The professional activities of nurse managers in Chinese hospitals: A cross-sectional survey in hunan province

Diabetes specialist nurses' knowledge, skills, and personal attributes for providing competent health education practice, and its influencing factors: A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

The number of diabetes specialist nurse as well as their knowledge and skills have increased in Gansu Province since 2017. However, China has not fully addressed how to improve their professional skills to deliver effective health education.

AIMS

To investigate the knowledge, skills, and personal attributes of competent health education practices among diabetes specialist nurses in Gansu Province, western China, and the potential influencing factors.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

In total, 178 diabetes specialist nurses from 45 hospitals participated in this study. Data were collected between December 2022 and April 2023 using the Nurse Health Education Competence Instrument (I-CepSE) and a self-report questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including univariate and multiple linear regression analyses, were used to analyze data.

RESULTS

The mean scores of overall I-CepSE, knowledge, skills, and personal attributes were 218.77 ± 31.65, 77.80 ± 18.27, 103.95 ± 13.75 and 37.02 ± 4.73, respectively. A shortage of nursing staff and heavy workload (81.4 %), lack of cooperation from patients (56.5 %), lack of access to educational resources during work placement (54.2 %), and nurses' lack of knowledge/skills in health education (53.1 %) were common barriers to health education implementation. The regression models for the overall health education competence domain were significant (P < 0.001) with R2 values ranging from 31.9 % to 50.5 %. Education level and years of experience in diabetes-related care were found to be significant on all knowledge, skills, and personal attitude scales (P < 0.05), and age was associated with diabetes specialist nurses' skills and personal attitude scores (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Diabetes specialist nurses demonstrated moderate to high levels of health education knowledge, skills, and attitudes. However, they lacked knowledge of pedagogical techniques and resources, with inadequate educational skills. This study suggests that reasonable nursing human resource allocation and continuous education and training are crucial for improving health education competence.

Nurse managers' perceptions of the prospective acceptability of an implementation leadership training programme: A qualitative descriptive study

AIM

To explore the prospective acceptability of an implementation leadership training programme prototype for nurse managers in China to implement evidence-based practices, from the perspectives of potential programme participants and deliverers.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in Spring 2022 at three tertiary hospitals in Hunan, China.

METHODS

We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with unit-level nurse managers (n = 14), including 12 potential participants, and two potential deliverers that have been involved in developing the programme prototype. Interview questions and thematic analysis were guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability.

RESULTS

After reviewing the programme content, potential participants and deliverers reported that unit nurse managers would benefit from engaging in the programme, acknowledging that the programme fit with professional nursing values for implementing research evidence. They expressed positive views about being involved in producing academic papers through the training process, and interactive multi-modal training activities such as group work, experience-sharing and coaching. Seven participants were not very confident about being fully engaged in the training, as they could not navigate the English research literature. Both participants and deliverers highlighted factors that would influence their participation, including time constraints, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and support from senior organizational leadership.

CONCLUSIONS

The training programme prototype was perceived to be useful and acceptable. The multimodal training activities were considered a strength and managers expressed an interest in writing academic papers about their implementation processes. Support from senior hospital leaders and programme deliverers was identified as critical to the training programme's success.

IMPACT

The study helps understand nurse managers' perceptions and concerns of participating in an implementation leadership training programme and could inform the development and refinement of similar programmes in various nursing contexts globally.

Development of a training program prototype to enhance implementation leadership competencies and behaviours of Chinese unit nurse managers: a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Unit nurse managers hold essential positions that can facilitate implementation of evidence-based practice. Studies showed that nurse managers in China lacked competencies and behaviours necessary to lead evidence-based practice implementation. The aim of the current study was to develop a context-fit training program prototype to enhance leadership competencies and behaviours regarding evidence-based practice implementation of Chinese unit nurse managers.

METHOD

We used a descriptive qualitative study design and followed the integrated knowledge translation approach to co-develop the prototype in a tertiary hospital in Changsha, China. Seven nurse managers from the participated hospital and a researcher co-developed the prototype based on the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe). The development process encompassed four phases from November 2021 to March 2022 that involved group discussions (n = 4) and individual interviews (n = 21). All data were analysed by two independent researchers using the thematic analysis method.

