Emergency triage nurses' perceptions of caring behaviors and the safety of the patient during triage encounters: a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Triage is a dynamic process prioritising the patient coming to the emergency department. Caring behaviour and patient safety during the triage process are essential for ensuring a good care experience and treatment outcome. OBJECTIVE: To describe triage nurses' perceptions on caring behaviors and patient safety in the triage area. DESIGN: Strauss and Corbin's Grounded theory method was used to develop the model. METHODS: The study was conducted in the emergency department in northeastern Slovenia. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and 19 triage nurses were selected by theoretical sampling, guided by emerging categories between November 2021 and July 2022. The data analysis was conducted according to Strauss and Corbin's coding framework. RESULTS: The analysis of the interviews generated one category: The process of creating a caring and safe triage encounter for the patient, together with two categories that explain the key phenomenon: (1) Triage caring and (2) Safety in the triage process. Within the category "Triage caring", four subcategories were developed: (1) Assurance of triage nurses' presence, (2) Connectedness, (3) Respectful attitude, and (4) Knowledge and skills. The category Safety in the triage process consists of three identified subcategories: (1) Conception and perception of safety, (2) Factors influencing patient safety, and (3) Improving the triage safety. CONCLUSIONS: The triage nurses' perceptions about caring for the patient and his safety in the triage area show that caring and safety are inseparably linked and coincide when triaging a patient. Namely, caring for the patient means ensuring the patient's safety at the same time. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NURSING FIELD: A better understanding of the importance of triage nurses' caring behavior and patient safety emerges from the findings, highlighting the challenges faced in a busy emergency department where nurses must balance providing care and responding to patients' needs while ensuring safety. Findings in the study show that patient care and safety are inseparably linked and coincide when triaging a patient. Moreover, applying caring behaviour during triage encounter results in greater patient safety. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The study's design, evaluation of the findings, and execution did not need the involvement of patients or the general public. Participants were triage nurses working in the emergency department. Triage nurses were interviewed about their perceptions of triage nurses on caring behaviors and patient safety during triage encounter.

Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture among Triage Nurses in the Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The patient safety culture is key to ensuring patient safety in healthcare organizations. The triage environment is inherently demanding for patient safety and is characterized by high stress, rapid decision-making, and quick action. In several countries, including Slovenia, there is a lack of studies on the patient safety culture among triage nurses. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of the patient safety culture among triage nurses. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The Emergency Medical Services-Safety Attitudes Questionnaire, distributed to triage nurses, was used to collect data. A total of 201 triage nurses participated in this study. The results revealed that the overall average perception of the patient safety culture was 57.27% (SD = 57.27), indicating that the perception of the patient safety culture among triage nurses in the emergency department was non-positive and requires improvement. "Job Satisfaction" received the highest score (63.18%; SD = 17.19), while "Working Conditions" received the lowest (49.91%; SD = 17.37). The perception of positive and negative safety culture responses was statistically significant for age (χ2 (3) = 17.750, p ≤ 0.001), education (χ2 (2) = 6.957, p = 0.031) and length of working experience (χ2 (3) = 8.875, p = 0.031). The findings emphasize the significance of improving the safety culture in relation to several areas of patient care during the triage process. This research serves as a crucial foundation for enhancing patient safety in triage, providing quality care, and reducing adverse events.

Factors contributing to patient safety during triage process in the emergency department: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Triage is a dynamic environment in which large numbers of people can present. It presents a vulnerable assessment point, as a triage nurse must assess a patient's urgency level and analyse their health status and expected resource needs. Given the critical nature of triage, it is necessary to understand the factors contributing to patient safety. OBJECTIVES: To identify and examine the factors contributing to patient safety during the triage process. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken, and a thematic analysis of the factors contributing to patient safety during the triage process. PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, Science Direct, SAGE, EMBASE and reference lists of relevant studies published in English until March 2022 were searched for relevant studies. The search protocol has been registered at the PROSPERO (CRD42019146616), and the review was conducted using the PRISMA criteria. RESULTS: Out of 5366 records, we included 11 papers for thematic synthesis. Identified factors contributing to patient safety in triage are related to the emergency's work environment, such as patient assessment, high workload, frequent interruptions and staffing, and personal factors such as nurse traits, experience, knowledge, triage fatigue and work schedule. CONCLUSIONS: This review shows that patient safety is influenced by the attitude, capabilities and experiences of triage nurses, the time when nurses can dedicate themselves to the patient and triage the patient without disruption. It is necessary to raise awareness among nursing administrators and healthcare professionals to provide a safe triage environment for patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This review highlights the evidence on the factors contributing to patient safety in the triage process. Further research is needed for this cohort of triage nurses in the emergency department concerning ensuring patient safety. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution was required to design or undertake this review.

