Nurse practitioners' knowledge and practice regarding malignant melanoma assessment and counseling

Purpose: To evaluate the knowledge base and clinical practices of nurse practitioners (NPs) within the states of Illinois and California regarding malignant melanoma.
Data sources: Data sources included responses to a 57-item self-administered questionnaire and 15-item demographic survey. A convenience sample of 93 certified NPs from Illinois and California, aged 27–68 years, participated in the study. Participants responded to questions relating to knowledge of malignant melanoma preventive measures, risk factors, barriers to performing malignant melanoma assessments, and lesion recognition.
Conclusions: Overall, the NPs in this study demonstrated adequate knowledge about malignant melanoma but conducted general skin and malignant melanoma assessments less than half of the time and provided patient teaching about preventive measures and risk factors only occasionally. While California NPs demonstrated significantly greater knowledge about malignant melanoma than the Illinois NPs, they performed less skin and malignant melanoma assessments and provided less teaching. The most frequently cited barrier to performing malignant melanoma examinations for both states was time constraints.
Implications for practice: NPs can play a pivotal role in reducing the morbidity and mortality of malignant melanoma through competent skin assessments and patient education and encouraging patients to pursue healthy lifestyles. Improving NPs' assessment skills and knowledge about malignant melanoma, however, is critical to achieving this goal.     

关于医护人员对新型冠状病毒肺炎康复知信行的调查研究

目的 了解医护人员对新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)康复的知识、信念态度及行为（即知信行）情况,为针对性地向医护人员进行COVID-19康复培训提供参考依据。 方法 2020年3月1日至2日,对296名参与抗疫的医护人员进行COVID-19康复的知信行问卷调查,以知信行得分评价医护人员对COVID-19康复的认识。 结果 医护人员COVID-19康复知信行总分、知识、态度、行为得分分别为（69.41±15.06）、（21.23±6.52）、（30.84±4.45）和（17.32±5.63）分,得分占满分的百分比分别为57.8%、53.1%、77.1%和43.3%。不同年龄、工龄、科室、职称以及康复学习经历的医护人员知信行总分差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。 Pearson相关性分析显示,医护人员COVID-19康复知识与态度（r=0.693,P＜0.01）、知识与行为（r=0.790,P<0.01）、态度与行为（r=0.697,P<0.01）之间均存在正性相关。 结论 医护人员对COVID-19康复的态度较为积极,但相关的理论知识及实践欠缺,需加强培训。     

Nurse practitioners and managed care: patient satisfaction and intention to adhere to nurse practitioner plan of care

PURPOSE: To explore patient satisfaction, intention to adhere to nurse practitioner (NP) plan of care, and the impact of managed care on NPs' patients in multiple settings, the final phase of a three-part study of NPs and managed care. DATA SOURCES: Postvisit questionnaires and narrative comments about patient satisfaction with NP communication, overall satisfaction with visit, recall of plan of care, intention to adhere to NP's recommendations, and impact of managed care on ease of obtaining healthcare resources. CONCLUSIONS: Patients were very satisfied with NP communication and with their healthcare visit. They mostly intended to adhere to the NP-recommended plan of care but less so to recommended lifestyle changes. Patients trusted their NPs, valued their expertise, were confident in the NPs' care, and believed that the NPs considered their best interests. They appreciated that the NPs took time to listen to their concerns and helped them to obtain healthcare resources. Most patients were not greatly impacted by managed care and obtained needed healthcare resources with little difficulty. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although the first two phases of this study found that many NPs had strong negative attitudes toward managed care, these attitudes were not conveyed toward patients in this sample. NPs, however, will continue to face new challenges as third-party payers attempt to reduce healthcare costs, further testing NP adaptability and resourcefulness.     

How does information about sleeping arrangements contribute to nurse practitioners' assessment of development?

PURPOSE: To explore how information about children's sleeping arrangements contributes to nurse practitioners' (NPs) assessment of children's developmental progress at toddlerhood. DATA SOURCES: Selected research articles and a survey of NPs' assessments of development for toddlers engaged in solitary and shared sleeping arrangements. CONCLUSIONS: Research does not provide definitive information regarding the connection between children's engagement in different sleeping arrangements and children's development. In this study, information about how sleeping arrangements played a role in NPs' ratings of toddlers' current and predicted social development and autonomy, but not toddlers' language skills, is presented. NPs' ratings of the development of boys who engaged in shared sleeping arrangements suggested that NPs' viewed this sleeping arrangement as a risk factor for both social development and autonomy. Shared sleeping arrangements for girls were not identified as a risk factor, with some analyses suggesting that shared sleep may have a positive impact on girls' social development. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Assessing children's developmental progress is one task completed by Family and Pediatric NPs. NPs gather information across many sources in making these developmental assessments. Type of sleeping arrangement can be one of these sources as it has been connected to children's developmental progress. However, information available in the literature is inconclusive and often contradictory in regard to how sleeping arrangements impact development. To help clarify how NPs currently use information concerning sleeping arrangements to assess developmental progress, this report describes how sleeping arrangements influenced ratings of 18-month-old toddlers' current and later predicted levels of development. This information can help NPs develop strategies for assessing development in light of information regarding sleep arrangements.     

Oral Health–Related Knowledge,Attitudes, and Practice Patterns of Nurse Practitioners: A Mixed Methods Study

This mixed methods study explored the oral health–related knowledge, attitudes, and practice patterns of nurse practitioners (NPs) in Canada. The survey was sent to all NPs across Canada (N = 4,540); 153 respondents (3.4% response rate) completed the online survey, and 4 respondents were subsequently selected to participate in qualitative, semistructured interviews. NPs believe that they have a role in oral health care and are motivated to include oral health into their practice. However, a lack of knowledge and skills, likely caused by gaps in education and training, is limiting their ability to do so with confidence.     

