‘You Took me Back to the sea:' Using Narrative to Explore and Inform the Practice of Social Work with Dying People

This article centres on a qualitative interview extract, the ‘Story of the Pebble', in which a West African Hospital Social Worker Ado, working in a UK context, and identifying as a Shaman, describes successfully trusting his instincts to create a symbol for a dying patient. Despite criticisms from colleagues, Ado's capacity to understand his patients needs are justified both before and after her death.The article discusses significant themes from the interview extract, including the meaning of professionalism, practice wisdom and cultural influences in a UK social work context, as well as through Ado's heritage and identification as a Shaman. The article considers holistic patient care in a medical context and suggests this has some useful lessons for social workers, particularly those involved with dying people. Although the extract, and wider research study from which it is drawn, pre-date the Covid 19 pandemic, this is referenced throughout, linking the interview extract to ways of helping practitioners and educators to consider people holistically at end of life. AD -, Chichester, UK ;, Chichester, UK

Professional nursing practice environment from students' perspective in COVID-19 / Ambiente de prática profissional em enfermagem na perspectiva de estudantes na COVID-19 / Ambiente de práctica profesional de enfermería por la perspectiva de estudiantes en el COVID-19

Resumo Objetivo Avaliar o ambiente da prática profissional em enfermagem na perspectiva de estudantes no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19. Métodos Estudo transversal, realizado com amostra por conveniência de 43 estudantes da última série do bacharelado em Enfermagem de uma universidade federal, localizada no município de São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Variáveis de caracterização: gênero, etnia, idade, local de estágio e um questionamento se já trabalharam e/ou realizam estágio extracurricular na área. Aplicou-se o Instrumento Practice Environment Scale - versão brasileira validada, composto de 24 itens e 5 subescalas. Os dados foram analisados com estatística descritiva e inferencial por meio dos testes: Kruskal Wallis, ANOVA, Tukey, t-student e Mann Whitney. Foi realizada a análise de regressão logística. Considerou-se como nível de significância de p<0,005. Resultados A Subescala 3 "adequação da equipe e de recursos" foi a única que apresentou média desfavorável (53,49%). A variável "ter trabalhado e/ou realizado estágio extracurricular" mostrou-se estatisticamente significante na Subescala 2 "habilidade, liderança e suporte dos coordenadores/supervisores de enfermagem aos enfermeiros/equipe de enfermagem" (p=0,003). Na média geral, os estudantes avaliaram o ambiente como favorável (p<0,001). Conclusão Apesar do contexto, a maioria dos estudantes avaliaram o ambiente como favorável. A variável "ter trabalhado e/ou realizado estágio extracurricular" foi estatisticamente significativa. A capacitação das lideranças, o fortalecimento de programas de educação continuada e o envolvimento dos enfermeiros nas atividades, resoluções de problemas e comissões internas da instituição, são considerados preâmbulos para ofertar uma assistência qualificada dentro de um ambiente de prática profissional próximo do favorável.

Resumen Objetivo Evaluar el ambiente de la práctica profesional de enfermería por la perspectiva de estudiantes en el contexto de la pandemia del COVID-19. Métodos Estudio transversal, realizado con muestra por conveniencia de 43 estudiantes del último año del grado de Enfermería de una universidad federal, ubicada en el municipio de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. Variables de caracterización: género, etnia, edad, lugar de la pasantía y un interrogante sobre si ya trabajaron o realizan una pasantía extracurricular en el área. Se aplicó el Instrumento Practice Environment Scale - versión brasileña validada, compuesto por 24 ítems y 5 subescalas. Los datos fueron analizados con estadística descriptiva e inferencial por medio de las pruebas: Kruskal Wallis, ANOVA, Tukey, t-student y Mann Whitney. Se realizó el análisis de regresión logística. Se consideró un nivel de significación de p<0,005. Resultados La Subescala 3 "adecuación del equipo y de recursos" fue la única que presentó un promedio desfavorable (53,49 %). La variable "haber trabajado o realizado una pasantía extracurricular" se mostró estadísticamente significante en la Subescala 2 "habilidad, liderazgo y suporte de los coordinadores/supervisores de enfermería a los enfermeros/equipo de enfermería" (p=0,003). En el promedio general, los estudiantes evaluaron al ambiente como favorable (p<0,001). Conclusión Pese al contexto, la mayoría de los estudiantes evaluaron al ambiente como favorable. La variable "haber trabajado o realizado una pasantía extracurricular" fue estadísticamente significante. La capacitación de los liderazgos, el fortalecimiento de programas de educación continua y la participación de los enfermeros en las actividades, resoluciones de problemas y comisiones internas de la institución, son considerados preámbulos para brindar una asistencia calificada dentro de un ambiente de práctica profesional próxima a lo favorable.