Emotional Intelligence among Nursing Students: Findings from a Longitudinal Study.

Emotional intelligence is an important factor for nursing students' success and work performance. Although the level of emotional intelligence increases with age and tends to be higher in women, results of different studies on emotional intelligence in nursing students vary regarding age, study year, and gender. A longitudinal study was conducted in 2016 and 2019 among undergraduate nursing students to explore whether emotional intelligence changes over time. A total of 111 undergraduate nursing students participated in the study in the first year of their study, and 101 in the third year. Data were collected using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). There was a significant difference in emotional intelligence between students in their first (M = 154.40; 95% CI: 101.85-193.05) and third year (M = 162.01; 95% CI: 118.65-196.00) of study using TEIQue-SF questionnaire. There was a weak correlation (r = 0.170) between emotional intelligence and age measuring using the TEIQue-SF questionnaire, and no significant correlation when measured using SSEIT (r = 0.34). We found that nursing students' emotional intelligence changes over time with years of education and age, suggesting that emotional intelligence skills can be improved. Further research is needed to determine the gendered nature of emotional intelligence in nursing students.

The Impact of Mobile Health Use on the Self-care of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases are a substantial public health issue worldwide and affect an individual's quality of life. Due to the alarming rise in type 2 diabetes, health care that was primarily focused on diagnosis and treatment of the disease is increasingly focused on prevention and self-care. Patients who adhere to a constant and strict treatment regimen (physical activity, diet, medication) and regularly monitor their health are more likely to maintain self-care and health, prevent the exacerbation of the disease, and avoid the complications of diabetes (retinopathy, diabetic feet, etc). In recent years, many innovative devices that have become increasingly present in inpatient health care, such as mobile apps, are available to help patients maintain consistency in monitoring their health status. Mobile apps make it easier for individuals to monitor their self-care and illness and follow instructions regarding disease control. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the impact of mobile app use on self-care in patients with type 2 diabetes. We will evaluate and test the usefulness of the forDiabetes app as a tool to improve the self-care of individuals with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We will perform a double-blind randomized controlled trial. The study will include individuals aged over 18 years diagnosed with or have regulated type 2 diabetes who are treated in family medicine practices. Additionally, the individuals included in the study should not have any acute complications due to the consequences of type 2 diabetes. They will use an Android or iOS mobile phone and a blood glucose meter during the investigation. With the help of simple randomization, individuals will be divided into the intervention and control groups. Individuals in the intervention group will use the forDiabetes mobile app to monitor their self-care for type 2 diabetes. Individuals in the control group will not receive a particular intervention. Data will be collected using the Self-care of Diabetes Inventory questionnaire and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Blood sugar, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and weight measurements will be monitored using calibrated instruments during the study by the nurses employed at the family medicine practice. Data will be collected at the beginning of the study and after a patient visits the family medicine practice. RESULTS: In the first half of 2020, we have prepared a translation of the mobile app that will be used by the participants of the intervention group, as well as more detailed instructions for using the app. We have also prepared a translation of the questionnaires in Slovene. The research results will be published in 2023. CONCLUSIONS: This research contributes to greater visibility and usability of mobile apps for the self-care of patients with type 2 diabetes and raises awareness of the possible use of innovative methods. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04999189; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04999189. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/31652.

Development and Validation of a New Screening Tool with Non-Invasive Indicators for Assessment of Malnutrition Risk in Hospitalised Children.

There is no evidence of the most effective nutritional screening tool for hospitalized children. The present study aimed to develop a quick, simple, and valid screening tool for identifying malnutrition risk of hospital admission with non-invasive indicators. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Children`s nutritional baseline using a questionnaire, subjective malnutritional risk, and Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment were assessed on admission. Concurrent validity was assessed using American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics assessment and Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment tool. A new screening tool Simple Pediatric Nutritional risk Screening tool (SPENS) was developed, and sensitivity, specificity and reliability were evaluated. A total of 180 children aged from 1 month to 18 years were included (142 in the development phase and 38 in the validation phase). SPENS consist of four variables and shows almost perfect agreement with subjective malnutritional risk assessment (κ = 0.837) with high sensitivity and specificity (93.3% and 91.3% respectively). Compared with Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment and ASPEN and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics assessment, SPENS had sensitivity 92.9% and 86.7%, a specificity of 87.5% and 87.0%, and an overall agreement of 0.78 and 0.728, respectively. Due to the fast, simple, easy, and practical to use, screening the SPENS can be performed by nurses, physicians, and dieticians.

