Caring for Families of Patients With Acquired Brain Injury Early During Hospitalization: A Feasibility Study of the SAFIR© Intervention.

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a complex family nursing intervention (SAFIR©) designed to support families of patients with acquired brain injuries during the early phase of hospitalization, using a one-group pre- and post-test design with a one-month follow-up. Family members participated in four family meetings. Quantitative data were collected using an intervention protocol checklist and questionnaires. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, written open-ended questions, and note-taking. Feasibility outcomes revealed a family recruitment rate of 15.4% and a retention rate of 100%. Protocol adherence ranged from 94% in Phase 1 to 78% in Phase 3. Our results indicated that the intervention was meaningful and suitable for family members (n=7), healthcare provider (n=1), and nursing managers (n=6). From a sustainability perspective, our findings suggest the need to formally involve the entire inter-professional team in the intervention. Further evaluation of the intervention is warranted through a large-scale experimental.

On a healing journey together and apart: A Swedish critical incident technique study on family involvement from a patient perspective in relation to elective open-heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: As family members affect patient outcomes following open-heart surgery, the objective was to provide updated knowledge on family involvement in to guide future interventions facilitating family involvement. AIM: The aim was to explore and describe the experiences and actions of important situations of family involvement asexpressed by patients who underwent elective open-heart surgery in Sweden. METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN AND JUSTIFICATION: The critical incident technique (CIT) was used, which is a qualitative research method suitable for clinical problems when a phenomenon is known but the experiences and consequences of it are not. ETHICAL ISSUES AND APPROVAL: Considerations for patient integrity were made during the recruitment phase by ensuring that voluntary informed consent was obtained in two steps. RESEARCH METHODS: Individual interviews were conducted with 35 patients who underwent open-heart surgery in Sweden in 2023. Important situations were analysed according to the CIT method. RESULTS: Two main areas emerged: Patients described important situations of family involvement as experiences of mutual dependency while also being independent individuals. These experiences led to balancing healing and risk-taking activities as a family. The positive consequences of family involvement described by patients included improved recovery through practical help at home and emotional support. CONCLUSIONS: As complements to preserving the existing positive aspects of family involvement, social support screening, the establishment of individualised visitation policies and the provision of professional and peer support earlier can improve patient recovery following open-heart surgery.

Development and Psychometric Verification of a Self-Administered Scale for Family Needs in Japanese Critical Care Settings.

AIM: We developed and evaluated the statistical reliability and validity of a family needs scale directly answerable by families in critical care settings. METHODS: In this qualitative study, 39 questions were drafted to capture family needs. These questions were then administered to the families of patients in emergency care settings. Exploratory factor analyses identified several needs factors and factor structures of the questions with oblique rotation. A confirmatory factor analysis examined internal consistency and criterion-related and construct validity. RESULTS: Three factors comprising 32 items were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis: "Needs for fulfilling family roles," "Needs for appropriate treatment and care," and "Needs for respecting family ties." Cronbach's α was 0.949 for the total score and 0.927, 0.914, and 0.896 for factors A-C, respectively, with cumulative variance of 50.0%. The three factors' confirmatory factor analysis revealed a relatively good model fit. A significant correlation was found between this scale and the assessment scale for the needs of families of patients in the intensive care unit. CONCLUSIONS: A new scale assessing family needs was developed, and its reliability and validity were confirmed. The scale has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used to measure family needs in critical care settings, particularly in Japanese cultural contexts.

Family involvement in mental healthcare practice: Perspectives of mental health nurses, patients, and caregivers.

