Global assessment instrument for quality of nursing doctoral education with a research focus: Validity and reliability study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the content and construct validity and reliability of the Quality of Nursing Doctoral Education (QNDE) instrument for nursing doctoral programmes with a research focus. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, survey study. SETTINGS: Using Qualtrics survey, the research team sent emails to potential participants providing a link to the study and the QNDE instrument. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 234 faculty and doctoral students participated: 17 faculty from 14 countries in the first stage; 111 faculty and 106 doctoral students from 20 countries in the second stage. METHODS: The content validity, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity of the four domains (program, faculty, resources, and evaluation) of the QNDE were examined in two stages. Data were collected from purposive samples of faculty and students between June 2018 and March 2019. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in ordinal scale using robust weighted least square mean and variance (WLSMV) adjusted estimator in MPlus 8. RESULTS: Content validity of the items in the four domains was accepted when the item showed content validity (I-CVI > 0.78). Internal consistency reliability in four domains was computed using Cronbach's alpha, α = 0.88 to 0.97. Construct validity of the QNDE was established by confirmatory factor analysis based on model fit statistics. Factor loading coefficients for all items in each domain were statistically significant (>0.5; p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Participation of 234 faculty and doctoral students from 20 countries on four continents confirmed content validity, internal consistency reliability, and construct validity of the QNDE instrument. These findings support the credibility of this revised QNDE instrument for assessing the quality of nursing doctoral education with a research focus. This is a significant step forward in enhancing the capability for evaluating doctoral programmes.

A critical examination of developments in nursing doctoral education in the United States.

UNLABELLED: Graduate nursing education in the United States is undergoing major transformations, as a result of factors both within nursing and in the larger society. OBJECTIVE: In this paper the authors examine the trends and factors that are influencing the changes, especially in doctoral education, for both nurse scientist and advanced practice preparation. CONCLUSION: The paper provides a background that serves as context, it gives an overview of the PhD and the DNP degrees, focusing on the recent changes and identifying the most compelling issues and concerns, ending with a series of recommendations.

Ethical considerations in research. Focus on vulnerable groups.

The purpose of this paper was to describe the need to protect the rights of human subjects participating in nursing research, and procedures for doing so. The path taken to the task at hand was to approach the topic by discussing the philosophical underpinnings of human subject protection and describing the approach for doing this in all cases where humans are used as research subjects. These underpinnings include specific ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice, and the procedures used in the U.S. for protecting the rights of human subjects. Once the process was clarified, the considerations necessary to protect the special groups referred to as ''vulnerable'' are discussed. Given the author's access to U.S. documents and the fact that U.S. government agencies took early steps to formalize rules and regulations for the protection of human subjects, vulnerable or otherwise, the experience of the United States was selected for presentation. It is recognized that there are now relevant international documents that are exceedingly helpful, and also, that various countries may have their own guidelines for investigators to follow. In such cases researchers can engage in comparative analysis between their own guidance and the processes described here, and decide their path accordingly.

A critical examination of developments in nursing doctoral education in the United States / Um exame crítico da evolução da educação de doutorado em enfermagem nos Estados Unidos / Un examen crítico de la evolución de la educación de doctorado en enfermería en los Estados Unidos

Graduate nursing education in the United States is undergoing major transformations, as a result of factors both within nursing and in the larger society.

A graduação em enfermagem nos Estados Unidos está passando por grandes transformações, como resultado de fatores, tanto dentro da enfermagem como na sociedade em geral.

La educación de enfermería en los Estados Unidos está experimentando grandes transformaciones, como consecuencia de factores tanto dentro de la enfermería como en la sociedad en general.

