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BACKGROUND: As the aging population grows, facing multifaceted health challenges and escalating care costs, equipping newly graduated nurses with the requisite skills for high-quality gerontogeriatric care becomes crucial. This study assesses the psychometric properties of a Gerontogeriatric Competency (GGC) scale to evaluate the competencies of newly graduated registered nurses (RNs). METHODS: Using a convenience sampling approach, a nationwide, observational prospective cohort study was conducted among 272 newly graduated RNs. The evaluation framework included a sociodemographic questionnaire, three groups of questions targeting gerontogeriatric nursing education aspects, and the GGC scale, with 64 competencies. Construct validity (via confirmatory factor analysis), known-group validity and reliability (assessed by Cronbach's α) were examined. RESULTS: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed an adequate index fit: the ratio of chi-square to degrees of freedom (χ2/df) = 2.785, the goodness-of-fit index (GFI) = 0.579, confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0.864, the parsimony goodness-of-fit index (PGFI) = 0.526, the parsimony confirmatory-of-fit index (PCFI) = 0.809, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.087, and the modified expected cross-validation index (MECVI) = 24.418. Differences were observed in gerontogeriatric competencies based on curriculum inclusion, self-confidence, knowledge in caring for older adults, and satisfaction with the nursing program content. The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.992 for the overall scale and ranged from 0.935 to 0.983 for the GGC dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The GGC scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the gerontogeriatric competencies of new graduate RNs, highlighting its potential to enhance education, training, and, ultimately, the quality of care provided to the older population.
RESUMEN
No âmbito do 4º Mestrado em Enfermagem com Especialização em Gestão de Unidades de Saúde, da Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre, o presente relatório pretende apresentar um documento reflexivo sobre a aquisição e o desenvolvimento de competências na área da gestão de unidades de saúde, em âmbito de estágio. O estágio decorreu na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Dr. Emílio Moreira da Unidade Local do Norte Alentejano, no período de Outubro de 2015 a Fevereiro de 2016. Foi aplicada a metodologia de projeto, tendo desenvolvido no decorrer do estágio o Trabalho de Projeto Avaliação da Carga de Trabalho de Enfermagem na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Dr. Emílio Moreira em Portalegre. Os enfermeiros desempenham funções muito importantes na área da gestão dos recursos e dos cuidados, em unidades de cuidados intensivos. Uma dessas funções consiste em avaliar o índice de gravidade dos doentes internados e a carga de trabalho de enfermagem através do Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28. Neste sentido tornou-se pertinente o estudo retrospetivo da carga de trabalho na UCIDEM, por forma a otimizar a utilização do instrumento de gestão implementado e propor melhorias no âmbito da dotação dos enfermeiros. Concluiu-se, principalmente, que: em relação ao Índice de Enfermeiros e Score TISS, verificaram-se variações acentuadas, quer na necessidade de trabalho de enfermagem quer na gravidade dos doentes, durante 365 dias; comparando a média anual de TISS obtida com o diagnóstico atual da situação na UCIDEM, existe uma dotação desfasada de acordo com o que foi medido pelo TISS; e que a carga de trabalho dos enfermeiros não é distribuída equitativamente pelos turnos.
Under the 4th Master in Nursing with specialization in Health Services Management, of the School of Health Sciences at the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, this report aims to present a reflective paper on the acquisition and development of skills in management, of health units, during an internship. This internship was held in the Intensive Care Unit Dr. Emilio Moreira of the Unidade Local do Norte Alentejano, in the period of October 2015 to February 2016. The design of Project methodology was applied, having developed during the internship the Nursing Workload Assessment Project in the Intensive Care Unit Dr. Emilio Moreira in Portalegre. Nurses perform very important functions in the management of resources and care, in intensive care units. One of these functions is to assess the severity index of patients admitted and the workload of nursing through the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System-28. In this sense it has become pertinent this retrospective study in the UCIDEM in order to optimize the use of the implemented management tool and propose improvements within the allocation of nurses according to the workload. The conclusion is mainly that: regarding nurses Index and TISS Scores, there were marked variations either in the need of nursing work, whether in the severity of critical illness of the patients, in a period of 365 days; comparing the average annual score TISS obtained with the current diagnosis of the situation in the UCIDEM, there is an offset allocation of nursing resources according to what has been measured by TISS; and that the workload of nurses, presently, is not distributed equally among the shifts.