RESULTS

Managers agreed that all O-MILe behaviours were important to evidence-based practice implementation, and only minor modifications were needed for clarification and adaptation. The actions managers identified that could operationalize the leadership behaviours were related to current clinical practices, evidence-based practice, nurses, patients, interprofessional staff members, incentives and resources, organization and external entities. Three types of general competencies related to evidence-based practice, professional nursing, and implementation leadership were identified. Multimodal activities such as lectures, experience sharing, group discussions, plan development and coaching were suggested to deliver the training program.

CONCLUSIONS

All O-MILe leadership behaviours were perceived as essential for unit nurse managers to lead EBP implementation in the hospital context in China. We identified the leadership actions and the competencies required for nursing managers to implement EBP in China. Further studies are required to evaluate the acceptability and impact of this prototype. Further studies with large sample sizes across various clinical settings are needed to facilitate the generalization of the findings and gain an in-depth understanding of the program.

Nursing students’ perceptions and experiences of e-internships during the COVID-19 pandemic: A phenomenological study

Background

Clinical internship is an indispensable stage for nursing students to graduate successfully and become qualified nurses. However, COVID-19, a novel coronavirus disease with strong human-to-human transmission, hit China in late 2019 and forced the Chinese government to suspend classes and clinical internships. To cope with this situation, e-internship, which facilitate varied interactions without the need for direct contact, is used as an alternative strategy to help nursing students continue their internships.

Objectives

To describe the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate nursing students in e-internships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A descriptive phenomenological design was adopted. Seventeen undergraduate nursing students in a major teaching hospital in Changsha, China, were recruited into the study. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Colaizzi’s approach.

Results

Four themes were captured from the data analysis: perceived images of clinical nurses in e-internships, psychological experience, perceived benefits of e-internships, and perceived limitations of e-internships.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that e-internship is a suitable method for training and cultivating undergraduate nursing students during a crisis. To enhance the efficiency of e-internships, guidelines and standards should be formulated, and effective measures should be taken to build better e-internship platforms. In the future, we suggest combine on-site internships with e-internships, thereby fully using their advantages, and improve the efficiency of internships as much as possible.

Caring ability of nursing students pre- and post-internship: a longitudinal study

Background

Nursing students’ internship experiences may significantly impact their caring ability. However, there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation of undergraduate nursing students' caring ability pre-and post-internship in China. This study aimed to explore the differences in the caring ability of undergraduate nursing students before and after internship.

Methods

The sample comprised 305 undergraduate nursing students who had undergone internships during 2018–2020 in three hospitals in Changsha, China. Caring Ability Inventory was used to measure and compare nursing students' caring ability before and after internship. Descriptive statistics and paired t-test were employed to analyze data in SPSS software (version 22.0).

Results

A total of 300 students completed the survey (response rate = 98.37%). The overall score of caring ability and scores of cognitive and patience dimensions were higher after internship than before internship (P < 0.05). There was no significant improvement in the courage dimension (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Caring ability of undergraduate nursing students in China was at a low level, their overall caring ability significantly improved after the internship, indicating a positive relationship between internship and caring ability. Nursing educators and clinical nurses should emphasize the importance of caring ability development in internship planning and encourage nursing students to engage more with patients.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-00921-2.

Coaching to develop leadership for healthcare managers: a mixed-method systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of interventions have focused on leadership development for healthcare managers, among which coaching is a common strategy. The purpose of the present systematic review is to synthesize evidence on the effect of coaching in developing leadership of healthcare managers.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A literature search will be conducted in six English databases (MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane library, Nursing & Allied Health Premium, and Scopus) and four Chinese databases (Wanfang, CNKI, SinoMed, and VIP) from inception to April 1st, 2022. The titles, abstracts, and full texts of the studies will be screened by two independent researchers to determine their eligibility. The RoB 2, ROBINS-I, CASP, and MMAT will be applied to assess the quality of randomized trials, non-randomized studies, qualitative studies, and mixed-method studies, respectively. We will then extract the study characteristics, participant characteristics, and study outcomes of the reviewed papers. The Aims, Ingredients, Mechanism, and Delivery framework will be used to extract the components of coaching strategies. For quantitative data, a meta-analysis will be performed if sufficient data are available; otherwise, we will conduct a narrative synthesis. Thematic synthesis methods will be used for qualitative data analysis.

DISCUSSION

By conducting this systematic review, we expect to synthesize evidence regarding the components of coaching for leadership development among healthcare managers; the influence of coaching on leadership development among managers at the individual, unit-wide, or organizational level; and how managers view coaching as a leadership development strategy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020194290 .

