Examination of evidence-based nursing attitudes and the relationship with professional self-concept in nurses working in a psychiatric hospital

Nurse-led physical health interventions for people with mental illness: an integrative review of international literature

BACKGROUND

People experiencing mental illness receive physical healthcare from nurses in a variety of settings including acute inpatient, secure extended care, forensic, and community services. While nurse-led clinical practice addressing sub-optimal consumer physical health is salient, a detailed understanding and description of the contribution by nurses to physical health interventions in people experiencing mental illness is not clearly articulated in the literature.

AIMS

The aim of this integrative review is to describe the state of knowledge on nurse-led physical health intervention for consumers, focusing on nursing roles, nursing assessment, and intervention settings.

METHODS

A systematic search of six databases using Medical Subject Headings from 2001 and 2022 inclusive was conducted. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was utilised for quality appraisal.

RESULTS

Seventy-four studies were identified as "nurse-led". Interventions were most common among community settings (n = 34, 46%). Nurses performed varied roles, often concurrently, including the collection of 341 physical health outcomes, and multiple roles with 225 distinct nursing actions identified across the included studies. A nurse as lead author was common among the included studies (n = 46, 62%). However, nurses were not always recognised for their efforts or contributions in authorship.

CONCLUSIONS

There is potential gap in role recognition that should be considered when designing and reporting nurse-led physical health interventions.

Translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) for Portuguese nursing students

BACKGROUND

The professional self-concept of nursing students significantly influences their attitude and identity within the profession, ultimately impacting their mental health and overall well-being. Recent evidence underscores the importance of assessing students' professional self-concept to prevent adverse outcomes such as burnout and stress. Since there are currently no validated instruments available in Portugal for this purpose, our objective was to translate, adapt, and validate the Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) with nursing students in Portugal.

METHODS

A two-phase research study with a non-probabilistic sample of 216 undergraduate nursing students, using the QualtricsXM electronic platform for data collection. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify the validity of the theoretical construct and its internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha was calculated, and a confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the model fit.

RESULTS

The final instrument, designated as Questionário de Autoconceito dos/as Enfermeiros/as (Pt - NSCQ), is composed of 24 items distributed across five dimensions: "General self-concept", "Staff relations", "Leadership", "Communication-care" and "Knowledge", which explain 67.71% of the total variance. All dimensions and the global scale revealed good internal consistency values, ranging from 0.775 to 0.927. The resulting factorial structure is coherent with the theoretical framework.

CONCLUSION

The Pt - NSCQ proved to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess Portuguese nursing students' professional self-concept. Future studies should be carried out on larger samples and different educational contexts, aligned with the importance to ensure the continuity of the psychometric analysis of the instrument.

The Relationship Between Compassion Fatigue and Professional Self-Concept in Psychiatric Nurses

The current study examined the relationship between compassion fatigue and professional self-concept in psychiatric nurses. Participants included 156 nurses working in a mental health and disorders hospital in Turkey. Data were collected via a sociodemographics form, the Compassion Fatigue subscale of the Professional Quality of Life Scale, and Professional Self-Concept Scale. Participants exhibited low levels of compassion fatigue and high levels of professional self-concept. A significant negative relationship was found between participants' mean compassion fatigue scores and mean professional satisfaction, professional competence, and professional self-concept scores (p < 0.05). Professional satisfaction, professional competence, and professional self-concept decreased with increasing compassion fatigue. Nurses should be provided emotional support through in-service training and effective communication to prevent burnout. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(3), 22-28.].

Competencies expected of undergraduate nursing students: A scoping review

AIM

Nursing competencies are crucial indicators for providing quality and safe care. The lack of international agreement in this field has caused problems in the generalization and application of findings. The purpose of this review is to identify the core competencies necessary for undergraduate nursing students to enter nursing work.

DATA SOURCES

We conducted a structured search using Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), Science Direct, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

REVIEW METHODS

We conducted a scoping review using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute, supported by the PAGER framework, and guided by the PRISMA-ScR Checklist. Inclusion criteria included full-text articles in English, quantitative and qualitative research related to competencies for undergraduate students or newly graduated nurses, competency assessment, and tool development from 1970 to 2022. We excluded articles related to specific nursing roles, specific contexts, Master's and Ph.D. curricula, hospital work environment competencies, and editorial.

RESULTS

Out of 15,875 articles, we selected 43 studies, and data analysis with summative content analysis identified five themes named individualized care, professional nursing process, nursing administration, readiness, and professional development.

CONCLUSION

Considering the dynamics of competencies and their change with time, experience, and setting, it is necessary to update, localize, and levelling of the proposed competencies based on the culture of each country.

IMPACT

These competencies provide a guide for undergraduate nursing curriculum development and offer a framework for both clinical instruction and the evaluation of nursing students.