Nursing - Research Publications
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ItemAction learning sets for supporting postgraduate mental health nurses' transition to professional practice: A qualitative study(WILEY, 2021-06)This paper reports on a qualitative case study of postgraduate mental health nurses participating in a monthly facilitated action learning set (ALS) in order to support them while they transition from PGMHN to independent professional practice. The aim of the study was to determine what the impact of participating in an ALS would have on how they perceived clinical practice issues. The ALS comprised a small group of PGMHN supported by a facilitator in order to explore issues from clinical practice by using Socratic questions to challenge their thinking. Data were collected via a single focus group and a 20-item survey. Focus group textual data were coded line by line, and codes were synthesized thematically. The major theme to emerge from the qualitative results was as follows: 'Learning from doing an action learning set'. Three subthemes were identified: Think outside the box: Developing Socratic questions; there's rarely one right way: Applying action learning to practice; and Not easy to implement: Action plans in action. A 20-item evaluative survey indicated that ALS increased participant's confidence as a mental health nurse. Using critical questions increased participants' confidence to explore different perspectives when engaged in problem-solving.
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ItemContextual Barriers and Enablers to Safewards Implementation in Victoria, Australia: Application of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2021-11-04)Background: Safewards is a complex psychosocial intervention designed to reduce conflict and containment on inpatient mental health units. There is mounting international evidence of the effectiveness and acceptability of Safewards. However, a significant challenge exists in promising interventions, such as Safewards, being translated into routine practice. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) provides a framework through which to understand implementation in complex health service environments. The aim was to inform more effective implementation of Safewards using the CFIR domains and constructs, capitalizing on developing an understanding of variations across wards. Method: Seven Safewards Leads completed the Training and Implementation Diary for 18 wards that opted in to a trial of Safewards. Fidelity Checklist scores were used to categorize low, medium and high implementers of Safewards at the end of the 12-week implementation period. Results: Qualitative data from the diaries were analyzed thematically and coded according to the five CFIR domains which included 39 constructs. Twenty-six constructs across the five domains were highlighted within the data to have acted as a barrier or enabler. Further analysis revealed that six constructs distinguished between low, medium, and high implementing wards. Discussion: Our findings suggest that for implementation of Safewards to succeed, particular attention needs to be paid to engagement of key staff including managers, making training a priority for all ward staff, adequate planning of the process of implementation and creating an environment on each inpatient unit that prioritize and enables Safewards interventions to be undertaken by staff regularly.
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ItemOutcomes of the Victorian Safewards trial in 13 wards: Impact on seclusion rates and fidelity measurement(WILEY, 2017-10)Restrictive practices are used in response to conflict and aggression in psychiatric inpatient settings. Reducing such practices is the focus internationally of policy and legislative change, many initiatives, and a growing body of research. Safewards is a model and a set of 10 interventions designed to reduce conflict and containment in inpatient services. In the current study, we aimed to assess the impact of implementing Safewards on seclusion in Victorian inpatient mental health services in Australia. The study used a before-and-after design, with a comparison group matched for service type. Thirteen wards opted into a 12-week trial to implement Safewards and 1-year follow up. The comparison group was all other wards (n = 31) with seclusion facilities in the jurisdiction, matched to service type. Mandatorily-reported seclusion event data for all 44 wards over a 15-month period were analysed using negative binomial regression. Adherence to Safewards was measured via fidelity checklists at four time points: twice during the trial, post-trial, and at 1-year follow up. Seclusion rates were reduced by 36% in Safewards trial wards by the 12-month follow-up period (incidence rate ratios (IRR) = 0.64,) but in the comparison wards seclusion rates did not differ from baseline to post-trial (IRR = 1.17) or to follow-up period (IRR = 1.35). Fidelity analysis revealed a trajectory of increased use of Safewards interventions after the trial phase to follow up. The findings suggest that Safewards is appropriate for practice change in Victorian inpatient mental health services more broadly than adult acute wards, and is effective in reducing the use of seclusion.
