Development of a European Centre of Excellence (Coe) for Research in Continuing Professional Development (UPGRADE).

The European Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Research in Continuing Professional Development (UPGRADE) is a pan-European network of researchers, clinicians, regulators, educators, and professional bodies, established in 2020 through a consensus group of experts, who defined its mission, vision, values, aims and objectives. The Centre's aim is to advance the science of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for healthcare professionals through research and dissemination of best practices for CPD. Debate among UPGRADE partners and interchange of research data will yield best practices across countries to optimise quality CPD programmes. Collaboration, information exchange and communication among CPD experts will be facilitated through UPGRADE via an online Community of Inquiry (CoI). UPGRADE aims to evolve as a driving force network of academics and health professional leaders in research, education, professional regulation, and clinical practice whose collaborative work ensures quality and safe person-centred care. UPGRADE members are from 22 European countries, represented by strategic leaders in diverse sectors of health, policy, academia, and professional organisations. Three research-working groups constitute the pillars of UPGRADE, which addresses gaps in research, collect and create critical databases, and solidify the effectiveness of CPD.

Informed consent, genomic research and mental health: A integrative review.

BACKGROUND: Research on genomics has increased while the biobank activities are becoming more common in different countries. In the mental health field, the questions concerning the potential participants' vulnerability as well as capacity to give the informed consent can cause reluctancy in recruiting persons with mental health problems, although the knowledge and understanding of mental health problems has remarkable changed, and practice is guided with inclusive approaches, such as recovery approach. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the current knowledge of informed consent practices in the context of genomic research on mental health from the nurses' viewpoint. METHODS: An integrative review was conducted with search from seven international databases. Data consist 14 publications which were analyzed with thematic analysis. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Ethical requirements were respected in every phase of the research process. FINDINGS: Most of the papers were published in USA and between 2000-2010. Eight reports were categorized as discussion papers, four qualitative studies and one quantitative study. The thematic analysis provided information on five themes: complexity with the capacity to consent, mixed emotions towards participation, factors influencing the decision to participate, nurses' informed consent process competence and variations between consent procedures. DISCUSSION: In the informed consent practices, there are various aspects which may affect both the willingness to participate in the study and the informed consent process itself. Implications for practice, education, research, and policies are discussed. CONCLUSION: There is a need for more updated international research on the topic in the context of different international and national guidelines, legislation, and directives. This study provided a viewpoint to the more collaborative research activities with people with lived experiences also in this field of research following the ideas of recovery approach.

Master's level mental health nursing competencies, a prerequisite for equal health among service users in mental health care.

PURPOSE: This discussion paper aims to explore the need of a clarified definition of master's level mental health nursing competencies in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes in a European context. Mental health service users have, in spite of their right to equal overall health, higher rates of physical illness and are more likely to experience premature death than the general population. Implementation of a holistic concept of health comprising mental, physical and social aspects of health in mental health services has previously proved to be challenging. METHODS: Master's level mental health nursing competencies in recent literature are discussed and illuminated in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes in order to enable the promotion of equal overall health among service users in mental health services. RESULTS: The discussion show contents, values and utility of master's level mental health nursing competencies in mental health services and contribute to reduced role ambiguity by distinguishing master's level responsibilities from undergraduate nursing tasks and obligations of other professionals in mental health care. CONCLUSION: This discussion paper shapes implications for developments in master's level mental health nursing education curricula.

Advancing the knowledge, skills and attitudes of mental health nurses working with families and caregivers: A critical review of the literature.

Involving and supporting the family members and caregivers of people with mental illness is essential to high-quality mental health services. However, literature suggests that there is a lack of engagement between family members and mental health nurses (MHNs). Lack of knowledge among MHNs is often cited as one of the main reasons for this lack of engagement. The aim of this review was to explore the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by MHNs to enable to them to work more effectively with families affected by mental illness. A literature based critical review was used to access and review 35 papers in order to extract concepts that could inform the design of eLearning materials to assist MHNs advance their knowledge in this area. Two overarching themes were identified; 'Mental health problems and the family' and 'Working with the family'. From these themes, the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to work more effectively with families are described. The findings from this review provide a descriptive account of the knowledge skills and attitudes that are required for effective family work. In addition, the review provides an empirical foundation for education programmes in the area.

Preparing master-level mental health nurses to work within a wellness paradigm: Findings from the eMenthe project.

Mental health promotion remains an important component of mental health nursing practice. Supporting wellness at both the individual and societal levels has been identified as one of the key tenets of mental health promotion. However, the prevailing biomedical paradigm of mental health education and practice has meant that many nurses have not been equipped to incorporate a wellness perspective into their mental health practice. In the present study, we report on an exploratory study which details the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required by master-level mental health nurses to practice within a wellness paradigm from the perspective of three groups of key stakeholders: (i) service users and family members (n = 23); (ii) experienced mental health nurses (n = 49); and (iii) master-level mental health nursing students (n = 37). The findings, which were reported from individual and focus group interviews across five European countries, suggested a need to reorientate mental health nursing education to include a focus on wellness and resilience to equip mental health nurses with the skills to work within a strengths-based, rather than a deficits-based, model of mental health practice. Key challenges to working within a wellness paradigm were identified as the prevailing dominance of the biomedical model of cause and treatment of mental health problems, which focusses on symptoms, rather than the holistic functioning of the individual, and positions the person as passive in the nurse-service user relationship.

Working with Families Affected by Mental Distress: Stakeholders' Perceptions of Mental Health Nurses Educational Needs.

