A review of nursing and midwifery education research in the Republic of Ireland

This literature review aims to (a) provide a summary of the research conducted in the Irish nurse/midwifery education field, (b) identify key recommendations from the research reviewed and (c) examine the policy, theory and methodological implications of the research conducted. The electronic databases of CINAHL (EBSCO host 1982-2006) and PubMed (1950-2006) were searched for the relevant literature. Sixty-one studies satisfied the criteria for inclusion which were based on; quality of research design, sampling, data analysis, scientific merit, and authorship (registered nurse/midwife who conducted research in the Republic of Ireland). Findings demonstrated diversity in relation to aims, methods and results highlighting a need to formulate a collaborative research agenda in nurse and midwifery education.     

Research development in a university nursing school in Southern Ireland

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the strategies used in one newly established university School of Nursing and Midwifery in Southern Ireland to develop research capacity. Background: The case study was guided by an agreed strategic plan which included changing the research culture; providing focused and appropriate research training; mentoring of junior staff, employment of an external consultant; provision of funding for PhD progression; and institutional support at all levels. Conclusion: Success is profiled in relation to establishment of research themes, publications, research funding awarded, and numbers of students registered for PhDs. Challenges in further improving research productivity are also discussed.     

Clinical nursing and midwifery education in the pandemic age

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted clinical nursing and midwifery education. This disruption has long-term implications for the nursing and midwifery workforce and for future healthcare responses to pandemics. Solutions may include enhanced partnerships between schools of nursing and midwifery and health service providers and including schools of nursing and midwifery in preparedness planning. These suggestions notwithstanding, we call upon national and international nursing and midwifery bodies to study how to further the clinical education of nurses and midwives during pandemics and other times of crisis.     

Views on evidence from nursing and midwifery opinion leaders

National registration standards in Australia require nurses and midwives to be educationally prepared to use an evidence-based framework for their practice. These standards assume a shared professional understanding of evidence and, an agreed approach towards educational preparation for evidence implementation. In this study, a qualitative phenomenographic approach is used to explore the ways in which nursing opinion leaders understand ‘evidence’ within the context of evidence-based practice (EBP). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 nursing and midwifery opinion leaders across the state of New South Wales, Australia. The findings suggest that views of evidence are deeply imbedded within individual clinical, contextual and professional experiences, and are highly variable. Establishing basic consensus on the meaning of evidence for the nursing and midwifery context is fundamental to the successful educational preparation of nurses and midwives for EBP. It is proposed that future evaluations of EBP education in nursing and midwifery examine the assumptions on which such programs are based as individual variation may be a significant factor in both defining and measuring the success of educational interventions for evidence implementation.     

助产方向护理本科生心路历程的扎根理论研究

目的 探索助产方向护理本科生学习过程中的心路历程,为助产本科教学工作提供参考.方法 对17名助产方向护理本科生进行半结构式访谈,应用扎根理论方法,通过不断比较、三级编码和撰写备忘录对获得的资料进行分析.结果 助产方向护理本科生心路历程经历初识憧憬期、学习探索期、成长蜕变期和理性抉择期,内在动因、专业认识、专业情感、应对...     

The struggle to develop nursing research in Turkey

BACKGROUND: Little is known internationally about nursing research in Turkey. The development of nursing research would, however, provide a distinctive perspective on health needs and service provision. To understand the development of nursing research in Turkey, the development of nursing research in other countries might be analysed. AIM: To describe the development of nursing research and education in Turkey in a European context. FINDINGS: The evolution of nursing research in Europe is discussed and the importance of setting nursing research priorities described. Different countries in the world are then examined for the development of nursing research and priorities. Finally, the development of nursing education, nursing research and priorities in Turkey are analysed and discussed in the context of the political and social background. CONCLUSION: The development of Turkish nursing research may still be insufficient in relation to the development of nursing research in Europe, but it is following global developments. Over the past years, there has been an increased interest in nursing research and Turkish nurses work hard to produce work for international publication.     