Technological Competency As Caring in Nursing: a Description, Analysis and Evaluation of The Theory.

Introduction: When introducing and using technology in nursing, there is a danger that too much focus is placed on technology over caring for patients. The 'Technological competency as caring in nursing' theory can facilitate technology in caring, but the theory needs to be described, analysed and evaluated before it is used. The purpose of the literature review was to determine the possibility of applying the theory in education, research and practice, and whether the theory could be used to guide research into the use of electronic nursing record systems. Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Google Books, and supplemented with manual searching using the keywords 'Locsin', 'technology', 'caring' and 'nursing theory'. The criteria for inclusion were fully accessible articles and books in English on the relevant topics. The review process is shown in a PRISMA diagram. A hierarchy of evidence was used to evaluate the relative strength of the results. Pajnkihar's model was used to describe, analyse and evaluate the theory. Results: A total of 26 hits were included in the final analysis. The theory in question meets the criteria of clarity, simplicity and complexity, adequacy, importance and significance; it can be tested; and it is useful in patient care that employs technology. Discussion and conclusion: The theory is useful in nursing education, research and practice. The theory will be used to guide research on the perception of technological competency and care of internal medicine patients by nurses when using the electronic nursing record system in three Slovenian hospitals.

The KIDSCREEN-27 scale: translation and validation study of the Slovenian version.

BACKGROUND: There are many methods available for measuring social support and quality of life (QoL) of adolescents, of these, the KIDSCREEN tools are most widely used. Thus, we aimed to translate and validate the KIDSCREEN-27 scale for the usage among adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years old in Slovenia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2852 adolescents in primary and secondary school from November 2019 to January 2020 in Slovenia. 6-steps method of validation was used to test psychometric properties of the KIDSCREEN-27 scale. We checked descriptive statistics, performed a Mokken scale analysis, parametric item response theory, factor analysis, classical test theory and total (sub)scale scores. RESULTS: All five subscales of the KIDSCREEN-27 formed a unidimensional scale with good homogeneity and reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis showed poor fit in user model versus baseline model metrics (CFI = 0.847; TLI = 0.862) and good fit in root mean square error (RMSEA = 0.072; p(χ2) < 0.001). A scale reliability was calculated using Cronbach's α (0.93), beta (0.86), G6 (0.95) and omega (0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire showed average psychometric properties and can be used among adolescents in Slovenia to find out about their quality of life. Further research is needed to explore why fit in user model metrics is poor.

Standardization of Quality of Diagnoses, Interventions, and Outcomes (Q-DIO) Measurement Instrument for Use in Slovenia.

PURPOSE: To describe the cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Diagnoses, Interventions and Outcomes (Q-DIO) Instrument into the Slovene language. METHODS: Based on general international guidelines, a six-step process of localization to translate and adjust the instrument from English into the Slovene language was used. Content validity was quantified based on an agreement of eight experts. The instrument was tested using a sample of 140 nursing documentations from two Slovenian tertiary hospitals. RESULTS: 26 of 29 items showed an excellent content validity index ranging from 0.857 to 1.000, and a modified kappa index above 0.856. The content validity indexes of the three remaining items adjusted based on experts' comments were subsequently estimated at 1.000. Construct validity was significantly different between the two groups of documentations. The Cronbach coefficient for the whole questionnaire was 0.860. Cronbach's alpha if item deleted reamins above 0.80 for all items. The criteria for the difficulty grades of items and discrimination validity were acceptably met for more than 75% of items. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the study, it may be concluded that Q-DIO is a reliable instrument for measuring the quality of nursing documentation. The deviations in the results of some items are due to poor nursing documentation quality, and indicate that nursing classifications have not yet been fully implemented into practice in the study setting. Additional testing of the instrument is recommended.

Family members' experiences with the spiritual care of older people living with dementia in nursing homes: A phenomenological hermeneutical study.