The experience of anxiety among Chinese undergraduate nursing students in the later period of their internships: findings from a qualitative study

Background

Clinical internships are a critical transition period for nursing students to develop into nursing professionals and are essential for the solidification of their professional attitudes. Undergraduate nursing students face multiple sources of severe anxiety that affect their nursing career development during this period. This study aimed to understand the anxiety experienced by undergraduate nursing students in the later period of their internship periods in a Chinese educational context.

Methods

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. A purposive sample of 17 undergraduate nursing interns with experiences of anxiety was selected from three teaching hospitals in Hunan Province, China. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Colaizzi seven-step method for data analysis.

Results

Three themes emerged: the sources of perceived anxiety, the psychological journey of coping with anxiety, and suggestions for nursing management and education. The sub-themes for the first theme included career decision dilemmas, competitive pressures for employment, worries about progress of the graduation projects, challenges of the nursing licensure examination, and low self-confidence in clinical competence. The second theme consisted of two sub-themes: negative avoidance and retreat, and positive preparation and response. The third theme consisted of policy support to create more employment opportunities, comprehensive guidance from nursing schools and hospitals, and psychological assistance and counseling.

Conclusions

This study revealed that undergraduate nursing students were prone to anxiety during the later period of their clinical internships. Specific sources of anxiety encompassed career decision-making, job pursuit, graduation, and licensure examination. Undergraduate nursing students adopted both positive and negative approaches in coping with anxiety during the later period of their clinical internships. Nursing educators and administrators should develop appropriate instructions and support systems to reduce anxiety among undergraduate nursing students.

Intensive care nurses' knowledge and practice of evidence-based recommendations for endotracheal suctioning: a multisite cross-sectional study in Changsha, China

BACKGROUND

Endotracheal suctioning is one of the most frequently performed invasive procedures by intensive care nurses. Nurses should have adequate knowledge and skills to perform endotracheal suctioning based on the best evidence. Little is known about intensive care nurses' knowledge and practice of evidence-based endotracheal suctioning in Chinese hospitals. The purpose of this study was to investigate intensive care nurses' knowledge and practice of evidence-based recommendations regarding endotracheal suctioning. Specifically, the study aimed to examine (1) intensive care nurses' awareness of and adherence to endotracheal suctioning guidelines and (2) factors influencing their level of awareness and adherence.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 310 staff nurses working in intensive care units was carried out at Changsha, China. Data on participants' characteristics, awareness of, and adherence to the endotracheal suctioning guidelines were collected through online questionnaires. Following univariate descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were performed using Software Package Statistical Analysis Version 23.0.

RESULTS

A total of 281 nurses completed and returned the survey (response rate = 90.6 %). One-half to three-quarters of the nurses knew 21 of the 26 evidence-based practices and believed their practices followed the guidelines. Over half of them were unaware of the difference between open and close suctions and the pros and cons of using hyperinflation. Almost 50 % of nurses believed some of their clinical practices did not follow the evidence-based recommendations, such as not routinely using normal saline and using 80-120 mmHg suction pressure during endotracheal suctioning. Nurses with endotracheal suctioning training demonstrated significantly higher awareness of endotracheal suctioning recommendations and higher adherence levels than untrained nurses.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings revealed that Chinese intensive care nurses lacked awareness of several essential evidence-based endotracheal suctioning practices, and there were gaps between their current practice and the guideline recommendations. Further research should emphasize revealing barriers and facilitators of implementing evidence-based endotracheal suctioning practices as well as developing context-suitable interventions for guideline implementation.

Growth and challenges of China's nursing workforce from 1998 to 2018: A retrospective data analysis

BACKGROUND

Nurses play a vitally important role in promoting equitable and essential care. China undertook bold reforms in its education and healthcare systems since 1990s. The effect of these reforms on the nursing workforce has not been assessed systematically.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the changing trends and the underlying challenges of the nursing workforce in Mainland China in the period of 1998-2018.

DESIGN

Retrospective data analysis.

METHODS

Data were acquired from the National Health Statistics Yearbook from 1999 to 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the nature of the nursing workforce in terms of quantity, quality, and structure. Non-parametric tests were used to compare doctors and nurses in terms of number and work experiences. Global Moran's I index and hotspot analysis were applied to compare the equity in distribution of nurses at national and provincial levels.