Evaluating the degree of knowledge on oral cancer among general practitioners and dentists in Qazvin

Rationale, aims and objectives Despite easy accessibility of the oral cavity to examination most oral cancers are only identified at advanced stages. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of general doctors and dentists on oral cancer in Qazvin to form the basis of development of undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes for early detection and prevention of oral cancer. Methods A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study was performed on general medical practitioners and general dental practitioners in 2009. Analysis was performed using spss software. Results The mean knowledge score of all participants was at moderate level and there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was a significant correlation between knowledge score and age, time from graduation and the interval since the last refresher course on oral cancer (P < 0.05). Smoking (78%) and alcohol consumption (34.9%) were noted as the two major risk factors by the entire population study. Approximately 80.9% of participants identified the tongue as among the most common sites for oral cancers while only 25.7% identified the floor of the mouth and 28.3% the lips as other areas of occurrence. Conclusion This study demonstrated an inadequate level of knowledge on oral cancers in both groups. Additional training in universities as well as continuing educational programmes on prevention and early detection of oral cancers is recommended.     

Nurses' knowledge and perceptions about osteoporosis: a questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about a disease provides professionals involved in its prevention and treatment with the information to make informed decisions about health practices. Gaps of knowledge regarding osteoporosis prevention and treatment have been found among different health professionals over the world, including nurses. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess a wider variety of aspects related to nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding osteoporosis. DESIGN: A cross-sectional research design was used. SETTINGS: Two academic centers in the northern part of Israel. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 158 registered nurses (mean age=39+/-10.3), attending classes at two academic centers. METHODS: Data were collected using a self-administered survey. RESULTS: Nurses were positive about their role and their skills for osteoporosis management, yet subjective and objective knowledge in different aspects of the disease was moderate. The average score of knowledge regarding risk factors for osteoporosis, as assessed by the Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOOQ), was 17 (SD=3) out of 24, with female nurses, nurses working in Health Maintenance Organizations-HMOs, and nurses who underwent a bone density measurement scoring higher (p< 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses believed they have an important role in educating the public on osteoporosis prevention and management. Yet, their knowledge on different issues (e.g. signs of the disease, medication, and lifestyle issues) was only moderate. The only osteoporosis-related aspect they reported being confident about was advising on fall prevention. Measures should be taken in order to expand nurses' knowledge, such as education programs and postgraduate courses.     

Cancer screening practices of nurse practitioners

The Nurse Practitioner's (NP) role in providing quality primary care with emphasis on health promotion is well established. Yet the NP's actual cancer detection activities are unknown. To determine the cancer screening and detection activities of NPs in adult primary care settings, a questionnaire survey was developed from the American Cancer Society's "Guidelines for the Cancer-Related Checkup" and current cancer detection literature. The survey was distributed to primary care NPs throughout the state of Michigan (n = 97). Pearson correlation coefficients were applied to the data to establish the relationship of cancer screening practices by NPs to specific age groups and by gender. Practitioners reported significantly higher frequencies of recommended screening for adult women than for adult men. Although at a lower risk for developing cancer, younger and early middle-aged adults (19-39 years) received significantly higher frequencies of recommended screening than middle-aged and older adults. NPs believe that cancer screening and counseling are consistent with their role except in the areas of male physical exam (testes, prostate) and invasive procedures such as sigmoids for men and women. The broader implications for further research, organization of primary care services, and strategies to increase nurses' involvement in cancer screening practices are presented.     

Examining Oral Health Education for Nondental Providers

Poor oral health affects overall health and creates a financial burden for society. Education of prospective nondental providers to perform oral health prevention practices could improve early detection of oral health illnesses, making oral health care more accessible and affordable for patients. This literature review examined oral health knowledge and skills, along with oral health education among nondental providers.     

医护人员对放化疗患者口腔黏膜炎防治的知信行调查

目的了解肿瘤科医护人员对口腔黏膜炎防治的认知、态度、行为,以便有针对性的对医护人员进行相关知识培训。方法自行设计调查问卷,对南通市4所三级医院放疗科、血液科和化疗科所有符合纳入标准的225名注册医生与注册护士进行调查。结果不同科室医护人员口腔黏膜炎防治认知得分有统计学差异(P=0.011),遇到口腔黏膜炎的情况不同,医护人员的认知、态度得分有统计学差异(P=0.015、0.000)。医生和护士口腔黏膜炎防治认知、态度、行为得分比较,差异均无统计学意义。结论医护人员对癌症放化疗患者口腔黏膜炎防治的认知、态度受到其自身的特征因素影响,需根据医护人员不同的特征进行相应口腔黏膜炎防治知识培训,提高医护人员对口腔黏膜炎防治的积极性。     

Caring for the future: strategies for promoting violence prevention in pediatric primary care

PURPOSE: To identify strategies that will assist nurse practitioners (NPs) to incorporate universal youth violence screening and prevention strategies into their practices. DATA SOURCES: Extensive reviews of the extant literature, clinical and anecdotal information, and professional experiences and encounters were utilized to explore and identify current practice recommendations related to youth violence prevention. CONCLUSIONS: NPs' expertise in health promotion makes them an important member of interdisciplinary team efforts to prevent youth violence. Knowledge of risk factors, appropriately focused assessment, and relevant intervention strategies can assist NPs to fulfill a valuable role in this critical endeavor. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Recently, there has been an increased recognition of the role that healthcare providers at all levels can play in decreasing youth violence. A greater emphasis on strategies already employed by NPs to promote the development of healthy families can contribute greatly to reducing the problem of youth violence. Universal screening for warning signs and level of violence risk in youth, as well as utilizing appropriate interventions and referrals will provide NPs with the opportunity to contribute to this important goal.