A bachelor's degree for entering the nursing profession: A scoping review for supporting informed health care policies.

Background: Numerous studies have emphasized the relevance of work environment, staffing, and educational level in nursing as determinants of safe, timely, effective, equitable, and efficient patient-centered care. However, an overview of the evidence focusing on the nursing education level is still lacking. Objective: To provide an overview of the existing evidence regarding bachelor's degree as an entry level for the nursing profession. Design: This was a scoping review. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of CINAHL, Medline via PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science Core Collection. Additionally, we conducted a free web search using Google and contacted international nursing associations via email. We summarized the evidence narratively. For reporting guidelines, we used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis for Scoping Reviews. Results: We included 10 studies, 12 response letters, 24 position papers, three books, and one webpage. The sources of evidence identified agreed that the inclusion of a higher number of nurses with a bachelor's degree would lead to a higher quality of care. Conclusions: Using a bachelor's degree education as a minimum requirement to enter the nursing profession in the future is essential to generate a respected, competent, and satisfied nursing workforce that can impact the quality and safety of care; and positively influence outcome indicators for patients, nurses, healthcare organizations, and society. Tweetable abstract: Policy makers and healthcare organizations should set bachelor's degrees as standards for registration and entry to nursing.

"You always think the worst " Family members' experiences during the COVID-19 emergency: A qualitative descriptive study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of family members of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19 during the first and second waves of the pandemic in Switzerland. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive approach was used in this study. METHODS: Face-to-face in-depth semistructured interviews were used to explore the experiences of family members of surviving COVID-19 patients, who were admitted to the ICU. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and wereanalysed using Braun and Clarke thematic analysis. In our context, family visits were prohibited during the first and second waves of the pandemic. FINDINGS: Fifteen family members participated. Interviews were conducted between October 2020 and March 2021. Data analysis identified three main themes: (i) becoming a pillar of support for all; (ii) dealing with uncertainty; and (iii) a trajectory of emotions. Five subthemes are reported within these themes. The primary concern was the need for information due to visitation restrictions. This led to stress as many became the main communication source for other family members and friends. Coping strategies to support the ongoing uncertainty included daily routines, work, and prayer. The inability to visit and the lack of information led to a range of conflicting emotions, such as feeling of helplessness, which were countered by the gratitude that their loved ones had survived. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the family members of ICU patients. It emphasises their struggle for information, adaptation to new roles, and coping mechanisms amidst uncertainty. Although they experienced predominantly negative emotions, the recovery and return of their loved ones triggered a sense of gratitude. This study sheds light on the crucial role of social support. Such findings may have implications for nursing practice in effectively addressing the concerns and priorities of family members in similar emergency situations, thereby improving clinical outcomes.

Nurses Response to the Physical and Psycho-Social Care Needs of Patients with COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted nursing care. This study aimed to understand which nursing interventions were instrumental in responding to COVID-19 patients' needs by exploring the experiences of patients and nurses. In this mixed-method study with an explanatory sequential design, we involved nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in intensive and sub-intensive care units and patients. In the first phase, we collected data through a survey that assessed patients' needs from the perspective of nurses and patients, as well as patient satisfaction. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected through interviews with patients and nurses. In the third phase, we extracted quantitative data from patients' records. Our sample included 100 nurses, 59 patients, 15 patient records, and 31 interviews (15 patients, 16 nurses). The results from the first phase showed patients and nurses agreed on the most important difficulties: "breathing", "sleep/rest", and "communication". Nursing care was rated positively by 90% of the patients. In the second phase, four themes were identified through the patients' interviews: "my problems", "my emotions", "helpful factors", and "nursing care". Five themes were identified through the nurses' interviews: "the context", "nurses' experiences and emotions", "facilitators and barriers to patient care", "nursing care", and "the professional role". From the third phase, the analysis of the clinical documentation, it was not possible to understand the nursing care model used by the nurses. In conclusion, nurses adopted a reactive-adaptive approach, based on experience/knowledge, pursuing generalized objectives, and adapting their response to the clinical evolution. In difficult contexts, nursing care requires a constant competent technical-relational presence at the patient's bedside.

Opioid use and HIV treatment services experiences among male criminal justice-involved persons in South Africa: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Opioid use disorder (OUD) is overrepresented among people with criminal justice involvement; HIV is a common comorbidity in this population. This study aimed to examine how formerly incarcerated men living with HIV and OUD in South Africa experienced HIV and OUD services in correctional facilities and the community. METHODS: Three focus group discussions were conducted with 16 formerly incarcerated men living with HIV and OUD in Gauteng, South Africa. Discussions explored available healthcare services in correctional facilities and the community and procedural and practice differences in health care between the two types of settings. Data were analyzed thematically, using a comparative lens to explore the relationships between themes. RESULTS: Participants described an absence of medical services for OUD in correctional facilities and the harms caused by opioid withdrawal without medical support during incarceration. They reported that there were limited OUD services in the community and that what was available was not connected with public HIV clinics. Participants perceived correctional and community HIV care systems as readily accessible but suggested that a formal system did not exist to ensure care continuity post-release. CONCLUSIONS: OUD was perceived to be medically unaddressed in correctional facilities and marginally attended to in the community. In contrast, HIV treatment was widely available within the two settings. The current model of OUD care in South Africa leaves many of the needs of re-entrants unmet. Integrating harm reduction into all primary care medical services may address some of these needs. Successful HIV care models provide examples of approaches that can be applied to developing and expanding OUD services in South Africa.