Abstract Objective To assess the professional nursing practice environment from the perspective of students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study conducted with a convenience sample of 43 students attending the last grade of the Nursing Undergraduate course at a federal university located in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Characterization variables: sex, ethnicity, age, place of internship and a question on whether they have worked and/or did an extracurricular internship in the area. The Practice Environment Scale - Brazilian validated version, consisting of 24 items and five subscales, was applied. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the following tests: Kruskal Wallis, ANOVA, Tukey, t-student and Mann Whitney. Logistic regression analysis was performed. A significance level of p<0.005 was considered. Results Subscale 3 "Staffing and resource adequacy" was the only one with an unfavorable mean (53.49%). The variable "having worked and/or done an extracurricular internship" was statistically significant in Subscale 2 "Nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses" (p=0.003). On overall mean, students rated the environment as favorable (p<0.001). Conclusion Despite the context, most students rated the environment as favorable. The variable "having worked and/or done an extracurricular internship" was statistically significant. The training of leaders, the strengthening of continuing education programs and involvement of nurses in activities, problem solving and internal committees of the institution are considered preambles to offer qualified care within a close to favorable environment of professional practice.

Relationship Between Residency Match Distance From Medical School and Virtual Application, School Characteristics, and Specialty Competitiveness.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the residency match process by eliminating away rotations and changing from in-person to virtual interviews. In this study, we explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the geographic match distance of United States (US) senior medical students across all specialties. METHODS: We collected publicly available student match data between 2018 and 2021 from US allopathic medical schools and calculated match distance between medical school and residency training using a novel metric - the "match space." Match space was codified by whether the student matched at their home institution, home state, adjacent state, same or adjacent US census division (non-adjacent state) or skipped at least one US census division. Adjusting for covariates, ordinal logistic regression correlated school and specialty characteristics with match distance pre- and post-pandemic for all specialties. We defined and ranked specialty competitiveness using predictive values from factor analysis. RESULTS: A total of 34,672 students representing 66 medical schools from 28 states matched into 26 specialties in 50 states and Canada. Fifty-nine percent of students were from public institutions, and 27% of schools ranked in the top 40 for research. The mean percentage of in-state students by school was 60.3% (range 3-100%). Match space was lower after the pandemic (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.98; p=0.006), from schools with higher in-state percentages (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.72-0.76), from top National Institutes of Health-funded institutions (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.92), from the Northeast (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.75; Midwest reference), and the West (OR 0.67, 95% 0.60-0.74). Match space was higher for students graduating from private schools (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.19), from the South (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.2-1.33), and matching into more competitive specialties (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14). The top five most competitive specialties were Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Otolaryngology. Internal Medicine ranked eighth. CONCLUSIONS: After the COVID-19 pandemic, students graduating from US allopathic schools matched closer to their home institution. Students attending public schools, schools with more in-state matriculants, and schools with higher research rankings also matched closer to their home institutions. Specialty competitiveness and US census region also impacted match distance. Our study adds insight into how geographic match patterns were influenced by school, specialty choice, and the pandemic.

