In Australian hospitals and residential aged care facilities, how do we train nursing and direct care staff to assist patients and residents to move? A national survey.

Objective Nursing workplace injuries related to staff-assisted patient/resident movement occur frequently, however, little is known about the programs that aim to prevent these injuries. The objectives of this study were to: (i) describe how Australian hospitals and residential aged care services provide manual handling training to staff and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on training; (ii) report issues relating to manual handling; (iii) explore the inclusion of dynamic risk assessment; and (iv) describe the barriers and potential improvements. Method Using a cross-sectional design, an online 20-min survey was distributed by email, social media, and snowballing to Australian hospitals and residential aged care services. Results Respondents were from 75 services across Australia, with a combined 73 000 staff who assist patients/residents to mobilise. Most services provide staff manual handling training on commencement (85%; n = 63/74), then annually (88% n = 65/74). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, training was less frequent, shorter in duration, and with greater online content. Respondents reported issues with staff injuries (63% n = 41), patient/resident falls (52% n = 34), and patient/resident inactivity (69% n = 45). Dynamic risk assessment was missing in part or in whole from most programs (92% n = 67/73), despite a belief that this may reduce staff injuries (93% n = 68/73), patient/resident falls (81% n = 59/73) and inactivity (92% n = 67/73). Barriers included insufficient staff and time, and improvements included giving residents a say in how they move and greater access to allied health. Conclusion Most Australian health and aged care services provide clinical staff with regular manual handling training for staff-assisted patient/resident movement, however, issues with staff injuries, as well as patient/resident falls and inactivity, remain. While there was a belief that dynamic in-the-moment risk assessment during staff-assisted patient/resident movement may improve staff and resident/patient safety, it was missing from most manual handling programs.

Engaging Employers in Apprentice Training: Focus Group Insights from Small-to-Medium-Sized Employers in Ontario, Canada.

Several factors have been identified to influence the registration and retention of apprentices in the construction trades. Employer engagement is a key factor to promote growth in apprenticeships in the construction trades as participation rates continue to be low among small-to-medium-sized employers. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the Ontario Electrical League's (OEL) employer mentorship program through the perspectives of small-to-medium-sized employers using a qualitative approach. Two focus groups were conducted virtually with 11 employers. Focus group audio transcripts were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis. Themes were generated using a data-driven approach to examine the relationships between mentorship program outcomes and perspectives on industry-related recruitment and retention barriers. Three themes were identified: (a) long-term apprentice recruitment and retention challenges; (b) equity and mental health in the workplace; and (c) industry challenges and mentorship program outcomes. Generally, this sample of employers appreciated the value of the OEL mentorship program through praise of the continued educational support, employer management expertise, hiring resources, and apprentice onboarding tools despite industry barriers in trade stigma, equity and mental health in the workplace, and recruitment and retention challenges. Industry partners should work with these small-to-medium-sized employers to develop workplace initiatives and engage external partners to provide ongoing apprenticeship mentorship support to address the recruitment and retention barriers identified in this study.

Evaluating the Importance of Sub-Internships on the 2022 Integrated Plastic Surgery Match During Continued COVID-19 Regulations.

OBJECTIVE: Following the 2021 integrated plastic surgery match, we found a significant increase in home match rates and decrease in match rate for students without a home plastic surgery program with the elimination of visiting sub-internships and the initiation of virtual interviewing. With the return of visiting sub-internships in the 2022 match cycle, we hypothesize that these rates will approach values more consistent with historical controls. DESIGN: Program match data was obtained from posts to residency program Instagram pages and posts associated with the hashtag #PRSMatch2022. Data on visiting sub-internship matches was obtained from a publicly available Google Sheet with applicant contributors. The Chi square test was used to assess for differences. SETTING: Medical schools and plastic surgery programs were categorized into west, midwest, south, and northeast regions. PARTICIPANTS: Matched applicants to integrated plastic surgery residency programs. RESULTS: In total, 192 of 194 (99%) of applicants matched to integrated plastic surgery residency positions were identified. The match rate for applicants without an affiliated plastic surgery program (31.3%) increased from 2021 (p = 0.03) and returned to a level consistent with historical controls (p = 0.38). Similarly, the home program match rate (15.1%) and match rate for applicants from Top 40 medical schools (34.2%) decreased from 2021, returning to pre-pandemic levels (p = 0.63, p = 0.12). Finally, regional match preferences remained generally consistent with historical controls, apart from a higher proportion of northeast applicants matching to programs in the northeast (72.5%, p = 0.04), and a lower proportion of west applicants matching to programs in the west (26.3%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The 2022 integrated plastic surgery match cycle saw a reversal of many of the changes to match rates seen in the 2021 cycle. These changes may be due to the reintroduction of visiting sub-internships following updates in COVID-19 policies.

Experiences of Social Distancing During Coronavirus Disease 2019 as a Catalyst for Changing Long-Term Care Culture.