我国助产教育的现状与发展

助产工作是衡量国家卫生保健发展的重要内容,一直受到各级卫生行政部门的重视。我国的助产教育开始于20世纪20年代,目前从属于护理专业,教育体系仍比较落后,而且国际上助产专业范围已从单纯助产操作发展到围孕期、围生期保健和整体护理等临床应用领域,甚至还要扩展到围婚期及婚前领域,所以就更突显了我国需要进行高级助产士专业教育和培训的必要性。因此,有必要整合助产相关领域的各种现有资源,推进和带动现代中国助产的全面发展,为进一步推动全国范围内的助产工作发挥示范和带头作用。     

An evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of structured reflection for midwifery students in Ireland

Midwifery students undertaking the undergraduate midwifery education programme in Ireland participate in facilitated reflective sessions that aim to develop their skills of reflecting on and in clinical practice. This paper presents a qualitative evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the facilitated reflection sessions for pre and post-registration midwifery students in two large Dublin maternity teaching hospitals. The aim was to evaluate structured reflective practice sessions which sought to assist midwifery students to become competent reflective practitioners. Group reflection sessions were conducted weekly in a clinical practice area at the same time each week over one academic year. After the series of structured reflective sessions, midwifery students and facilitating staff were invited to evaluate the reflective process. This evaluation consisted of a self-completion survey to identify the factors that facilitated and impeded student participation in the sessions. Respondents answered a series of questions about the reflective practice sessions and were also invited to enter qualitative data regarding their subjective experiences of the process in free text boxes. The data were then collated into themes by an independent reviewer. The results of the evaluation clearly indicate that midwifery students and facilitators welcomed the opportunity to engage in group reflection sessions as a form of peer support and as a catalyst for learning from clinical practice. Findings suggest that reflective practice can contribute to the development of skilled, self-aware and engaged practitioners.     

An international exploration of blended learning use in pre-registration nursing and midwifery education

AimTo explore international experiences of using blended learning in preparing nursing and midwifery students for initial professional registration to inform future education policy.BackgroundThe global nursing and midwifery skills shortage and need for an expanded nursing workforce that is fit for contemporary care delivery is widely acknowledged. The immense pressure the profession was already under because of austerity, staff shortages and increasingly complex healthcare needs has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK is extending and evaluating the use of blended learning programmes for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students to help address these issues. This study sought to explore relevant nursing and midwifery experiences from outside the UK to help inform future health professional education policy here and elsewhere.DesignCross-sectional, sequential, mixed methods studyParticipants/settingsNursing/nurse education leaders from across International Council of Nurses regionsMethodsExploratory online survey (n = 32) and three follow-up case studies (March-May 2021). Participants’ knowledge and experiences of blended learning were examined along with any perceived benefits for workforce development and successful strategies for addressing the challenges blended learning presents in this context. Case studies were developed inductively from survey responses and follow up telephone calls to provide more detailed information about reported successes.ResultsParticipants reported flexibility, cost effectiveness, increased student/tutor and student/student communication and interaction as benefits of blended learning. Challenges included the design and use of interactive learning resources, appropriate preparation and support for staff and students, the potential of blended learning to exacerbate otherwise hidden disadvantage and the need for multi-stakeholder cost/benefit evaluation.ConclusionsBlended learning is used globally in the pre-registration education of nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. These results broadly mirror the literature regarding the benefits blended learning offers healthcare students, staff and organisations and the strategies employed to mitigate risk. As the deployment of blended learning nursing and midwifery programmes expands, further work is needed to address gaps in the current evidence base regarding the practice and impact of this approach. These concern adequate preparation and support of students and staff, ensuring access to appropriate equipment and connectivity, exploration of student perceptions that online learning is of lesser value and comprehensive multi-stakeholder, exploratory evaluation to uncover any hidden factors and impact.Tweetable abstractBlended learning plays an effective part in the education of pre-registration nursing and midwifery students to help tackle global workforce shortages, but further work is needed to address gaps in the current evidence base regarding the practice and impact of this approach.     

