Effects of mobile text messaging on breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE) knowledge, BSE self-efficacy, and BSE frequency: a randomised controlled trial.

AIMS: Educating women regarding breast cancer and increasing breast self-examination uptake continues to remain a major challenge despite the intensive campaigns. An innovative, cost-effective and easily customised intervention is needed especially in under-resourced and hard to reach communities. This paper is a report examining the effects of mobile text messaging on women's knowledge of breast cancer and BSE, BSE self-efficacy and frequency of BSE. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial design was used. The study sample consisted of 128 women of reproductive age (WRA) (64 in the experimental group and 64 in the control group) from two communities in the Philippines during the months of August to October 2018. Three to five short messages were sent to the participants in the experimental group daily for one month while the control group did not receive the messages. RESULTS: Women who received mobile text messages had higher knowledge of breast cancer (F = 21.756, p = 0.001) and breast self-examination (F = 6.776, p = 0.010) than the control group. However, no significant improvements were seen in the BSE self-efficacy (F = 1.446, p = 0.232) and frequency of BSE (F = 3.374, p = 0.69). CONCLUSION: Mobile text messaging significantly improved the knowledge on breast cancer and breast self-examination among women; however, it did not affect their breast self-examination self-efficacy and frequency. Mobile text messaging can be a viable tool that can be used by healthcare workers in order to educate women regarding breast cancer and breast self-examination.

Caring for patients who are homeless.

Nurses interact with patients across many settings. This article discusses concerns for patients considered homeless and the role of nurses in addressing their healthcare needs.

Nursing faculty teaching characteristics as perceived by nursing students: an integrative review.

AIMS: Nursing faculty members play a pivotal role in the achievement of nursing students' learning outcomes. A broader understanding of what constitutes effective teaching is essential in order to ensure that effective learning takes place in the clinical area. This review sought to identify the most and least effective nursing faculty characteristics as perceived by nursing students. METHODS: An integrative review of the literature was undertaken. Studies were sourced from the following electronic databases: PsycINFO, PubMed Central, CINAHL, Medline and Scopus. An electronic search of relevant studies published between 2001 and 2017 was conducted using the following search terms: 'nursing', 'students', 'nurse faculty', 'nurse tutor', 'nurse educator', 'effective', 'clinical education', 'effectiveness', 'clinical instructor', 'nurse instructor', 'teaching behaviour', and 'teaching characteristics'. FINDINGS: Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria. This review revealed that nursing students value nursing faculty's competence and interpersonal skills over their personality traits. Furthermore, the review highlighted that there exists a lack of studies that examine individual factors, which may influence nursing students' choice of teaching behaviours. Future studies linking teaching behaviours and nursing student learning outcomes are recommended. CONCLUSION: Nursing faculty must strive to improve their professional competence and interpersonal skills in order to better provide quality education to nursing students.

High-fidelity simulation and nursing students' anxiety and self-confidence: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: As a complementary teaching pedagogy, high-fidelity simulation remains as an effective form of simulation modality. Empirical evidence has additionally shown high-fidelity simulation (HFS) to be an effective contributor to students' learning outcomes. PURPOSE: This paper critically appraised existing scientific articles that covered the influence of utilizing HFS on the effects of nursing students' anxiety and self-confidence during undergraduate nursing education. METHODS: This was a systematic review of scientific articles conducted from 2007 to 2017 on the topic of the influence of using HFS on students' self-confidence and anxiety. The literature of six electronic databases (Proquest, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, PubMed Central, CINAHL, and PsychINFO) was reviewed. RESULTS: Following the literature search, 35 articles were selected. This review provides updated evidence on the efficacy of HFS in reducing anxiety and enhancing self-confidence among nursing students when performing nursing duties or managing patients. Moreover, this review highlights the need for more research that examines the impact of HFS on students' anxiety. CONCLUSION: As this form of simulation is found to be effective in the enhancement of nursing student self-confidence and the reduction of their anxiety when caring for patients and/or employing nursing skills, the inclusion of simulation-based activities in all clinical nursing courses is vital.