Consideraciones éticas en investigación. Enfoque en grupos vulnerables / Considerações éticas em pesquisas. Enfoque em grupos vulneráveis / Ethical considerations in research. Focus on vulnerable groups

El propósito de este artículo fue describir la necesidad de proteger los derechos de los sujetos humanos que participaron en la investigación en enfermería, y los procedimientos que hay para hacerlo. La ruta tomada para realizar esta tarea consistió en el abordaje del tema desde la discusión de los fundamentos filosóficos de la protección de los sujetos humanos y la descripción del enfoque empleado para su participación en la investigación. Estos fundamentos son los principios específicos éticos de respeto por las personas, beneficencia y la justicia, y los procedimientos utilizados para la protección de los derechos de los sujetos humanos en los Estados Unidos. Se discuten además las consideraciones a tener en cuenta para proteger a los grupos especiales mencionados como "vulnerables". Se seleccionó la experiencia de Estados Unidos debido a que la autora tenía acceso a los documentos de este país y a que las agencias gubernamentales estadounidenses fueron los primeras que formalizaron normas y reglamentos para la protección de los sujetos humanos, vulnerables o de otro tipo. Se reconoce que ahora hay documentos internacionales pertinentes que son sumamente útiles, y que también varios países disponen de sus propias directrices a seguir, en tales casos, los investigadores pueden realizar análisis comparativos entre su propia orientación y los procesos descritos aquí, y decidir, en consecuencia su camino...

The purpose of this paper was to describe the need to protect the rights of human subjects participating in nursing research, and procedures for doing so. The path taken to the task at hand was to approach the topic by discussing the philosophical underpinnings of human subject protection and describing the approach for doing this in all cases where humans are used as research subjects. These underpinnings include specific ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice, and the procedures used in the U.S. for protecting the rights of human subjects. Once the process was clarified, the considerations necessary to protect the special groups referred to as “vulnerable” are discussed. Given the author’s access to U.S. documents and the fact that U.S. government agencies took early steps to formalize rules and regulations for the protection of human subjects, vulnerable or otherwise, the experience of the United States was selected for presentation. It is recognized that there are now relevant international documents that are exceedingly helpful, and also, that various countries may have their own guidelines for investigators to follow. In such cases researchers can engage in comparative analysis between their own guidance and the processes described here, and decide their path accordingly...

O propósito deste artigo foi descrever a necessidade de proteger os direitos dos sujeitos humanos que participam na pesquisa em enfermagem, e os procedimentos que há para fazê-lo. A rota tomada para realizar esta tarefa consistiu na abordagem do tema desde a discussão dos fundamentos filosóficos da proteção dos sujeitos humanos e a descrição do enfoque empregado para sua participação na investigação. Estes fundamentos são os princípios específicos éticos de respeito pelas pessoas, beneficência e a justiça, e os procedimentos utilizados para a proteção dos direitos dos sujeitos humanos nos Estados Unidos. Discutem-se ademais as considerações a ter em conta para proteger aos grupos especiais mencionados como "vulneráveis". Selecionou-se a experiência de Estados Unidos devido a do que a autora tinha acesso aos documentos deste país e a do que as agências governamentais norte-americanos foram os primeiras que formalizaram normas e regulamentos para a proteção dos sujeitos humanos, vulneráveis ou de outro tipo. Se reconhece que agora há documentos internacionais pertinentes que são sumamente úteis, e que também vários países dispõem de suas próprias diretrizes a seguir, em tais casos, os pesquisadores podem realizar análises comparativas entre sua própria orientação e os processos descritos aqui, e decidir seu caminho em consequência...

Quality of nursing doctoral education in seven countries: survey of faculty and students/graduates.

