Growing the Next Generation of Nurse Leaders: A Report of the Process and Outcomes of the Midwest Nursing Research Society Leadership Academy.

BACKGROUND: Leadership development, career advancement, and collaboration among scholars are essential to nurturing nursing research excellence and sustainability. The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) has incorporated several strategies to advance nursing science and to increase the pool of future nurse leaders. In this article, we describe the process, activities, and outcomes of the Leadership Academy (LA), an innovative initiative from MNRS developed to identify, engage, and nurture future generations of leaders. METHODS: For the LA 2022 to 2023 period, the MNRS leaders selected a cohort of 5 nurse scholars and engaged them in activities to develop, enhance, and advance their leadership skills. By following the LA purposes, the cohort participated in monthly meetings with MNRS leaders, received individual mentoring sessions, assessed strengths and areas for further development, attended seminars, participated in a book club, and implemented a cohort project that focused on the promotion and support of early career scholars. RESULTS: Outcomes showed increased knowledge about organizational governance, direction, and resource development; leadership confidence culminating with leadership positions inside and outside MNRS; career development plans; engagement with board members, and enhanced networking. Moreover, the cohort members planned and executed a well-attended conference special session that engaged a large group of scholars to discuss challenges and opportunities for career development at the MNRS Annual Conference. CONCLUSION: The MNRS LA is a thriving organizational initiative that promotes engagement and leadership skills development thereby increasing the pool of candidates confidently prepared to lead the nursing profession.

The role of the dually certified primary care/psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in treating high-needs/high-cost patients.

ABSTRACT: National nursing organizations have called for nurses to provide leadership in care solutions for high-cost/high-needs vulnerable populations. In response to this call, important modifications are emerging in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, including an increasing number of nurses pursuing dual certification in primary care and psychiatric mental health or primary care nurse practitioners returning for a postgraduate certificate in psychiatric mental health. This innovative role warrants examination, particularly because it relates to high-needs/high-cost patients such as those with serious mental illness (SMI). This article highlights two aspects of the role of the primary care/psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PC/PMHNP): one, to provide a vision of the PC/PMHNP as a unique solution for optimal care of vulnerable patients and two, to demonstrate potential contributions of the PC/PMHNP to the larger health care system. A case exemplar is used to illustrate role contributions of the PC/PMHNP in a high-needs/high-cost patient with SMI and complex co-occurring physical illness. Three capacities of the PC/PMHNP are discussed: depth and breath, expert engagement and rapport building, and full patient-centered care and flexibility. The case exemplar emphasizes the PC/PMHNP value through transitions across care settings and where gaps in service frequently occur. The impact of the PC/PMHNP on improved patient outcomes, patient and provider satisfaction, and cost savings are explored.

Development of a Medication Management Program in Permanent Supportive Housing.

We describe a nurse-led project that aimed to assist a permanent supportive housing facility for chronically homeless individuals to improve medication adherence by refining a medication management program. Client and staff engagement through needs assessment, feedback, and evaluation formed the foundation for a sustainable medication management program.

Advances in geropsychiatric nursing: A decade in review.

This article provides a brief overview of the early development of geropsychiatric nursing (GPN) as background for examining its advancement subsequent to the 2010 Future of Nursing (FON) Report. The FON's education, practice and leadership recommendations form the three pillars that have supported geropsychiatric nursing's continuing evolution, framed within a practice and policy perspective. Lessons learned are relevant to developing the next phase of FON recommendations. The importance of overcoming challenges faced by the field of GPN is supported by the aging global population, the directions of nursing as a discipline, and the clear necessity of an intra- and inter-professional approach to mental health and aging.

Research Priorities in Family Caregiving: Process and Outcomes of a Conference on Family-Centered Care Across the Trajectory of Serious Illness.

The number of older adults living with functional decline and serious illness is growing exponentially at a time when availability of both family and professional caregivers is strained. Achieving optimal outcomes for this vulnerable population involves advancing the knowledge needed to improve the quality of care delivered by families, health professionals, and community programs. Recent reports from National Institute of Health and the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine have called for the identification of gaps in key areas of family caregiving intervention research. In March 2018, the Family Caregiving Institute at UC Davis convened an invitational meeting of over 50 thought leaders in family caregiving-representing service agencies, funding organizations, and academia-to participate in the Research Priorities in Caregiving Summit: Advancing Family-Centered Care across the Trajectory of Serious Illness. Using an iterative process, attendees identified the top 10 research priorities and created research priority statements that incorporated a definition of the priority topic, rationale for the priority; problem(s) to address; priority population(s); and example research topics. The research priority statements serve as a roadmap for research development that will address the most significant gaps in the caregiving field.

Application of the Integrated Behavioral Model to oral self-care behavior of community-dwelling middle-aged and older people in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the Integrated Behavioral Model and examined oral self-care behavior of community-dwelling middle-aged and older people. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. SAMPLE: Purposive sampling was employed to recruit middle and older age community-dwelling individuals, with research locations in public health centers in northern Taiwan. MEASUREMENTS: Structured questionnaires comprised: participant demographics, oral health literacy, oral self-care attitude, self-efficacy, intention, and behavior, and significant others' perceptions and beliefs as well as environmental constraints. The Model verification was evaluated by path analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-three participants (N = 263) completed the questionnaire survey. Results identified significant direct effects of the independent variables of oral health care literacy, intention of oral self-care, and perception of environmental constraints on the dependent variable of oral self-care behavior; and significant indirect effects on attitude of oral self-care, perception of significant other beliefs, self-efficacy of oral self-care. CONCLUSION: Public health nurses work with the whole community and can potentially improve the oral self-care behavior of middle-aged and older adults by enhancing their oral health knowledge, maintaining their positive attitudes, assisting acceptance of recognition and support from others, increasing their ability to perform oral self-care, reducing environmental constraints, and thereby enhancing their oral self-care awareness.

