Nurs. Rep., Volume 5, Issue 1 (December 2015) – 6 articles

Interest in the nursing profession is growing in the United States (US). Currently, there are more applicants for nursing school than nursing school capacities can accommodate. At the same time qualified applicants are unable to enter nursing school related to program capacities, 18% of admitted students leave nursing schools prior to graduation. The abundance of applicants should make nursing school attrition, in the US, practically nonexistent. US nursing programs must determine more effective criteria for screening applicants so that the students, most likely to succeed, are admitted to programs. Full article

The tobacco epidemic kills half of its users annually and 600,000 deaths occur in people exposed to cigarette and water pipe tobacco (WT) smoking. A population-based cross sectional study was conducted to explore the knowledge and perceptions on health effects of WT smoking amongst Bahraini adults in the popular coffee shops of Bahrain and in women’s congregations. Randomly, 206 Bahraini adults of both genders were selected and distributed with a developed questionnaire to collect data; results were analyzed using SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Among the WT smokers, the highest proportion (45%) was observed between 21 and 30 age group and in the higher educational category. Majority smoked daily. The leading motives of WT smoking were meeting friends, passing of time and pleasure. Many smokers believed WT as less harmful than cigarettes, but affect the respiratory system, and causes: cancers, cardiovascular disease and pregnancy-related disorders. The knowledge scores were significantly higher in the younger age group, higher educational qualifications, and higher income. A considerable proportion of smokers perceived WT smoking as a sign of maturity, acceptable by the society. The perception scores were significantly higher in women and in the age group of >40. This study has revealed a lack of knowledge amongst the Bahraini adults who assume that health risks of WT are lower than cigarettes demanding further research to evaluate WT smoking risks, health effects, environmental effects of smoke, and regulatory services in Bahrain for a responsive approach to curb the WT tobacco epidemic. Full article

Sweet solutions reduce procedural pain in infants but there is uncertainty about effectiveness beyond infancy. A blinded pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to inform a full-scale RCT. Hospitalized children aged 12- 36 months were randomized to 24% sucrose or water prior to and during venipuncture. Primary outcomes were crying time and FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) scores. Secondary outcomes parental report of child’s pain, parental perception of effectiveness and nurse’s score of child’s compliance with study solution. Twenty-one children were studied. There were no differences in pain outcomes between groups. Median FLACC scores at time of needle insertion were high (8/10), and mean crying time during procedure was 61%. Most parents (n=17) would use the same treatment next time and most (n=17) toddlers were compliant with receiving the solutions. The pilot RCT informed the conduct of a future full scale RCT in terms of feasibility, acceptability, data collection, data analysis and sample size estimation. Full article

Falls have been a major safety concern in view of its high incidences and potential detrimental consequences. This article described a systematic review about effectiveness of interventions for the assessment and prevention of falls in adult psychiatric patients conducted previously. These patients possessed unique fall-related risk factors such as altered mental status, physiological symptoms, past history of falls, mobility and gait problems, concurrent medical conditions, and polypharmacy that might warrant specific tailored fall prevention interventions. Following the systematic review, a care bundle for fall prevention in a tertiary psychiatric hospital would be implemented, taking into account these risk factors and evidence relating to fall prevention. Full article

Nursing and allied health care students use online learning resources with their own perspective of learning, often combined with curiosity. Although, students are overwhelmed with access to an enormous pool of information, we hypothesized that students may not possess the skills to appraise the merits of all online resources. Our pilot survey results have shown that students’ knowledge of literature appraisal is inadequate. Circumventing this barrier requires adopting a three-phase protocol for literature triage such as: selection, appraisal, and critical reading. These skills would facilitate assessing all aspects of the literature, and identifying the best learning material. Full article

We clarify patient participation by developing a systematic structure of 34=81 models spanned out by three subcategories for each of four categories. Choosing a qualitative descriptive research design, and applying purposive sampling, four doctors, seven nurses, and seven patients were selected to ensure a broad representative sample with experts of varying ages and sexes from medicine and nursing. The preferences of these were mapped onto the theoretical structure. Applying content analysis, meaning units were identified, condensed and coded. The four categories information dissemination, formulation of options, integration of information and control were shown to be exhaustive, and mutually exclusive through time causing a topdown process where one occurs before the other through four stages. The three subcategories specify how patients, healthcare professionals, or both, operate within each category. That is, either patients are active in some sense that is specified, or healthcare professionals are active in some sense, or both are active. Delineating a structure of 34=81 models, based on four categories and three subcategories, gives a richer structure than what has earlier been available. This almost all-embracing structure enables pinpointing the exact nature of any culture involved in care of patients, which illuminates how the culture reflects or can potentially be altered to reflect values of patient care that we respect. Full article