Nursing students experienced academic emotions during education - a longitudinal descriptive study from a nursing bachelor's program in Sweden.

AIM: To explore nursing students' academic emotions during ongoing learning activities focusing on perceived challenge and competence. BACKGROUND: Emotions plays an important part in learning. Positive emotions can be beneficial while negative emotions can be detrimental to educational outcomes. Optimal experiences are situations when learners simultaneously experience sufficient challenge and competence. Since various learning activities are performed in different learning environments during the nursing program, it is of interest to investigate students' ongoing emotions in the occurring contexts. DESIGN: A longitudinal descriptive study. METHODS: By using the Contextual Activity Sampling System, data was collected every third week on a three-year nursing program. From August 2015 to January 2020, a total of 2, 947 questionnaires were answered by 158 students. Experiences of positive and negative academic emotions were calculated for the entire program. Optimal experience was calculated for courses where high discrepancy between positive and negative experiences were identified. RESULTS: Students self-reported academic emotions varied over time and in relation to learning activities. High ratings of negative emotions were reported during clinical practice in all semesters except the final. Students' positive academic emotions and optimal experience in clinical practice increased after having deepened their academic knowledge. CONCLUSION: Nursing students had an increased positive experience when they themselves practice a learning activity and it appeared that they benefit from academic preparation prior to entering internship. Nursing students need an academic competence to develop their skills during training in the clinical reality. Increased collaboration between academia and clinic would be beneficial for students' clinical development.

The impact of learning styles on attitudes to interprofessional learning among nursing students: a longitudinal mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: A functional interprofessional teamwork improves collaborative patient-centred care. Participation in interprofessional education promotes cooperation after graduation. Individuals tend to use different approaches to learning depending on their individual preferences. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' experiences of professional development with a focus on the relationship between attitudes to interprofessional learning and learning styles. METHODS: A longitudinal parallel mixed-methods design. The study was carried out at a Swedish three-year nursing program from August 2015 to January 2020. On enrolment, thirty-four students self-assessed their attitudes to interprofessional learning according to the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and their learning style according to Kolbs' Learning Style Inventory. In the final semester the students participated in an interview focusing on their experiences and perceptions of teamwork and they self-assessed their attitudes to interprofessional learning again. RESULTS: Our findings indicated that 64.7% had a predominantly concrete learning style and 35.3% had a predominantly reflective learning style. No significant relationship with internal consistency reliability was identified among the participants between attitudes to interprofessional learning and learning styles. The content analysis resulted in four main categories: Amazing when it's functional; Deepened insight of care; Increased quality of care; Understanding own profession which were summarized in the theme: Well-functioning teams improve patients' outcome and working environment. CONCLUSION: The students' attitudes to interprofessional learning were positive and it was considered as an opportunity to participate in interprofessional cooperation during internship. Transformative learning is a useful strategy in fostering interprofessional relationships due to the interdependence of various professions in interprofessional teams. When students are guided to use reflection to develop new perspectives and meaning structures, they acquire emotional and rational skills beneficial for interprofessional cooperation.

Undergraduate nursing students' experiences of becoming a professional nurse: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: During education it is essential for nursing students to develop professionalism in nursing. Nurses are placed in situations based on trust, and it is crucial that their patients have confidence in them to provide professional and safe care. A key period in nursing students' development of a professionalism occurs during training when students gain knowledge and skills that separate nurses as professional healthcare workers from laypeople. The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing students' experiences of professional competence development during education. METHODS: A longitudinal study was carried out using qualitative content analysis with a manifest inductive approach. Thirty-four students enrolled in a Swedish three-year nursing program, from August 2015 to January 2017 were interviewed on four occasions. RESULTS: The results revealed that students' professional role developed gradually. The students' started their education with dreams and a naive understanding of the profession, but their understanding of the complexity of the nursing profession gradually evolved. Students became theoretically equipped at the university and developed clinical skills through practice. Students' focus went from mastering medical technology to a more holistic approach. Before graduating, students felt ready but not fully trained. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a discrepancy between the content of the theoretical education and the clinical settings since students identified a lack of evidence-based practice. A solid theoretical education before entering clinical training offered students possibilities for reflecting on evidence-based practice and the clinical settings. The realization that there is always potential for professional improvement can be interpreted as an emerging awareness, and development of professionalism. It is clear that students could benefit from increased collaborative work between clinical supervisors and faculty staff at the university.

Social media in the infertile community-using a text analysis tool to identify the topics of discussion on the multitude of infertility blogs.

