Brief Reports for Disseminating Systematic Reviews to Nurses

Outcomes of HIV treatment from the private sector in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Private sector provision of HIV treatment is increasing in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, there is limited documentation of its outcomes. This protocol reports a proposed systematic review that will synthesise clinical outcomes of private sector HIV treatment in LMIC.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This review will be conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses protocols. Primary outcomes will include: (1) proportion of eligible patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART); (2) proportion of those on ART with <1000 copies/mL; (3) rate of all-cause mortality among ART recipients. Secondary outcomes will include: (1) proportion receiving Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia prophylaxis; (2) proportion with >90% ART adherence (based on any measure reported); (3) proportion screened for non-communicable diseases (specifically cervical cancer, diabetes, hypertension and mental ill health); (iv) proportion screened for tuberculosis. A search of five electronic bibliographical databases (Embase, Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science and CINAHL) and reference lists of included articles will be conducted to identify relevant articles reporting HIV clinical outcomes. Searches will be limited to LMIC. No age, publication date, study-design or language limits will be applied. Authors of relevant studies will be contacted for clarification. Two reviewers will independently screen citations and abstracts, identify full text articles for inclusion, extract data and appraise the quality and bias of included studies. Outcome data will be pooled to generate aggregative proportions of primary and secondary outcomes. Descriptive statistics and a narrative synthesis will be presented. Heterogeneity and sensitivity assessments will be conducted to aid interpretation of results.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The results of this review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed scientific manuscript and at international scientific conferences. Results will inform quality improvement strategies, replication of identified good practices, potential policy changes, and future research.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42016040053.

Systematic reviews

Systematic reviews are a type of literature review in which authors systematically search for, critically appraise, and synthesize evidence from several studies on the same topic (Grant & Booth, 2009). The precise and systematic method differentiates systematic reviews from traditional reviews (Khan, Kunz, Kleijnen, & Antes, 2003). In all types of systematic reviews, a quality assessment is done of the individual studies that meet inclusion criteria. These individual assessments are synthesized, and aggregated results are reported. Systematic reviews are considered the highest level of evidence in evidence-based health care because the reviewers strive to use transparent, rigorous methods that minimize bias.

A qualitative study on the roles and responsibilities of nurse consultants in Hong Kong

This study aims to explore the roles and responsibilities of seven newly appointed nurse consultants (NCs) in various clinical specialties in Hong Kong as a pioneer project. Qualitative approaches using direct observation and semi-structured interviews were adopted with two full-day observations on the seven NCs plus 56 semi-structured interviews of NCs, nurses, doctors and patients. Five major NCs' roles and responsibilities had been identified, namely providing expert practice, initiating service development, leading education, guiding continuous quality improvement (CQI) and conducting research and providing evidence-based practice. The seven NCs within this study have by and large achieved building professional excellence, respect and trust within their own spheres. It is strongly recommended that the NC post be formally established in the new Nurses Career Structure to enable expert clinical nurses to develop a clinical career to contribute to service and patient care to its maximum.

Exploring the Utility of a Novel Knowledge Translation Tool for School-Based Occupational Therapists

Statement of context:

Occupational therapists may have difficulty using evidence from systematic reviews.

Critical reflection on practice:

The use of Summary of Findings (SoFs) tables of systematic reviews, sent via email, was explored in two focus groups with six occupational therapists at a school-based practice. Descriptive content analysis was used.

Summary:

Participants voiced typical barriers to the use of evidence and said that SoFs were helpful. They felt that SoFs were easy to use, understandable, and increased awareness of research and gaps. Some reported difficulty understanding statistics. Participants believed that they would think about applying the evidence in future.

Key message:

SoFs via email to school-based occupational therapists may be a useful format to disseminate evidence.

Recipe for Success: Stories of Evidence-Based Practice Implementation

Through a collaborative partnership with administrators at a university, nurse leaders at a local hospital worked to create a culture in which nurses could provide evidence-based practice (EBP). The Best Practice Series was started, and two participants’ experiences of implementing EBP in their units are described with encouraging results.

Research education for clinical nurses: a pilot study to determine research self-efficacy in critical care nurses

BACKGROUND

Translating research into practice is essential to providing care that promotes both cost-efficient and effective health care delivery. Nurses practicing in the intensive care unit are in need of education that can build research self-efficacy and promote understanding and the ability to apply research findings.

METHODS

This pilot study evaluated the Critical Reading of Research Publications Plus course with intensive care unit nurses to determine whether this experience would affect their research self-efficacy. The Nursing Research Self-Efficacy Scale was administered before and after the course.

RESULTS

Paired t tests showed a significant increase on three of the four subscales in research self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that using a course along with mentors may increase the research self-efficacy of practicing nurses.

Internet resources for evidence-based practice in nursing

There are many Web sites where nurses can find valuable information on evidence-based practice. This brief article reviews some of those Web sites and includes Internet resources for learning about evidence-based nursing and finding evidence to guide nursing practice.