Measuring Clinical Supervision; how beneficial is yours and how do you know?

Interprofessional supervision among allied health professionals: a systematic scoping review

Clinical supervision typically occurs between clinicians who are trained in the same discipline, and this assumption is present across much of the relevant literature. However, the use of interprofessional supervision (IPS), wherein clinicians do not share the same discipline, has increased in recent years. As IPS increases in usage, it is key that the implications of this approach are explored. In order to map the existing evidence, a scoping review was conducted to explore what is known about the use of IPS across five allied health professions (psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and social work). A systematic literature search of four electronic databases was conducted, with 27 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The data were analyzed using thematic synthesis. Six key themes were identified relating to factors impacting the appropriateness of IPS, necessary steps in the IPS process, and impacts of IPS for clinicians. Limited application of standardized tools and theoretical frameworks within the existing research was highlighted. The findings identified within this review present a broad overview of the existing research relating to IPS, which can be used to inform future research in this area.

Palliative care nurses' experiences of clinical supervision: a qualitative evidence synthesis

Background:

Clinical supervision provides support and facilitates professional and personal development.

Aim:

To identify and synthesise all available qualitative research on palliative care nurses' experiences of clinical supervision.

Methods:

Guided by the ‘enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research’ (ENTREQ) statement, eight databases were searched using a systematic search strategy (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences). The findings of all included studies were analysed guided by Thomas and Harden's approach. Confidence in the review findings was determined guided by Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual).

Findings:

Nine qualitative studies were included in this synthesis and four analytic themes were identified: negative experiences and misunderstandings of clinical supervision; clinical supervision needs structure and clarity; supervisor needs to be a conductor and a producer; finding your ‘inner supervisor’.

Conclusion:

The review illuminates the benefits of clinical supervision as a renewal process for palliative care (PC) nurses, but also highlights the challenges in its provision. Organisations should provide designated time and opportunities for PC nurses to attend clinical supervision sessions during working hours.