INTRODUCTION: Family engagement in care has been advocated to promote recovery for patients with mental health conditions. Attitudes of mental health nurses toward the importance of families influence the way they partner with families in mental healthcare. However, little is known about how mental health nurses engage with families and quality of family-centered care (FCC) perceived by patients and caregivers. The study aimed to examine the mediating effect of family nursing practice on the association between mental health nurses' attitudes toward integrating families into care and quality of FCC perceived by patients with schizophrenia and caregivers. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted. METHODS: A convenience sample of 143 dyads of patients with schizophrenia and their caregivers and 109 mental health nurses were recruited from inpatient wards at two psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan. Demographic and clinical questionnaires, Families' Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses' Attitudes scale, Family Nursing Practice Scale, and Measure of Process of Care for Adults were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, paired-sample t-tests, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Mediation analyses were performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS (Model 4) with bootstrapping. RESULTS: Mental health nurses exhibited supportive attitudes toward integrating families into care (Mean = 98.96) and greater perceptions of family nursing practice (Mean = 2.44). The concordances between patients and caregivers on perceived quality of family-centered care were significant (ICC = 0.63-0.77). Attitudes of mental health nurses toward integrating families into care had both the total and direct effects on all domains of quality of FCC perceived by patients and caregivers, respectively. The indirect effects of mental health nurses' attitudes toward integrating families into care on aspects of quality of FCC through family nursing practice were significant for patients (95% bias-corrected bootstrap CI of 0.015-0.053) and caregivers (95% bias-corrected bootstrap CI of 0.004-0.041). The magnitude of the indirect effects was medium to large for patients (ES = 0.209-0.257) and caregivers (ES = 0.148-0.221). CONCLUSION: Family nursing practice partially mediated the association between mental health nurses' attitudes toward integrating families into care and aspects of quality of FCC from perspectives of patients and caregivers. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Interventions tailoring mental health nurses' practice skills and reciprocity with families have the potential to enhance supportive attitudes of mental health nurses toward working with families and further improve perceived quality of FCC in patient-caregiver dyads in mental healthcare practice.

Experiences, behaviours, and perspectives of young cancer survivors on physical activity.

This narrative review aimed to identify young cancer survivors' behaviours, experiences, and perspectives concerning physical activity, and identify useful strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle. A manual search on the following databases was conducted: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search was conducted between June 1, 2023, and April 12, 2024. Articles published from database inception up to April 12, 2024, were retrieved. Articles published in any language were considered. Perspectives including ideas, perceived barriers, and facilitators have been identified. Young cancer survivors seem to engage in physical activity as a useful coping strategy to regain normality and keep healthy after the cancer diagnosis. Although emotional and social support seems fundamental to increase participation, several other factors, including physical limitations, fatigue, sex, cancer type, and socio-economic status can influence physical activity participation. For those engaged in physical activity, the preferred activities are walking, biking, going to the gym, and exercising at home, while the least preferred are exercising at the hospital or boot camp-based exercises. Yoga is more frequently chosen by those still under treatment. Young cancer survivors appear to have unique needs different from those of adult cancer survivors. Mode of treatment delivery, increased awareness concerning the effects of physical activity, including families and friends, connecting survivors, and providing social support together with increasing motivation are key strategies for the promotion of physical activity in young cancer survivors. Fitness and healthcare professionals should consider these aspects to increase young cancer survivors' involvement in physical activities.

Mapping and Characterizing Instruments for Assessing Family Nurses' Workload: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The importance of knowing the workload of family nurses lies essentially in the possibility of improving health outcomes, care processes and the nurse's professional life. There is a lack of studies that fully describe the nursing workload in primary care, particularly, in the context of family health nursing, and the ideal metrics to be used remain unknown, making it impossible to characterize and therefore provide the necessary insight to acknowledge the different contributions of several aspects that embody the global workload of family nurses. The objective of this scoping review was to map the known evidence and characterize the instruments used to assess the workload of family nurses. METHODS: Scoping review, according to the Joanna Briggs Institute, proposed a methodology for scoping reviews, consisting of three research stages: (1) an initial research in Medline and CINHAL; (2) an extended search, using keywords and search terms, in the following databases: JBI, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, Cochrane and Scopus; and (3) a search of the reference lists of the selected articles. No time limit was defined. RESULTS: Fourteen studies referring to ten assessment instruments were included. Nine of them analyze workload as a dimension of a broader instrument, and two studies refer to an instrument that focuses exclusively on workload. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of professional competencies and contexts, the conceptual complexity of workload and the absence of a theoretical framework make it difficult to identify consensual instruments to assess the workload of family nurses. This study was prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework® on 6 September 2023, with the registration number: 3k6vr.

