Effectiveness of interprofessional education for medical and nursing professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes: A systematic review.

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Patient safety is a global health priority as unsafe care is a principal cause of death and disability. Ineffective interprofessional communication and collaboration among nursing and medical professionals and students contribute to unsafe practices. Interprofessional education provides opportunities to strengthen nurse-physician collaboration and enhance patient care. However, there is inconclusive evidence regarding interprofessional education effectiveness. This review aims to systematically evaluate interprofessional education effectiveness for nursing and medical professionals and students on interprofessional educational outcomes (interprofessional attitudes, perceptions, skills, knowledge, behaviours, and organisational and patient outcomes). DESIGN AND METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycInfo, Web of Science were last searched on 13 January 2022. This review included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and mixed-method studies in English examining interprofessional education outcomes among nursing and medical professionals and students. Two reviewers independently appraised studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tools and extracted data using a modified Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction form. Narrative synthesis was conducted instead of meta-analysis since majority of the included studies had quasi-experimental design, and various interventions and outcomes. Certainty of evidence was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations tool. RESULTS: This review included 15 studies involving 1185 participants. Improvements were reported in each interprofessional educational outcome after interprofessional education. High-fidelity simulation with multiple scenarios, standardised communication tools, didactic and active learning methods, theoretical frameworks, debriefing sessions and provider training enhanced interprofessional education effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Effectiveness of interprofessional education for nursing and medical professionals and students was demonstrated since improvements were observed for each interprofessional educational outcome. This systematic review addressed literature gaps, demonstrated effectiveness of interprofessional education in clinical practice and academic curricula and provided evidence-based insights that future research can consider to enhance global patient safety standards for optimal patient outcomes and quality of healthcare. Caution is advised in interpreting findings due to 'very low' evidence certainty and limited studies. More high-quality randomised controlled trials with longitudinal designs are needed.

Predicting suicide and suicide attempts in adults in acute hospitals: A systematic review of diagnostic accuracy evaluating risk scales.

BACKGROUND: Prediction of suicide and suicide attempts is an aspirational goal for clinicians and policy makers. This requires scrutiny of various diagnostic accuracy measurements. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of suicide risk scales in inpatient and emergency departments, and combined settings within hospitals, and consider the best scale in predicting suicide and suicide attempts in adults. DESIGN: Systematic review of diagnostic accuracy. SETTINGS: Inpatient and emergency rooms of acute hospitals. METHODS: The searched databases included PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO and Scopus. Grey literature databases (ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Google Scholar and OpenSIGLE) and reference lists of all included studies were also searched. Eligibility criteria included prospective cohort studies of suicide or attempted suicide in adults. A narrative synthesis was done for true positives, true negatives, false positives and false negatives, and they were calculated for sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, predictive values and diagnostic odds ratios. RESULTS: The included 33 studies differed in the methodological characteristics and scales used. The sensitivity of scales, specificity, positive predictive value, and diagnostic odds ratios ranged from 17 to 100%, 11-93%, 0.43-40.9%, and 0.77-18.5, respectively. CONCLUSION: The choice of scale for predicting suicide attempts in adults in hospitals depends on many factors. None of the scales evaluated produced accurate diagnostic measurements. The Manchester Self-Harm Rule and Suicide Crisis Syndrome should be used in the emergency department and inpatient setting, respectively, while the Suicide Intent Scale should be used in combined settings.

Nursing students' perceptions of online learning and its impact on knowledge level.

BACKGROUND: Online learning in nursing education has been demonstrated to exert positive effects on knowledge, skills, learning attitudes, and confidence in performance. However, a noteworthy caveat has been that such benefits could vary depending on the content of pedagogical materials. AIM: To examine the impact of online-tutorials in place of face-to-face tutorials on knowledge level and understand the perspectives of learners who experience online-tutorials. METHODS: This study adopted a mixed method experiential design in which the perspectives of learners who experience online-tutorials are embedded within the trial. Two cohort of nursing students enrolled for the module on Psychology for Nurses were recruited to evaluate the impact of online-tutorials compared to face-to-face tutorials in terms of knowledge level. Apart from the dissimilar mode of delivery, both cohorts experienced the same teaching structure, content, and assessments. Examination results from these two cohorts were compared upon completion of the course. For the online group, additional one-to-one interviews were conducted to further understand the impacts exerted by online learning on the level of knowledge among them. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the knowledge level of the two cohorts. Responses elicited during the interviews revealed five themes: lack of motivation; limited teamwork; missed learning opportunities; decreased interactions; and differences between online and face-to-face learning. CONCLUSION: Online-tutorials may be a feasible pedagogical approach but the motivation to learn, teamwork and quality of discussion may be compromised due to the lack of socialization and interactions between students and tutors.

Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use among a group of patients with type 2 diabetes receiving outpatient care in Singapore.

This study aims to identify patterns and evaluate factors associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among type 2 diabetes patients in Singapore. A cross-sectional descriptive study using a self-administered questionnaire was performed among type 2 diabetes patients at an outpatient diabetes centre, and participants' medical records were accessed for diabetes complications and conventional medicine for managing diabetes. Among 304 participants, 43.4% used CAM and 61.2% did not inform health-care professionals of their CAM use. Three most common CAM were nutritional supplements, Chinese herbal medicine and massage. Friends (44.2%), partner and family (38%) were top sources of information for CAM, whereas factors significantly associated with CAM use were gender (P = 0.049), total monthly household income (P = 0.048) and frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose (P = 0.036). Results highlight a need for improved health-care professionals-patients communication and for health-care professionals to be educated on CAM to provide relevant education to patients.