Fathers’ contributions to the management of their child’s long‐term medical condition: a narrative review of the literature

Context Fathers’ contributions to the management of long‐term childhood medical conditions are under‐represented in the literature; therefore, the full extent of their involvement is poorly understood by practitioners and researchers, so strategies for promoting their involvement have not yet been fully considered. Objective To review studies of fathers’ actual contributions in a wide range of conditions, the potential to optimize their contribution through additional interventions by health professionals and a direction for future research. Design Narrative review of the literature. Methods CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo and ERIC databases were searched electronically between the years 1995–2008. The terms adherence, adjustment, child, chronic, compliance, concordance, condition, coping, disease, father, illness, information, long‐term, management/intervention, mother, role, self‐care and treatment were searched for separately and in combination. English language papers reporting primary research were selected and supplemented by hand‐searching reference lists. Thirty‐five papers (arising from 29 studies) met criteria and were selected for narrative review. Results Five themes were identified: (i) the impact of long‐term conditions on fathers’ ability to promote their child’s well‐being, (ii) factors influencing fathers’ involvement in health care, (iii) personal growth/beneficial effects for fathers, (iv) the impact of father’s involvement on family functioning and (v) strategies that increase fathers’ participation in their child’s health care and in research investigating fathers’ participation. Conclusions The review suggests that fathers’ involvement in children’s health care can positively impact on fathers’, mothers’ and children’s well‐being and family functioning. A range of strategies are identified to inform the promotion of fathers’ contributions and future research investigating their input.     

Organizational support in the recruitment and transition of overseas‐qualified nurses: Lessons learnt from a study tour

The migration of nurses has been a global phenomenon, and the integration of overseas‐qualified nurses within host countries has led to debate worldwide. Evidence suggests that support provided by organizations can vary and that there is minimal information on the nature and extent of organizational support required to enhance a smooth transition of overseas‐qualified nurses into nursing practice. This explorative study tour examined the organizational support provided to enhance overseas‐qualified nurses' transition into the nursing workforce in two countries. The various support mechanisms provided to overseas‐qualified nurses in different organizations include transition, acculturation, mentoring programs, and initial settlement assistance. The successful transition of overseas‐qualified nurses into a host country is a complex issue. A robust support system for these nurses should be based on ethical considerations and a team approach that is linked to strong leadership. In addition, education and support for existing staff is essential for a successful transition of overseas‐qualified nurses into practice. Lessons learnt from this study tour might also be relevant to the transition of other overseas‐qualified health professionals, such as doctors and allied health professionals, in host countries.     

Student evaluation of simulation in undergraduate nursing programs in Australia using quality indicators

Student evaluation of the implementation of evidence‐based quality indicators for simulation experiences in undergraduate nursing programs in 2012 was explored in this study. The evaluation instrument used five specific measures derived from quality indicators. Students evaluated 10 simulation learning experiences in the first and second years of undergraduate nursing programs at two universities in Australia. Overall, students (n = 85) reported that simulation contributed to their achievement of objectives, but they did not always feel supported in these sessions. Student preparation and orientation was scored lower than other components of the simulation experience. Students reported very good scores for perceived realism and fidelity of simulation sessions, particularly the silicone mask and high‐fidelity sessions, which implies that learning from simulation is transferable into the clinical practice setting. However, patient charts and other clinical documents were not always considered to be realistic. Debriefing was scored very highly overall and for both approaches used for debriefing. The student‐evaluation instrument was an effective means of measuring student‐related quality indicators across a range of simulation sessions. It identified areas for the improved delivery of simulation sessions.     

Using participatory action research to foster nurse leadership in Australian rural hospitals

This paper outlines the processes and results of a participatory action research study undertaken to identify issues that may impact on strategies to foster nurse leadership in rural hospitals. Five Directors of Nursing from rural regions of Victoria, Australia participated. The group activities involved discussion and analysis of previous research, a review of current literature and critical reflection of the leadership performance of their organization. The analysis identified five key themes; dispel the myths, adopt big‐picture thinking, connect with colleagues, reflect on your own conduct, and create organizational buy‐in. It is essential to have an awareness of contextual challenges, an understanding of the importance of your own conduct as a visible leader, and the need for effective communication to inform the development of strategies that may be used to foster nurse leadership in rural hospitals. The platform to discuss and critically analyze leadership saw a group consensus that affirmed the need for any approach to nursing leadership to be tailored to the individual healthcare organization.     

Reflection and critical incident analysis: ethical and moral implications of their use within nursing and midwifery education

Despite the dearth of rigorous empirical investigation, reflection and reflective practice have become buzz words in nursing and midwifery education Reflection and critical incident analysis may be tools which can facilitate the integration of theory and practice It is proposed that in the absence of explicit and thorough preparation of lecturers and students, together with very careful curriculum planning, these activities may be counter-productive or even harmful In the absence of structure, reflection and associated critical incident analysis may lead to student disaffection or, worse, the potential for actual psychological disturbance Empirical studies on the use of identified models of reflection and critical incident analysis are urgently needed to assist nursing and midwifery lecturers and students to achieve predictable learning outcomes for this potentially valuable activity