. While varying among interventions, "Information sharing" and "activation and participation" were most commonly addressed within the family engagement model. In studies that addressed the components of family engagement more comprehensively, interventions enabled tailoring of information with two-way communication and active family involvement in decision-making processes. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should use more robust methods and develop interventions with close inputs from families. We recommend using conceptual components of family engagement to ensure comprehensiveness of the intervention.

Integration of visual thinking strategies to undergraduate health assessment course: A mixed-method feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated demands for a shift from traditional face-to-face learning to online learning. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is an inquiry-based teaching method using various visual artworks to improve critical thinking and interpersonal skills. VTS has been studied in health professional education mostly in art gallery settings. Implementing VTS during online learning in nursing education has not yet been investigated. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the feasibility of incorporating VTS into an undergraduate nursing health assessment course and explored students' perceptions and experiences of VTS. DESIGN: A single-group, posttest-only, concurrent mixed-methods design was used. SETTING: This study was conducted in an urban nursing college in Seoul, Korea. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 60 second-year undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a health assessment course. METHODS: We integrated VTS into three skills lab sessions (assessment of older adults, skin assessment, and musculoskeletal system assessment) via on-site sessions or real-time online videoconferencing sessions. Through an online survey, we obtained sociodemographic information, previous VTS experience, measures of teaching orientation, perception of arts-based learning, and VTS evaluation. Additionally, participants were asked to comment on their VTS experiences through free-response questions. RESULTS: Participants rated VTS as an interesting and easy-to-concentrate learning method compared with traditional classes during a COVID-19 pandemic. In participants' narratives, being able to learn diverse perspectives, expanding the scope of thoughts and observations, and sustainable learning were the most commonly positive experiences. A lack of familiarity and the open-ended nature of observations were reported as the most common challenges. CONCLUSION: Applying VTS in undergraduate nursing education may help students develop critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. As an alternative to traditional teaching, implementing VTS via online may have potential to motivate students' engagement to active learning. Future randomized controlled trials are warranted to build evidence on the benefits of VTS.

Practical strategies for qualitative inquiry in a virtual world.

AIM: The aim of this article is to provide practical strategies for maintaining methodological rigour in executing a virtual qualitative study. Strategies are based on evidence from existing research about virtual qualitative methods and on the strategies used by the authors to convert a planned in-person qualitative, grounded theory study to an entirely virtual grounded theory study during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study began in-person in September 2019 and was converted to virtual in March 2020. Virtual data collection was completed in September 2020. DESIGN: This article provides a case exemplar of virtual adaptations made to a study underway when the pandemic rendered all in-person research impractical and potentially dangerous. DATA SOURCES: The strategies discussed are based on our own experiences and the supporting theoretical assumptions of qualitative research, specifically grounded theory methods. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nursing scholars conducting qualitative inquiry may find these strategies helpful in continuing research activities during periods of limited access to the phenomena or persons of interest. Furthermore, these strategies allow nursing scholars to conduct rigorous, in-depth research without geographical limitations, providing greater possibilities for international collaborations and cross-institution research. CONCLUSION: Despite novel challenges, methodological adaptations that are carefully planned and purposeful allow qualitative and non-qualitative scholars to continue research activities in a fully virtual manner. IMPACT: This case exemplar and discussion provide practical strategies for qualitative scholars to consider while planning new studies or converting an in-person study to a virtual one. Despite the in-person nature of in-depth qualitative inquiry, a historic pandemic and a changing research environment require qualitative researchers to adapt to virtual methods while still conducting high quality, methodologically rigorous research. Qualitative scholars can use the strategies presented here to continue rigorous qualitative inquiry despite limited access to phenomena or persons.