Variations in practice nursing: implications for family health services authorities

Differences between Family Health Services Authorities (FHSAs) in practice nurse activities are described and interpreted, using the results of postal questionnaires to all practice nurses in England and Wales in late 1992. There were an estimated 15000 practice nurses of whom 12589 (85%) returned a completed questionnaire, which asked about 30 tasks, including domiciliary visits, carried out by practice nurses; employment conditions, professional qualifications, experience, and clinical grading; and practice characteristics. The proportion of nurses undertaking four out of five tasks varied by a factor of two or more across FHSAs. Just over a third (39%) of the variation in nurses' activities could be explained by professional and practice characteristics. The analysis distinguished between FHSAs where nurses were more likely to engage in tasks requiring diagnostic and clinical skills, including assisting with minor surgery, and FHSAs where nurses were more likely to conduct domiciliary visits, help with chronic disease management, and provide advice on welfare benefits, incontinence and health promotion. The former FHSAs were characterized by larger practices with four or more partners employing several nurses, training practices, and practices with a manager. The latter group was characterized by smaller inner city or urban practices, including single-handed partnerships, and practices often employing one nurse. The 1990 general practitioner (GP) contract boosted nurses' involvement in those activities attracting new payments but its impact on their roles and responsibilities was mediated by their professional skills and experience and the type of practice where they worked. The contribution of practice nursing to the delivery of primary and community health care varies considerably. Further research is required to find out whether role diversity reflects uncertainty about the appropriate use of their skills. FHSAs need to develop a variety of strategies to support and promote practice nursing.     

浅谈中医护理在基层医疗卫生服务中的应用

中医护理在基层医疗卫生服务中的应用前景广阔。应加强中医护理人力资源投入,强化人员培训和科学研究,提高中医护理的竞争力;加强宣传,提高公众对中医护理的认可度;在中医护理中融入健康教育理念以促进护理人员和护理对象的沟通交流;最终利用中医护理有效改善基层医疗卫生服务质量,提高护理对象的健康水平和健康知识。     

Trainers' Workshop for Internal OHNC Course Part 1 The ICI Experience

A trainers' workshop for doctors and nursing officers organizingan Occupational Health Nursing Certificate Course Part I withinImperial Chemical Industries Ltd, is described. The workshopwas supervised by an external occupational health nursing consultant,a division medical officer with responsibility for postgraduatemedical training, and members of ICI Personnel Department trainingstaff. The aim of the three-day course was to bring togetherdoctors and nursing officers to explain the aims and responsibilitiesof the training team and provided experience in a variety ofteaching methods. The workshop setting allowed the trainersthrough counselling and role play situations to identify andunderstand the occupational health training needs of nurses,and also improved communication and cooperation between thetrainers. ⁰Requests ror reprints should be addressed to: Dr S. P. Deacon, Occupational Health Physician, ICI Medical Service. Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, Petrochemical and Plastics Division, Wilton, Cleveland.     

Practices and Processes Used in the Return to Work of Injured New South Wales nurses: Are These Consistent With RTW Best Practice Principles?

Purpose Workplace injury and illness rates are high within the nursing profession, and in conjunction with current nursing shortages, low retention rates, and the high cost of workplace injury, the need for effective return to work (RTW) for injured nurses is highlighted. This study aimed to identify current practices and processes used in the RTW of injured nurses, and determine if these are consistent with the seven principles for successful RTW as described by the Canadian Institute for Work & Health. Method As part of a larger cross-sectional study, survey data were collected from New South Wales nurses who had sustained a major workplace injury or illness. Survey questions were coded and matched to the seven principles for successful RTW. Results Of the 484 surveys eligible for analysis, most were from Registered Nurses (52%) in the Public Hospital Sector (48%). Responses indicated four main areas of concern: a commitment to health and safety by the workplace; early and considerate employer contact; provision of modified work; and individual knowledge of and involvement in the RTW process. Positive participant responses to co-worker and supervisor involvement were identified as areas consistent with best practice principles. Conclusions These findings suggest the practices and processes involved in the RTW of injured nurses are inconsistent with best practice principles for RTW, highlighting the need for interventions such as targeted employer education and training for improved industry RTW outcomes.     