AIM: To illuminate family members experiences with the spiritual care provided to their family members living with dementia in nursing homes. DESIGN: A qualitative research design utilizing phenomenological hermeneutical approach. METHODS: Data were gathered by conducting twelve in-depth interviews with family members of older people living with dementia in nursing homes and analysed using the phenomenological hermeneutical analysis. The COREQ guidance was used for reporting of this study. RESULTS: Finding revealed that family members were worried and fearful when nursing care was routinely provided with little consideration given to spiritual needs and lacking compassion. Findings affirm that "riendliness" is an essential aspect of respectful caring from the family members' perspective. Family members want compassionate, loving, caring and dignified nursing care for their relative living with dementia in the nursing homes.

Validation of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale among nursing students in Slovenia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale used for measuring mental well-being. BACKGROUND: Nursing students' mental well-being is often poor due to various academic and personal stressors. Nursing students are involved in clinical practice and are facing birth, death, health, diseases and other stressful situations. They may be exposed to higher levels of stress than students from other study programmes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing students in Slovenia. We performed a 6-step analysis of the psychometric properties of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Moreover, content validity of the scale was assessed. RESULTS: The scale formed a unidimensional scale with good homogeneity (H < 0.40) and reliability (α = 0.91; ß = 0.87; λ = 0.92; ω = 0.91). The confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the WEMWBS was suitable for use as a single scale (RMSEA = 0.085, CFI = 0.907; TLI = 0.891) and measures one construct, mental well-being. I-CVI is acceptable for all 14 items, kappa coefficient was excellent, and S-CVI was assessed as acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: The Slovenian version of the scale achieved good validity and reliability in a sample of nursing students and is recommended for future usage. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The validated questionnaire can be used by nurse managers to assess nursing students' mental well-being during their clinical placement.

Effectiveness of school-based mental well-being interventions among adolescents: A systematic review.

AIMS: This systematic review aimed to identify school-based interventions for ensuring mental health and well-being of adolescents, synthesize existing interventions, and summarize the quality of identified studies. DESIGN: A systematic review, analysis, and synthesis were performed. DATA SOURCES: Search was performed in Cochrane Library, PsychARTICLES, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Medline. REVIEW METHODS: Literature search was performed in March 2019 using inclusion and exclusion criteria. PRISMA guidelines were followed. Identified records were reviewed by title, abstract, and by the full text by two independent researchers. Three authors independently made a quality assessment of the included studies. Included studies were extracted and synthesized. A systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019128919). RESULTS: The initial search yielded 1,199 articles. Of them, 57 articles were included in the final analysis and synthesis. Only four studies were assessed as high quality. Identified themes were mental health and well-being, positive psychology, problem-solving and stress reduction, mindfulness, and physical activity. More than half (N = 32, 56.14%) interventions showed a positive outcome after implementation. Most of those interventions focused on positive psychology and mindfulness. CONCLUSION: Mental well-being is important for the healthy development of adolescents. Countries are aware that healthy adolescents will become healthy adults who will contribute to his/her community and will lower costs of the absence of work and treatments. Thus, they support and invest in interventions that prevent mental disorders. There is a need for developing multidimensional mental well-being interventions that are effective in low- and secondary-income countries. IMPACT: This study ensured rigorous methodology, followed PRISMA recommendations and evaluated quality of identified literature using the GRADE guidelines. A critical synthesis was performed to produce an integrated conceptualization of the evidence. The synthesis represents a list of effective school interventions for the promotion of adolescents' mental well-being.

Nurses' perceptions of early person-centred palliative care: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is aimed at improving the quality of life of an individual with chronic noncommunicable disease and their care partners. Limitations in the provision of palliative care are mainly lack of knowledge and experience by nurses, fear of treating palliative persons, loss of control over treatment and fear of providing poor-quality palliative care to persons and care partners. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the perception, knowledge and attitudes of palliative care by nurses who use palliative care approaches in practice, as well as the difference in perception, knowledge and attitudes of palliative care between nurses in Slovenia and Finland. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study. The survey included 440 nurses in clinical environments in Slovenia and Finland with a completed bachelor, master or doctoral level of education. RESULTS: We found statistically significant differences between both countries in the perception of palliative care. Differences between the two countries in the knowledge of palliative care were not confirmed. We confirmed statistically significant differences between both countries in the attitudes of palliative nursing care. CONCLUSION: Early person-centred palliative care is an important part of the holistic and integrative treatment of a person who has a disease with disturbing symptoms. For such an approach, it is important to educate nurses about knowledge, expectations, values and beliefs in developing a concept of person-centred palliative care to improve quality of life. The better perception, knowledge and attitudes of palliative care by nurses may help persons to improve and raise their quality of life, as well as diminish stress in their care partners and improve quality of life.