Online nutritional counseling in the Nutrition and Dietetics career at the University of Chile: A teaching-learning resource in professional practices

Introduction: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the School of Nutrition and Dietetics of the University of Chile suspended all face-to-face professional practices, incorporating Online Nutritional Counseling (ONC) as a telemedicine activity. The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of students, users and supervising teachers regarding the implementation, user satisfaction and student performance in ONC as a new teaching and learning activity. Material and methods: Cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study, using non-probabilistic sampling. Students (n=42), users (n=133) and supervising teachers (n=6) were invited to participate. The level of user satisfaction, the perception of the counseling implementation process and student performance were evaluated through semi-structured online surveys. Quantitative and qualitative results were analyzed using Excel Office software. Results: The surveys were answered by 55.6% of users, 100% of teachers and 87.2% of students. The participating users perceived a high level of satisfaction with the ONC (95.9%), in terms of good implementation (98.1%) and good attention received by the students (98.6%). Students (83.3%) and teachers (79.6%) perceived a high level of satisfaction related to the implementation of the activity. Regarding student`s performance, students (89.7%) and teachers (86.7%) perceived a high level of performance. Conclusions: Users, teachers and students perceptions were evaluated regarding user satisfaction, implementation and student performance in the ONC, obtaining a high valuation by all the actors involved. It is suggested to consider the ONC as a permanent teaching-learning strategy and complementary to face-to-face professional practice activities.

Improving Practice for Urinary Continence Care on Adult Acute Medical and Rehabilitation Wards: A Multi-Site, Co-Created Implementation Study.

Many adult inpatients experience urinary continence issues; however, we lack evidence on effective interventions for inpatient continence care. We conducted a before and after implementation study. We implemented our guideline-based intervention using strategies targeting identified barriers and evaluated the impact on urinary continence care provided by inpatient clinicians. Fifteen wards (acute = 3, rehabilitation = 7, acute and rehabilitation = 5) at 12 hospitals (metropolitan = 4, regional = 8) participated. We screened 2298 consecutive adult medical records for evidence of urinary continence symptoms over three 3-month periods: before implementation (T0: n = 849), after the 6-month implementation period (T1: n = 740), and after a 6-month maintenance period (T2: n = 709). The records of symptomatic inpatients were audited for continence assessment, diagnosis, and management plans. All wards contributed data at T0, and 11/15 wards contributed at T1 and T2 (dropouts due to COVID-19). Approximately 26% of stroke, 33% acute medical, and 50% of rehabilitation inpatients were symptomatic. The proportions of symptomatic patients (T0: n = 283, T1: n = 241, T2: n = 256) receiving recommended care were: assessment T0 = 38%, T1 = 63%, T2 = 68%; diagnosis T0 = 30%, T1 = 70%, T2 = 71%; management plan T0 = 7%, T1 = 24%, T2 = 24%. Overall, there were 4-fold increased odds for receiving assessments and management plans and 6-fold greater odds for diagnosis. These improvements were sustained at T2. This intervention has improved inpatient continence care.

Reported Self-Efficacy of Health Educators During COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many public health professionals to take on new roles such as online teaching, communicating, and managing; serving on the frontlines of patient care; and serving as health education resource personnel. Researchers of this study posed the question: How has the pandemic impacted those who serve to help others? Seven aspects of self-efficacy in professional practice were examined via an online survey sent to health educators. Respondents were extremely confident communicating with their colleagues and supervisors (60%) and with students (51%), but only 19% were extremely confident in maintaining a work-life balance and 22% in managing personal and professional stress. Respondents reported being confident in all areas of responsibilities, overall, but they were most confident in Area 8 (ethics and professionalism) and least confident in Area 1 (assessing the needs and capacity of a community) since COVID-19. Findings imply a need for more professional development opportunities to foster professional and personal self-efficacy and to improve self-efficacy in needs assessment, leadership, and advocacy. Findings also show a need for workplace or state-based interventions to support resiliency and self-care among professionals who work to serve others.