Experiences and Needs of Patients, Caregivers and Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Study Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Multicentre Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health problem with millions of confirmed cases and deaths described. Nurses are among the health care professionals most involved at the front line, caring for those affected by COVID-19. Patients and families have been subjected to a high emotional burden of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the approach to patients, the organisation of care, and communication with patients and their families, all requiring considerable adaptation on the part of nurses and health care professionals. The overall aim of this research was to find out the needs of patients with COVID-19, the nursing interventions provided and their outcomes, and to explore the experiences of the nurses, patients, and caregivers. A mixed method study will be performed with a convergent design. The study was divided into three phases. Quantitative methods involved nurses and patients affected by COVID-19 with a questionnaire. Qualitative methods involved nurses, patients, and caregivers with interviews and finally a quantitative analysis of the nursing documentation of the interviewed patients. We hope that this study will help us to understand and identify the main nursing and support needs expressed by patients and their families at different stages of their illness.

Risk of infection in the first year of life in preterm children: An Austrian observational study.

Newborns, especially preterm infants, have an immature immune system, which, in combination with the required medical interventions necessary for keeping the neonate alive may lead to an increased risk of infection. Even after reaching stability and adapting to the environment, preterm infants have adverse prognoses regarding infections and long-term outcomes compared to their full-term counterparts. The objective of this study was to research differences in the number and severity of infections between preterm and full-term infants during their first year of life. To answer this question, a monocentric prospective study was conducted in a pediatric practice in Vienna, including 71 full-term infants and 72 preterm infants who were observed during their first year of life regarding occurring infections. In respective samples, there was a significantly higher total number of infections in preterm (mean 6.01 ± 3.90) compared to full-term infants (3.85 ± 1.72) during the observation period of one year. Particularly the count of respiratory and severe infections was considerably higher in preterm infants. Otorhinolaryngeal infections were the most frequent of all types of infections in both groups. The pregnancy period, number of siblings, and length of the postnatal hospital stay, were observed as significantly influencing factors which affected the total number of infections. The group of early term infants (37+0 weeks to 38+6) was not significantly different to late term babies (>39+0). The acquired knowledge about the increased risk of infections should lead to a more extensive care for preterm infants, with the objective of reducing the rates of complications, morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable age group in the future.

Data on alpine grassland diversity in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy.

The diversity of alpine grassland species and their functional traits constitute alpine ecosystem functioning and services that support human-wellbeing. However, alpine grassland diversity is threatened by land use and climate change. Field surveys and monitoring are necessary to understand and preserve such endangered ecosystems. Here we describe data on abundances (percentage cover) of 247 alpine plant species (including mosses and lichens) inside nine 20 m by 20 m plots that were subdivided into 2 m by 2 m subplots. The nine plots are located in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. They cover three distinct alpine vegetation subtypes ('pure' natural grassland, sparsely vegetated 'rocky' grassland, and wetland) in each of three valleys (Bardoney, Colle de Nivolet and Levionaz) between 2200 and 2700 m a.s.l., i.e. above the treeline. The vegetation survey was conducted in 2015 at the peak of vegetation development during August. The dataset is provided as supplementary material and associated with the research article "Optimizing sampling effort and information content of biodiversity surveys: a case study of alpine grassland" [1]. See [1] for data interpretation.

High pressure excess isotherms for adsorption of oxygen and nitrogen in zeolites.

High-pressure oxygen is an integral part of fuel cell systems, many NASA in situ resource utilization concepts, and life support systems for extravehicular activity. Due to the limited information available for system designs over wide ranges of temperature and pressure, volumetric methods are applied to measure adsorption isotherms of O(2) and N(2) on NaX and NaY zeolites covering temperatures from 105 to 448 K and pressures up to 150 bar. Experimental data measured using two apparatuses with distinctly different designs show good agreement for overlapping temperatures. Excess adsorption isotherms are modeled using a traditional isotherm model for absolute adsorption with a correction for the gas capacity of the adsorption space. Comparing two models with temperature-dependent coefficients, a virial isotherm model provides a better description than a Toth isotherm model, even with the same number of parameters. With more virial coefficients, such as a cubic form in loading and quadratic form in reciprocal temperature, the virial model can describe all data accurately over wide ranges of temperature and pressure.