Lessons Learned and Implications of Function Focused Care based Programs of Various Nursing Care Settings: A Thematic Synthesis

Background and Objective: Function-Focused Care (FFC) aims to optimize daily functioning of older people by changing clinical nursing practice of care professionals. Recently, three multicomponent FFC-programs were implemented in the Dutch home, nursing home, and hospital care setting. Process evaluations were conducted including eight focus groups with 45 care professionals and one focus group with 8 involved researchers. The objective was to synthesize findings and provide lessons learned and implications to optimize future programs. Methods: A thematic synthesis was conducted of nine focus groups using the COREQ checklist. Deductive coding analysis was applied using Nvivo Software. Results: Six themes emerged from the focus groups: four related to those components to be preserved in future programs (policy and environment, education, goal setting, and coaching), and two related to the impact of FFCprograms, and its facilitators and barriers in practice. FFC-related policy and a facilitating environment were considered prerequisites to successfully implement FFC. Education sessions could be improved by being more interactive, containing sufficient behavior change components, and tailoring its content to participants’ needs. Goal setting was poorly delivered and should receive more attention in practice. Coaching was considered pivotal to consolidate FFC in practice. Conclusions and relevance to clinical practice: We suggest to develop an advanced FFC-program for various care settings, which allows for tailoring to setting-specific elements and requirements of participants. Lessons learned include addressing all FFC-components jointly, including a comprehensive interactive educational component that primarily focusses on behavior change in care professionals. Managers should support FFC in practice by ensuring sufficient time and staff resources.

Will Nurses’ Work Still be Valued after the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Many are the aspects we should ponder on, after 17 months from the burst of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as nurses. Due to the numerous cuts to the public health sector in the last decades in Italy, the sanitary emergency has been a great sacrifice for health professionals, as public health was completely unprepared to withstand it. The Italian government reacted to this lack of preparation with exceptionally urgent measures. Although, these measures were implemented long after the initial state of confusion and of inappropriate management, they brought about stability and led to a containment strategy for the spread of the virus across the nation [1]. The reduction in the number of COVID-19 diagnoses was mainly achieved through social distancing. At first this was only required to a small number of communities affected by high infection rates, but was eventually extended to the rest of the country from March 2020 [2]. The national lockdown during the first COVID-19 wave (from March to May 2020), was replaced by regional lockdowns in the second wave (from November 2020). As of now, regional lockdowns are integrated by the vaccine campaign and Green Pass enforcement. In November 2020 the Italian Prime Minister at the time, issued legislative measures to enforce regional lockdowns, limiting nonessential movements, cafes, restaurants and other public places opening hours. This legislation established to classify the national territory in different levels of restriction based on the infection rate: red zones - highest risk of infection, orange zones - medium high risk and yellow zones with a minor risk of infection. A later legislation introduced the white zone for territories with the lowest risk of infection (DPCM-14th January 2021). The infection rate has been important to establish a region’s tier status; however, it is not the defining parameter anymore. A new legislation from July 2021 (n.105 - 23rd July 2021), opted to classify a region’s tier status according to the hospital bed’s occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients in intensive care and other medical areas.

Exploration of Nurse/Social Worker ICU Family Support Group Intervention Satisfying Family Members’ Needs

Background: Family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are legitimate recipients of nursing care. There is a lack of interventional nursing strategies providing family support while in ICU. Objective: To demonstrate that a nurse led family support group is tool to fulfill family members’ needs. Methods: A prospective convenience sample of family members volunteering participation in nurse/social worker led support group. To validate the intervention on family members’ needs, The Critical Care Family needs Inventory was distributed to participants in support group. Results: 100 relatives participated in the study; Out of the 45 family needs, 21 needs were statistically significantly fulfilled by participation family support group intervention. The findings demonstrated that support group most significantly affected Support and Assurance categories.

Sense of Belonging and the Use of Social Digital Communication Platform: Nursing Staff Comparison between Pre and During COVID-19

In recent years use of digital social networks in the workplace has become the popular mode of team communications. The widespread use of different methods of interpersonal interaction and the availability of the user at any time and in any place have made the boundaries between the personal space and the professional space distorted. Aim: To investigate nurses’ perceptions of the use of digital application communication, level of belonging and stress before and during COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Quasi-experimental, prospective convenience sample correlational study. Method: Team cohesiveness, level of Belongingness and demographic questionnaire was distributed to five hospital departments in pre and during COVID-19 pandemic. Results: A total 178 nurses (83.3% females), average age 34.40 y/o; a significant positive correlation found between nurse seniority and level belongingness (β=.28, p<.01). Significant differences were found between during COVID-19 and pre-pandemic group in using digital platform for solving professional problems (χ² (1) = 7.74, p<.01). In addition, the more the respondents perceived the content of the digital application group for sharing personal experiences the greater their sense of belonging (β = .19, p=.03). Conclusion: This study examines nurses’ digital communication and sharing, deliberation, team cohesiveness and information exchange. The results demonstrate nurses’ interpersonal professional relationships expressed in this digital application as well comparison between two periods. The period of “normal” activity and during pandemic.

