An Adaptation of the Original Fresno Test to Measure Evidence-Based Practice Competence in Pediatric Bedside Nurses.

PURPOSE: Instruments used to assess evidence-based practice (EBP) competence in nurses have been subjective, unreliable, or invalid. The Fresno test was identified as the only instrument to measure all the steps of EBP with supportive reliability and validity data. However, the items and psychometric properties of the original Fresno test are only relevant to measure EBP with medical residents. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the adapted Fresno test for pediatric nurses, and provide preliminary validity and reliability data for its use with Bachelor of Science in Nursing-prepared pediatric bedside nurses. METHODS: General adaptations were made to the original instrument's case studies, item content, wording, and format to meet the needs of a pediatric nursing sample. The scoring rubric was also modified to complement changes made to the instrument. Content and face validity, and intrarater reliability of the adapted Fresno test were assessed during a mixed-methods pilot study conducted from October to December 2013 with 29 Bachelor of Science in Nursing-prepared pediatric nurses. RESULTS: Validity data provided evidence for good content and face validity. Intrarater reliability estimates were high. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: The adapted Fresno test presented here appears to be a valid and reliable assessment of EBP competence in Bachelor of Science in Nursing-prepared pediatric nurses. However, further testing of this instrument is warranted using a larger sample of pediatric nurses in diverse settings. This instrument can be a starting point for evaluating the impact of EBP competence on patient outcomes.

Dementia Care Content in Prelicensure Nursing Curricula: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Having a nursing workforce equipped to provide quality care for patients living with dementia is essential. The purpose of this study was to investigate how undergraduate nursing programs integration of dementia care content into their curricula. METHOD: Using sequential explanatory mixed methods, a stratified sample of 137 representatives of programs in 11 states with dense elderly populations completed a quantitative survey. A subsample (n = 8) completed qualitative e-mail interviews. RESULTS: Most respondents indicated dementia care content was integrated into their curricula (n = 103, 92.8%). Clinical partnership with dementia care centers was associated with a greater proportion of students interacting with individuals having dementia (p = .02). Curriculum overload was the most significant challenge to integrating dementia content (n = 61, 43.9%). Qualitative themes supported the quantitative results. CONCLUSION: Future research is needed to identify best practices to ensure that nursing curricula provide essential content to meet the care needs of the growing population of individuals with dementia. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(2):88-95.].

Smart phone accessibility and mHealth use in a limited resource setting.

AIM: To determine smartphone access and use including future opportunities for mHealth and potential ethical implications among health care professionals practicing at a health care facility in Bengaluru, India. BACKGROUND: The evolution of smart phones can provide convenient, portable, and rapid access to resources for health care professionals. While mobile phone accessibility has improved in recent years in many low and middle-income countries, the use of smart phones to address health priorities remains limited in some limited resource settings. DESIGN: A quantitative descriptive design was used. METHODS: A survey was administered in November of 2016 to nurses and physicians at a tertiary care hospital in India. RESULTS/FINDINGS: All respondents had a mobile phone, and the majority owned a smart phone that was used for text messaging, email, accessing internet, and downloading apps. Participants recommended smart phone use to improve health care provider access to continuing education and to improve patient knowledge about health. Physicians had better access to mHealth resources compared with nurses. CONCLUSION: Credible, evidence-based, affordable mobile applications are needed to provide a platform for continuing health education to health professionals and patients in India and limited resource settings. Nurses need equitable access to mHealth resources to build successful mHealth initiatives.

Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Perceptions of Their Development of Clinical Reasoning.

BACKGROUND: Establishing a strong foundation for the development of clinical reasoning in nursing students is essential to ensure safe and effective patient care. This study explored prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of their development of clinical reasoning, as well as their perceptions of how it is taught. METHOD: In this phenomenological study, individual semistructured interviews were conducted to gather data related to participants' perceptions of their development of clinical reasoning. Data were analyzed using procedural steps delineated by Giorgi. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed three main themes: Instructor Characteristics, Importance of Clinical Reasoning, and Best Place to Learn Clinical Reasoning. Students recognized how clinical reasoning enhances safe and effective clinical practice and indicated the clinical arena was the most beneficial environment in which to learn clinical reasoning. CONCLUSION: Understanding students' perceptions of learning benefits nurse educators in planning nursing program curricula to enhance and facilitate the development of clinical reasoning. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(6):329-335.].

What Goes Into a Decision? How Nursing Faculty Decide Which Best Practices to Use for Classroom Testing.

AIM: To explore the decision-making process of BSN faculty when determining which best practices to use for classroom testing. METHOD: A descriptive, correlational study was conducted with a national sample (N = 127) of full-time BSN faculty. Participants completed a web-based survey incorporating instruments that measured beliefs about evaluation, decision-making, and best practices for item analysis and constructing and revising classroom tests. RESULTS: Study participants represented 31 states and were primarily middle-aged white women. In multiple linear regression analyses, faculty beliefs, contextual factors for decision-making, and decision-making processes accounted for statistically significant amounts of the variance in item analysis and test construction and revision. Strong faculty beliefs that rules were important when evaluating students was a significant predictor of increased use of best practices. CONCLUSION: Results support that understanding faculty beliefs around classroom testing is important in promoting the use of best practices.