Compassionate Care: Perceptions of English-, Spanish-, and Armenian- Speaking Hospitalized Patients using the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool

Background: Compassion remains a value intrinsic to the professional practice of nursing. Much has been published about the provision of this type of care from the nurses perspective, however, there is a paucity of studies querying hospitalized patients about their expectations and experiences with compassionate care. Objective/Aims. The aim of this study was to explore further and compare the importance of 28 elements thought to comprise compassionate nursing care. The CCAT survey was administered in one hospital setting in the primary languages of the patient (i.e., English, Spanish, Armenian). Methodology: This cross-sectional, prospective, quantitative study included an adequately-powered sample of 254 acute-care inpatients responding to the importance and provision of compassionate care. Results: Statistical differences were detected among three primary languages of the survey participants. English speakers rated the delivery of compassionate care higher than how important it was for them to receive that type of care. English speakers emphasized the importance of compassion through a subscale of Caring Attributes, while Armenian-speaking patients valued items within Meaningful Connections and Spanish-speaking patients emphasized the attributes in the Patient Experience subscale. Conclusion: Many elements comprise the construct of compassionate nursing care from the patients vantage point;however, further exploration focusing on preferences guided by individual, cultural, and educational considerations is needed. Responding to the compassionate needs of every patient remains a professional obligation for nurses that is especially relevant in todays era of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Keeping connected: Family therapists' experiences of working online during the COVID‐19 pandemic

For this qualitative study, eight family therapists were interviewed about their experiences of practising online during the pandemic. Findings are organised using a framework of problems, possibilities, resources and restraints (PPRR, Neden & Burnham, 2007). Despite variation in therapist confidence in online practice, all participants found new possibilities in this way of working, including connecting family members across distance, increased co‐construction within therapeutic relationships and engaging clients who would not usually attend appointments. Therapeutic alliance was generally possible to establish online, though felt more challenging with whole families than individuals. Problems and restraints included therapist fatigue, risk and safety management, and attuning to nuanced expression of emotion. Implications for practice and future research are proposed. It is suggested that systemic practice has unique qualities to offer the field of online psychotherapy.

Future-proofing I-O psychology: The need for updated graduate curriculum

Comments on an article by Patrick Hyland (see record 2023-54807-014). Hyland provides a model for reflection and reflexivity to prevent industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology research from growing stale. Authors focus is to expand upon Hyland's model by first reflecting on the recent sociohistorical forces that have shaped I-O psychology and then by proactively future-proofing their field through graduate education focused on transparency, software accessibility, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Recent history has seen an upsurge of unprecedented macro events such as COVID-19, nationwide racial division, political unrest, and mental health crisis;these events make authors aware of blind spots within our societal, scientific, and economical systems. Such events force us as a field to be reactive and adaptive by transitioning from old methods to new and developing methods (e.g., work shifting from in-person to online). However, as humans, authors tend to cling to what is familiar and comfortable, and likewise, their field has often chosen to remain comfortable. Authors believe that the proclivity to resist change results in an overreliance on outdated practices and to combat this, authors suggest a grassroots approach to transformation by focusing on future-proofing graduate coursework. In line with the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology's (SIOP) strategic goals, authors envision a future that equips future generations of researchers and practitioners with the skills and knowledge to be lifelong learners, so they are prepared for ever-changing challenges. Authors suggest updating the I-O graduate course curriculum by (a) implementing open science practices throughout courses, (b) embracing the latest open-source coding technologies (e.g., R and Python), and (c) advancing inferential inclusivity by teaching Bayesian statistics in addition to traditional methods. This three-pronged approach addresses the need for transparency, software accessibility, and multidisciplinary research to prepare graduate students to theorize, plan appropriate study design, thoughtfully consider necessary analyses, interpret meaningful results, and share those results in a clear and far-reaching manner. Researchers can then prepare for (rather than react to) unprecedented macro events, clarifying our collective identity and future-proofing the field with an updated skill set to overcome obstacles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Mixed methods analysis of reflective statements of residents following the developmental-behavioral pediatric rotation