Primary Care Professionals’ Feedback on Smiles for Life Curriculum

To assess the value of Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum (SFL) in influencing oral health practices of primary care professionals (PCPs). The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center’s Partnership for Integrating Oral Health Care into Primary Care (PIOHCPC) project is working with five project teams in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, and Rhode Island that are integrating interprofessional oral health core clinical competencies into primary care practice. The competencies were developed to facilitate change in the clinical practice of PCPs working with vulnerable or underserved populations that lack or have limited access to oral health care. An initial PIOHCPC project requirement was for PCPs (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurses) to complete at least two SFL courses based on their project population of focus (eg, pregnant women, children, adolescents). The curriculum consists of the following courses: Course 1: Relationship of Oral and Systemic Health; Course 2: Child Oral Health; Course 3: Adult Oral Health; Course 4: Acute Dental Problems; Course 5: Oral Health for Women: Pregnancy and Across the Lifespan; Course 6: Caries Risk Assessment, Fluoride Varnish, and Counseling; Course 7: The Oral Exam; and Course 8: Geriatric Oral Health. Three months after completion of the SFL courses, a 10-question feedback form was sent to PCPs. PCPs working in primary care settings (community health centers, local health department, medical center women’s health clinic) serving pregnant women, children, and adolescents who completed at least two SFL courses as part of the PIOHCPC project. Thirteen PCPs (three physicians, three nurse practitioners, three nurse midwives, four nurses) completed the feedback form. One hundred percent of respondents strongly agreed/agreed that SFL courses (1) reinforced the importance of oral health to a patient’s overall health and well-being, (2) increased their awareness of and familiarity with oral health issues in their patients, and (3) increased their confidence in integrating oral health care into primary care. Seventy-seven percent of respondents strongly agreed/agreed that SFL courses helped reduce barriers to incorporating oral health care into primary care. Sixty-two percent of respondents strongly agreed/agreed that integrating oral health care into primary care improved their patients’ oral health outcomes. The majority (ranging from 85 to 100 percent) of PCPs strongly agreed/agreed that SFL courses helped them integrate the interprofessional oral health core clinical competencies into primary care. Three months after completing SFL courses, PCPs indicated that the curriculum had a positive influence on oral health practices in the primary care setting. These findings are consistent with a 2017 study that examined SFL influence on clinical practice and found that the curriculum positively influenced oral health practices in the primary care setting. Additional feedback could be gathered 1 year post-training to assess retention of PCPs’ practices related to integrating oral health care into primary care. Oral health training is essential for enhancing PCPs’ knowledge and practices related to integrating oral health care into primary care. To respond to the need to integrate oral health care into primary care, SFL should be considered as a training for PCPs. Health Resources and Services Administration.     

健康体检护理质量管理的探讨

目的 探讨按照JCI质量管理评审标准制定的体检护理质量管理体系在健康体检的作用效果.方法 在医院质量改进委员会体系下,结合本部门特点,建立健康体检部门护理质量管理监测系统,对体检护理工作中的突出问题应用质量改进工具进行分析决策,从而提高护理质量和体检者满意度.结果 体检护理质量及体检者对护士满意度明显提高,护士了解质量管理的相关知识并积极参与到科室质量管理工作中.结论 JCI标准下的体检护理质量管理体系对提升体检品质具有良好的作用,护士通过参与质量改进项目,有助于提高护士解决和分析问题的能力.     

Emergency preparedness training for public health nurses: a pilot study

The Columbia Center for Public Health Preparedness, in partnership with the New York City Department of Health, recently developed an emergency preparedness training program for public health workers. A pilot training program was conducted for a group of school health nurses and evaluated using a pre/posttest design. A surprising finding was that 90% of the nurses reported at least one barrier to their ability to report to duty in the event of a public health emergency. The most frequently cited barriers included child/elder care responsibilities, lack of transportation, and personal health issues. These findings suggest that it may be prudent to identify and address potential barriers to public health workforce responsiveness to ensure the availability of the workforce during emergencies.     