AIMS: This study aimed to compare the findings of the quality of nursing doctoral education survey across seven countries and discuss the strategic directions for improving quality. BACKGROUND: No comparative evaluation of global quality of nursing doctoral education has been reported to date despite the rapid increase in the number of nursing doctoral programmes. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-country, comparative design was employed. METHODS: Data were collected from 2007-2010 from nursing schools in seven countries: Australia, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, UK and USA. An online questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of nursing doctoral education except for Japan, where a paper version was used. Korea and South Africa used e-mails quality of nursing doctoral education was evaluated using four domains: Programme, Faculty (referring to academic staff), Resource and Evaluation. Descriptive statistics, correlational and ordinal logistic regression were employed. RESULTS: A total of 105 deans/schools, 414 faculty and 1149 students/graduates participated. The perceptions of faculty and students/graduates about the quality of nursing doctoral education across the seven countries were mostly favourable on all four domains. The faculty domain score had the largest estimated coefficient for relative importance. As the overall quality level of doctoral education rose from fair to good, the resource domain showed an increased effect. CONCLUSIONS: Both faculty and students/graduates groups rated the overall quality of nursing doctoral education favourably. The faculty domain had the greatest importance for quality, followed by the programme domain. However, the importance of the resource domain gained significance as the overall quality of nursing doctoral education increased, indicating the needs for more attention to resources if the quality of nursing doctoral education is to improve.

Quality of nursing doctoral education and scholarly performance in U.S. schools of nursing: strategic areas for improvement.

Comprehensive evaluation of quality of nursing doctoral education (QNDE) in research-intensive universities has not been reported since 1980s. This study aimed to examine the QNDE from the perspectives of faculty and students/graduates and their relations to school characteristics, identify factors of the four domains of the QNDE that influence the QNDE, and analyze the relationship of QNDE to scholarly performance of nursing schools in the Unites States. Seventy-two nursing schools offering research-focused nursing doctoral programs with National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding during 2004-2007 participated, and they responded to the questionnaire (see http://gknf.or.kr/research/). Twenty-nine deans/schools, 179 faculties, and 461 students/graduates responded. Both faculty and students/graduates groups rated quality positively. Schools in the top quartile group per NIH funding amounts showed significant differences in QNDE from the bottom quartile group. Program and faculty domains were identified as most important by the top quartile group, and items that were significantly associated with the quality were supportive environment for students' learning, faculty mentorship, and assistance to students in understanding the value of programs of research and scholarship. Percentage of faculty member with research grants was significant predictors for all domains of QNDE, and time to degree was significant in explaining overall quality.

Relationship of nurse structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and job burnout / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the relationship among structural empowerment,psychological empowerment and nurses' job burnout,and to provide new approach for relieving nurses' job burnout.Methods Conditions for Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-Ⅱ (CWEQ-Ⅱ),Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES),and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used to investigate 233 nurses working at three general tertiary-level hospitals in Tianjin.Results The total scores of structural empowerment,psychological empowerment,and burnout were (43.498 ±9.977),(38.871 ±7.052) and (45.489 ± 11.331),respectively.Relevant Analysis results showed that structural empowerment,psychological empowerment and nurses' job burnout had significant correlation,and the absolute value of coefficient of correlation between 0.358-0.560.The structural equation modeling results showed that fit indexes for fully mediating effect model were excellent(x2 =57.703,x2/df =1.202,GFI =0.965,AGFI =0.933,NFI =0.948,RFI =0.916,IFI =0.991,TLI =0.985,CFI =0.991,RMSEA =0.030,CN =263).Structural empowerment had a positive significant influence on psychological empowerment; structural empowerment and psychological empowerment had a negative significant influence on nurses' job burnout; psychological empowerment played a fully mediating role between structural empowerment and nurses' job burnout.Conclusion Nurse psychological empowerment has direct effect on job burnout.Nurse structrual empowerment affects job burnout via the full effects of psychological empowerment.

Scientific integrity in nursing

Many nursing codes of ethics state or imply that nurses have a responsibility to conduct research in order to expand the profession’s knowledge base; yet, few provide guidance on the ethics of research. An increasing number of nursing organizations are now turning their attention to this very task, in order to provide specific guidance to their members on sound practices in their research, and for the training of the new generation of nurse researchers. This article provides the rationale for why such guidance is needed, describes ethical principles underlying scientific integrity, and presents several of the most compelling topics in scientific integrity, namely those related to publication practices, collaboration, and institutional responsibility...