Background: Reflection is important in the professional practice of medicine, and analyses of trainees' reflection papers have been utilized to evaluate training outcomes. This study was to determine the degree of reflection of residents completing the developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) rotation, which provides a high degree of interprofessional and family-centered experiences. We sought to explore whether level of reflection was correlated with timing of the rotation [earlier or later in training year, before or since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic]. Method(s): This retrospective study included deidentified reflection statements of Pediatrics (Peds) and Medicine-Pediatrics (Med-Peds) residents after their DBP rotation from 2017-2021. Level of reflection for each of four categories of prompts, leadership, interdisciplinary, family-centered, and equity (LIFE), which codifies 12 Maternal Child Health (MCH) competencies, and ideally reflect the principles of the DBP rotation. The prompts were coded using a five-point Castleberry rating. Result(s): Thirty-six residents completed reflections, 58% completed the rotation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% completed the rotation early in their academic year. Mean Castleberry ratings were 3.2 [standard deviation (SD) =0.7], 2.7 (SD =0.8), 2.6 (SD =1.0), and 2.6 (SD =0.8) for LIFE, respectively. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests tested differences in Castleberry ratings for each facet of the LIFE framework by timing of rotation vis-a-vis the COVID-19 pandemic and early or late in the training year. We found statistically significant lower results for interdisciplinary (I) facet of the LIFE framework in those who completed the rotation late in the training year (W=214.50;P=0.02). Conclusion(s): Peds and Med-Peds residents reflect moderately on their DBP rotation, and more on leadership than other aspects integral to DBP practice. Future research is needed to compare reflections on the LIFE framework across different rotations, and thematic/sentiment analysis can reveal opportunities for guiding residents on the reflection process.Copyright © Pediatric Medicine. All rights reserved.

The Professional Practice of the Brazilian Social Worker: Problems About the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic situation that imposed significant changes in the living and working habits of all working-class members. Social workers are not immune to this, mainly because many are at the frontline in assistance, prevention, and control of the disease. It also aims to question the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work done by social workers in their various sociooccupational spaces. We have chosen the qualitative approach with the use of quantitative resources, with an electronic survey data collection tool, sent by e-mail to the informant subjects. Our universe was constituted of 201 social workers from five Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, South, Southeast, and Center-West), acting in the context of a pandemic. Immersed in a multifaceted national crisis, these workers experienced considerable impacts on their working conditions, on their relationships with institutions and their families, and on their own mental health. This realisation indicates the historical costs of devaluing social policies in the country, the precariousness of a specialised labor force, as well as the paradox that, even when vulnerable, the need for a solid protection system by Brazilians is increasing, reaffirming the obstacles between social expectation and the operational reality of social policies. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Micro-Videos as a Learning Tool for Professional Practice during the Post-COVID Era: An Educational Experience

With the arrival of the pandemic, many education students in higher education classrooms saw how their internships were cancelled, making it impossible for them to access real contexts that would let them know how their everyday professional life would be. Consequently, it was necessary to make a methodological change. To bridge the gap between theoretical and practical training, we conducted an educational experience at a private university where several educational videos were used to reflect the implementation of different educational methodologies in teaching mathematics by expert teachers. In the recorded practices, it was shown how four different methodologies were implemented in several contexts during the day-to-day classes: International Baccalaureate (IB), gamification, flipped classroom and project-based learning. We studied each methodology to measure their impact on primary students' learning and guarantee that higher education students had visualized effective practices through micro-videos. The results of our study show that, in certain aspects of mathematics, the students' own teaching capabilities have greater influence than the theoretical methodological instruction they generally receive in the classroom. Further, concerning students' perceptions, we can conclude that their motivation increased towards the use of micro-videos, since they became active agents of their own learning. © 2023 by the authors.

ONLINE VS IN PERSON: FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACHES TO A 3rd YEAR ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT MODULE

Managing Engineering Projects is a 3rd Year module of the 4-year MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Management degree. Its purpose is to provide students with innovation and project management skills in the context of engineering practice. The format was modified during the 2020-21 academic year to include more elements of student-centred learning to increase engagement given the online delivery format due to Covid. The module comprised 10 x 2-hour weekly sessions. Students were sent the material for each of the sessions ahead of time, with the first hour being devoted to discussing relevant aspects or issues raised by the students. The second hour focused on a related case study or activity, where students were allocated to break out rooms on Teams for group work, then coming together for some general discussion and conclusions. Alternatively, guest industrial speakers would share their professional experiences to illustrate the theory covered in the first hour. There was also an opportunity for questions and general project management discussion. The module was delivered in person this academic year, retaining the same flipped classroom format, case studies and industrial speakers. This paper compares the feedback and insights gathered through questionnaires from the online and in-person cohorts. Initial evidence shows that both groups found the flipped classroom, practical group work, and guest talks more engaging than traditional lectures. However, the in-person cohort showed higher rates of attendance and students were more engaged in group activities. © 2022 SEFI 2022 - 50th Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education, Proceedings. All rights reserved.

