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Background Providing quality palliative care during a pandemic was challenging. Both specialist and community healthcare services cared for patients that faced life-threatening illness and who were influenced by the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Little knowledge has yet been provided on how registered nurses (RNs) experienced the palliative care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to explore RN’s experiences of providing palliative care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This qualitative study had a descriptive design. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted between November 2021 and January 2022 with 18 RNs who worked in intensive care units in hospitals, dementia care or palliative care units in nursing homes in Norway during the pandemic. Data were analysed by using qualitative content analysis. The study was conducted and reported according to the COREQ’s checklist. Results Analysis of the data resulted in an overall theme: ‘Striving to achieve control’. This theme comprised six categories: (1) when the toolbox does not fit; (2) protective equipment—social distance and opportunities for closeness; (3) unpredictable workday; (4) the right person to the right assignment at the right time; (5) presence and absence of relatives and friends; and (6) situations that required creativity. RNs had various experiences regarding how the quality of care was perceived; being worse, preserved, or in some cases even better than before the pandemic. Conclusions The provision of quality palliative care was experienced by RNs as challenging during the pandemic. The pandemic forced them to be creative and to strive for control to provide the best palliative care possible given the situation. The results of this study may contribute to important knowledge for leaders, policy makers and RNs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and planning for future pandemics or crises. Especially to optimise factors perceived by RNs to be important for the palliative care quality, related to the specific situation and care context, to include the perspectives of those involved and take into consideration the time perspective of the pandemic.

To explore intensive care nurses’ experiences of end-of-life care in adult intensive care units. An exploratory, descriptive qualitative approach was utilised. Purposive sampling method was used to select nurse participants (n=24) working at the selected intensive care units in the three academic affiliated, tertiary specialist hospitals in the Johannesburg and Pretoria regions, South Africa. Using a focus group guide, three focus group discussions were conducted. Data were analysed using the long-table approach (Krueger and Casey, 2000). Trustworthiness of the study was ensured by following the criteria set out by Lincoln and Guba (1985). Five major themes related to nurses’ experiences of end-of-life care emerged. These included: “difficulties we experience”, “discussion and decision making”, “support for patients”, “support for families” and “support for nurses”. End-of-life care can be difficult and a challenging process. Nevertheless, this study has highlighted some of the interventions and support systems that could be incorporated for improved caring process. Whereas the dying patients and their families need to be continuously supported, critical care nurses too need to be taken care of for them to continue providing the best possible end-of-life care.

This study examined the factors associated with triage competency among school nurses in South Korea. Using a convenience sampling method, 386 school nurses employed in elementary, middle, or high schools completed a cross-sectional survey that included a modified version of the Triage Competency Scale for emergency room nurses. Information regarding experience working in schools and hospitals, education level, school types, age, emergency nursing care certifications, school locations, and serious emergency experience at school was collected. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0, independent t-tests, analyses of variance, Spearman’s correlation, and ordinal logistic regression. Triage competency was higher for school nurses who were employed in metropolitan regions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.63, p = 0.017) and had serious emergency experience (OR = 1.76, p = 0.008). As the participants’ experience at schools or hospitals increased by one year, their triage competency score increased by 2% (OR = 1.02, p = 0.037) and 14% (OR = 1.14, p < 0.001), respectively. These findings could be used to develop policies and educational programs that promote school nurses’ triage competency. Further, they suggest the importance of establishing an organizational support system to develop guidelines and a feedback system to improve school nurses’ triage competency.

Background: Currently, patients who develop sudden inability to verbalize needs (sudden speechlessness), rely on ineffective non-verbal strategies to communicate. Nurses caring for suddenly speechless (SS) patients report personal inadequacy, frustration, and time-management challenges as they attempt to decipher patients' non-verbal communication. Technology-enhanced communication may be of assistance to address challenges experienced by patients and nurses. Objective: Specific aims: (1) to understand nurses' perceptions about the effectiveness of a TEC device in facilitating communication with SS patients, and (2) to utilize nurses' feedback to improve and identify new uses for the TEC device. Methods: Qualitative study design with focus groups and thematic analysis. Critical care nurses with ≥3 months' experience caring for SS patients, and who had cared for at least one patient using the TEC device participated in the study. Digital audio recordings were obtained from focus groups. Results: Salient themes: TEC device use with patients with various levels of functioning, effects of using the device on patient/nurse frustration, noticing whether using the device saved time, and using the device for assessment. Conclusions: Focus groups captured nurses' perspectives about the effectiveness of the TEC device in facilitating communication with SS patients. Future research should focus on the impact of TEC on safe and quality care of SS patients.

