Focus and trends in nurse advocacy in the Pan American Health Region: a bibliometric analysis.

OBJECTIVE: this study examined scholarly output relating to nursing advocacy contributions toward influencing policy by authors in countries of the Pan American Health Organization. METHOD: the study utilizes a bibliographic analysis of papers indexed in Scopus authored by PAHO member state scholars. VOSviewer conducted coauthor and cooccurrence analysis to generate visualizations of the relationships between authors, countries of origin and keywords. RESULTS: 7,773 papers with 21,523 authors met the inclusion criteria. An increase of publications on policy starting in 1962 was found. Co-authorship identified a fragile relationships structure with few authors bridging networks of collaboration. By country of origin, 22 of 35 member states contributed to policy literature; 17 in a connected network and 5 contributing but neither connected to peers nor other member states. Keyword analysis identified 20 specific data clusters. CONCLUSION: our findings are aligned with the Nursing Now Campaign. This bibliographic analysis provides an important benchmark into current policy advocacy activity in PAHO against which future progress in the region can be assessed. There is scope for greater collaboration amongst authors and this could be targeted toward engagement of nurses in member states not-yet or only partially active in this space.

Focus and trends in nurse advocacy in the Pan American Health Region: a bibliometric analysis / Foco e tendências no ativismo do enfermeiro na Região Pan-Americana da Saúde: uma análise bibliométrica / Enfoque y tendencias en la defensa de la Enfermería en la Región Panamericana de Salud: un análisis bibliométrico

Objective: this study examined scholarly output relating to nursing advocacy contributions toward influencing policy by authors in countries of the Pan American Health Organization. Method: the study utilizes a bibliographic analysis of papers indexed in Scopus authored by PAHO member state scholars. VOSviewer conducted coauthor and cooccurrence analysis to generate visualizations of the relationships between authors, countries of origin and keywords. Results: 7,773 papers with 21,523 authors met the inclusion criteria. An increase of publications on policy starting in 1962 was found. Co-authorship identified a fragile relationships structure with few authors bridging networks of collaboration. By country of origin, 22 of 35 member states contributed to policy literature; 17 in a connected network and 5 contributing but neither connected to peers nor other member states. Keyword analysis identified 20 specific data clusters. Conclusion: our findings are aligned with the Nursing Now Campaign. This bibliographic analysis provides an important benchmark into current policy advocacy activity in PAHO against which future progress in the region can be assessed. There is scope for greater collaboration amongst authors and this could be targeted toward engagement of nurses in member states not-yet or only partially active in this space.

Objetivo: examinar os resultados acadêmicos relacionados às contribuições do ativismo de enfermagem para influenciar políticas de autores em países da Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde. Método: o estudo utiliza uma análise bibliográfica de artigos indexados no Scopus de autoria de estudiosos dos Estados-membros da OPAS. O VOSviewer conduziu análises de coautor e de co-ocorrência para gerar visualizações das relações entre autores, países de origem e palavras-chave. Resultados: 7.773 artigos com 21.523 autores preencheram os critérios de inclusão. Foi encontrado um aumento de publicações sobre políticas a partir de 1962. Na coautoria, identificou-se uma estrutura de relacionamento frágil com poucos autores conectados em redes de colaboração. Por país de origem, 22 dos 35 Estados-membros contribuíram para a literatura sobre políticas; 17 estavam em uma rede conectada e cinco contribuíam, mas não estavam conectados a colegas nem a outros Estados-membros. A análise de palavras-chave identificou 20 agrupamentos de dados específicos. Conclusão: nossas descobertas estão alinhadas com a Campanha Nursing Now(Enfermagem Agora) e essa análise bibliográfica fornece uma referência importante para a atual atividade de ativismo político na OPAS, em relação à qual o progresso futuro na região pode ser avaliado. Observa-se a possibilidade de maior colaboração entre autores e isso pode ser direcionado ao envolvimento de enfermeiros nos Estados-membros que ainda não participam ou participam apenas parcialmente nesse espaço.