Muitos códigos de ética em enfermagem afirmam ou pressupõem que os enfermeiros têm a responsabilidade de realizar pesquisas para expandir a base de conhecimentos da profissão; até agora, poucos orientam sobre a ética na pesquisa. Atualmente, um número cada vez maior de organizações de enfermagem está se voltando para essa difícil tarefa, fornecendo orientação específica a seus membros no que se refere à prática em suas pesquisas e o treinamento da nova geração de enfermeiros pesquisadores. Este artigo fornece a razão por que essa orientação é necessária, descreve os princípios éticos subjacentes à integridade científica e apresenta diversos dos mais persuasivos tópicos necessários na integridade científica, especificamente aqueles relacionados às práticas de publicação, colaboração e responsabilidade institucional.Descritores: Pesquisa em Enfermagem, Enfermagem, Ética em Enfermagem...

Muchos códigos de ética en enfermería afirman o implican que ella tiene la responsabilidad de conducir la investigación para expandir la base de conocimiento de la profesion; aunque, pocos orientam sobre la ética de La investigación. Actualmente un numero cresciente de organizaciones de enfermería se esta volviendo a ese tipo de tarea para fornecer orientación especifica a SUS miembros no que se refiere a la practica en sus investigaciones y para el entrenamiento de nueva generación de enfermeros investigadores. Este artículo fornece el motivo por que esta orientación es necesária, describe la integridad cientifica subyacente de los princípios éticos y presenta la mayor parte de los tópicos persuasivos en la integridad cientifica, especificamente aquellos relacionados a las practicas de publicación, colaboración y responsabilidad institucional...

Environment for nursing scholarship and journal impact factors in Taiwan.

Universities are seeking objective measures to assess their faculty members' research output in order to improve their national and international standing. Despite concerns, many have adopted the impact factor of journals for this purpose. The objective of this study was to explore the conditions that have been created within Taiwan as a result of such national and institutional policies. A case study design was used. Information was sought from five senior faculty members, who responded to a questionnaire with items derived from the literature. A key participant provided context within the country. The data were summarized and described. The respondents confirmed the presence of governmental and university policies for publication in high-impact factor journals; they saw some positive aspects, yet described the obstacles faced by many scholars, felt that the policies led to competition rather than cooperation, and viewed national, compared to international, publications in opposing terms. The findings are discussed within the context of current nursing literature. It is recommended that, where impact factors are used, they not be the only quality measure. A larger and more representative study is also recommended.

Ambientes para pesquisa independente e fator de impacto das revistas no Brasil: estudo de caso / Environment for scholarship and journal impact factor in Brazil: case study

Introdução: Universidades ao redor do mundo tem procurado medidas objetivas para avaliar seus produtos de pesquisa e para melhorar suas posições nacionais e internacionais. Mesmo sendo fontes de preocupações, muitas tem adotado para este fim medidas bibliométricas como o fator de impacto (FI) dos periódicos. O objetivo deste estudo foi o de explorar as condições criadas no Brasil como resultado das políticas nacionais e institucionais que exigem que os professores publiquem em periódicos com alto FI, e em que grau isto tem facilitado ou impedido o desenvolvimento da ciência em enfermagem. Desenho: O desenho foi o de estudo de caso, com o país como unidade de análise. Um informante-chave foi identificado em nível do país para ajudar a identificar instituições e indivíduos para participação, e para fornecer informações relevantes sobre o contexto do país. Professores-sênior de seis dos programas de doutorado melhor avaliados foram convidados a participar. Métodos: Foi desenvolvido um instrumento para coleta de dados, com validação de conteúdo. O projeto foi aprovado por um comitê de ética para pesquisas envolvendo seres humanos. Cinco respondentes forneceram informações. Toda comunicação foi feita de forma eletrônica. Resultados: Os respondentes confirmaram a presença de políticas nacionais e institucionais mas, no geral, o FI não foi usado por comitês de avaliação dos docentes. A política foi sujeita a críticas gerais, por levar a competição ao invés de cooperação. A caracterização de estudos atualmente publicados no país não transmitiu grande consideração por este tipo de publicação. Conclusões: A política no país não parece ter criado um ambiente que leva à cooperação ou a interações com especialistas internacionais, nem parece ter levado a produções científicas vistas como de destaque. Isso pode ser parcialmente atribuído à falta de aceitação geral da política e/ou às oportunidades dadas por bases regionais mais recentes para a indexação das publicações.