An international cross-cultural study of nursing students' perceptions of caring.

BACKGROUND: Single studies suggest that nursing students perceive caring as more an instrumental than expressive behaviour and indicate some differences between caring perceptions in junior and senior nursing students. However, there are limited studies investigating caring perceptions in nursing students across multiple cultures. OBJECTIVE: To determine perceptions of caring in Slovene, Croatian, Chinese and Russian nursing students and explore whether there are statistically significant differences in perceptions of caring between countries and between first and third-year nursing students. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included 604 nursing students enrolled in first and third year in seven different nursing faculties in four countries: Slovenia; China; Croatia; and the Russian Federation. METHODS: The 25-item Caring Dimension Inventory (CDI-25) was used to measure caring perceptions. We also included demographic questions regarding age, gender, country, year of study and type of study. Demographic data were analysed using descriptive analysis while a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) adjusted for unequal sample sizes was performed together with a post hoc analysis of the results. RESULTS: The results of two-way ANOVA showed that both main effects (country and year of study) were statistically significant, as well as their interaction at the 0.05 significance level. The main effect for country was F(3, 596) = 3.591, p < 0.0136 indicating a significant difference in CDI-25 between Slovenia (M = 108.9, SD = 9.2), Russian Federation (M = 107.1, SD = 8.2), China (M = 102.8, SD = 9.7) and Croatia (M = 110.0, SD = 8.6). CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of caring in nursing students differ across countries, probably due to different educational systems, curricula, cultural differences and societal values. Implementing caring theories in nursing curricula could help students to cultivate caring during their education.

Mental well-being among nursing students in Slovenia and Northern Ireland: A survey.

Mental well-being is a key for successful and productive living of each individual. An imbalance can occur due to various stressors and environmental factors. Due to academic pressures, distance from home and financial burden, nursing students often meet with mental health problems. The objective of this study was to determine the mental well-being of nursing students in Slovenia and Northern Ireland, and to compare the results obtained. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The survey was carried out in 2017 among nursing students in Slovenia and Northern Ireland using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. The study included 90 students from Slovenia and 109 from Northern Ireland. Nursing students in both countries reported average level of mental well-being. Nursing students in Slovenia have significantly higher (p < 0.001) level of mental well-being than nursing students in Northern Ireland. There are some areas that demand special attention by nurse educators to support the mental well-being of students and the impact of this on their education. Further research needs to be undertaken to find out how to improve students' mental well-being and identify factors that are influencing mental well-being of nursing students.

Screening and assessment tools for early detection of malnutrition in hospitalised children: a systematic review of validation studies.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to identify all currently available screening and assessment tools for detection of malnutrition in hospitalised children, and to identify the most useful tools on the basis of published validation studies. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL and MEDLINE were searched up to October 2017. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Studies in English that reported sensitivity, specificity and positive/negative predictive values (PPVs/NPVs) in the paediatric population were eligible for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two authors independently screened all of the studies identified, and extracted the data. The methodological qualities of the studies included were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. RESULTS: The 26 validation studies that met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review used eight screening and three assessment tools. The number of participants varied from 32 to 14 477. There was considerable variability in the chosen reference standards, which prevented direct comparisons of the predictive performances of the tools. Anthropometric measurements were used as reference standards in 16 of the identified studies, and full nutritional assessment in 5. The Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS) screening tool performed better than Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition and Screening Tool for Risk On Nutritional status and Growth when compared in terms of anthropometric measurements, especially for body mass index (Se=90.9, Sp=81.9) and triceps skinfold thickness (Se=80.0, Sp=75.0). However, low PPVs indicated the problem of overprediction of positive cases, which was typical for all of the studies that used anthropometric measurements as the reference standard. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review identifies the need for definition of the gold standard for validation of screening tools. Anthropometry measurements using WHO or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts should be considered as the possible reference standard in future validation studies. We would recommend the use of PYMS for hospitalised paediatric patients without chronic conditions, in combination with full nutritional assessment. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017077477.