Family Care in Members with COVID-19 Using Telenursing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the infection and death of millions of people around the world. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have issued recommendations for caregivers of patients sent home with COVID-19, such as; the use of facemasks, hygiene at home, the use of the vaccine, among others. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the level of support from information technologies (Whatsapp) with the level of knowledge to provide better care at home by family caregivers of people with COVID-19 by an educational program to 130 caregivers.

Profiles of parental coping with paediatric cancer and their associations with parental illness adaptation.

AIMS: To identify profiles of coping in parents of children with cancer and their underlying factors and to examine which profile(s) are associated with illness adaptation. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study utilizing surveys among parents of children with cancer (n = 89). METHODS: Questionnaires included socio-demographics, ways of coping, parenting stress, depression, post-traumatic symptoms, illness adjustment and quality of life. Parental coping profiles were identified via latent profile analysis. Logistic multinomial regression was used to identify predictors of coping profiles. Adaptation outcomes were compared across the coping profiles via multivariable analyses of variance with Bonferroni adjustments. RESULTS: Five profiles were identified: The 'Strong Repertoire' used coping strategies moderate to high degree, with a positive-active orientation; The 'Moderate-Activist' used a similar pattern, rather more moderately; The 'Self-Regulator' used self-content strategies; The 'Mild-Engager' used active-engaging strategies; The 'Avoidant Coper' used avoidant-passive strategies. Parental stress predicted coping profiles, so that parents experiencing greater stress utilized the 'Avoidant Coper' to a greater degree. Group comparisons revealed that 'Avoidant-Copers' had more depressive and post-traumatic symptoms, worse illness adjustment and lower quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Passive-avoidant mechanisms of coping may be maladaptive in terms of parental cancer adaptation and indicative of lower resilience. IMPACT: Findings can direct clinicians to promote familial resilience by adapting policy and practice to meet familial needs. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Not applicable.

EMpowerment of PArents in THe Intensive Care: A multicentre validation study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The importance of assessing family satisfaction in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) is becoming increasingly recognised. The survey, EMpowerment of Parents in THe Intensive Care "EMPATHIC-30", was designed to assess family satisfaction and has been translated and implemented in several countries but not yet in Japan. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the EMPATHIC-30 questionnaire in Japanese and to identify potential factors for family-centred care satisfaction. METHODS: We translated and adapted for patient-reported outcome measures via a 10-step process outlined by the Principles of Good Practice. Four paediatric PICUs in Japan participated in the validation study, and the parental enrolment criterion was a child with a PICU stay of >24 h. Reliability was measured by Cronbach's α, and congruent validity was tested with overall satisfaction-with-care scales by correlation analysis. Multivariate linear regression modelling was conducted to identify factors related to each domain of the Japanese EMPATHIC-30. RESULTS: A total of 163 parents (mean age: 31.9 ± 5.4 years; 81% were mothers) participated. The five domains of the Japanese EMPATHIC-30 showed high reliability (α = 0.87 to 0.97) and congruent validity, demonstrating high correlations with overall satisfaction in nurses (r = 0.75) and doctors (r = 0.76). Multivariate modelling found that elective admission, mechanical ventilation, and parents who had experience of a family member in an adult intensive care unit had higher satisfaction scores in all five domains (p < 0.05). Moreover, Buddhists assigned higher satisfaction scores in the Care and Treatment domain (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The Japanese EMPATHIC-30 questionnaire has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity measures. We also identified that elective admission, mechanical ventilation, and having previous adult intensive care unit experience of a family member were factors in assigning higher scores for all satisfaction domains. PICU clinicians need to be cognisant of ethical, cultural, and religious factors relating to the critically ill child and their family.

