[The impact of information and communication technologies on nurse retention]. / L'influence des technologies de l'information et des communications sur le maintien en poste des infirmières.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the potential impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on nursing practice and nurse retention in remote, intermediate and peripheral regions of Quebec, Canada. METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews (n=21) was conducted among nursing managers from 16 health and social services centers (French acronym: CSSS) in the province of Quebec. RESULTS: The study found that a range of ICT applications are used, though not to the same extent in all organizations. The participants assessed the impact of computerization and telehealth applications on nursing practice and emphasized the relationships between telehealth and nurse retention, particularly through professional development. The participants also reported that ICTs can have different impacts on nurse retention (i.e. little or no impact, unclear impact, or indirect positive impact). CONCLUSIONS: The main findings indicate significant heterogeneity, both in terms of the nursing shortage and in terms of the integration of ICT in nursing practice. While focusing on a comparative approach, future research should further explore the impact of ICT on nursing practice and, indirectly, on nurse retention, which requires a contextual approach to ICT applications and workplaces and an analysis of staff characteristics.

Factors associated with intended and effective settlement of nursing students and newly graduated nurses in a rural setting after graduation: a mixed-methods review.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors that influence the initial plan and final decision to choose a rural area as first employment location in final-year nursing students or newly graduated nurses. DESIGN: We conducted a mixed-methods review of the literature, including both published and gray literature, using established criteria. Two reviewers performed data extraction of relevant information independently. DATA SOURCES: We retrieved empirical studies from the following databases: PubMED, Embase, CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science (SCI and SSCI), The Cochrane Library, Business Source Premier (EBSCO), ERIC, Proquest and PsychInfo. We also searched for empirical studies in the technical and gray literature and reviewed journals related to rural health. Additionally, we conducted searches in websites such as the Center for Health Workforce Planning and Analysis, as well as Google and Google Scholar search engines. RESULTS: Of the 523 studies thus screened, 15 were included for data extraction. We identified more than 40 factors associated with initial plans and final decision to settle in a rural area among nursing graduates. CONCLUSIONS: Only limited literature is currently available on the factors associated with the intention of nursing students or newly graduated nurses of practicing in rural areas and on the relationship between intention and effective behavior. This review highlights the needs for further research in this field.

Supporting health professionals through information and communication technologies: a systematic review of the effects of information and communication technologies on recruitment and retention.

UNLABELLED: Healthcare personnel shortage is a growing concern in many countries, especially in remote areas, where it has major consequences on the accessibility of health services. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have often been proposed as having positive effects on certain dimensions of the recruitment and retention of professionals working in the healthcare sector. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the impact of interventions using ICTs on recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, including the following steps: exploring scientific and gray literature through established criteria and data extraction of relevant information by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Of the 2,225 screened studies, 13 were included. Nine studies showed a positive, often indirect, influence that ICTs may have on recruitment and retention. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the conclusions of 9 of 13 studies reporting a possible positive influence of ICTs on the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals, these results highlight the need of a deeper reflection on that topic. Therefore, more research is needed.

Supporting work practices through telehealth: impact on nurses in peripheral regions.

BACKGROUND: In Canada, workforce shortages in the health care sector constrain the ability of the health care system to meet the needs of its population and of its health care professionals. This issue is of particular importance in peripheral regions of Quebec, where significant inequalities in workforce distribution between regions has lead to acute nursing shortages and increased workloads. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are innovative solutions that can be used to develop strategies to optimise the use of available resources and to design new nursing work practices. However, current knowledge is still limited about the real impact of ICTs on nursing recruitment and retention. Our aim is to better understand how work practice reorganization, supported by ICTs, and particularly by telehealth, may influence professional, educational, and organizational factors relating to Quebec nurses, notably those working in peripheral regions. METHODS/DESIGN: First, we will conduct a descriptive study on the issue of nursing recruitment. Stratified sampling will be used to select approximately twenty innovative projects relating to the reorganization of work practices based upon ICTs. Semi-structured interviews with key informants will determine professional, educational, and organizational recruitment factors. The results will be used to create a questionnaire which, using a convenience sampling method, will be mailed to 600 third year students and recent graduates of two Quebec university nursing faculties. Descriptive, correlation, and hierarchical regression analyses will be performed to identify factors influencing nursing graduates' intentions to practice in peripheral regions. Secondly, we will conduct five case studies pertaining to the issue of nursing retention. Five ICT projects in semi-urban, rural, and isolated regions have been identified. Qualitative data will be collected through field observation and approximately fifty semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. DISCUSSION: Data from both parts of this research project will be jointly analysed using triangulation of researchers, theoretical approaches, methods, and results. Continuous exchanges with decision makers and periodic knowledge transfer activities are planned to facilitate the dissemination and utilization of research results in policies regarding the nursing recruitment and retention.