Predictors and outcomes of nurse professional autonomy: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: This paper is a report examining the level of professional autonomy as well as its predictors and outcomes among practicing nurses in the Philippines. METHODS: This study adopted a descriptive, cross-sectional research design. One hundred sixty-six (n = 166) nurses participated in the study or a response rate of 83% during the months of January 2017 to May 2017. Seven self-reported scales were used for this study: the Nurse Autonomy Scale, Job Stress Scale, Burnout Measure Scale, Job Satisfaction Index, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Turnover Intention Inventory Scale, and the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data. RESULTS: Nurses demonstrated moderate levels of professional autonomy with education and hospital bed capacity as strong predictors. Regression analysis showed positive effects of professional autonomy on nurses' job outcomes such as organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and work performance. CONCLUSION: Consistent to international studies, nurses in the Philippines demonstrated moderate levels of professional autonomy. Nurses who had higher levels of autonomy tended to be high performing, satisfied, and committed in their jobs. Organizational efforts are critically important to foster autonomy in practicing nurses through adequate support, education, training, and developed policies.

An integrative review on conflict management styles among nursing professionals: implications for nursing management.

AIM: To critically appraise and synthesize empirical studies that examined conflict-management styles used by nursing professionals when dealing with conflict. BACKGROUND: Conflict is an organisational issue not new to the nursing profession. Despite the increasing research interest on this topic, no studies had been conducted to appraise and summarize evidence that examined conflict-management styles in nursing professionals. METHOD: An integrative review method was used to analyse the findings. The primary databases used to access articles published from 2000 onwards were CINAHL, Medline, Psych Info, ERIC, Embase and SCOPUS. The search words and MeSH terms included: conflict, management, nursing, nurse manager, nurse, style, and strategy. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Integration was the most frequent style employed by nursing professionals when dealing and managing conflict, followed by accommodation. Avoiding and competing were found to be the least frequently used styles. Mixed and conflicting results were obtained when nurses' demographic variables were considered. Studies are needed to examine how organisational and interpersonal factors influence nurses' choice of style for handling conflicts. CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrated that nursing professionals used constructive/positive conflict management approaches rather than destructive/negative conflict management approaches. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This integrative review provided up-to-date evidence that is useful when formulating interventions to equip nurses with positive conflict-management styles necessary to mitigate and manage conflict. Such interventions may include: structured training on conflict management, team building, and conflict coaching activities, continuing professional development, reflective exercises, simulation, and role playing.

Interprofessional simulation in undergraduate nursing program: An integrative review.

OBJECTIVES: Interprofessional (IP) competencies are critical for successful collaborative practice. Nurse education, through interprofessional simulation, plays a critical role in preparing nursing students achieve these competencies. Although considerable research has been conducted on this topic, a broader perspective is lacking. This review systematically appraised and synthesized evidence examining the effects of interprofessional simulation on nursing students' outcomes. DESIGN: An integrative review method guided this review. DATA SOURCES: Five databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SCOPUS, PubMed, PsychINFO, and MEDLINE) were searched to locate articles published from 2010 onwards. Search and MeSH terms included: interprofessional, interdisciplinary, simulation, nurse education, nursing, and student. Thirty (30) articles were included in this review. RESULTS: Findings of content analysis revealed five essential themes: interprofessional communication, appreciation of interprofessional team roles, interprofessional teamwork or collaboration, self-confidence or self-efficacy, and positive attitudes or readiness toward interprofessional learning. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides a current state of knowledge on the efficacy of interprofessional simulation in enhancing interprofessional learning and competencies in nursing students. However, more research should be done utilizing a more robust method of research and reliable assessment methods. Through interprofessional simulation experiences, nurse academe can adequately prepare nursing students for future collaborative practice. Inclusions of interprofessional simulation activities in all clinical nursing courses can help prepare nursing students achieve inter-professional learning.

Perceptions of organizational support and its impact on nurses' job outcomes.

PROBLEM: Strong organizational support can promote a sense of well-being and positive work behaviors in nurses. However, despite the importance of organizational support in nursing, this topic remains unexplored in the Philippines. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of organizational support perceptions on nurses' work outcomes (organizational commitment, work autonomy, work performance, job satisfaction, job stress, and turnover intention). METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was adopted in this study to collect data from one hundred eighty (180) nurses in the Philippines during the months of September 2015 to December 2015. Seven standardized tools were used: the Job Satisfaction Index, the Job Stress Scale, the Burnout Measure Scale, the Work Autonomy Scale, the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance, the Turnover Intention Inventory Scale, and the Perception of Organizational Support Scale. FINDINGS: Nurses employed in government-owned hospitals perceived low levels of organizational support as compared to private hospitals. Significant correlations were identified between perceived organizational support (POS), hospital bed capacity, and nurses' work status. No significant correlations were found between perceived organizational supportand the six outcomes perceived by nurses in the Philippines (organizational commitment, work performance, job autonomy, job satisfaction, job stress, and turnover intention). CONCLUSION: Perceptions of organizational support were low in Filipino nurses compared to findings in other international studies. Perceived organizational support did not influence job outcomes in nurses.

