Human rights and nutritional care in nurse education: lessons learned.

Background: Food is an important part of nursing care and recognized as a basic need and a human right. Nutritional care for older adults in institutions represents a particularly important area to address in nursing education and practice, as the right to food can be at risk and health personnel experience ethical challenges related to food and nutrition. Objective: The present study investigates the development of coursework on nutritional care with a human rights perspective in a nursing programme for first-year nursing students and draws upon reflections and lessons learned. Research design: The study utilized educational design research. The coursework, developed through two rounds, combined on-campus learning and clinical placement in nursing homes. Nursing students' perspectives and experiences gathered through focus groups and a written assignment informed the development and evaluation of the coursework. Participants and research context: In the first round, multistage focus group interviews were conducted with 18 nursing students before, during and after placement. In the second round, four focus group interviews with 26 nursing students were conducted shortly after placement. Ethical consideration: The study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data. Findings: Three main 'lessons learned' emerged regarding introducing a human rights perspective in nursing education: 1) the contribution of the human rights perspective in changing the narrative of 'vulnerable and malnourished patients', 2) the importance of relationships and experiences for learning about human rights and 3) the benefit of combining development of ethical competence with a human rights perspective. Conclusion: A human rights perspective enabled the students to give meaning to nutritional care beyond understanding of food as a basic physical need. Incorporating human rights in nursing education can support nursing students and nurses in recognizing and addressing ethical and structural challenges and being able to fulfil the right to food for patients.

Student nurses' experience of learning about the right to food: Situated professional development within clinical placement.

BACKGROUND: Human rights are an important part of nursing practice. Despite its importance for professional development and practice, few studies have focused on how to include a human rights perspective in nursing education. One area proven to be particularly challenging is the right to food for older people in nursing homes. OBJECTIVE: The study's aim was to explore how nursing students experience learning about the right to food combining on-campus teaching with placement experience. DESIGN: The study had an interpretative qualitative design with a constructivist epistemology. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six first-year nursing students participated in four focus groups shortly after their clinical placement at a nursing home. Twenty-five students provided their written assignment done during their placement to the study. Data collection took place in 2018. METHOD: A design-based research approach was used in the development of the course. A thematic approach was used to analyse these two data sources. RESULTS: Findings regarding students' learning about the right to food centred on four themes: development of language about the right to food; coherence between campus and placement; experiencing situations where rights are at risk; and relations with others. Analyses of the assignments revealed that students seemed to be positioned along a continuum, between "student approach" and "activist approach". CONCLUSION: Learning about food as a human right can promote students' awareness and accountability concerning their nutritional care for the residents. Combining human rights education with other learning theories focusing on practice and social relation can enhance students' professional development and commitment to social justice.

Student nurses' views of right to food of older adults in care homes.

BACKGROUND: Human rights are an important part of nursing practice. Although there is increasing recognition regarding the importance of including human rights education in nursing education, few studies have focused on nursing students' perspectives and experiences in relation to human rights in nursing, especially regarding older nursing home residents' right to food. OBJECTIVE: To explore nursing students' perspectives and experiences in relation to the right to food. RESEARCH DESIGN: The study followed a qualitative interpretative research design. Data were collected from multistage focus groups before, during and after clinical placement in a nursing home and analysed through thematic analysis. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Participants were 18 first-year nursing students; the study was conducted in 2017. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: This study was approved by the Norwegian Centre for Research Data. FINDINGS: Students' understanding of older nursing home residents' right to food was a dynamic process. Their perceptions evolved from a polarized perspective to a reality orientation and finally to retrospective reflection. DISCUSSION: The article discusses how nursing students learn about and understand human rights within and throughout their placements. CONCLUSION: The study bridges human rights theory and practice. Findings suggest that the human right to food must be enacted in daily practice for students to learn in context. Human rights education, specifically pertaining to nutritional care, thus benefits from a practice-oriented approach preparing students to face 'real life' challenges and ethical dilemmas. Findings will help nurse educators tailor education in this field.