Purpose In this article, we draw a parallel between the experience of social isolation that occurred throughout the world during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic and similar experiences occurring in everyday life for people with communication disorders living in long-term care (LTC) facilities. We propose that speech-language pathologists can use the widespread experience of social isolation as a learning catalyst in the effort to shift the LTC culture to one that more highly values a communicative environment that is accessible to all, thereby reducing risk of social isolation for those with communication disorders. Conclusions Many training paradigms for promoting an accessible communicative environment are available in the speech-language pathology literature, yet institutional barriers exist for their widespread implementation. Overcoming these barriers is a challenge that requires awareness and learning on the part of staff and administration regarding the impact of an unfriendly communicative environment on social isolation, and the resulting psychosocial consequences. Learning theory indicates that new learning in adults is motivated by connections between personal experiences and the material to be learned. Explicitly infusing established training programs with the experience of social isolation brought on by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic may be the key needed for changing the communicative environment in LTC.

[Survey of the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on the job training members with high exercise intensity: Analysis of the factors causing infection spread and the effectiveness of the prevention measures].

OBJECTIVES: Immediately before the state of emergency was declared, there was an outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among special training participants with severe physical stress. For promoting the optimization of infection prevention measures by identifying acts and situations with high risk of infection, we conducted a survey and analysis to understand the detailed process of infection spread in these cases. METHODS: A structured interview was conducted for the special training participants on their health status, changes in symptoms, training methods, and behavior history in their private lives. Additionally, a patrol of the training facility was carried out to understand the training environment, and antibody tests were conducted on the close contacts for more accurately grasping the spread of infection, by identifying subclinical infected persons. RESULTS: Within 10 days of COVID-19 onset in the first patient, 15 of the 19 original training participants developed symptoms, and 14 patients tested positive for RT-PCR. PCR tests were also performed on four patients who did not develop the disease - two were positive and negative, each. The two negatives turned positive on a later antibody test, suggesting that there was an asymptomatic infection. In addition, all five patients who participated in the training for only a day developed symptoms and tested positive for PCR in a few days. Of the 64 people who underwent testing for antibodies as close contacts, all but one who was living together with a patient were negative on antibody testing. CONCLUSIONS: The onset of COVID-19 occurred after the start of practice-based training continuously; therefore, the practice-based training was thought to be the main cause of the transmission. We speculate that the main factors behind the rapid spread of infection are as follows: during practice-based training, increased ventilation made it difficult to wear a mask; repeated loud vocalizations at close range; and the training pair was not fixed. Physical training without shouting and desk work, however, did not possess the risk of COVID-19, and avoiding certain situations at high risk of respiratory infections may have significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission. If personnel become infected with SARS-CoV-2, emergency measures should be devised by identifying patients and close contacts and facilitating the investigation of their behavioral history. Furthermore, evaluating and improving the effectiveness of infection control measures is necessary by ascertaining potentially infected persons by performing PCR tests, antigen tests, antibody tests, etc. in combination.

Remote clinical training practice in the neurology internship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, offline clinical education was mandated to suspend at the neurology department of many teaching hospitals globally, yet there is insufficient evidence regarding the preferred practice and methods for online neurology intern training course.Objective: The investigation aimed to examine whether the online neurology training course based on Small Private Online Course (SPOC) and blending learning mode can achieve a good effect and cater for interns from different medical programs and whether the learning group size affects the teaching effect.Design: The subjects were 92 students enrolled in the neurology internship at the Second Xiangya Hospital of China from 9 March to 9 August 2020. After completing the online course, the final scores and evaluation results were compared among different groups of interns, and their preference to distinct contents of the course was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS program (version 22.0).Results: Our online course received consistent positive recognition from the interns. Ninety-nine percent of the interns recommended incorporating the online course into the conventional offline training program after the pandemic. There was no significant difference between interns from different programs concerning the final scores and course evaluation. A smaller learning group size (<15 students) could achieve a better teaching effect than a larger group size (p < 0.05). The interns preferred interactive discussions, and course contents that they can get practice and feedback from, rather than video watching and didactic lectures.Conclusions: The online neurology intern training course based on SPOC and blending learning mode is worthy of popularization in a large student base. The teaching effect of an online intern training program may be improved by limiting the group size to less than 15 students and encouraging more interactive discussion, more practice and feedback.

Training women's pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and postpartum at primary health centers: a best practice implementation project.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) enhances muscle strength and coordination, and prevents urinary incontinence associated with giving birth. The goal was to improve women's PFMT during pregnancy and postpartum in La Rioja, Spain. METHODS: This evidence implementation project used the JBI evidence implementation framework. First, we conducted the PFMT baseline audit: to assess the criteria for midwife training, we sent a questionnaire to all midwives. To measure the criteria for PFMT and urinary incontinence risk assessment, we reviewed the medical records of 60 women selected through consecutive sampling and 15 other women at risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) for the inclusion criteria in a PFMT program. Second, we used the Getting Research into Practice guidelines to identify barriers to the fulfillment of each criterion and design and implement strategies to improve compliance. Finally, we repeated the audit to measure compliance and verify the changes. RESULTS: The midwives received updated PFMT, optimizing compliance with the first criterion from 67 to 100%. The remaining criteria -- providing PFMT for pregnant women, identifying women at high risk of incontinence, and facilitating a supervised PFMT program for women at high risk of UTIs -- went from 0% compliance to 17, 96, and 67%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This project was effective in building consensus, improving midwives' practice, and facilitating mothers' PFMT. The project continued during the novel coronavirus [coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] epidemic in Spain as the midwives, women, and managers were involved in the change because of a well designed registration system and the use of online tools for communication between midwives and women.