Challenges associated with missing data in electronic health records: A case study of a risk prediction model for diabetes using data from Slovenian primary care.

The increasing availability of data stored in electronic health records brings substantial opportunities for advancing patient care and population health. This is, however, fundamentally dependant on the completeness and quality of data in these electronic health records. We sought to use electronic health record data to populate a risk prediction model for identifying patients with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. We, however, found substantial (up to 90%) amounts of missing data in some healthcare centres. Attempts at imputing for these missing data or using reduced dataset by removing incomplete records resulted in a major deterioration in the performance of the prediction model. This case study illustrates the substantial wasted opportunities resulting from incomplete records by simulation of missing and incomplete records in predictive modelling process. Government and professional bodies need to prioritise efforts to address these data shortcomings in order to ensure that electronic health record data are maximally exploited for patient and population benefit.

Perceptions of Caring Between Slovene and Russian Members of Nursing Teams.

PURPOSE: To measure the perceptions of caring between Slovene and Russian members of nursing teams and compare the results with earlier findings in other European Union countries. METHOD: A cross-sectional study that included nurses and nursing assistants in Slovenia ( n = 294) and Russia ( n = 531). Data were collected using the 25-item Caring Dimensions Inventory. RESULTS: The most endorsed item for Slovene and Russian members of nursing teams was an item related to medication administration. All items that were endorsed by Russian participants were also endorsed by Slovenian participants; however, they ascribed a different level of importance to individual aspects of caring. DISCUSSION: Compared with other European Union countries, such as the United Kingdom and Spain, Slovenian and Russian members of nursing teams endorsed more technical aspects of nursing duties as caring, suggesting cultural differences and previous influences of the biomedical model on nursing education and practice.

Self-reflection during first clinical practice: The experiences of nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Self-reflection can be used as a tool for describing student experiences and have a significant impact on their learning. It enables nursing students to develop the ability to identify and analyse their problems and find possible solutions. OBJECTIVE: To present students' self- reflection in their first clinical practice as their first stage of our nursing study program. METHODOLOGY: The research was based on a naturalistic philosophical paradigm using a qualitative methodological approach. The research took place at one of the Slovenian universities with an undergraduate nursing education program. Purposive sampling was chosen. The data were obtained through written self-reflection diary entries collected between March and June 2016. A thematic analysis was selected for data analysis. Ensuring that all ethical considerations were covered, seventeen students in the first clinical practice were included. FINDINGS: Three main thematic themes were identified that define the experience of students in their first clinical practice: (1) emotional experience, (2) interpersonal relationships, (3) learning. CONCLUSIONS: The research has found that the experiences and the perceptions of students in the first clinical practice are mainly expressed emotionally. Self-reflection helps students to express emotions and feelings to reliving and to identifying problems and also, to understanding themselves better. Further research should be focused on the importance of the students' self-reflections in their professional and personal growth.

Emotional intelligence among nursing students: Findings from a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Emotional intelligence in nursing is of global interest. International studies identify that emotional intelligence influences nurses' work and relationships with patients. It is associated with compassion and care. Nursing students scored higher on measures of emotional intelligence compared to students of other study programmes. The level of emotional intelligence increases with age and tends to be higher in women. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to measure the differences in emotional intelligence between nursing students with previous caring experience and those without; to examine the effects of gender on emotional intelligence scores; and to test whether nursing students score higher than engineering colleagues on emotional intelligence measures. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included 113 nursing and 104 engineering students at the beginning of their first year of study at a university in Slovenia. DATA: Emotional intelligence was measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT). METHODS: Shapiro-Wilk's test of normality was used to test the sample distribution, while the differences in mean values were tested using Student t-test of independent samples. RESULTS: Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing students (n = 113) than engineering students (n = 104) in both measures [TEIQue t = 3.972; p < 0.001; SSEIT t = 8.288; p < 0.001]. Although nursing female students achieved higher emotional intelligence scores than male students on both measures, the difference was not statistically significant [TEIQue t = -0.839; p = 0.403; SSEIT t = -1.159; p = 0.249]. EI scores in nursing students with previous caring experience were not higher compared to students without such experience for any measure [TEIQue t = -1.633; p = 0.105; SSEIT t = -0.595; p = 0.553]. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional intelligence was higher in nursing than engineering students, and slightly higher in women than men. It was not associated with previous caring experience.