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ItemNurses' shift reports: a systematic literature search and critical review of qualitative field studies(WILEY, 2017-10)AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify reporting practices that feature in studies of nurses' shift reports across diverse nursing specialities. The objectives were to perform an exhaustive systematic literature search and to critically review the quality and findings of qualitative field studies of nurses' shift reports. BACKGROUND: Nurses' shift reports are routine occurrences in healthcare organisations that are viewed as crucial for patient outcomes, patient safety and continuity of care. Studies of communication between nurses attend primarily to 1:1 communication and analyse the adequacy and accuracy of patient information and feature handovers at the bedside. Still, verbal reports between groups of nurses about patients are commonplace. Shift reports are obvious sites for studying the situated accomplishment of professional nursing at the group level. This review is focused exclusively on qualitative field research for nuanced and contextualised insights into nurses' everyday shift reporting practices. DESIGN: The study is a systematic literature search and critical review of qualitative field analyses of nurses' shift reports. We searched in the databases CIHAHL, PubMed and PsycINFO and identified and reviewed 19 articles published 1992-2014. Data were systematically extracted using criteria for the evaluation of qualitative research reports. RESULTS: The studies described shift report practices and identified several factors contributing to distribution of clinical knowledge. Shift report practices were described as highly conventionalised and locally situated, but with occasional opportunities for improvisation and negotiation between nurses. Finally, shift reports were described as multifunctional meetings, with individual and social effects for nurses and teams. CONCLUSION: Innovations in between-shift communications can benefit from this analysis, by providing for the many functions of handovers that are revealed in field studies. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Leaders and practising nurses may consider what are the best opportunities for nurses to work up clinical knowledge and negotiate care.
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ItemInterventions to improve patient understanding of cancer clinical trial participation: a systematic review(WILEY, 2017-03)Patient misunderstanding of cancer clinical trial participation is identified as a critical issue and researchers have developed and tested a variety of interventions to improve patient understanding. This systematic review identified nine papers published between 2000 and 2013, to evaluate the effects of interventions to improve patient understanding of cancer clinical trial participation. Types of interventions included audio-visual information, revised written information and a communication training workshop. Interventions were conducted alone or in combination with other forms of information provision. The nine papers, all with methodological limitations, reported mixed effects on a small range of outcomes regarding improved patient understanding of cancer clinical trial participation. The methodological limitations included: (1) the intervention development process was poorly described; (2) only a small element of the communication process was addressed; (3) studies lacked evidence regarding what information is essential and critical to enable informed consent; (4) studies lacked reliable and valid outcome measures to show that patients are sufficiently informed to provide consent; and (5) the intervention development process lacked a theoretical framework. Future research needs to consider these factors when developing interventions to improve communication and patient understanding during the informed consent process.
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ItemDevelopment of competence in the first year of graduate nursing practice: a longitudinal study(WILEY, 2016-04)AIM: To determine the extent to which competence develops in the first year of nursing practice in a paediatric setting. BACKGROUND: Among all the literature related to nursing competence, there have been few studies that have used a standardized tool to determine the development of professional nursing competence in the first year of practice. DESIGN: A quantitative longitudinal design was applied as part of a mixed methods study. METHODS: Forty seven nurses commencing a 12-month graduate nurse programme were invited to undertake a self-assessment of their level of competence at four time points; commencement, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, between January 2013-February 2014. The assessment was completed using the Nurse Competence Scale; a questionnaire with 73 items across seven domains of competence. Each item is scored along a visual analogue scale (0-100). Response rates varied from 100% at commencement to 68% at 12 months. RESULTS: At commencement, the self-assessed level of overall competence was 41·4, 61·1 at 3 months, 72·9 at 6 months and 76·7 at 12 months. Similar patterns were seen for each domain. Mixed effects model analysis for longitudinal data revealed gains in competence for each of the domains and overall, was statistically significant from commencement to 3 months and 3 months to 6 months. While gains were made between 6-12 months, the results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Graduate nurses showed significant gains in competence in the first 6 months of transition from nursing students to Registered Nurses.
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ItemSubjective Experiences of Mental Health Crisis Care in Emergency Departments: A Narrative Review of the Qualitative Literature(MDPI, 2021-09)Mental health presentations to the emergency department (ED) have increased, and the emergency department has become the initial contact point for people in a mental health crisis. However, there is mounting evidence that the ED is not appropriate nor effective in responding to people in mental health crises. Insufficient attention has been paid to the subjective experience of people seeking support during a mental health crisis. This review aims to describe the qualitative literature involving the subjective experiences of people presenting to the ED during a mental health crisis. The method was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping studies and included keyword searches of PsycINFO, CINAHL, Medline and Embase. A narrative analysis, drawing on the visual tool of journey mapping, was applied to summarise the findings. Twenty-three studies were included. The findings represent the experience of accessing EDs, through to the impact of treatment. The review found points of opportunity that improve people's experiences and characteristics associated with negative experiences. The findings highlight the predominance and impact of negative experiences of the ED and the incongruence between the expectations of people presenting to the ED and the experience of treatment.