Action learning sets in a nursing and midwifery practice learning context: A realistic evaluation

Action learning sets (ALS) are used widely for organisational and workforce development, including in nursing (Anderson and Thorpe, 2004, Pounder, 2009, Young et al., 2010). In the United Kingdom, a multi-faceted educational Pilot programme for new nurses and midwives was implemented to accelerate their clinical practice and leadership development (NHS Education Scotland, 2010). Action Learning Sets were provided for peer support and personal development. The Realistic Evaluation study reported in this paper explored issues of context, mechanism and outcome (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) influencing the action learning experiences of: programme participants (recently qualified nurses and midwives, from different practice settings); and programme supporters. A range of data were collected via: online questionnaires from 66 participants and 29 supporters; three focus groups, each comprising between eight and 10 programme participants; and one focus group with three action learning facilitators. The qualitative data pertaining to the ALS are presented in this paper. Thematic data analysis of context, mechanism and outcome configurations, generated five themes: creating and sustaining a collective learning environment; challenging constructively; collective support; the role of feedback; and effectiveness of ALS. Study outcomes suggest nursing and midwifery action learning should (a) be facilitated positively to improve participants' experience; (b) be renamed to avoid learning methodology confusion; and (c) be outcome focused to evidence impact on practice.     

本科助产专业标准化病人的培训及应用

目的 探讨本科助产专业助产技能考核中标准化病人的培训方法及实施效果.方法 根据纳入标准在护理专业高年级中招募16名学生,按照《标准化病人参与医学教育最佳实践标准》的原则进行培训和质量评价,并将标准化病人应用于客观结构化临床考核中.结果 标准化病人模拟质量总得分为(81.60±9.59)分,模拟态度维度均分为(4.85±0.31)分,模拟能力维度均分为(4.15±0.68)分,遵守问答规则维度均分为(4.17±0.71)分.结论 标准化病人在本科助产专业助产技能考核中的培训及应用得到考生认可,具有可行性,为助产技能教学改革提供参考依据.     

助产专业基础护理学课程教学中存在的问题与对策

针对助产专业基础护理课程教学中存在的问题进行分析,并采取相应的措施。通过调整教学内容,改进教学方法,提高基础护理的专业针对性;采用小组分散见习和三阶段临床实习,保证临床教学质量;辅以多方位社会实践等手段,达到基础护理教学特色化,人才培养专科化的教育目标。     

The relationship between feedback and evaluative judgement in undergraduate nursing and midwifery education: An integrative review

AimThis integrative review aims to explore the relationship between feedback and evaluative judgement in undergraduate nursing and midwifery education.BackgroundResearch in higher education has shown that feedback practices can lead to students’ developing evaluative judgement; thought critical for performance improvement and life-long learning. While literature in nursing and midwifery education has not yet employed the term ‘evaluative judgement’ explicitly, there might be similar concepts and practices that seek to develop students’ judgement of performance that sustain learning beyond the immediate task.DesignAn integrative review of the nursing and midwifery feedback literature.MethodsIn February 2020, six online databases (CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, ERIC, PsycINFO, Ovid MEDLINE) were systematically searched for literature published between January 1989-February 2020. Synonyms for feedback and evaluative judgement were used to inform our search. This review included a rigorous team-based, five-stage approach: (1) identifying the problem; (2) conducting the search; (3) evaluating the data; (4) analysing the data; and (5) presenting the integrative review.ResultsA total of 1408 studies were initially retrieved with 543 duplicates. 865 abstracts were screened using eligibility criteria, resulting in the exclusion of 835 studies. Thirty full-text studies were appraised for quality. Eighteen studies with diverse methodologies achieved a medium-high quality score for inclusion in data analysis. Conceptions of feedback and evaluative judgement were identified in all studies; despite none using the term 'evaluative judgement' explicitly. Thematic analysis of the studies resulted in seven themes: conceptions of feedback, purposes of feedback, sources of feedback, modes of feedback, conceptions of evaluative judgement, purposes of evaluative judgement and relationships between feedback and evaluative judgement.ConclusionsWhile our findings supported contemporary higher education research, the feedback-evaluative judgement relationship is novel in nursing education. We encourage educators to design feedback activities privileging students’ active engagement through dialogic feedback, reflection and self-assessment, to develop their evaluative judgement of practice.     