Background: Universities worldwide are seeking objective measures for the assessment of their faculties’ research products, to improve their national and international standing. Despite concerns, many have adopted bibliometric measures such as the impact factor (IF) of journals for these purposes. The objective of this study was to explore conditions created within Brazil as a result of national and institutional policies requiring faculty to publish in high IF journals, and the extent to which these facilitated or hindered the development of nursing science. Design: The design was a case study, with the country as the unit of analysis. A key informant for the country was identified to assist in identifying institutions and individuals for participation, and to provide relevant information on the context within the country. Faculty members of senior rank from six of the highly ranked nursing doctoral programs were invited to participate. Methods: A data collection instrument was developed; it has content validity. The study was approved by a human subject review committee. Five respondents provided information. All communication occurred electronically. Results: Respondents confirmed the presence of national and institution policies, but faculty committees, in the main, did not use it. There was general criticism of the policy. The policy led to competition rather than cooperation. Characterization of current published works in the country did not convey high regard for such publications. Conclusions: The policy in the country does not seem to have created an environment conducive to collaboration or interactions with international scholars, nor does it seem to have led to scientific production viewed as noteworthy. This may in part be due to the lack of general acceptance of the policy and/or the opportunities provided by newer regional data bases for indexing publications.

Moral competence in nursing practice.

This article presents the derivation of moral competence in nursing practice by identifying its attributes founded on Thai culture. In this process moral competence is formed and based on the Thai nursing value system, including personal, social and professional values. It is then defined and its three dimensions (moral perception, judgment and behavior) are also identified. Additionally, eight attributes as indicators of moral competence are identified and selected from three basic values. The eight attributes are loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity, responsibility, discipline, honesty, and respect for human values, dignity and rights. All attributes are discussed by addressing the three moral dimensions in order to present how to deal with ethical issues in nursing practice. As a summary, a model of moral competence is presented to demonstrate moral competence in nursing practice in Thailand.

Issues and challenges in international doctoral education in nursing.

Education is a driving force in improving the health and welfare of communities globally. Doctoral education of nurses has been identified as a critical factor for provision of leadership in practice, scholarship, research, policy and education. Since the genesis of doctoral education in nursing in the USA in the 1930s, this movement has burgeoned to over 273 doctoral programs in over 30 countries globally. The present article seeks to identify the issues and challenges in nursing doctoral education globally, and those encountered by doctoral program graduates in meeting the challenges of contemporary health care systems. Information was derived from a comprehensive literature review. Electronic databases and the Internet, using the Google search engine, were searched using the key words "doctoral education"; "nursing"; "International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing"; "global health"; "international research collaboration". Doctoral education has been a critical force in developing nurse leaders in education, management, policy and research domains. An absence of consensus in terminology and of accurate minimum data sets precludes comparison and debate across programs. The complexity and dynamism of contemporary globalized communities render significant challenges in the conduct of doctoral programs. Addressing funding issues and faculty shortages are key issues for doctoral programs, especially those in developing countries, to achieve an identity uniquely their own. These challenges can also afford considerable opportunities for discussion, debate and the formulation of innovative and collaborative solutions to advance nursing knowledge and scholarship. In spite of discrete differences between countries and regions, the similarities in the issues facing the development of doctoral programs internationally are more striking than the differences. The harnessing of a global collective to address these issues will likely serve to not only forge the future viability of doctoral education of nurses but to improve the health and well-being of communities. This paper proposes international collaborative strategies to address a number of the challenges identified.