Significant others in inflammatory arthritis: roles, influences, and challenges-a scoping review.

Improving self-management in individuals with inflammatory arthritis (IA) is crucial for effective disease management. However, current recommendations primarily focus on interventions for the diagnosed individuals, overlooking the potential impact of their significant others on their self-management abilities. This review aims to fill this gap by identifying and mapping relevant research employing both qualitative and quantitative design to provide a broader understanding of the potential of significant others in relation to IA management. We examined studies published from 2007 to 2024 that explore our research questions using electronic databases and grey literature searches. Two independent reviewers meticulously screened and categorized the studies based on a developed framework employing basic content analysis. Out of 20.925 studies, 43 were included: 22 quantitative studies (including 1 educational trial), 20 qualitative studies, and 1 mixed-methods study. Our analysis of the included studies revealed that significant others predominantly provided practical and emotional support and could positively or negatively influence the person with IAs self-management abilities. Additionally, significant others reported their own feelings of emotional distress and expressed the need for knowledge, skills and social support enabling them to provide better support while taking care of them self. Greater focus on the significant others of those diagnosed with IA in their provision of support to this patient group may both improve the people with IA self-management skills and address significant others' reported needs. Future studies should explore the impact of such initiatives through randomized controlled trials.

Parents' perceptions of care quality at child health centres: A cross-sectional study from Sweden.

AIM: To examine parents' perceptions of care quality at child health centres. Specific objectives were to examine parents' perceptions of the care received and the subjective importance of such care. Furthermore, to examine the relationship between parents' sociodemographic characteristics and the perceptions of care quality. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: A random sample of parents of children born in Sweden in 2021 participated. Data were collected by the QPP-CHC questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS: The response rate was 19.4%. The targeted sample size of 210 participants was reached as 584 parents responded to the questionnaire. Parents' overall ratings of care quality at child health centres indicated optimal quality with mean values >3. However, various potential improvements areas were identified as needing additional information. These included dental care (m = 2.82), allergy prevention (m = 2.25), breastfeeding (m = 2.97), sleep (m = 2.83), the child's behaviour (m = 2.47) and the child's crying (m = 2.47). Also, parents rated suboptimal quality regarding that the care was based on healthcare routines rather than parental preferences and needs (m = 2.86). Parents born outside of the Nordic countries rated higher care quality than those born in the Nordic countries, as well as parents with a non-academic education. CONCLUSION: Parents want information based on their preferences and needs. Parent's perceptions of areas for improvement are new and important knowledge for registered nurses at child health centres. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: The findings indicate that parents feel that insufficient attention is given to areas of care that they perceive as important. Parents' perspectives on the care quality at child health centres is an important component of quality work and might lead to improvements in the care quality at child health centres. REPORTING METHOD: The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies (STROBE) checklist for cross-sectional studies was used to guide reporting. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE: The findings of this study suggests that parents feel that insufficient attention is given to areas of care that they perceive as important. Parents' perspectives on the care quality at child health centres provides important knowledge which can guide further development of care quality at child health centres. The findings indicate that a family-centred approach that integrates relational and routine-oriented nursing can be a way to ensure that the care is based on parents' preferences and needs. No patient or public contribution.