Organizing public health nursing for the 1990s: generalist or specialist

Since the 1930s, Public Health Nurses (PHNs) have been deployed in most health units in Canada to provide community-based care for all people living in defined geographical areas. PHNs have provided nursing services for all ages and stages for a variety of health and illness states. A literature review and a systematic analysis of the internal and external factors affecting Public Health Nursing practice in this community led to a recommendation to assign nurses to specific target populations (e.g. parent-child, school, adolescent, adult, seniors) instead of assigning responsibility for all health problems in a geographic location. We describe the processes of assessment, analysis, planning and implementation of the change from geographic assignment to target population assignment for Public Health Nurses.     

济南市医院护理人力配置现状及其改革对策研究

为了解城市医院护理人力配置现况,探讨医院人力配置标准,采用预设调查表和问卷,抽样调查了济南市6家医院人员编制现状,其结果：医院实际护士总数低于1978年的部颁医院人力配置标准,并存在着护士内部结构分布不合理现象,建议在人事管理制度改革中加以完善。     

安徽省乡镇卫生院护士培训需求调查分析

目的了解安徽省乡镇卫生院护士培训需求,为构建符合国情、省情的基层护士规范化培养模式及实施路径提供依据。方法采用自行设计的乡镇卫生院护士培训需求调查问卷对安徽省16个市乡镇卫生院护士进行调查。采用SPSS 20.0软件对数据进行统计分析。结果安徽省乡镇卫生院护士培训意愿较高,其中皖北地区护士培训意愿较皖南、皖中地区高（χ2=19.243,P<0.01）;培训内容调查结果显示,4 359名（81.7% ）乡镇卫生院护士选择急诊急救为首要培训项目;培训方式中,3 242名（60.8%）护士选择了网络学习或视频课件培训方式;乡镇卫生院护士不能参加培训原因中,4 262名（39.2%）护士认为基层护士缺乏,工作无人接替是首要原因。结论安徽省乡镇卫生院护士培训意愿较高,多数护士能充分认识到培训的必要性,基层医疗机构应考虑不同地区、不同学历间护士培训需求差异,结合基层护士的实际情况开展针对性培训,以实现护理资源共享、护理工作水平提高以及全面护理质量持续改进。     

台湾双和医院护理管理学习见闻

我院15名护理人员赴台湾进行为期14天的护理管理培训活动,接受台湾署立双和医院有关护理管理、物料库存管理、仪器设备管理、外包人员管理、门诊流程、社区健康营造、病历管理、医院安全管理等内容培训,通过现场交流和实地观摩活动,了解台湾护理管理模式及发展现状,对我院今后的护理管理工作有所启迪。     

Promoting mental health care in a rural paediatric unit through participatory action research

Objective:  To explore, advance and evaluate mental health practices in a rural general paediatric unit through participatory action research.
Design:  A participatory action research approach guided this study, providing an opportunity for nursing staff to become actively involved in the design, direction and outcomes of the research.
Setting:  A 16-bed paediatric unit of a rural general hospital.
Participants:  A purposive convenience sample of all paediatric nursing staff ( n =  20; of 24 nurses).
Outcome measures:  In the first phase of this study, focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of nurses.
Results:  Participants considered mental health to be a specialist discipline area and the role of the mental health nurse to be complex. They felt that their lack of training and experience with mental health issues was detrimental to the delivery of optimal patient care. There was concern about differing approaches to treatment, relationships with other mental health services and the suitability of the ward environment for young people with a mental health problem. Participants called for training by qualified mental health staff and the development of policies and clinical guidelines to facilitate their delivery of care to patients with a mental health problem in an acute medical environment.
Conclusions:  There is a clear need for nursing specialities to work together to ensure that optimal care is given to patients admitted to general hospital with a mental health issue. Given the absence of accessible specialist child mental health inpatient units in regional and remote areas, upskilling paediatric nurses must be a priority.     