Enhancing the organisation and the management of built environment higher education courses

PurposePersistent critical issues in built environment higher education (BEHE) curricula may need to be addressed by improving course organisation and management. In addition to the implications of the COVID pandemic, issues such as inadequate communication and lack of contemporary and innovative practices integrated with course delivery have resulted in a gap for Course organisation and management. The purpose of this study is to recommend a set of drivers that can assist academics and academic institutions in improving course development, organisation and management in the BEHE context. Thus, the study focused on three themes: course organisation and administration, timetabling and course communication.Design/methodology/approachA systematic approach was taken to obtain data, where a documental analysis and a close-ended questionnaire were adopted as data collection instruments. The documental analysis considered 334 mid module reviews (MMRs) generating data from architecture, construction management, civil engineering, surveying and real estate students. Content analysis was used to identify critical themes within the MMRs and develop a closed-ended questionnaire. Twenty academics from each discipline completed the questionnaire. Eight drivers were developed from the data obtained from both MMRs and questionnaires. Content analysis and interpretive structural modelling were applied to identify the relationship between the drivers. Finally, these drivers were categorised by their level of influence and reliance to highlight how they contributed to improving course organisation and management.FindingsThe study revealed eight drivers that can improve course organisation and management in the BEHE context. The study found that using virtual learning environments and communication are fundamental in course organisation and management.Practical implicationsThis research paper suggests drivers to improve how academics and academic institutions organise and manage courses. The study recommends eight drivers that could be used as a guideline and a best practice as per the level partitioning diagram developed to enhance the course organisation and management in BEHE.Originality/valueThe study proposes a set of drivers to improve course organisation and management in BEHE curricula. Furthermore, insight into how these drivers influence and rely on each driver and their relation with the national student survey theme are novel contributions to the current body of knowledge. The paper further clarifies how they should be implemented for successful course organisation and management, thus, improving the quality of courses in higher education curricula.

Evidencing best practice for teaching empathy skills to healthcare professionals: literature review

Introduction: Research into patients' perception of empathy has revealed that patients with stomas feel unsupported by healthcare professionals, who can lack an understanding of how it feels to live life with a stoma. A literature review was undertaken to explore what is the evidence for best practice for teaching empathy skills to healthcare professionals and how this can be applied to caring for people with a stoma. Search strategy: Included studies were required to explore teaching empathy or measuring levels of empathy in pre- and post-graduate nurses and in healthcare professionals caring for patients with a stoma. Excluded studies were those involving paediatric and mental health nursing, as these domains of nursing were considered to differ in clinical specialism and any other healthcare professional discipline outside the nursing profession such as doctors or allied healthcare professionals. Results: Given the number of articles reporting that empathy is lacking in stoma care, it is remarkable that so little original research has been carried out in this area, specifically the lack of qualitative research. A variety of interventions were used to assess empathy in pre- and post-graduate nurses, from multiple nations with diverse cultures. Conclusions: Results from the data revealed several themes for the best practice of teaching empathy skills to healthcare professionals, including essential nurse attributes, innate nurse characteristics, nurse experience and the contribution of experiential learning.

"Everyone is just trying to make it to the end of the shift": Neuropsychology review of staff experiences in acute stroke services at NHNN

