Educating Nursing Students About Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation Using a Standardized Patient in a Virtual Dramatization Simulation.

INTRODUCTION: Female genital cutting/mutilation (FGC/M) is a ritual to remove any or all of the external female genitalia. Educational strategies regarding the teaching of FGC/M for nursing students are scarce. The focus of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a virtual, FGC/M-related dramatization simulation with a standardized patient (SP). METHODS: This educational intervention used an East African immigrant woman as the SP with 35 undergraduate nursing students in two nursing schools in the Midwest United States. RESULTS: Participants appraised the simulation as an effective way to teach and learn about FGC/M. Debriefing was a key part of the simulation. DISCUSSION: Students felt the simulation was novel and engaging for a highly sensitive topic. The SP thought the virtual setting made it more comfortable for her to reveal sensitive facts. The researchers confirmed that the simulation required extensive time commitment to develop, critique, and implement.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and Spouses' Experiences of Persistent Uncertainty.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of spouses whose wives had peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). DESIGN METHODS: Participants were recruited for this phenomenological study through online sites Facebook and SavetheMommies. Fifteen men from four countries participated through semistructured phone interviews conducted between October 2019 and August 2020. Data were analyzed using a modified version of the constant comparison method. RESULTS: The overarching theme of spouses' experiences was Living with the 'what ifs' of persistent uncertainty. Four main themes were: Feeling the shock, Facing the challenge, Figuring out a new normal, and Finding meaning. Spouses had to deal with the fear of their wives' heart failure relapse or death, changed marital and parental roles, and unclear expectations of the future. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: PPCM is a rare complication of pregnancy with uncertain implications for the future that can have a profound impact on the woman's spouse and family. Our findings should alert nurses and other health care professionals to the need for emotional, spiritual, and informational support of spouses or partners of women who have PPCM. Nurses should include spouses and partners in care and communication to make sure they are as informed as possible, have their questions and concerns addressed as needed, and receive adequate follow-up support.

Nursing students' knowledge gained about female genital cutting/mutilation through dramatization simulation with a standardized patient: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Female genital cutting is a culture bound ritual involving excision of the female genitalia. Little is known about nursing students' knowledge and perceptions of female genital cutting and no studies using simulation to teach this topic exist. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a dramatization simulation on nursing students' knowledge about and perceptions of female genital cutting. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental pretest posttest study with a convenience sample. SETTING: Two Bachelor of Nursing schools in Northeast Ohio, United States. PARTICIPANTS: 35 third year undergraduate students. METHODS: Students were divided into an intervention group (n = 14) and a wait list control group (n = 21). The intervention group took a pre-test, did a reading assignment and then attended a virtual, dramatization simulation session with a standardized patient; a Muslim woman with a personal history of female genital cutting. They took the posttest within the next week. The control group took the pretest, did the reading assignment, and then took the posttest, followed by the simulation. The survey instrument used for pretest and posttest was the Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practice Questionnaire on Female Genital Cutting for Healthcare Professionals in the United States. Debriefing was a critical part of the simulation. RESULTS: The knowledge of female genital cutting of the nursing students in the intervention group increased more than that of the students in the control group (change score 3.57 and 2.05 respectively). Students' perceptions of female genital cutting were not significantly changed by intervention type. CONCLUSION: This study was the first of its kind to measure nursing students' knowledge and perceptions about female genital cutting before and after a dramatization simulation. A standardized patient dramatization simulation including focused debriefing may be an effective education strategy to teach nursing students about female genital cutting.

Searching for content on female genital cutting/mutilation in curriculums of U.S. Nursing Schools.

BACKGROUND: Over 500,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk for female genital cutting/mutilation, (FGC/M) because their cultural heritage is from countries where FGC/M is prevalent. Nurses lack knowledge about FGC/M, making them less likely to provide culturally congruent care. Little is known about FGC/M-related information in nursing school curriculums. METHODS: A total of 403 schools of nursing (SONs) responded to an anonymous online survey to identify the extent, placement, and educational approaches regarding FGC/M found in curricular content in nursing schools in the U.S. RESULTS: Fifty-seven percent of respondents did not know if nurses cared for FGC/M-affected women in the region where their nursing school was located. Only 27% of responding schools indicated FGC/M was taught in their curriculums, mostly in undergraduate programs, and primarily during classroom lectures, and rarely by simulation. SONs that were aware that nurses in their region provided care to women and girls at risk for FGC/M were more likely to have content on FGC/M in their curriculums. CONCLUSION: Though respondents indicated that this topic is important to global nursing education, it appears that few U.S. nursing students are learning to provide culturally congruent care to women and girls at risk for FGC/M. It is vital that nurse educators include this topic in appropriate places in the curriculum, so that students learn the unique healthcare needs of this population.

Post-Traumatic Stress, Depression, and Quality of Life in Women with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

PURPOSE: Peripartum cardiomyopathy, a traumatic life-threatening type of heart failure, occurs in the last trimester of pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. Little is known about psychological or emotional conditions women experience with peripartum cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among post-traumatic stress, depression, and quality of life in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional, correlational survey study included 28 participants recruited via public notice on Facebook. Participants completed the Horowitz Impact of Events Scale, the Center for Epidemiology Scale-Depression 20, and the Ferrans & Powers Quality of Life Index-Cardiac Version-IV. RESULTS: Post-traumatic stress correlated significantly and positively with depression (r = .809, p < .001). Post-traumatic stress and depression correlated significantly and inversely with quality of life (r = -.455, p = .015), (r = -.544, p = .003), respectively. All participants measured positive for depression. Participants with lower education scored higher on post-traumatic stress and depression, whereas those unemployed or disabled registered a lower quality of life. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Nurses, midwives, and physicians caring for women with cardiomyopathies must be vigilant for evidence of post-traumatic stress, depression, and poor quality of life. Targeted antenatal and postnatal support could be vital to emotional and psychological recovery.