The impact of out-migration on the nursing workforce in Kenya

Objective. To examine the impact of out‐migration on Kenya's nursing workforce. Study Setting. This study analyzed deidentified nursing data from the Kenya Health Workforce Informatics System, collected by the Nursing Council of Kenya and the Department of Nursing in the Ministry of Medical Services. Study Design. We analyzed trends in Kenya's nursing workforce from 1999 to 2007, including supply, deployment, and intent to out‐migrate, measured by requests for verification of credentials from destination countries. Principle Findings. From 1999 to 2007, 6 percent of Kenya's nursing workforce of 41,367 nurses applied to out‐migrate. Eighty‐five percent of applicants were registered or B.Sc.N. prepared nurses, 49 percent applied within 10 years of their initial registration as a nurse, and 82 percent of first‐time applications were for the United States or United Kingdom. For every 4.5 nurses that Kenya adds to its nursing workforce through training, 1 nurse from the workforce applies to out‐migrate, potentially reducing by 22 percent Kenya's ability to increase its nursing workforce through training. Conclusions. Nurse out‐migration depletes Kenya's nursing workforce of its most highly educated nurses, reduces the percentage of younger nurses in an aging nursing stock, decreases Kenya's ability to increase its nursing workforce through training, and represents a substantial economic loss to the country.     

Public health nurses for Virginia's future: a collaborative project to increase the number of nursing students choosing a career in public health nursing

A shift in the role of public health practice in the United States to population-focused care, together with demographic shifts increasing the diversity and age of the population, has created a need for a public health workforce more highly skilled in community and population-based practices. Despite this need, few changes have been made in the pattern of field placements for nursing students, in part because many public health nurses in population-focused roles are unfamiliar with models of successful student fieldwork in their areas.We describe the Public Health Nurses for Virginia's Future project, a successful project undertaken by nurse educators and public health leaders to increase the number of highly qualified graduates working in state and local health departments.     

Public health initiatives in South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s: lessons for a post-apartheid era.

Inspiration drawn from South African public health initiatives in the 1940s played an important role in the development of the network of community and migrant health centers in the United States. The first such center at Pholela in Natal emphasized the need for a comprehensive (preventive and curative) service that based its practices on empirical data derived from epidemiological and anthropological research. In addition, community consultation preceded the introduction of new service or research initiatives. The Institute of Family and Community Health in Durban pioneered community-based multidisciplinary training and developed Pholela and other sites as centers for service, teaching, and research. Several important lessons for South African health professionals emerge from the Pholela experience. First, public health models of the past need to be reintroduced locally; second, the training of public health professionals needs to be upgraded and reoriented; third, appropriate research programs need to respond to community needs and address service demands; fourth, community involvement strategies need to be implemented early on; and fifth, funding sources for innovation in health service provision should be sought.     

The 1990s and Beyond: Determining the Need for Community Health and Primary Care Nurses for Rural Populations*

ABSTRACT: Increased numbers of primary care and advanced practice nurses with unique generalist skills will be required to meet the accelerating physiologic and sociocultural health care needs of rural populations. Several factors have been identified that will influence the demands and position of community-based nurses in rural practice settings during the next decade. A back-to-basics type of health care offered out of a growing elderly population; technological breakthroughs that make it possible for more chronically ill patients to live at home; serious substance abuse and other adolescent problems; AIDS; and high infant morbidity and mortality statistics are only some of the concerns that will demand nursing intervention. These changes speak to the need for improved nursing coordination, stronger collegial relationships, and better communication between physicians and nurses. Health care is moving in new directions to offer more efficient and technologically sophisticated care. These changes enhance the need for clinically expert educators who teach and jointly practice in programs with a rural focus. Telecommunications, and heightened computer literacy, will play a major role both in nursing education and clinical practice. The goals of kindergarten through 12th grade health promotion and disease prevention strategies in school health will be the norm and will require better prepared, and positions for, school nurses. More midwives and public health nurses will be needed to care for the growing population of sexually active adolescents who are in need of family planning and prenatal care. Underinsured and indigent populations will continue to fall within the purview of midlevel practitioners, as will providing anesthesia services in small rural hospitals. The transition of some rural hospitals into expanded primary care units (e.g., EACHs and RPCHs), and new models of case management will greatly influence nursing demands. This paper will further identify critical areas of advanced practice nursing within community settings, including new relationships with other health care providers, and will introduce strategies upon which rural health policy recommendations for the 1990s can be addressed.     