Objetivo: este estudio examinó producciones académicas relacionadas con aportes a la defensa de la Enfermería con vistas a influenciar las políticas a cargo de autores que viven en países de la Organización Panamericana de Salud. Método: en el estudio se emplea un análisis bibliográfico de trabajos indexados en Scopus con autoría de académicos de los Estados Miembro de la OPS. En VOSviewer se realizó un análisis de co-autoría y co-aparición para generar visualizaciones de las relaciones entre autores, países de origen y palabras clave. Resultados: 7.773 trabajos de 21.523 autores cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Se descubrió un aumento en la cantidad de publicaciones sobre políticas desde 1962. En cuanto a la co-autoría se identificó una estructura de relaciones frágil en la cual pocos autores participaban en redes de colaboración. Por país de origen, 22 de 35 Estados Miembro aportaron a la literatura sobre políticas; 17 en una red conectada y 5 con aportes pero no conectados a colegas ni a otros Estados Miembro. En el análisis de palabras clave se identificaron 20 agrupamientos de datos específicos. Conclusión: nuestros hallazgos se condicen con la Campaña Nursing Now (La Enfermería hoy); este análisis bibliográfico proporciona un importante punto de referencia sobre la actividad actual de defensa de las políticas en la OPS con respecto al cual se podrá evaluar el progreso a futuro en la región. Se dispone de buen campo para una mayor colaboración entre autores y esto podría dirigirse a la participación activa de las enfermeras de los países miembro que todavía no participan activamente en este espacio, o que solo lo hacen en forma parcial.

Using bibliometrics to support revalidation requirements.

Bibliometrics is a method of statistically analysing written works, including books and journal articles. It can be used to measure an academic article's value, the importance of individual authors or academic research, and the productivity of authors, institutions or departments. Aim To explore how bibliometrics can assist nurse academics in providing documented evidence to meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC's) revalidation requirements. Method The author's publication history was used to demonstrate how nurse academics can use bibliometrics to provide evidence of their continuing professional development (CPD). A standard search using bibliographic software provided data on the author's h-index, a summary of his year-by-year citations and details of the journals where his work was published. Data were subjected to a co-word and multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Results Data were identified on the number of articles, the journals in which they were published, and the thematic focus of the author's academic work. Four themes were identified from the co-word analysis: nursing and health policy; global influence and change; regulatory research; and leadership and social network analysis. Comparing these results with the revalidation requirements set by the NMC demonstrated the potential for using bibliometrics as a source of CPD evidence. Conclusion Bibliometrics is compatible with the NMC's revalidation requirements and provides a valid means of assisting nurse academics to complete their revalidation portfolios.

How nurse leaders are connected internationally.

AIM: To determine whether communication networks exist in a diverse and competitively selected cohort of nurse leaders, and to identify variables that explain any patterns of connection. METHOD: Twenty seven nurse leaders completed a form to ascertain the presence and strength of communication between participants. Data were analysed using social network analysis, generating a visualisation of the network and associated quantitative measures. RESULTS: Participants were poorly connected. Those connections that did exist centred on geographic proximity and participation in regional and global bodies. CONCLUSION: These results help improve understanding of how nurse leaders are connected internationally, and prompt inquiry in to how connections might be strengthened.

The relationship between functional inhibition and binding for K(Ca)2 channel blockers.

Small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (KCa2.1,2.2,2.3) are blocked with high affinity by both peptide toxins (e.g. apamin) and small molecule blockers (e.g. UCL 1848). In electrophysiological experiments, apamin shows subtype selectivity with IC50s of ∼100 pM and ∼1 nM for block KCa2.2 and KCa2.3 respectively. In binding studies, however, apamin appears not to discriminate between KCa2.2 and 2.3 and is reported to have a significantly higher (∼20-200-fold) affinity (∼5 pM). This discrepancy between binding and block has been suggested to reflect an unusual mode of action of apamin. However, these binding and electrophysiological block experiments have not been conducted in the same ionic conditions, so it is also possible that the discrepancy arises simply because of differences in experimental conditions. We have now examined this latter possibility. Thus, we measured (125)I-apamin binding to intact HEK 293 cells expressing KCa2 channels under the same ionic conditions (i.e. normal physiological conditions) that we also used for current block measurements. We find that binding and block experiments agree well if the same ionic conditions are used. Further, the binding of apamin and other blockers showed subtype selectivity when measured in normal physiological solutions (e.g.(125)I-apamin bound to KCa2.2 with K L 91±40 pM and to KCa2.3 with K L 711±126 pM, while inhibiting KCa2.2 current at IC50 103±2 pM). We also examined KCa2 channel block in Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) free solutions that mimic conditions reported in the literature for binding experiments. Under these (non-physiological) conditions the IC50 for apamin block of KCa2.2 was reduced to 20±3 pM. Our results therefore suggest that the apparent discrepancy between blocking and binding reported in the literature can be largely accounted for by the use of non-physiological ionic conditions in binding experiments.