Family and informal caregivers provide a substantial amount of care and support to people who experience mental health problems. The aim of this study was to explore mental health nurses', students' and service users' perceptions of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by mental health nurses to work with families and carers using a qualitative methodology. Three themes emerged from the data: Knowledge of the family and how mental distress affects the family; working with the family - support and education; and valuing the role of the family. The three themes demonstrate the complexity of preparing mental health nurses to work with families and carers, and the article offers recommendations about how this might be achieved.

Applicability of acceptance and commitment therapy-based mobile app in depression nursing.

Due to the high burden of depression, new models and methods of mental healthcare need to be developed. Prior research has shown the potential benefits of using technology tools such as mobile apps as self-help or combined with psychological treatment. Therefore, professionals should acquaint themselves with evidence-based apps to be able to use them with clients and guide the clients in their use. The purpose of this study was to explore how an acceptance and commitment therapy-based mobile app was perceived as a self-management tool among nurses, and how it could be applied in the prevention and treatment of depression and other mental health issues. Sixteen Finnish nurses undergoing depression nurse specialist education used the app for 5 weeks and participated in semistructured focus group interviews. Interviews were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. In general, the nurses found the app suitable as a self-management tool and identified three models of using it in clinical practice. Having used the app personally, the nurses were eager to take it into use with various client groups, especially in occupational health but also in the treatment of mental health problems. However, they also raised concerns about the effort needed in familiarizing oneself with the content and pointed out specific client groups for whom the benefits of the app should be carefully weighed against the potential risks. Despite the small sample size, the findings suggest that involving technology tools as part of the nurses' education could ease their adoption in clinical practice. The degree of professional support in the app use should be aligned to the severity of the mental health problems.

From the rhetoric to the real: A critical review of how the concepts of recovery and social inclusion may inform mental health nurse advanced level curricula - The eMenthe project.

OBJECTIVES: This critical review addresses the question of how the concepts of recovery and social inclusion may inform mental health nurse education curricula at Master's level in order to bring about significant and positive change to practice. DESIGN: This is a literature-based critical review incorporating a rapid review. It has been said that if done well, this approach can be highly relevant to health care studies and social interventions, and has substantial claims to be as rigorous and enlightening as other, more conventional approaches to literature (Rolfe, 2008). DATA SOURCES: In this review, we have accessed contemporary literature directly related to the concepts of recovery and social inclusion in mental health. REVIEW METHODS: We have firstly surveyed the international literature directly related to the concepts of recovery and social inclusion in mental health and used the concept of emotional intelligence to help consider educational outcomes in terms of the required knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to promote these values-based approaches in practice. RESULTS: A number of themes have been identified that lend themselves to educational application. International frameworks exist that provide some basis for the developments of recovery and social inclusion approaches in mental health practice, however the review identifies specific areas for future development. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first article that attempts to scope the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to deliver education for Master's level mental health nurses based upon the principles of recovery and social inclusion. Emotional intelligence theory may help to identify desired outcomes especially in terms of attitudinal development to promote the philosophy of recovery and social inclusive approaches in advanced practice. Whilst recovery is becoming enshrined in policy, there is a need in higher education to ensure that mental health nurse leaders are able to discern the difference between the rhetoric and the reality.

Patient characteristics and diagnostic discrepancy in first-episode psychosis.

Despite the operational criteria in diagnostic systems there is still marked diversity between clinical and research diagnoses in populations with psychotic disorders. The objective of the current study was to explore the association of patient-related factors with diagnostic agreement between clinical diagnoses and Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN-2) diagnoses in first-episode psychosis. The sample included 80 consecutive patients. As explanatory variables we used demographic characteristics (gender, age, living circumstances, education, and social activities), measures of psychopathology (Positive and Negative Symptom scale [PANSS], Hamilton Depression Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale [GAF], and Strauss-Carpenter Scale), duration of untreated psychosis, and diagnostic category according to SCAN-2 interview. The overall agreement value between the clinical and research diagnoses was 0.55 (kappa). In the whole sample low scores on the PANSS negative subscale, low level of education, and high score on the PANSS item for delusions predicted diagnostic discrepancy. Acute and transient psychotic disorder as a research diagnosis predicted diagnostic agreement. In the schizophrenia group, young age and lack of social activities predicted diagnostic agreement. Bivariate comparisons of treatment compliance, perceived medication side effects, or negative attitudes towards treatment showed no associations with diagnostic agreement. The results confirm some of the findings in the few previous studies. The diagnosis of schizophrenia is likely to be delayed and there is a need for further education with clinicians in recognizing the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Indicators of medication compliance in first-episode psychosis.

Compliance behaviour is a multi-factorial phenomenon. In psychotic patients, it includes patient-related, medication-related, and environmental components. Compliance is a crucial factor in relation to outcome. The aim of this study was to explore indicators of compliance in a sample of 59 patients with a first-onset psychosis during their initial phase of treatment. Dependent variables in the logistic regression analysis included predictions made by the patients about their compliance in the initial phase and the observed compliance during the first 3 months according to patient record data. Explanatory variables comprised age, sex, living situation, education and social activities, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score, Hamilton Depression Scale score, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale score, Strauss-Carpenter Outcome Scale score, self-rated side effects, and insight and treatment-related variables. Predictions made by the patients about their compliance were determined by their self-rated attitude and insight measures. Determinants of observed non-compliance included experienced harmful side effects, male sex, lack of social activities, low score on PANSS positive symptoms, high PANSS total score and young age. The duration of untreated psychosis was not associated with compliance. Indicators of compliance in first-episode psychosis resemble those in the overall psychotic population. During the acute phase of psychosis, insight and attitudes toward treatment are the sole determinants of the patients' prediction of compliance.