Teaching Reform of Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing Course in Higher Vocational Colleges Based on OBE Education Concept from the Perspective of Big Data

The application of big data puts forward new requirements for the talent training mode and curriculum reform of big data in higher vocational colleges. Through statistical data, the classroom quality can be measured, evaluated and traced. Under the framework of “Internet plus big data”, taking the cultivation of innovative ability as the core, realizing the multidimensional integration of technology and science, general knowledge and specialty, teaching and research, and teachers and students has become a new concept and Practice for improving the quality of big data talents training in higher vocational colleges. Obstetrics and gynecology nursing is one of the core courses of nursing specialty in higher vocational colleges, which is of great significance to the cultivation of professional talents. The purpose of nursing specialty in higher vocational colleges is to cultivate skilled and technical applied talents to meet the needs of medical and health posts, which requires the combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills, so as to cultivate students’ clinical thinking and ability. There are some problems in the course design of Obstetrics and gynecology nursing in higher vocational colleges, such as the derailment of theoretical teaching and practical teaching, teaching materials lagging behind the update of clinical skills, students’ low learning initiative, single teaching mode and so on. Based on the OBE teaching concept from the perspective of big data, this paper carries out curriculum design, curriculum implementation and Curriculum Evaluation Guided by students’ learning achievements, and through the reverse design of achievements, highlights the student-centered, quantifies teaching output, and cultivates students’ learning ability and creativity. By reasonably mobilizing students’ learning initiative, students can achieve “self-education, self-management, self-service, and common improvement”, so as to improve the teaching quality of this course, improve students’ clinical skills, promote the self-development of teachers and students, and realize the “winwin” of education.

Is there a Link between Preterm Birth and In Utero Exposure to Climate Change?

Aim: The aim of this study is to clarify if there is a link between preterm birth and temperature as a climate factor. Our study comes after a long period of clinical experience that rose the suspicion of a possible correlation between temperature variation and peaks of premature births. Materials and method: We conducted a retrospective study on the number of births registered at the “Dr. I.A. Sbarcea” Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Brasov in 2018 and 2019. Data related to premature birth was further correlated to climate information regarding Brasov area obtained from the National Administration of Meteorology, Romania and to results of fertility statistics made publicly available by the Romanian National Institute of Statistics. Results: Our study group included 99 premature births registered at “Dr. I.A. Sbarcea” Clinical Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Brasov in 2018 and 127 in 2019. The premature birth rate peaks in August for both years of study: 2018 and 2019. Statistical data processing shows there is significant correlation between in utero exposure to extreme temperatures and registration of peaks of premature births. Conclusion: Recognizing a pattern of the raise in the premature birth rate may help the healthcare system to cope with the increased demands of the pediatric care units in time periods marked by specific climate context. Easy recognition of climate conditions that can consequently lead to a peak in the rate of premature birth can be useful for medical staff and patients.

Ageing Effects on Dual-Tasking Performance that Involved Turning-While-Walking

Turning-while-walking requires attention. This task can demand more attention when performed with a concurrent cognitive task, particularly in older adults. This study therefore aimed at examining the effects of ageing on dual-tasking performance that involves turning-while-walking in youngold adults (age 65-74). Eleven young-old adults and ten young adults were recruited. Single auditory Stroop test, single turning-while-walking test, and dual-tasking that combined the two single tests were assessed. Results showed that young-old adults compromised accuracy in cognitive task when dualtasking, while their physical task performance was not significantly affected by an additional cognitive task. The results suggested that the young-old adults could have employed a ‘posture first’ strategy to maintain balance when there were insufficient attentional resources for them to perform the two tasks simultaneously. When compared to the young subjects, the young-old adults performed similarly during the physical task. However, they reacted significantly slower than their younger counterparts in the cognitive task when dual-tasking. The results raise concerns regarding the dual-tasking ability of communitydwelling young-old adults, even if they appear to be physically fit. Future studies incorporating different cognitive tasks are warranted. Correlation between dualtasking ability, physical function, cognitive function, and activity level are also worth investigating.

When Parenthood Comes Early: Enhancing Parent-Child Bonding in the NICU

Background: Pregnancy is the period nature has provided future parents so they adapt and process the big event of becoming a mother and father. When a pregnancy ends sooner than expected, parents feel unsure and unprepared for their new role and responsibilities. Moreover, the complex feelings they experience when the premature neonate is admitted in the NICU, become enlarged by the disruption of bonding with their child. Aim: The aim of this paper is firstly to understand the importance of bonding for both the neonate and the parents and secondly to propose ways of enhancing parent-child bonding, when the latter is admitted in the NICU. Conclusion: Parent-child bonding is essential for the parental role, the parents’ mental health as well as the infant’s development. NICU environment is possible to become friendlier in a way that enables parents to participate in their child’s care and early experiences. Family-centered care enhances parentchild bonding, with the main contributor being skin-to-skin contact and Kangaroo care.