Introduction: Effective multidisciplinary team working enhances patient care and staff performance and reduces length of stay. In stroke services, this has recently been strained by challenges of staff shortages, team exhaustion and COVID-19, in addition to SSNAP data reporting responsibilities. Consequently, psychological distress has heightened in these healthcare workers. Understanding staff experiences in stroke team environments is crucial to staff retention, wellbeing, and reshaping effective multidisciplinary processes. Method(s): Clinical staff in emergency, hyperacute, and acute stroke units at our hospital were invited in May 2022 to complete an online questionnaire based on validated measures of teamwork, stress, and burnout. Result(s): Twenty-seven respondents represented across therapy, medical (29.6%), and nursing (29.6%) teams. Teamworking was rated as positive by most staff (63%), relating this to open communication and diverse, specialised stroke knowledge. Over 75% of the sample experienced moderate to high burnout, with prevalent experiences of emotional exhaustion. External pressures to meet SSNAP requirements was a time resource barrier that lowered sense of both personal achievement and input into directing work duties. Stress was in the severe-dangerous range for 37% of respondents. Key themes identified for improvement were opportunities for education and service development, and efficiency of knowledge sharing. Conclusion(s): Our multidisciplinary stroke teams reported high levels of stress and burnout, associated with challenging staff to patient ratios, and feeling professional autonomy is compromised to meet stroke service standards. Positive experiences of teamworking were viewed as partially protective against further distress escalations. Results highlight the critical need for novel implementations focusing on team support and development.

Analysis and Incidents in the Professional Practices of IT University Students in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objective of this research is to analyze the level of satisfaction and effectiveness of pre-professional practices in university students, before and during the pandemic. The analyzed data was collected through surveys applied to 67 students. The data was analyzed with a descriptive approach, using tables to summarize the results, while in the analysis of the difference in means in the effectiveness and satisfaction scales, the ANOVA method was used, obtaining a p- value= 0.1134, the same as indicated that there is no variation in the means of the scales. For the correlation analysis, the Pearson coefficient was calculated, whose value indicated a strong correlation between the satisfaction scale of the place where the practice was carried out and the level of satisfaction (0.637). Finally, a web page model is proposed that is capable of better guiding the choice of the place where the students will carry out the pre-professional practices. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Study on the Incidence and Profile of Risk Factors in the Field of Healthcare Practice in Pharmaceutical Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic Period

The profession of pharmacist involves a continuous effort to combat diseases and preserve social health in various urban and rural communities. Pharmacists are exposed to a variety of risk factors while performing their professional activity. The COVID-19 pandemic period introduced an additional risk among occupational risk factors. The aim of the study is to identify occupational risk factors among pharmacists and the health problems they face at work. The study also seeks to propose some recommendations for risk prophylaxis and to facilitate the activity in conditions of good professional practice and to minimize exposure to occupational risk factors. The proposed questionnaire aims to highlight the level of health and habits, lifestyle practices and perceptions of the typology of healthy living in this professional group. The application of the questionnaire can also be the sign for the transition point from the state of health to the pathological status. The correlation of professional and non-professional factors led to the profiling of relationships between all risk factors induced by the specific of the profession and theorizing a set of prophylactic or curative intervention measures. Compliance with a physical activity program and a lifestyle according with the standards of relevant domestic and international bodies will increase the quality of life of these specialists as well as the quality of professional acts in the service of public health.Copyright © 2023, Romanian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences. All rights reserved.

Predictors of organizational commitment among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To investigate organizational commitment among Chinese nurses and analyze factors influencing organizational commitment during COVID-19. BACKGROUND: Organizational commitment is the most important link between nurses and the organization because it is effective in work retention and the motivation of nurses, especially when addressing the COVID-19 crisis. However, there has been no empirical study conducted to predict organizational commitment in the field of nursing by combining work values with professional practice environments. METHODS: A cross-sectional predictive study was done with 362 nurses recruited from two tertiary hospitals in China. The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, the Work Values Scale, and the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index were used to collect data. Two factors related to the organizational commitment of nurses were investigated by using binary logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Increased work values and a professional practice environment were associated with an increased likelihood of higher organizational commitment. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 crisis became the utmost challenge to global healthcare systems and professional organizational commitment. Nurses' organizational commitment was directly influenced by the professional practice environment and work values, especially intrinsic work values, in which the spirit of collectivism was consequential. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FIELD OF NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Study results provide information for global hospital administrators to promote these organizational commitment predictive factors, including work values and a professional practice environment in nursing practice. This helped foster a stronger organizational commitment among nurses to reduce nurse resource flow during COVID-19.