Nurses' attitudes to family importance in nursing care: A two-sited cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study aimed to describe nurses' attitudes and beliefs towards the importance of family in nursing care and explore differences in nurses' attitudes and beliefs towards family-centered care between different healthcare institutions, such as community healthcare centers and hospitals. BACKGROUND: Family significantly affects the well-being and health of individuals. Therefore, nurses should support family engagement in nursing care. In recent years, family nursing research has emphasized the importance of teaching family nursing skills in continued education in healthcare institutions. Research has indicated that nurses who believe that illness concerns the family as a whole are more likely to involve the family in patient care. DESIGN: A cross-sectional research design was used. METHOD: Data were collected at one timepoint between March and September 2019 from 425 nurses working at the Primary Health Care Centers of the Capital Area (n=112) and in clinical settings at the University Hospital in Iceland (n=313). RESULTS: The main findings indicated that nurses working in the women-and-child division at the University Hospital reported significantly more positive attitudes towards family evolvement in patient care than nurses working in the intensive care or surgical units. For nurses working at healthcare centers, a significant difference was also found in the nurses' attitudes towards involving families in patient care. The nurses who were working in home care had significantly more positive attitudes when compared to those working in the infant and young children health promotion units. CONCLUSIONS: Greater collaboration is required between healthcare providers and families to improve the quality of care and health-related outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to enhance nurses' knowledge about the importance of families during patient care. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: This study aimed to describe nurses' attitudes and beliefs towards family care. Differences were found between nurse's attitudes by units but not by institutions.

Contents and effectiveness of patient- and family-centred care interventions in adult intensive care units: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The need and values of patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) have been globally increasing in the health care landscape. However, the concept of PFCC and the components in adult intensive care units (ICUs) remain wide-ranging. AIM: To elucidate the core concepts of PFCC interventions and evaluate the effects of the interventions in adult ICUs. STUDY DESIGN: We searched electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, RISS, KMbase and KoreaMed) from inception to 20 June 2022, for all studies on PFCC interventions. Three authors independently conducted data screening and extraction. The core concepts and the effects of PFCC interventions in adult ICUs were examined. The effects of patient- and family-centred care interventions in adult ICUs were examined. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Overall, 3507 records were identified, and 14 full-text articles were assessed. Participants in the included studies were patients and/or their family members in adult ICUs. The main concepts of the studies were participation and information-sharing. Only two studies used collaboration as the main concept of intervention. PFCC interventions have shown positive outcomes for patients, including increased satisfaction, improvement of patient health status and reduced incidence of complications. They have also been beneficial for families, leading to higher satisfaction levels and decreased anxiety. Additionally, these interventions have positively impacted health care providers by enhancing satisfaction and improving rounding efficiency. Moreover, they have influenced health care utilization by decreasing hospital costs and length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights the advantages of PFCC interventions for patients, families and health care providers in adult ICUs. Future research should focus on developing strategies to incorporate collaboration more comprehensively as a core concept in the implementation of PFCC interventions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Future research endeavours must prioritize collaborative efforts involving health care providers, patients and their families by deploying an array of strategies within the intensive care unit setting.

Specialist early parenting intervention: Effectiveness of a novel nurse-led approach for rural families.

BACKGROUND: Rural Australian families report lower access to specialist early parenting services than urban families. To address the early parenting needs of rural families with children aged 0-3, a novel specialist-nursing early parenting service, Tresillian To You, was implemented for five rural communities in New South Wales, Australia. This study aimed to investigate the initial impact and reach of the service. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 36 parents who attended the service. Of these, 34 completed structured pre-and-post intervention phone interviews. Additional data were collected from the parent and child health record. Data were imported into SPSS for descriptive and inferential data analysis. FINDINGS: All parent participants were mothers, with a mean age of 31.5 (SD 4.582). Sleep and settling was the primary reason for referral (78%, n = 28). Following service engagement, statistically significant improvements were seen in parent adjustment (95% CI = -1.71, -0.52, p < .001), parent comprehensibility (95% CI = -1.81, -0.42, p = .003), and parent perception of child sleep (95% CI = 16.3, 34.9, p < .001). Families from non-target communities (n = 15) reported a higher level of need at baseline, compared with families from target rural communities (n = 21). Following service engagement, a similar level of benefit was reported between both groups. DISCUSSION: Preliminary evidence suggests that this new service may be an effective method of providing specialist early parenting intervention for families in rural communities. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The provision of effective nurse-led specialist early child and family interventions may help to alleviate early parenting difficulty for rural families, leading to improvements in child and family outcomes.

