An Example of Inquiry-Based Learning in a Transition to Nursing Practice Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Graduate nurses are known to experience transition shock when they enter the workforce. Graduate nurse programs are designed to alleviate aspects of transition shock. METHOD: Best practice in development and delivery of transition programs is currently limited in the literature, and there are few examples focusing on curriculum design that can be adapted by health services to develop and support new nurses. RESULTS: An inquiry-based learning approach was used as the underlying andragogy to frame a contemporary transition curriculum to support graduate nurses. CONCLUSION: Inquiry-based learning can be used to support graduate nurses to improve critical thinking, confidence, and job satisfaction during the most challenging years of their professional lives. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(6):268-274.].

Enhancing healthy skin and wound prevention outcomes in the Intensive Care Unit -- changing practice...Wounds Australia Conference, 14-17 September 2022, Sydney, Australia

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the impact of a healthy skin and wound prevention programme by measuring nursing staff knowledge and patient wound prevalence in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) pre and post intervention. A secondary aim was to identify the impact of the education and implementation program on pressure injury (PI), skin tear (ST) and incontinence associated dermatitis (IAD) prevalence and incidence rates in the ICU. Methods: A prospective quality improvement project based on the plan-study-do-act methodology included three phases: 1. Pre-Intervention Data Collection (December 2020) - Wound Prevalence Survey (full body skin inspection) & Staff Knowledge Quiz 2. Intervention Phase -- Staff Education, Evidence Based Protocol Implementation & Evidence based products available in units 3. Post-Intervention Data Collection - Wound Prevalence Survey (full body skin inspection) & Staff Knowledge Quiz Results: Pre-intervention data demonstrated two thirds of ICU patients had one or more wound. ICU Pressure Injury prevalence was 37.5%, IAD prevalence 12.5% and ST prevalence was 4%. ICU PI incidence reporting rate was 11%. Device Related PI rate was 56% of all PIs identified. Staff knowledge about wound prevention averaged 50%. Conclusions: As a result of the Covid-19 surge, post implementation data will be collected in May 2022 and the data will be presented as comparative outcomes.

Lighting the way in chronic wound management -- a pilot study using blue light photobiomodulatione...Wounds Australia Conference, 14-17 September 2022, Sydney, Australia

Objectives: - Internationally, chronic wounds are a serious medical concern that have a significant financial impact on healthcare and a significant impact on patients' quality of life (1). The chronic wound is challenged by persisting inflammation that prevents the wound from progressing to normal wound healing. Blue Light is known to reduce signs of inflammation, reduces wound associated pain and produces faster tissue regeneration than standard wound care via photobiomodualtion (PBM). (2-4). This pilot study (N=10 patients) aimed to explore the use of a blue light emitting device (400-430nm) on chronic non healing wounds and whether there were any alterations in wound metrics and patient reported pain. Methods: All enrolled patients with a wound of chronicity greater than 8 weeks meeting the inclusion criteria were treated with the device for 60-seconds per 20cm2 (120mW/cm2) once weekly following standard care protocols in the outpatient setting for up to 10 weeks. Results: The retrospective analysis of the data found will be presented in this paper with patient cases, super-user information and will provide trends on wound characteristics. At the time of submission and with Covid-19 surge demands Results: are in data collection phase. Conclusions: At the time of submission 2 patients had completed the treatment period showcasing encouraging improvements in wound bed tissue, exudate, and wound size reduction along with wound pain score. Additional patient observations will be included as the pilot study progresses, possibly preceding a larger clinical trial.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian hospital-based nursing and midwifery educators.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted health services and their staff, including nursing and midwifery educators. Nursing and midwifery educators were tasked with meeting nurses' and midwives' rapidly-changing educational requirements, and supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce through the pandemic. Thus, nursing and midwifery educators were pivotal to the pandemic response. Aim: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing and midwifery educators across four large, multisite Australian health services. Methods: Qualitative descriptive study. All nursing and midwifery educators from public health services in Melbourne, Victoria (n = 3) and Adelaide, South Australia (n=1) were invited to participate in a semistructured interview (July - November 2020). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed thematically. Findings: Forty-six nursing and midwifery educators participated in interviews. Across the health services, two similar themes and six sub-themes were identified. In the first theme, "Occupational impacts of COVID-19," participants described adjusting to providing education during the pandemic, managing increased workloads, concerns about not being able to carry out their usual education activities and the importance of support at work. The second theme, "Psychological impacts of COVID-19," included two sub-themes: the negative impact on participants' own mental health and difficulties supporting the mental health of other staff members. Participants from all health services identified unexpected positive impacts; online education, virtual meetings and working at home were perceived as practices to be continued postpandemic. Conclusions: Hospital-based nursing and midwifery educators demonstrated agility in adjusting to the fast-changing requirements of providing education during the pandemic. Educators would benefit from continued occupational and psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and inclusion in discussions to inform hospitals' preparedness for managing the education of nurses and midwives during future pandemics.