Training needs assessment for practicing pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi to inform the development of a specialized master’s education pathway: a cohort study

Background Significant improvements in under-five mortality in Malawi have been demonstrated over the past thirty years; however, Malawian healthcare remains with gaps in availability and access to quality pediatric critical care nursing training and education. To improve expertise of pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), and Mercy James Center (MJC) entered a partnership with Seed Global Health, a US non-governmental organization. A needs assessment was conducted to understand the training needs of nurses currently working in pediatric critical care and in preparation for the development of a specialized Master’s in Child Health pathway in Pediatric Critical Care (PCC) Nursing at KUHeS. Methods The needs assessment was completed using a survey questionnaire formatted using an ABCDE (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, and Exposure) framework. The questionnaire had Likert scale and yes/no questions. Data was manually entered into excel and was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results One hundred and fifty-three nurses at QECH and MJC responded to the survey. Most nurses were between the ages of 25 and 35 years (N = 98, 64%), female (N = 105, 69%), and held either a Bachelors (N = 72, 47%) or diploma (N = 70, 46%) in nursing. Nurses had high rates of confidence in certain skills: airway management (N = 120, 99%), breathing assessment & management (N = 153, 100%). However, nurses demonstrated little to no confidence in areas such as: mechanical ventilation (N = 68, 44%), ECG evaluation (N = 74, 48%), and arterial blood gas collection & interpretation (N = 49, 32%). Conclusion It is important to identify priority areas for training and skills development to address in the PCC master’s within the child health pathway at KUHeS. Ideally this partnership will produce practice-ready PCC nurses and will establish a recognized PCC nursing workforce in Malawi.

Effect of an educational programme on critical care nurses’ competence at two tertiary hospitals in Malawi

BackgroundCritical care specialty deals with the complex needs of critically ill patients. Nurses who provide critical care are expected to possess the appropriate knowledge and skills required for the care of critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational programme on the competence of critical care nurses at two tertiary hospitals in Lilongwe and Blantyre, Malawi.MethodsA quantitative pre- and post-test design was applied. The training programme was delivered to nurses (n = 41) who worked in intensive care and adult high dependency units at two tertiary hospitals. The effect of the training was assessed through participants’ self-assessment of competence on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale and a list of 10 additional competencies before and after the training.ResultsThe participants’ scores on the Intensive and Critical Care Nursing Competence Scale before the training, M = 608.2, SD = 59.6 increased significantly after the training, M = 684.7, SD = 29.7, p <.0001 (two-tailed). Similarly, there was a significant increase in the participants’ scores on the additional competencies after the training, p <.0001 (two-tailed). ConclusionThe programme could be used for upskilling nurses in critical care settings in Malawi and other developing countries with a similar context.

Critical Care Nurses’ Perceptions of Clinical Alarm Management on Nursing Practice

The management of alarms is a key responsibility of critical care nurses. A qualitative study with focus group interviews were conducted with 37 nurses in Taiwan. Four main themes were derived: the foundation of critical care practice, a trajectory of adjust alarms management, negative impacts on care quality and patient safety, hope for remote control and multimodal learning. Results revealed that diverse training methods may facilitate nursing competency and devices usability to promote critical care.

Death Anxiety and Related Factors Among Iranian Critical Care Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study is to investigate death anxiety (DA) and related factors among critical care nurses. Using a cross-sectional research design, 325 critical care nurses in eight hospitals in Iran enrolled in the study. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that deputy head nurse (OR = 18.299; CI: 1.764–189.817; p = .015), shift morning fixed (OR = 8.061; CI: 1.503–43.243; p = .015), surviving parents (OR = 3.281; CI: 1.072–10.037; p = .037), number of children (OR = 1.866; CI: 1.157–3.010; p = .011), years of working experience (OR = 1.143; CI: 1.048–1.246; p = .003), number of end-of-life patient care in the last 3 months (OR = .900; CI: .828–0.977; p = .012), age (OR = .809; CI: .732–.893; p < .001), CCU nurses (OR = .250; CI: .100–.628; p = .003), and mild stressful life events (SLEs) (OR = .167; CI: .046–.611; p = .007) were significantly related to high DA. Therefore, nurse managers and policymakers should pay special attention to these related factors in developing programs to maintain and promote the health of critical care nurses to improve the quality of nursing care.