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ItemDesign features that reduce the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health facilities: a rapid systematic review(BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP, 2021)UNLABELLED: Increasing efforts are being made to prevent and/or eliminate the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health facilities. Recent literature recognises the importance of the physical environment in supporting better outcomes in mental health services. This rapid review scoped the existing literature studying what physical design features of mental health facilities can reduce the use of seclusion and physical restraint. DESIGN: A rapid review of peer-reviewed literature. METHODS: Peer-reviewed literature was searched for studies on architectural design and the use of restraint and seclusion in mental health facilities. The following academic databases were searched: Cochrane Library, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus and Avery for English language literature published between January 2010 and August 2019. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. RESULTS: We identified 35 peer-reviewed studies. The findings revealed several overarching themes in design efforts to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint: a beneficial physical environment (eg, access to gardens or recreational facilities); sensory or comfort rooms; and private, uncrowded and calm spaces. The critical appraisal indicated that the overall quality of studies was low, as such the findings should be interpreted with caution. CONCLUSION: This study found preliminary evidence that the physical environment has a role in supporting the reduction in the use of seclusion and restraint. This is likely to be achieved through a multilayered approach, founded on good design features and building towards specific design features which may reduce occurrences of seclusion and restraint. Future designs should include consumers in a codesign process to maximise the potential for change and innovation that is genuinely guided by the insights of lived experience expertise.
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ItemThe unheard voice of the clinician: Perspectives on the key features of an adolescent inpatient model of care(WILEY, 2019-08)PROBLEM: Little has been reported from clinicians about the operations, interventions, and outcomes of inpatient units and how these comprise models of care in such units. The aim of this study was to explore an inpatient model of care in operation at the study site by defining key features of the model from the perspectives of clinicians. METHODS: Semi-structured face to face interviews were conducted with ten clinicians working in a private inpatient unit in Melbourne, Australia. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Analysis resulted in the identification of three thematic features relating to containment, engagement, and therapy. These included (a) an environment conducive to containment, (b) adolescent engagement through shared experiences, and (c) dialectical behavior therapy embedded culture. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide insights into often unheard clinician perspectives on what the key features of an adolescent inpatient model of care are. These features relate to the interventions that are currently offered on the unit and ways of working as informed by philosophies and practices. These findings should be used to improve clinical services and inform research aiming to articulate exemplary adolescent inpatient models of care. Furthermore, the findings provide guidance and practical information to commissioners, clinicians, and policy makers implementing models of care.
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ItemWard-Based Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Clinical Trials: A Survey Study in Taiwan(WILEY, 2019-07)PURPOSES: Clinical trial education has not been extensively integrated into nursing education systems. Acute care nurses may lack sufficient knowledge when caring for admitted trial patients, which may negatively influence their attitudes toward clinical trials. The aim of this study was to explore ward-based nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward clinical trials. DESIGN AND METHODS: Ward-based nurses working in medical, surgical, and intensive care units in a medical center in Taiwan were approached to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the research team and included four parts: demographics, experience with clinical trials, clinical trial knowledge, and attitudes toward clinical trials. FINDINGS: A total of 161 nurses responded. Nearly 90% of the nurses accessed trial information in their workplace. Nearly 80% of the respondents had experience with caring for trial patients, but the mean score of clinical trial knowledge was 4.5 out of a possible score of 10. For attitudes toward clinical trials, the mean score for positive beliefs was 39.7, and the mean score for negative expectations was 42.5, both out of a possible score of 55. The results indicated that respondents typically tended to hold a negative attitude toward clinical trials, especially in regard to the side effects of study drugs and communication with investigators. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge deficits of ward-based nurses concerning trial participation is apparent. Continuing education for ward-based nurses is necessary to promote implementation of clinical trials and reduce negative expectations related to clinical trials. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: One way to improve nurses' knowledge is to integrate clinical trial education into nursing education systems, which will provide more channels through which nurses can understand how a trial works, including the risks, benefits, and participant protection. Through such educational initiatives, ward-based nurses may develop more positive beliefs regarding clinical trials and provide higher quality clinical trial care to participants.