Taking Another Look: Thoughts on Behavioral Symptoms in Dementia and Their Measurement.

This article proposes taking another look at behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSDs) both from a theoretical perspective that informs research and practice and from a measurement perspective. We discuss why this rethinking of behaviors impacts current models of care and our ability to better detect outcomes from interventions. We propose that BSDs be viewed from a pattern perspective and provide some suggestions for how to identify and measure these patterns that can influence the timing and type of intervention. Evidence suggests that BSDs are complex, sequential, patterned clusters of behavior recurring repeatedly in the same individual and escalate significantly without timely intervention. However, BSDs are frequently viewed as separate behaviors rather than patterns or clusters of behaviors, a view that affects current research questions as well as the choice, timing, and outcomes of interventions. These symptoms cause immense distress to persons with the disease and their caregivers, trigger hospitalizations and nursing home placement, and are associated with increased care costs. Despite their universality and that symptoms manifest across disease etiologies and stages, behaviors tend to be underrecognized, undertreated, and overmanaged by pharmacological treatments that may pose more harm than benefit.

Measurement of Nursing Home Culture Change: Systematic Review.

Nursing home culture change (NHCC) aims to change the way care is provided in nursing homes. Valid and reliable measures are needed to evaluate the impact of NHCC on outcomes. The current systematic review provides an overview of instruments designed to measure NHCC and criteria for others to evaluate and choose instruments according to their own purpose. Ten instruments were identified that measure NHCC on an organizational level. Lack of development description hindered their assessment, and studies examining the relationship between NHCC and outcomes are rare. A common limitation of the instruments reviewed was the lack of psychometric testing; thus, their validity and reliability need further exploration. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018; 11(2):103-112.].

Outcomes of a Two-Component Intervention on Behavioral Symptoms in Persons With Dementia and Symptom Response in Their Caregivers.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the longitudinal influence of an individualized evidence-based psychoeducational intervention for caregivers on frequency of behavioral symptoms in persons with dementia (PWD) and caregiver reaction to these symptoms. The intervention included information about the disease process using Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) content and a family meeting based on Mittelman's New York University Intervention. METHOD: A quasi-experimental study design was implemented. The Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist was administered to N = 127 caregiver/care recipient dyads at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months follow-up. All caregivers were enrolled in the intervention at baseline and followed over 18 months. Linear mixed models were developed to evaluate effects on frequency of behavioral symptoms in PWD and caregiver response. RESULTS: The most frequently occurring behavior was memory problems, although depressive behaviors produced the most negative caregiver responses. Between baseline and 6-month follow-up, there was a significant decrease in frequency of behavioral symptoms. Overall, there was a significant decrease in caregiver's reaction to behavioral symptoms from baseline to 18-month follow-up.

Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice: Revisions and Validation.

BACKGROUND: The Iowa Model is a widely used framework for the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP). Changes in health care (e.g., emergence of implementation science, emphasis on patient engagement) prompted the re-evaluation, revision, and validation of the model. METHODS: A systematic multi-step process was used capturing information from the literature and user feedback via an electronic survey and live work groups. The Iowa Model Collaborative critically assessed and synthesized information and recommendations before revising the model. RESULTS: Survey participants (n = 431) had requested access to the Model between years 2001 and 2013. Eighty-eight percent (n = 379) of participants reported using the Iowa Model and identified the most problematic steps as: topic priority, critique, pilot, and institute change. Users provided 587 comments with rich contextual rationale and insightful suggestions. The revised model was then evaluated by participants (n = 299) of the 22nd National EBP Conference in 2015. They validated the model as a practical tool for the EBP process across diverse settings. Specific changes in the model are discussed. CONCLUSION: This user driven revision differs from other frameworks in that it links practice changes within the system. Major model changes are expansion of piloting, implementation, patient engagement, and sustaining change. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: The Iowa Model-Revised remains an application-oriented guide for the EBP process. Intended users are point of care clinicians who ask questions and seek a systematic, EBP approach to promote excellence in health care.

Psychometric Evaluation of Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale.

OBJECTIVES: Standardized measurement of caregiver stress is a component of Medicare's new health care benefit supporting care planning for people with dementia. In this article we identify existing measures of caregiver stress, strain and burden and propose specific criteria for choosing tools that may be suitable for wide use in primary care settings. We reviewed 22 measures and identified one, the Kingston Caregiver Stress Scale (KCSS), which met all the proposed criteria but had not been studied in a U.S. SAMPLE: We conducted a psychometric evaluation of KCSS to determine its potential usefulness as a care planning tool with a U.S. METHODS: We examined the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, component structure, and relationship to depression and anxiety in 227 dementia caregivers at two U.S. sites. RESULTS: The KCSS has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, a strong factor structure, and moderate to high correlations with caregiver depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: KCSS is a good candidate for use as part of comprehensive care planning for people with dementia and their caregivers. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Routine assessment of caregiver stress in clinical care may facilitate timely intervention and potentially improve both patient and caregiver outcomes.