Evaluating Satisfaction and Self-Confidence among Nursing Students in Clinical Simulation Learning.

BACKGROUND: Clinical simulation is effective in nursing student education, fostering autonomous learning and critical skill development in safe environments. This method is adaptable to dynamic educational approaches and integrates technology. Satisfaction and self-confidence are key elements in its evaluation. The general objective of this research was to describe the levels of satisfaction and self-confidence among undergraduate nursing students regarding the use of clinical simulation in the field of family and community nursing. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the University of Jaén, Spain, during the 2023/2024 academic year. Data on sociodemographic aspects, satisfaction, and self-confidence were collected using a validated instrument. The statistical analysis included central measures, dispersion, and frequencies, with confidence intervals. RESULTS: The study involved 96 students in scenario 1 (family assessment) and 97 in scenario 2 (family intervention), with the majority being women. In scenario 1, the mean satisfaction score was 4.38 out of 5, and self-confidence was scored 4.44 out of 5. Prior preparation time correlated significantly with higher levels of satisfaction and self-confidence. In scenario 2, the mean scores were slightly higher but not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated high levels of satisfaction and self-confidence among nursing students following clinical simulations. Prior preparation was associated with better outcomes, and the quality of the simulation positively impacted the results.

Competencia emocional y características sociodemográficas y profesionales de las enfermeras / Competência emocionais e características sociodemográficas e profissionais de enfermeiros / Emotional competence and sociodemographic and professional characteristics of nurses

Introducción: En los profesionales de la salud, las habilidades que les permitan lidiar con las emociones propias y ajenas garantizan la calidad de la atención brindada y una relación terapéutica eficaz. Por lo tanto, son fundamentales para los enfermeros, es decir, para aquellos que actúan en las unidades de salud de la familia. Objetivo: Analizar la relación entre la competencia emocional de las enfermeras que trabajan en unidades de salud de la familia en un grupo de centros de salud en el norte de Portugal y sus características sociodemográficas y profesionales. Método: Metodología cuantitativa, de tipo transversal descriptivo-correlacional. Datos recogidos a través de un cuestionario electrónico que constaba de dos partes: características sociodemográficas y profesionales de los participantes y cuestionario de competencia emocional. 66 enfermeras compusieron la muestra. Resultados: Las enfermeras del estudio mostraron altos niveles de competencia emocional (media = 205,1, desviación estándar = 20,9). No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las características sociodemográficas y profesionales y la competencia emocional.Conclusiones: Aunque no está clara la relación entre la competencia emocional y las características sociodemográficas y profesionales, es cierta la importancia de la inteligencia emocional en la práctica asistencial. (AU)

Introdução: Em profissionais de saúde, competências que permitam lidar com as próprias emoções e com as dos outros garantem a qualidade dos cuidados prestados e uma relação terapêutica eficaz. Daí serem fundamentais para enfermeiros, nomeadamente para os que executem funções em unidades de saúde familiares. Objetivo: Analisar a relação entre a competência emocional dos enfermeiros das unidades de saúde familiar de um agrupamento de centros de saúde do norte de Portugal e as suas características sociodemográficas e profissionais. Método: Metodologia quantitativa, do tipo transversal descritivo-correlacional. Dados recolhidos através de um questionário eletrónico que consistia em duas partes: características sociodemográficas e profissionais dos participantes e questionário de competência emocional. 66 enfermeiros compuseram a amostra. Resultados: Os enfermeiros do estudo apresentaram elevados níveis de competência emocional (média = 205,1, desvio padrão = 20,9). Não se evidenciaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as características sociodemográficas e profissionais e a competência emocional. Conclusões: Apesar de não ser clara a relação entre a competência emocional e as características sociodemográficas e profissionais, é certa a importância da inteligência emocional na prática de cuidados. (AU)