BACKGROUND: Infertility affects one in six couples. New digital resources exist which enable the study of lived experience of persons with infertility. Blogging represents a forum for sharing narratives and experiences. To provide high quality care for persons with a history of infertility, it is crucial to ascertain what they value as significant in their situation. Blogs with a focus on infertility may provide this information. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to gain insight into which infertility-related issues are discussed on Swedish infertility blogs. METHODS: In total, 70 infertility blogs were identified on the Internet and 25 met the inclusion criteria. A quantitative-qualitative content analysis was performed with the support of the Gavagai Explorer text analysis software. RESULTS: A total of 4508 postings were retrieved from the blogs, all of which were written by women. The outcome of the analysis resulted into the following topics: Emotions (16.8%), Relations (12.5%), Time and waiting (7.1%), Body (6.6%), Care and treatment (4.2%), Food and diet (1.4%) and Exercise (0.5%). For most topics, there was a balance between positive and negative statements, but the body topic stood out by having more negative than positive sentiment. CONCLUSION: By considering the topics expressed in blogs, health care personnel are provided with an opportunity to better understand the situation of individuals affected by infertility.

The role of social media for persons affected by infertility.

BACKGROUND: Infertility remains a common universal disorder and a whole range of assisted reproductive technologies has been established. Society may fail to recognize the grief caused by infertility, which may lead to those struggling with it hiding their feelings. Previous research points out that infertile persons experience shortcomings in fertility care regarding continuity of care and social support. Social media may provide social and psychological support for infertile persons. Finding others who are going through similar experiences can help in the realization that the person is not alone and that her/his feelings are reasonable. The aim was to explore the roles of social media for persons affected by infertility. METHODS: A cross-sectional, computer-assisted, self-administered online questionnaire, containing both open and closed questions, was used to collect data. The questionnaire was linked to the bulletin board of six closed infertility social forums. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were used. A total of 132 participants completed the questionnaire containing questions about their use of social media dealing with infertility. RESULTS: Most of the questionnaires were answered by females (97.7%) through Facebook (87%). Over 60% of the respondents had taken part in discussions about infertility in social media, between one and three years and 39% participated more than once a day. Half of the participants devoted one to three hours weekly to the forums and wrote 1-5 postings per week. The forums offered participants information, solidarity, and the opportunity to receive and give support. However, an adverse aspect that was described concerned advice that were not evidence-based. Infertility was experienced as being alienated from social life and being fragmented as a person. CONCLUSION: Participating in infertility forums offers persons information about fertility treatments and social support in the process of coping with infertility.

Perinatal palliative care after a stillbirth-Midwives' experiences of using Cubitus baby.

BACKGROUND: Usually, parents remain at the hospital for two or three days after a stillbirth in Sweden, and the routine until recently has been to place the baby in a refrigerator during the night. A device, the Cubitus Baby, a specially designed cot with cooling blocks, was implemented in all 47 delivery wards during 2013 and 2014. AIM: To investigate the midwives' experiences of using the device when supporting parents after the stillbirth. METHOD: Questionnaires were completed by midwives, and a single open-ended question was analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS: 154 midwives responded. Four categories were identified, with two subgroups in each category: Feelings of dignity (Satisfactory feelings in working with grief; Design and function), Caring cooling (The cooling function; A cold baby), Time for farewell (Time together; Time to make your own choice) and Satisfying feelings for the parents (The parents and Cubitus Baby; The possibility for bonding). CONCLUSIONS: The midwives found that this practice provided a more dignified and worthwhile form of care. There is no need to separate the stillborn baby from the parents during their stay at the hospital. In modern perinatal palliative care, it is not justifiable to place a stillborn baby in a refrigerator.

Evolution of accesses to information on breast cancer and screening on the Brazilian National Cancer Institute website: an exploratory study.

Delays in diagnosis due to low Breast Cancer awareness are widespread in Brazil maybe owing to ineffective strategies to raise attention on early diagnosis. As a proxy of collective interest in BC screanning (BCS) we studied the monthly accesses to BC and BCS webpages in INCA's website along 48 months. A log analyzer built a time serie (2006-2009) of BC and BCS monthly means, which oscilations were studied by analysis of variance (ANOVA). We found significant increasing accesses to BC and transient "attention peaks". Enlargement in BC/BCS differences along all period were caused by increasing accesses to BC and decreasing/minor/stable oscillations to SBC pages. These results are consistent with previous reports on increasing interest to BC contrasting with indifference on BCS. In the context of an exploratory study, we discussed some aspects: weakness of a "prevention culture"; lack of confidence in health system and screening programs; "celebrity effect" in the context of media framing; collective perception of risks heightened by perception of social vulnerability. Findings suggest that culture-tailored communication strategies would be necessary to inform Brazilian people about BCS. Future research is needed to study social perceptions and constructions on BC topics.