The 1990s and Beyond: Determining the Need for Community Health and Primary Care Nurses for Rural Populations*

Increased numbers of primary care and advanced practice nurses with unique generalist skills will be required to meet the accelerating physiologic and sociocultural health care needs of rural populations. Several factors have been identified that will influence the demands and position of community-based nurses in rural practice settings during the next decade. A back-to-basics type of health care offered out of a growing elderly population; technological breakthroughs that make it possible for more chronically ill patients to live at home; serious substance abuse and other adolescent problems; AIDS; and high infant morbidity and mortality statistics are only some of the concerns that will demand nursing intervention. These changes speak to the need for improved nursing coordination, stronger collegial relationships, and better communication between physicians and nurses. Health care is moving in new directions to offer more efficient and technologically sophisticated care. These changes enhance the need for clinically expert educators who teach and jointly practice in programs with a rural focus. Telecommunications, and heightened computer literacy, will play a major role both in nursing education and clinical practice. The goals of kindergarten through 12th grade health promotion and disease prevention strategies in school health will be the norm and will require better prepared, and positions for, school nurses. More midwives and public health nurses will be needed to care for the growing population of sexually active adolescents who are in need of family planning and prenatal care. Underinsured and indigent populations will continue to fall within the purview of midlevel practitioners, as will providing anesthesia services in small rural hospitals. The transition of some rural hospitals into expanded primary care units (e.g., EACHs and RPCHs), and new models of case management will greatly influence nursing demands. This paper will further identify critical areas of advanced practice nursing within community settings, including new relationships with other health care providers, and will introduce strategies upon which rural health policy recommendations for the 1990s can be addressed.     

Shaping an Australian nursing and midwifery specialty framework for workforce regulation: criteria development

One of the biggest obstacles identified in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was the lack of available qualified health personal to meet the health needs of the global population. With nurses being the main workforce component in health systems, the human resource challenge for most countries is to address the reported shortage of nurses. Skill mix is one suggestion. In Australia, workforce projections indicated a shortage of 40,000 nurses by 2010. Toward the reform of the Australian health workforce, one project aimed to develop a nationally consistent framework for nursing and midwifery specialization based on knowledge and skills to generate the first national database iteration for designated specialties. A literature review looked at the way nursing specialty practices were defined in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. Three international and three national sources of criteria for specialty nursing practice were mapped against each other. The result was six criteria synthesized to define nursing practice groups as Australian nursing specialties. Each criterion was operationalized with criteria indicators to meet Australian expectations. The nurses in Australia commented on the criteria before they were finalized. An audit of national workforce databases identified nursing practice groups. The criteria were applied to identify nursing specialties and practice strands that would form a national nursing framework. This paper reports on the criteria developed to assess specialty practice at a national level in Australia. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

护士对骨科病人疼痛知识掌握的现状调查分析及对策

目的了解骨科护士对骨科病人疼痛知识掌握程度。方法采用“骨科病人疼痛知识调查量表”对137名在岗骨科护士进行了问卷调查。结果疼痛知识问卷平均分仅有41．16分；受教育程度、年龄、职称以及是否参加过疼痛知识的培训班的护士得分没有统计学差异，但不同的年龄段、护龄段和不同的工作医院的护士得分有显著差异。结论大多数骨科护士缺乏足够的骨科病人疼痛护理知识．建议加强骨科护士对骨科病人疼痛管理知识的培训及在校护生的疼痛知识基础课程的教育，鼓励护士积极参与疼痛管理实践，共同促进疼痛管理实践标准化？