Examining stress perceptions and coping strategies among Saudi nursing students: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Stress is a perennial problem in nursing education and Saudi student nurses are not immune. Despite the growing literature examining stress in Saudi student nurses, a broader perspective on this concept has not been explored. This paper is a report of a review systematically appraising and synthesizing existing scientific articles reporting stress perceptions and coping styles in Saudi student nurses. DESIGN: A systematic review method guided this review. DATA SOURCES: Four (SCOPUS, CINAHL, PubMed, Ovid) bibliographic databases were searched to locate relevant articles. REVIEW METHODS: An electronic database search was performed in August 2017 to locate studies published from 2010 onwards. The search words included: "stress" OR "psychological stress", "coping" OR "psychological adaptation", "Saudi Arabia", "student", and "nurse". Eleven (11) articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Review of the findings showed moderate to high stress levels in Saudi student nurses that originated mainly from heavy workloads and taking care of patients. However, when the students' demographic characteristics were taken into account, inconclusive results were found, although some evidence showed higher stress levels in higher level students. Both active and passive coping styles were used by nursing students when dealing with stress. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with international studies, Saudi student nurses experience a considerable levels of stress from various sources. Findings may provide a direction for nursing faculty in formulating stress interventions that are empirically tested and culturally appropriate.

Factors influencing turnover intention among registered nurses in Samar Philippines.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the massive nurse migration and turnover of nurses in the Philippines, there remains a lack of studies describing factors influencing the migration of Filipino nurses. This study explored the effects of nurses' characteristics, work satisfaction, and work stress with the intent to leave an organization among registered nurses in the Philippines. METHODS: This study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional approach. One hundred sixty six (166) nurses participated in the study during the months of September 2015 to December 2015. Three standardized instruments were used in the study: Job Satisfaction Index (JSI), Job Stress Scale (JSS), and Turnover Intention Inventory Scale (TIIS). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. RESULTS: Nurses' ages were found to significantly influence their turnover intentions. Job satisfaction (ß=-0.47, p=0.001) and job stress (ß=0.23, p=0.001) strongly predicted turnover intentions in the nurses. The mean values for the job satisfaction scale, job stress scale, and turnover intention inventory scale were 3.13 (SD=0.60), 2.74 (SD=0.71), and 2.43 (SD=0.67) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Several predictors of turnover intentions were determined in this study through nurses' age, job satisfaction, and job stress as being the most influential factors. Efforts to increase nurses' job satisfaction and reduce job stress should be implemented to halt further loss of these skilled groups of healthcare professionals.

Organizational commitment and turnover intention among rural nurses in the Philippines: Implications for nursing management.

OBJECTIVES: The unrelenting migration trend of Filipino nurses to other countries has threatened the quality of patient care services in the country. This study explored the extent of nurses' organizational commitment and turnover intention in the Philippines. Furthermore, predictors of nurses' organizational commitment and turnover intention were identified. METHODS: A cross-sectional research design was adopted for this study. Two hundred nurses from nine rural hospitals in the Central Philippines were asked to participate in the study and 166 nurses responded (an 83% response rate). Two standardized instruments were used: the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire and the Six-item Turnover Intention Inventory Scale. RESULTS: Findings revealed that Philippine nurses were moderately committed (3.13 ±â€¯0.24) to and were undecided (2.42 ±â€¯0.67) whether or not to leave their organization. Nurses' age (P = 0.006), gender, (t = -2.25, P = 0.026), education (t = 2.38, P < 0.001), rank(t = 4.38, P < 0.001), and work experience (t = 2.18, P = 0.031) correlated significantly with organizational commitment, while nurses' age (P = 0.028) and education (t = 1.99, P = 0.048) correlated significantly with turnover intention. An inverse relationship was identified between the organizational commitment and turnover intention (r = -0.22, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study highlight the need for formulation and implementation of interventions to promote life-long commitment in nurses and to reduce turnover rates.

Stress and coping strategies among nursing students: an international study.