Introduction: In health professionals, skills that allow them to deal with their own emotions and those of others guarantee the quality of care provided and an effective therapeutic relationship. Hence, they are fundamental for nurses, namely for those who work in family health units. Objective: To analyze the relationship between the emotional competence of nurses working in family health units in a group of health centers in the north of Portugal and their sociodemographic and professional characteristics.Method: Quantitative methodology, of the transversal descriptive-correlational type. Data collected through an electronic questionnaire that consisted of two parts: sociodemographic and professional characteristics of the participants and emotional competence questionnaire. 66 nurses composed the sample.Results: The nurses in the study showed high levels of emotional competence (mean = 205.1, standard deviation = 20.9). There were no statistically significant differences between sociodemographic and professional characteristics and emotional competence. Conclusions: Although the relationship between emotional competence and sociodemographic and professional characteristics is unclear, the importance of emotional intelligence in care practice is certain. (AU)

Student nurse perceptions of family nursing practices in South Africa: A descriptive survey.

Background: Family nursing practices (FNPs) are gaining momentum in global literature, but the available research has targeted qualified nursing professionals. There are limited studies exploring this phenomenon in undergraduate student nurses in South Africa. Aim: The study aimed at exploring the undergraduate student nurse perceptions of FNPs. Setting: The study was conducted at a selected university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: A descriptive survey design was used to purposively select undergraduate nursing students. The Family Nursing Practice Scale (FNPS) was used to collect data online. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Open ended questions were analysed using content analysis. Results: Out of 154 participants, 77 responded to the questionnaire, translating to a response rate of 50%. Compared with other studies in literature, student nurses rated their overall FNP as being low (M = 3.43, s.d. = 0.99). A further descriptive analysis revealed better FNPs (2.97) for 3rd year compared to 2nd year (3.90) nursing students with significance differences in the means (p < 0.0001). While family conflict, maintaining confidentiality, ill prepared and absent family were challenges experienced in FNP, advantages included obtaining detailed information, ability to plan individualised care and enhanced student nurse-family relationship. Conclusion: A lower critical practice appraisal and lower perceptions of interaction and reciprocity in the nurse-family relationship were identified. There is need for an inclusive curriculum that promotes and advocates for family nursing within the undergraduate programme. Contribution: This study highlights the importance of teaching family nursing to undergraduate student nurses.

Nurse-mother communication and support: Perceptions of mothers in neonatal units.

Introduction: Having a hospitalized neonate is a stressful experience for parents, especially mothers. Thus, in recent years, a paradigm shift occurred in the neonatal units, focusing on the needs of parents and supporting them in addition to caring for neonates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nurse-mother communication and support in neonatal units in Bushehr, Iran. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in neonatal units of 6 hospitals in Bushehr, Iran, in 2022. Using the census method, all eligible mothers who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Data collection tools included demographic information form, nurse-parent support tool and nurse-parent communication questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS version 24 using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation test. Results: The total mean score of nurse-parent support tool was 3.72 ± 0.72 and the total mean score of nurse-parent communication questionnaire was 59/27 ± 12/82. Caregiving support had the highest mean score (4.07 ± 73 0.73) and emotional support had the lowest (3.42 ± 91 0.91). Also, a statistically significant difference was seen between the admitted unit variable and the mean score of nurse-mother communication and support. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference between the mechanical ventilation status of the neonate and the mean score of nurse-mother support. A significant positive correlation was seen between the neonatal gestational age and the mean score of nurse-mother communication. Conclusions: The total mean score of nurse-parent support and communication was moderate. Therefore, nursing support and communication need to be improved. Planning is needed to enhance the role of neonatal nurses and strengthen their support and communication skills in line with the family-centered care approach.