Nursing Orientation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Traditional in-person delivery of nursing orientation programs at a large academic hospital could not occur because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the need to limit group sizes and adhere to physical distancing guidelines. A nurse educator team pivoted the orientation program to a virtual model combined with the review of select clinical skills and buddy shifts. This model effectively met the nurses' needs required to practice safely on an inpatient environment.

Graduate Nurse Transition Programs Pivotal Point of Participants' Practice Readiness Questioned During the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic requires an accessible, practice-ready nursing workforce to assist with the increase in health service delivery. Graduate nurse transition programs are the entry point for most graduates into professional practice, and this review focused on both empirical studies and gray literature to identify at what point practice readiness occurs and what can assist graduate nurses' transition to become practice ready. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework. RESULTS: Consensus purports supportive environments, ideally in formal structured graduate transition to practice programs, to enhance graduate nurses' clinical skills and confidence development. With nursing confidence and competence gained through professional practice experience, it is apparent that for a sustainable nursing workforce, greater access for graduating nurses to transition programs is imperative. CONCLUSION: Recommendations include restructuring transition programs with possible time reductions, limited rotations, comprehensive orientations inclusive of preceptorship, and dedicated educators to increase and enhance supportive graduate nurse transitions. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(8):392-396.].

Just-in-Time Training in a Tertiary Referral Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening health systems worldwide, requiring extraordinary efforts to contain the virus and prepare health care systems for unprecedented situations. In this context, the entire health care workforce must be properly trained to guarantee an effective response. Just-in-time training has been an efficient solution for rapidly equipping health care workers with new knowledge, skills, and attitudes during emergencies; thus, it could also be an effective training technique in the context of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the unexpected magnitude of this health crisis, the health care workforce must be trained in 2 areas: (1) basic infection prevention and control, including public health skills that are the core of population-based health management and (2) disaster medicine principles, such as surge capacity, allocation of scarce resources, triage, and the ethical dilemmas of rationing medical care. This Perspective reports how just-in-time training concepts and methods were applied in a tertiary referral hospital in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy, one of the hardest hit places in the world. The COVID-19 just-in-time training was designed to provide hospital staff with the competencies they need to work proficiently and safely inside the hospital, including an understanding of the working principles and standard operating procedures in place and the correct use of personal protective equipment. Moreover, this training was intended to address the basic principles of disaster medicine applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such training was essential in enabling staff to rapidly attain competencies that most of them lacked because disaster medicine and global health are not included in the curricula of Italian medical and nursing schools. Although a formal evaluation was not performed, this is a useful example of how to create just-in-time training in a large hospital during a crisis of an unprecedented scale.

Reference Revamp: A 1-2 Model for Training and Tiered Services.

The UCLA Science Libraries improved upon our single service points by creating a team-based, tiered research assistance model to foster student employee skill development. This model was further developed to expand training for public services staff, enabling librarians and student research assistants to move beyond desk-based services. This multi-phased approach involved restructured training and the development of collaborative, tiered services. Librarians utilized train-the-trainer sessions, detailed documentation toolkits, and a robust outreach plan to ensure success. After initial implementation of this new model, librarians observed above average use of the service and excellent user feedback. Its versatility has also played a direct role in the successful transition from physical to virtual services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional study of neuromyths among teachers in a Caribbean nation.

BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic and proliferation of misinformation regarding science highlights the importance of improving general science literacy. The continued preponderance of neuromyths among educators is of concern, especially in lower- and middle-income countries. METHOD: Using an adapted questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among teachers in a small island developing state in the Caribbean. RESULTS: Two-thirds of the sample were unable to recognise at least 50% of the myths. Regression analysis demonstrated that higher scores in brain knowledge and exposure to prior teacher-training increased belief in neuromyths. On the other hand, specific in-service training pertaining to educational neuroscience improved scores. CONCLUSION: Neuromyths are prevalent among teachers and appear to inform their teaching practice. Further research needs to be conducted to explore not just the prevalence of these myths but in what ways they may be impacting teaching and learning outcomes in the classroom.

Development and Implementation of a COVID-19 Disease Response Protocol at a Large Academic Medical Center.

In response to the rapid spread of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), health-care systems should establish procedures for early recognition and management of suspected or confirmed cases. We describe the various steps taken for the development, implementation, and dissemination of the interdisciplinary COVID-19 protocol at Jackson Health System (JHS), a complex tertiary academic health system in Miami, Florida. Recognizing the dynamic nature of COVID-19, the protocol addresses the potential investigational treatment options and considerations for special populations. The protocol also includes infection prevention and control measures and routine care for suspected or proven COVID-19 patients.