Clinical competency in child maltreatment for community nurses in Taiwan

Engagement and Retention of Families in Universal Australian Nurse-Home-Visiting Services: A Mixed-Methods Study

Family support is offered to Australian parents of young children using a mix of targeted and universal child and family health services including nurse-home-visiting programmes. These rely on the voluntary engagement of families. In this study, the capacity to engage and retain families, including those at risk of becoming involved with child protection services, was examined. The broad objective was to identify nursing practices used at the interface of health and child protection services and to articulate those practices. Child and Family Health Nurses (CFHN) (n = 129) participated in a pragmatic, multilevel mixed-methods study. A questionnaire was used to identify nursing practices in the first phase of this study followed by focus groups in the second phase to describe these practices in more detail. Three practice themes were identified and described: enrolment, retention and conclusion of the nurse-family relationship. Universal child and family health services feature flexible, advanced, and multidimensional family support services including child protection practices. This paper focuses on practices employed by nurses to engage and retain families where child protection concerns are identified.

Self-compassion and nursing competency among Japanese psychiatric nurses

PURPOSE

This study examined the association of self-focus and self-compassion with nursing competency.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Data of 433 psychiatric nurses comprising demographics, other-consciousness, self-compassion, self-focus, and nursing competency were analyzed using the Other-Consciousness Scale (OCS), Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Japanese version of the Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ), and Oriented Problem Solving Behavior (OPSN).

FINDINGS

Higher internal aspect and lower fantastic aspect in OCS, higher reflection in RRQ, and lower SCS negative subscales predicted a higher OPSN score. The account rate of variance was 12.5%.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Psychiatric nursing education should facilitate other-consciousness and reflection enhancement, and assuage uncompassionate attitude towards self.

Nurses' intention to report child abuse in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Child abuse is a prevalent problem with short and long-term consequences. While most countries have enacted child abuse reporting laws, the Saudi healthcare system has not paid sufficient attention to nurses' role in the reporting of child abuse.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to 1) identify the factors associated with nurses' intention to report child abuse by testing a hypothetical model; 2) examine the patterns underlying their intention to report child abuse; and 3) investigate the differences in reporting based on clinical practice areas.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A convenience sample of 248 nurses recruited from emergency and pediatric inpatient units and primary healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was used.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using the Child Abuse Report Intention Scale and another self-report measure in February 2019.

RESULTS

Most nurses had not reported even one case of child abuse during their clinical practice. Knowledge about child abuse (β = .210, P = 0.000), subjective norms (β = .218, P = 0.001), and organizational support in guideline implementation (β = .138 P = 0.038) were significantly associated with the intention to report child abuse. Nurses reported a stronger intention to report child sexual abuse than other types of abuse. Clinical practice areas were significantly associated with nurses' intention to report child abuse.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' professional preparation for child abuse reporting is inadequate. The findings underscore the importance of enhancing their knowledge about child abuse and reporting laws, promoting social support, and creating an empowering clinical environment.

Evaluation of the effect of the child protection act on serious child physical abuse in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined the effects of the Child Protection Act on child maltreatment in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE

This study estimated the secular trends in the incidence rate of physical abuse of children requiring hospitalization between 1996 and 2013, and the subsequent in-hospital death proportion before and after implementation of the Act in 2003.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The cases were children younger than 12 years old who were hospitalized due to child abuse, shaken-baby syndrome, neglect, or homicide between 1996 and 2013. A comparison group consisted of children requiring hospitalization for other reasons. We used the National Health Insurance database to identify patients.

METHODS

The Joinpoint Regression Program was used to estimate temporal trends in the standardized incidence rates.

RESULTS

Between 1996 and 2013, 2050 children required hospitalization for physical abuse. Before 2005, the annual percent change increased by 9.40 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.98-14.00] per year, and after 2005 the annual percent change was -4.80 (95% CI, -9.53-0.17) per year. Among the 2050 physically abused children requiring hospitalization, 83 (4%) died in hospital. The in-hospital death proportion was 2.62% before 2003 and 4.90% after 2003, and the ratio of these two proportions was 1.43 (95% CI, 0.80-2.58).

CONCLUSIONS

The trend in the incidence of hospitalization of children due to physical-abuse-related injuries started to decline 2 years after implementation of the Child Protection Act. However, the proportion of children who died in hospital as a result of physical abuse requiring hospitalization did not change.

Comparison of factors predicting nursing skills between general and psychiatric nurses

PURPOSE

I examined whether nursing skills are related to occupational stress, self-focus, and other-consciousness, and whether these relationships differ between general and psychiatric nurses.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Two hundred seventy-one general and 317 psychiatric nurses completed a questionnaire assessing the aforementioned variables. Regression analysis was used to explore the predictors of nursing skills.

FINDINGS

Internal and fantastic aspects (other-consciousness subscales) and psychological burden (occupational stress subscale) predicted nursing skills in both groups, while lower rumination and higher reflection scores predicted them only in psychiatric nurses.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nursing education should facilitate other-consciousness in general nurses, but self-focus in psychiatric nurses.

Integrative review: nurses' roles and experiences in keeping children safe

AIM

To identify nurses' role and experiences of keeping children safe.

BACKGROUND

Approaches to preventing, identifying and responding to child abuse and neglect have moved towards a multidisciplinary approach where all professionals are expected to contribute to the goal of keeping children safe. Frequently in contact with children and families, nurses well positioned to contribute to keeping children safe from abuse and neglect. Much has been published around nurses' experiences of their role in keeping children safe, but this literature has not yet been synthesized to determine the challenges and potential scope of this role.

DESIGN

Integrative review following an Integrative Review framework.

DATA SOURCES

Studies were identified through a search of the electronic databases CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus and Informit to identify literature published between 2005-2015.

REVIEW METHODS

All the studies were critically appraised for methodological quality using the Critical Skills Appraisal Programme. Data from each study were extracted and categorized according to the review aims and the study's major findings.

RESULTS

Inclusion criteria were met in 60 studies. Three main findings were identified including nurses' insufficient knowledge, need for validation and improved communication and balancing surveillance and support for vulnerable families.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses have many roles and experiences in keeping children safe but often felt they did not have the knowledge, skills and support to take action in this area. Further research is needed to understand why nurses feel inadequate and disempowered to advocate and intervene on the behalf of children at risk of abuse or neglect.