Knowledge and Awareness of Non-Technical Skills Over the Course of an Educational Program in Nursing - A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

The Effects of an Order-Assist Mobile Application on Pediatric Anesthesia Safety: An Observational Study

Pediatric anesthesia requires the rapid creation, communication, and execution of anesthesia orders, and there is a risk of human error. The authors developed an order-assisted mobile application (app) to reduce human error during pediatric anesthesia preparation. The authors conducted an observational study that compared the effects of the application by comparing anesthesiologists' errors, nurses' errors, nurses leaving the operating room, and delays in surgery, between the Conventional group (n = 101) and the App group (n = 101). The app was associated with reduced human error by anesthesiologists and nurses, and it lowered the frequency and duration of nurses leaving the operating room during anesthesia. In addition, the authors surveyed anesthesia nurses regarding the effectiveness of the app. The nurses confirmed that the app was convenient and reduced human error. This study revealed that the order-assisted mobile app developed by a pediatric anesthesiologist could reduce human errors by anesthesiologists and nurses during pediatric anesthesia preparation.

The Impact of Clinical Experience in Advanced Practice Nursing Education-A Cross-Sectional Study of Norwegian Advanced Practice Nurses' Perspectives

BACKGROUND

An Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a specialized nurse who has acquired context specific knowledge, complex decision-making skills, and clinical competencies. Previously in Norway, APN education programs had a prerequisite of a minimum of two years of clinical nursing experience. Recently, the government decided to abandon this prerequisite.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to assess APN's and APN students' (1) perspectives on the impact of clinical nursing experience on various aspects of nursing practice, (2) perspectives on the association between APN students' previous clinical experience and the ability to achieve the learning outcomes in the education program, and (3) attitudes towards clinical nursing practice as a prerequisite before entry to APN education programs.

DESIGN

An observational, cross-sectional design.

METHODS

APN and APN students were invited to respond to a researcher-developed questionnaire. A snowballing sampling method was used. The questionnaire included 24 questions scored on a five-point Likert scale, and two questions with text responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and text responses with thematic analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 1767 APNs (92.9%) and APN students (7.1%) responded. Between 93.6 and 98.2% of the respondents (n = 1767) agreed that clinical nursing experience leads to experience with communication, collaboration, basic procedures, medical equipment and documentation, and to the development of situation awareness, increased awareness on own role in teams, the ability to provide person-centered nursing, an independent nursing identity, and feeling of security. Over 90% of the respondents agreed that students' previous clinical experience was associated with the ability to achieve the learning outcomes in the APN program. In addition, 93.7% of the respondents agreed that clinical nursing experience should be a prerequisite before entry to APN programs. Advantages of clinical experience were reported as 'Professional identity', 'Intuitive grasp', 'Integration of technical skills', and 'See the whole picture'. Disadvantages were reported as 'Prejudice and bad habits', 'The importance of relevant experience', and 'Recruitment issues'.

CONCLUSION

This study adds insights into the impact of clinical nursing experience as a prerequisite to APN education programs. The results indicate that clinical nursing experience is an essential contributor to the development of nursing competence and a nursing identity. This study was not registered.