RESULTS

From 1998 to 2018, the number of nurses increased from 1.22 to 4.10 million with an average rate of increase of 6.3% per annum. The ratio of doctors to nurses changed from 1: 0.61 to 1: 1.14, reaching 1: 1 in 2013. The main educational level of registered nurses elevated to associated degree (48.9%), and nurses with advanced titles increased at the most rapid rate. In 2018, 60.3% of nurses were younger than 35 years old. The Global Moran's I index ranged from 0.211 to 0.198 (Z > 1.96, P < 0.05). Hotspot analysis showed the distribution of nurses was unequally concentrated in the northern region and with the highest distribution in Beijing.

CONCLUSIONS

Great improvement on the scale and the quality of nursing workforce over the past 20 years has been witnessed in China. However, the shortage of nurses, outflow of younger nurses and the imbalance distribution of nursing workforce among the country are emerging challenges. Plans should not be ignored on continuously cultivating more qualified nurses, retaining younger nurses, attracting nurses to work in rural areas and the northeast region. Tweetable abstract: Numbers of Chinese nurses finally outstrip the number of doctors but do limited educational opportunities limits their contribution to the nation's health? New article in @ijnsjournal.

Relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors at the unit level: a correlational study

BACKGROUND

Nurse managers play a critical role in enhancing nursing and patient outcomes. The work of nurse managers, who can be described as middle-managers at health care organizations, is complex and changes on a daily basis. Only a few studies have clarified how nurse managers divide their time across various work activities. This study aimed to describe the relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors at the hospital unit level.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and correlational study design was used. The data were collected from nurse managers (n = 29), nursing staff (n = 306), and patients (n = 651) from 28 units across three Finnish acute care hospitals between April and November 2017. In addition, data concerning medication errors (n = 468) over one calendar year (2017) were acquired from the hospitals' incident reporting register. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to estimate relationships between data from subareas of Nurse Managers' Work Content Questionnaire, Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale, and Revised Humane Caring Scale, along with medication error reports. A significance level of 95% was applied when estimating the covariances between variables. Unstandardized regression coefficients (B) were used to explain the relationships between variables.

RESULTS

Multiple relationships between nurse managers' work activities, nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and medication errors were identified. Nurse managers' work activities had both positive and negative relationships on the other studied variables. The Requiring factors of work (p < .001) subarea of nurses' job satisfaction, total patient satisfaction (p < .001), and medication errors (p < .001) were identified as the variables most significantly affected by other factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that nurse managers should focus on improving nursing practices by managing and organizing nurses' work in a way that makes their employees feel supported, motivated and secure. Furthermore, nurse managers should adopt a leadership style that emphasizes safe and patient-centered care. The results also suggest that the administration of today's health care organizations should actively evaluate nurse managers' share of work activities to ensure that their daily work is in line with the organizational goals.

The use of theories, frameworks, or models in knowledge translation studies in healthcare settings in China: a scoping review protocol

BACKGROUND

Knowledge translation (KT) theories, frameworks, and models (TFMs) can help guide and explain KT processes, and facilitate the evaluation of implementation outcomes. They play a critical role in conducting KT research and practice. Currently, little is known about the usage of TFMs in KT in Chinese healthcare settings. The aim of this scoping review is to identify which TFMs had been used for KT in healthcare settings in China, and how these TFMs were used.

METHODS

The protocol for this scoping review is in accordance with the Arksey and O'Malley framework and further enhanced by the recommendations suggested by Levac et al. We will search 8 databases (4 Chinese and 4 English) to identify relevant studies. Four reviewers (2 for Chinese, 2 for English) will independently screen studies based on the eligibility criteria. The basic characteristic of studies and the TFMs utilization (i.e., what, why, and how) will be extracted. Methodological quality and reporting quality will be assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and the Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) (or Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence, SQUIRE 2.0 for quality improvement studies), respectively. All the retrieved TFMs will be categorized into Nilsen's classifications of TFMs for KT research. We will employ the qualitative content analysis approach to summarize how these TFMs have been used, and the rationale. A consultation will be conducted through a 1-h interactive virtual meeting with an expert panel of knowledge users.

DISCUSSION

By conducting this scoping review, we expect to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of why and how TFMs have been used in KT research and practice in China, and to identify gaps and provide recommendations for more efficient and meaningful use of TFMs in the future.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

This review has been registered with the Open Science Framework (10.17605/OSF.IO/8NXAM).