Student nurse education and preparation for palliative care: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organisation and palliative care stakeholders recommend that healthcare workers are educated in palliative care. Provision of high-quality palliative care is fundamental to nursing practice. However, caring for palliative care patients and meeting family needs is challenging without appropriate knowledge and experience. Palliative care education and clinical skill development for undergraduate student nurses is a priority to ensure graduate nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skill to deliver safe and competent care. METHODS: A scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework was used to identify undergraduate student nurses' palliative care education and preparation. A comprehensive literature search of five electronic databases and grey literature were conducted from January 2002 to December 2021. The aim was to review the empirical evidence and ascertain how undergraduate student nurses' palliative care education is organised, facilitated, delivered and evaluated. Screening was performed independently by two reviewers against eligibility criteria with meetings to discuss included papers and form a consensus. Data was extracted and related to palliative care undergraduate student nurses' education, educational model, methodology, key findings, and recommendations. Analysed and summarised data was mapped onto the four key review questions (educational models utilised, methods used to assess effectiveness, facilitators/barriers and gaps in the literature). RESULTS: 34 papers met the criteria for this review. The review highlights that undergraduate nursing palliative care education is more evident in high income countries. Limited and diverse published research existing in low- and middle-income countries. Educational models utilised were theoretical and experiential learning and educational process, early integration and multiple learning methods which were highlighted as facilitating factors. However, crowded curricula, lack of palliative care clinical placement expertise, difficulty providing clinical placement, timing and delivery of palliative care and difficulty responding to simulated environments (manikins) were perceived barriers. Nevertheless, palliative care education can increase knowledge, positive attitude, self-confidence and adequate preparation of undergraduate student nurses. CONCLUSION: This review highlights that there is limited research regarding the timing and delivery of palliative care principles and practice in undergraduate student nurse education. Early integration of palliative care education impacts upon students perceived preparedness for practice and positively influences their attitudes to palliative care provision.

Metal Contamination and Health Risks in West African Mud Creeper (Tympanotonos fuscatus var radula) from Abule-Agele Creek, Nigeria.

This study assessed the seasonal distribution of trace metals in soft tissues of Tympanotonos fuscatus var radula, surrounding water, and sediment of Abule-Agege Creek in Southwest Nigeria. A non-significant variation (p > 0.05) in water physicochemical parameters occurred across wet and dry seasons. Metallic contamination (Copper, zinc, mercury, chromium, lead and cadmium) was found to be higher in T. fuscatus var radula than in water, and the sediment serves as a large depository of these trace metals. In this gastropod, the ability of metal accumulation from water (Bio-water accumulation) was higher than that from sediment (Bio-sediment accumulation). In addition, the linear regression models revealed positive relationship between tissue and sediment concentrations of lead and cadmium for both seasons. The estimated daily intake of investigated metals for both seasons was lower than the oral reference dose, while the target hazard quotient and total hazard index of individual metals were both less than 1, meaning that T. fuscatus var radula from the study region posed no health risk.