Evolution of accesses to information on breast cancer and screening on the Brazilian National Cancer Institute website: an exploratory study / Evolução no acessos à informação sobre câncer de mama e seu rastreio no site do Instituto Nacional de Câncer: um estudo exploratório

Abstract Delays in diagnosis due to low Breast Cancer awareness are widespread in Brazil maybe owing to ineffective strategies to raise attention on early diagnosis. As a proxy of collective interest in BC screanning (BCS) we studied the monthly accesses to BC and BCS webpages in INCA's website along 48 months. A log analyzer built a time serie (2006-2009) of BC and BCS monthly means, which oscilations were studied by analysis of variance (ANOVA). We found significant increasing accesses to BC and transient "attention peaks". Enlargement in BC/BCS differences along all period were caused by increasing accesses to BC and decreasing/minor/stable oscillations to SBC pages. These results are consistent with previous reports on increasing interest to BC contrasting with indifference on BCS. In the context of an exploratory study, we discussed some aspects: weakness of a "prevention culture"; lack of confidence in health system and screening programs; "celebrity effect" in the context of media framing; collective perception of risks heightened by perception of social vulnerability. Findings suggest that culture-tailored communication strategies would be necessary to inform Brazilian people about BCS. Future research is needed to study social perceptions and constructions on BC topics.

Resumo Demoras no diagnóstico do câncer de mama (CM) são comuns no Brasil, talvez devido à ineficácia de estratégias de divulgação sobre os meios para a identificação precoce. Admitida como equivalente ao interesse coletivo sobre CM, analisou-se a evolução de acessos às páginas sobre CM e seu rastreio (RCM) no site do INCA durante 48 meses. Empregou-se analisadores de log files para construir uma série temporal (2006-2009) de médias mensais de acessos às CM e RCM estudadas por análise de variância (ANOVA). Aumentos significativos e "picos de atenção" transitórios nas CM; ampliação nas diferenças CM/RCM, por incrementos crescentes nas CM associados à estabilidade nas RCM. Os resultados são consistentes com relatos anteriores que descrevem expressivo interesse em CM e relativa indiferença ao RCM. No contexto de um estudo exploratório, discute-se: a "fraca cultura de prevenção"; falta de confiança no SUS e nos programas de rastreio; "efeito celebridade" no contexto do framing das mídias; percepção de riscos coletivos ampliada por vulnerabilidades sociais. Os achados sugerem que estratégias de comunicação adaptadas à cultura são essenciais à divulgação dos programas de rastreio. Pesquisas futuras são necessárias para estudar com mais detalhe as construções sociais sobre temas relativos ao CM.

Infertility-related communication and coping strategies among women affected by primary or secondary infertility.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To explore infertility-related communication and coping strategies among women affected by primary or secondary fertility problems. BACKGROUND: Infertility is a worldwide problem and is experienced as psychologically stressful. Communication about infertility varies depending on clinical aspects, personal relationships and culture. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used. One hundred and ninety-nine women affected by primary and secondary infertility were recruited from one fertility clinic in Stockholm. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The answers were compared across the two groups using the chi-squared test for independence. RESULTS: The majority of the women discussed infertility-related subjects with intimate friends and/or relatives and did not discuss the results of examinations and tests with people outside of the family. There were significant differences between the two groups. Twice as many women with secondary infertility acknowledged that they never talk about the causes or results of the tests and examinations with other people, compared with women with primary infertility. Approximately 25% of the women with primary infertility used distraction techniques, such as turning to work, as a coping strategy compared to women with secondary infertility (10%). Some women did not discuss the inability to conceive and reasons why they were childless with their spouses. Twelve percentage of the women reported that they left the room when the subjects of children were being discussed. Approximately 30% of the participants did not ask friends or relatives for advice and a few were not able to discuss how tests and treatments affected them emotionally. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that a majority of infertile women discuss about infertility-related subjects with their spouses. However, they are less likely to discuss the reason for infertility and results of tests and examinations with people outside the family. RELEVANCE TO THE CLINICAL PRACTICE: The result of the current study can be useful regarding interventions for women affected by primary or by secondary infertility. The healthcare staff must be alert and attentive to pay attention to these possible challenges. Identification of women at risk of developing emotional problems due to communication difficulties regarding infertility-related issues merits close attention.

Sleeping patterns of Swedish women experiencing a stillbirth between 2000-2014 - an observational study.

BACKGROUND: External (to the fetus) stressors may act together with maternal factors as well as fetal and placental factors to increase the risk of stillbirth. Data published in 2011 indicate non-left side sleeping positions, particularly the supine one, is such a stressor; we do not know, however, if this new knowledge has influenced the choice of sleeping position among pregnant women. METHODS: Using a web-based questionnaire made available at the home page of the Swedish national infant foundation we collected information on sleeping positions among women who gave birth to a stillborn baby between 2000 and 2014. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 583 women. About one third of the women reporting their sleeping position stated that they lay down on their the left side when going to bed, and another third reported lying down as often on the left as on the right side. Figures for typically going to bed on the left side the 4 weeks preceding the stillbirth was as follows: 72 (30 %) of 242 between 2011 and 2014 and 86 (27 %) of 313 between 2000 and 2010. Among the 240 women who remembered their position when waking up on the day the stillbirth was diagnosed, 63 (26 %) reported a supine position. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that one third of the women went to bed on the left side the month before the stillbirth. The data are consistent with the notion that efforts in Sweden to advise women to lie on their left side when going to bed may decrease the rate of stillbirth.