Global emotional and spiritual well-being and resilience of Advanced Practice Nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional and spiritual well-being and resilience of a global sample of Advanced Practice Nurses. DESIGN: A web-based cross-sectional mixed methods study. Survey data were collected from Advanced Practice Nurses globally over a 2-month period ending on 31 August 2020. METHODS: The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, FACIT-12 Spiritual Well-being Scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 were used to quantify emotional and spiritual well-being and resilience of Advanced Practice Nurses' globally. The survey was distributed internationally using snowball sampling via a secure platform (Qualtrics). Results were analysed using various bivariate tests for associations and group differences. RESULTS: Nine hundred and twenty-eight Advanced Practice Nurses from 53 countries participated in the study. Study participants reported meaningfully lower scores in resilience and emotional well-being compared with non-pandemic scores. Participants from countries with well-developed Advanced Practice Nurses roles reported lower resilience and well-being scores compared with those from countries where Advanced Practice Nurses roles are still being developed. Each scale revealed significant positive associations with the other scales. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional and spiritual well-being and resilience of Advance Practice Nurses has been significantly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of their work location, work hours, credential or demographics, the APNs in our study reported lower levels of resilience and mental well-being compared with typical scores on the instruments.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Latinx Population: A Scoping Literature Review.

OBJECTIVES: To explore factors associated with the impact of COVID-19 on the Latinx population, a Scoping Review of literature was undertaken. DESIGN: A systematic review was conducted utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Scoping Review (PRISMA ScR) guidelines. A search of databases PubMed, CINAHL, and APA PsycINFO was conducted and included studies through November 23, 2020. SAMPLE: Selected articles were limited to English language, included population data from the US, were specific to the topic of COVID-19, Latinx community findings significantly addressed, and added significant information to the developing narrative not covered elsewhere. RESULTS: Sixteen studies in the final selection included meta-analyses, community-based assessments, and electronic health records reviews of hospital systems and local/state/national public databases. This review describes the prevalence of COVID-19 in the Latinx population, social factors related to disease burden, and the economic implications and disproportionality of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of COVID-19 on the Latinx population is multi-factorial. More research is needed to examine each of these factors in greater detail.

Nursing Professionals' Stress Level During Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Looming Workforce Issue.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on perceived stress experienced by nurse practitioners/nurses and their desire to remain employed as health care providers. A cross-sectional survey of 40 questions was administered between May and September 2020 to a convenience sample of 433 nurse practitioners and nurses in Missouri and Georgia through a Qualtrics (Provo, UT) link provided via their professional organization listserv. Anxiety-related symptoms and perceived helplessness were correlated with personal protective equipment concerns and management approachability. Problematic stress was associated with willingness to leave their current job or the nursing profession altogether.

Critical juncture: The doctor of nursing practice and COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: The year 2020 was one of tremendous challenge and change for our communities and our profession. As the next decade unfolds, the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) will be required for entry to practice as a nurse practitioner (NP), and we will all continue to recover individually and as a nation from the experiences of the year 2020. Doctor of nursing practice-prepared NPs need to be equipped to take the lead in post-COVID recovery and the challenges the US health care system faces through an increased emphasis on curricula and clinical experiences focused on health disparities, community health, and health promotion.

Undergraduate students' perspectives of healthcare professionals' use of shared decision-making skills.

Essential for future healthcare professionals (HCPs) to delivering ethical and empathetic patient-centred care (PCC) as a team is the understanding of appropriate shared decision-making (SDM) responses when facilitating discussions with patients and family members. The purpose of this study was to evaluate undergraduate students' perspectives about HCPs' use of SDM as described in a case-study reflection assignment. An exploratory qualitative approach was used to analyse student-reflection assignments. The sample included 42 undergraduate students enrolled in an interprofessional education (IPE) course at a Midwest university based in the United States. Data consisted of student responses in a course reflection assignment that captured their perspectives about recommended SDM responses by HCPs. Student assignments were randomly selected using stratified sampling to provide representation of eight HCP roles. Analysis revealed two themes related to students' use of SDM responses. Results provide evidence supporting the tenet that through IPE, healthcare students can develop an understanding of SDM and ethical principles related to PCC.

Travelers' diarrhea: Risk reduction and management.

Travelers' diarrhea is a common complaint for patients traveling abroad. Onset of illness, symptoms experienced, and the duration of symptoms are greatly impacted by the causative agent. This article explores the causes, prevention recommendations, and treatment methodologies recommended for this common condition.

International Travelers and Infectious Disease.

International travelers have an increased risk of exposure to illness from infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Nurse practitioners in primary and emergency care settings should have a working knowledge of common infectious diseases found in international destinations. It is important to maintain a high degree of suspicion for infectious causes when examining patients after travel with common complaints. The need to refer patients to travel health clinics and infectious disease specialists for pretravel consultation and post-travel red flags are important considerations for practice.

Only two residues are responsible for the dramatic difference in receptor binding between swine and new pandemic H1 hemagglutinin.

In view of its critical role in influenza A virus (IAV) tropism and pathogenesis, we evaluated the receptor binding properties of HA proteins of the closely related swine and new pandemic human IAVs. We generated recombinant soluble trimeric H1 ectodomains of several IAVs and analyzed their sialic acid binding properties using fetuin-binding and glycan array analysis. The results show that closely related swine and new pandemic H1 proteins differ dramatically in their ability to bind these receptors. Although new pandemic H1 protein exhibited hardly any binding, swine H1 bound efficiently to a number of α2-6-linked sialyl glycans. The responsible amino acids were identified by analyzing chimeric H1 proteins and by performing systematic site-directed mutagenesis of swine and new pandemic human H1 proteins. The difference was found to map to residues at positions 200 and 227. Although substitution of either residue significantly affected the binding phenotype, substitution of both was found to act synergistically and reverse the phenotype almost completely. Modeling of the T200A and E227A substitutions into the crystal structure of the new pandemic human H1 protein revealed the loss of potential hydrogen bond formation with Gln(191), which is part of the 190-loop of the receptor binding site, and with the penultimate galactose, respectively. Thus, a residue not belonging to the receptor binding site may affect the interaction of HA with its receptor. Interestingly, whereas alanine at position 200 is found in most new pandemic human viruses, the residue at position 227 in these viruses is invariably a glutamic acid.