Nursing students' rights in clinical practice in South Korea: a hybrid concept-analysis study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to derive a conceptual definition and attributes for nursing students' rights in clinical practice in South Korea.

METHODS

This concept-analysis study was conducted at a nursing school in South Korea. The participants were recruited using purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria were being a fourth-year nursing student and having two or more semesters of practical experience. The hybrid model used in this study had three stages. First, 12 studies were reviewed during the theoretical stage. Second, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted during the fieldwork stage. Third, in the analytical stage, the concept of nursing students' rights related to clinical practice was defined and the attributes were derived.

RESULTS

The analysis established five attributes of nursing students' rights: the right to learn, the right to be protected from infections and accidents, the right to be cared for and supported, the right to be respected, and the right to be recognized as a member of a nursing team. A key theme that emerged from this study was having the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to develop a measurement tool based on the above five attributes and to verify its effectiveness.

Oral care practices and hospital-acquired pneumonia prevention: A national survey of Australian nurses

BACKGROUND

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) also known as non-ventilator associated pneumonia, is one of the most common infections acquired in hospitalised patients. Improving oral hygiene appears to reduce the incidence of HAP. This study aimed to describe current practices, barriers and facilitators, knowledge and educational preferences of registered nurses performing oral health care in the Australian hospital setting, with a focus on the prevention of HAP. We present this as a short research report.

METHODS

We undertook a cross sectional online anonymous survey of Australian registered nurses. Participants were recruited via electronic distribution through existing professional networks and social media. The survey used was modified from an existing survey on oral care practice.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 179 participants. Hand hygiene was considered a very important strategy to prevent pneumonia (n = 90, 58%), while 45% (n = 71) felt that oral care was very important. The most highly reported barriers for providing oral care included: an uncooperative patient; inadequate staffing; and a lack of oral hygiene requisite. Patients' reminders, prompts and the provision of toothbrushes were common ways believed to help facilitate improvements in oral care.

CONCLUSION

Findings from this survey will be used in conjunction with consumer feedback, to help inform a planned multi-centre randomised trial, the Hospital Acquired Pneumonia PrEveNtion (HAPPEN) study, aimed at reducing the incidence of HAP. Findings may also be useful for informing studies and quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving oral care to reduce the incidence of HAP.