BACKGROUND: Mounting literature on stress and coping in nursing students are available; however, most of the findings are confined to a single cultural group. AIMS: This study was conducted to determine the level of stress, its sources and coping strategies among nursing students from three countries: Greece, the Philippines and Nigeria. METHODS: Using a descriptive, comparative research design, 547 nursing students (161 Greek nursing students, 153 Filipino nursing students, 233 Nigerian nursing students) participated in the study from August 2015 to April 2016. Two standardized instruments were used, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Coping Behavior Inventory (CBI). RESULTS: Findings revealed that the degree of stress and the type of stressors and coping styles utilized by nursing students differ according to the country of origin. The year of study predicted overall stress (ß = -0.149, p < 0.001) while advanced age predicted overall coping (ß = 0.008, p = 0.037) in the nursing students. CONCLUSIONS: Strengthening nursing students' positive coping skills may be helpful for them to effectively deal with various stressors during their educational experiences while maximizing learning. Implementing empirically tested approaches maybe useful to prevent the recurrence of stress and lessen its impact such as stress management counseling, counseling programs, establishing peer and family support systems, and formulating hospital policies that will support nursing students.

A cross-country comparative study on stress and quality of life in nursing students.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare perceptions of stress and quality of life (QoL) among nursing students from three countries (the Philippines, Greece, and Nigeria) and to examine the impact of stress on their QoL. DESIGN AND METHODS: A comparative, cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Data were collected from 547 nursing students from three countries using the perceived stress scale (PSS) and the quality of life evaluation skill (QOLES). FINDINGS: Students' perceptions of stress and QoL were different across the three countries. Furthermore, higher stress perceptions were identified from taking care of patients, the clinical environment, and faculty, peer, and staff encounters, which predicted a negative QoL. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The findings emphasized the need for empirically tested and culturally tailored interventions to effectively reduce stress and enhance the QoL in nursing students.

Stress and ways of coping among nurse managers: An integrative review.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To appraise and synthesise empirical studies examining sources of occupational stress and ways of coping utilised by nurse managers when dealing with stress. BACKGROUND: The Nurse Manager's role is challenging yet draining and stressful and has adverse consequences on an individual's overall health and well-being, patients' outcomes and organisational productivity. Considerable research has been carried out; however, an updated and broader perspective on this critical organisational issue has not been performed. DESIGN: An integrative review. METHODS: Five databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SCOPUS, PubMed, PsychINFO and MEDLINE) were searched to identify relevant articles. Search terms and MeSH terms included: "charge nurse," "coping," "coping strategy," "coping style," "psychological adaptation," "psychological stress," "stressors," "nurse manager" and "unit manager." Twenty-two articles were included in this review. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement guidelines. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: moderate stress levels, common sources of stress, ways of coping and the impact of nurses' characteristics on stress. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse managers experienced moderate levels of stress mainly from heavy workloads, lack of resources and financial responsibilities. Enhancing social support and promoting job control were seen as important in reducing work stress and its related consequences. Additional studies using a more rigorous method and a larger sample size preferably in multicultural settings would shed more light on this topic. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Hospital and nurse administrators play an important role in promoting supportive structures for daily professional practice for nurse managers through staffing, organisational resources, support services, leadership and stress management training.

An integrative review on conflict management styles among nursing students: Implications for nurse education.

OBJECTIVES: Nurse education plays a critical role in the achievement of conflict management skills in nursing students. However, a wider perspective on this concept has not been explored. This paper is a report of a review appraising and synthesizing existing empirical studies describing conflict management styles among nursing students. DESIGN: An integrative review method guided this review. DATA SOURCES: Five (5) bibliographic databases (CINAHL, Medline, Psych Info, Embase and SCOPUS) were searched to locate relevant articles. REVIEW METHODS: An electronic database search was performed in December 2016 to locate studies published from 2007 onwards. The search words included: 'conflict', 'management resolution', 'management style', 'management strategy', 'nursing', 'student'. Thirteen (13) articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Nursing students preferred 'constructive/positive conflict management styles' when handling conflicts. However, more studies are needed to identify factors that may affect their choice of styles. Further, this review emphasizes the need for empirical studies to identify appropriate interventions that would effectively enhance nursing students' skills in managing conflicts using rigorous methods. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing faculty play a critical role in teaching, training, and modeling constructive conflict resolution styles in nursing students. Simulation scenarios, reflective exercises, and role playing may be useful to facilitate such learning in choosing constructive conflict management styles. Structured training programme on conflict management will assist nursing students develop positive conflict management styles.