高职助产专业学生人文素质状况调查

目的了解高职助产专业学生人文素质状况,为人文素质教育改革提供依据。方法采用自行设计的调查问卷,对95名高职助产专业学生的人文素质状况进行调查。结果 52名(54.7%)学生有明确的人生追求;57名(60.0%)学生有健康的人文思想,但文史知识薄弱、艺术修养欠缺;71名(74.7%)学生愿意以人文的情怀关心患者;72名(75.8%)学生愿意主动接受人文素质教育;52名(54.7%)学生认为人文素质教育能够满足未来助产士岗位工作的需要。结论教育者应以专业为核心增进人文素质教育的实效性,加强学生文史艺术修养,实施多样化人文实践,提高教师人文素质,营造和谐校园环境。     

Applying to the European Research Area Network Scheme (ERA-NET): collaborative working for nursing and midwifery research

AIM: This paper reports on work undertaken to achieve an application for monies from the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme by some key stakeholders, working with a nursing and midwifery research agenda at national policy levels. BACKGROUND: A short outline of the European Commission's European Research Area Network scheme is given in order to set the paper in context, and the vision underpinning the application is discussed. CONCLUSION: The paper describes the processes that were undertaken to bring to fruition such collaborative work, and some key lessons are outlined. Seeking opportunities to enhance nursing and midwifery research within a European context gives value to the application, which was ultimately successful.     

助产专业本科助产技能综合实训课程的设置与实践

目的探讨助产专业本科层次助产技能综合实训课程的效果评价。方法以临床工作过程为主线,设计助产技能综合实训课程(44学时)。采用课堂讲授、视频教学、小组讨论、实操演练等多种形式,对2016级大学三年级30名助产专业学生进行教学。课后采用多站式客观结构化临床考试评价学生的综合实践能力,并收集学生和教师对实训课程教学的评价。结果学生操作考核成绩为(92.21±2.01)分。学生及教师对课程的内容设置、教学方法等均比较满意,认为课程可以提高助产技能的综合应用能力。结论助产技能综合实训课程有助于提高学生助产技能综合应用能力、言语表达和沟通能力、分析和解决问题的能力、合作意识,缩短实验教学与临床实践的差距。     

A mixed-method evaluation of a New Zealand based midwifery education development unit

The Midwifery Development Education Service was established in the Birthing Unit at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland New Zealand in 2007. The service is unique in the New Zealand midwifery context for the way it operates as a collaboration between the education and health provider to optimise the clinical learning experience of student midwives. This paper reports on the evaluation of the Midwifery Development Education Service that was undertaken in 2015. The evaluation captured the views and experience of students and midwives who had been involved with, or had worked alongside, the service. A mixed-method approach was adopted for the evaluation study, comprising of an anonymous on-line survey, qualitative interviews and focus group discussion. Considerable satisfaction with the service was identified. This article draws attention to participants’ perceptions of the service as supporting student midwives; the significance of quality time in the provision of the clinical midwifery education; the situating of the service at a unique vantage point (overseeing the needs of the university and the hospital) and its impact upon the learning culture of education within the unit. A potential tension is also identified between the provision of a supportive learning environment and the assessment of student performance.     

Identifying research priorities in nursing and midwifery service delivery and organisation: a scoping study

This paper reports on a scoping study commissioned by the National Co-ordinating Centre Service Delivery and Organisation (NCCSDO) Research and Development (R&D) to identify priorities for nursing and midwifery research funding in England and Wales. The study comprised three strands (i) nationally held focus groups with service user representatives (32, plus six written submissions) (ii) semi-structured telephone interviews with 64 stakeholders (nursing, midwifery, medical, social care and allied health professionals; research commissioners; policy makers; educators; managers; researchers) and (iii) literature analysis. Five priority areas for research were identified-appropriate, timely and effective interventions; individualised services; continuity of care; staff capacity and quality; user involvement and participation-from which exemplar research questions and issues for strategic commissioning are suggested.