When patients become critically ill it also affects their relatives. The aim of this study was to describe critical care nurses’ experience of relatives’ involvement in the nursing care of patients in an intensive care unit. Semi-structured personal interviews with eight critical care nurses in an intensive care unit in the northern part of Sweden were conducted during 2010. The interview texts were subjected to qualitative content analysis which resulted in the formulation of two main categories and five sub-categories. The findings showed that relatives’ involvement was appreciated and seen as great resource for both patients and critical care nurses. Protecting the integrity of patients was one reason for limiting their involvement. The environment and lack of time were experienced as other obstacles to the involvement of relatives. Aligning the needs of the relatives to be involved in the care with the needs of the patient and the work situation of the nurses requires open communication between all three parties.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore hospital nurses’ lived experience of power. Design A hermeneutic phenomenological approach informed by Merleau‐Ponty's philosophy of the phenomenology of perception was used to further an understanding of nurses’ embodiment of power. Fourteen hospital clinical nurses employed in intensive care units and on medical floors in two major medical centers in the northeastern United States participated in 1‐hr semistructured interviews about their lived experience of power. Findings A hermeneutic analytic approach and reflexive (cultural) bracketing produced three relational themes of power: (a) knowing my patients and speaking up for them; (b) working to build relationships that benefit patients; and (c) identifying my powerful self. Conclusions Hospital clinical nurses develop a sense of power. Nurses believe power develops through acquisition of knowledge, experience, and self‐confidence; this process is enhanced by exposure to good mentors. Nurses use their power to build relationships and advocate for patients. They consciously use power to improve patient care. Nurses’ voices need to be heard and acknowledged. To do this in the clinical setting and beyond, hospital nurses must invite themselves or find ways to be invited into the authoritative discourse of hospital organizations. Clinical Relevance Nurses use their power to advocate for positive outcomes for patients and families. The satisfaction that comes from these positive relationships may improve nurses’ perceptions of their work environment. Nurses’ understanding and use of sociopolitical knowing needs further study, so that nurses may understand how to participate in current and future debates and decisions about our changing healthcare delivery systems and services.

To describe the essence of the nurses’ lived experience and explore the meaning of their involvement in end-of-life care after a do-not-resuscitate decision has been made. The research design embraced qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approaches utilising aspects of phenomenology. Purposive sampling of twenty-six registered nurses was used. Data was collected using the reflective journaling technique and were analysed using an integrated approach. Field notes were also used as a mean to enrich the description of the findings contextually. Medical units in Saudi Arabia. Three main themes emerged: exhausted medical treatment, continuity of nursing care and cultural considerations in nursing care. Related sub-themes were also identified as an extension to the description of the main themes. The findings affirm that nurses working on medical units continue to maintain a constant level of care for patients and families after the do-not-resuscitate decision. Nurses found that caring for dying patients was a rewarding and worthwhile experience, albeit a challenging and demanding one. The findings suggest that improvement in end-of-life care would be best achieved by collaborative and interdisciplinary practices amongst the health care team members.

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Iran. This study was a descriptive phenomenology. Sampling was purposefully performed, and participants were selected in terms of the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using the WhatsApp mobile messaging application. Colaizzi's method was used to analyse the data. The criteria introduced by Lincoln and Guba were used for the study rigour. The data were obtained from 12 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19. The mean age of the participants was 29.41 years (SD = 2.72) with a mean work experience of 6.75 years (SD = 2.52). Three main themes and six subthemes were identified: mental condition (subthemes included \"anxiety and stress\" and \"fear\"), emotional condition (subthemes included \"suffering and affliction\" and \"waiting for death\"), and care context (subthemes included \"turmoil\" and \"lack of support and equipment\"). The results of this study show that nurses working in the wards and care centres designated for patients with COVID-19 are experiencing mental and emotional distress and are working in inadequate professional conditions.

Background: Persistently high rates of inhaler errors and poor adherence among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients contribute to ineffective symptomatic control, high care burdens, and increased healthcare resource utilization. Objective: This study aimed to report (i) nurses-identified common problems and errors of inhaler use in COPD patients, (ii) nurses' attitudes, practices, training needs and required support in inhaler education. Methods: An online questionnaire survey was conducted with nurses working in Hong Kong from May to June 2023 using an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy. Results: Of 156 nurses (67.3% female, 41% aged 40 or above), 37.2% and 62.8% of them had more than 10 years of experience in medical units and received respiratory-related specialist training, respectively. About 86% and 82% perceived that their patients did not have adequate basic knowledge and had incorrect use of their inhaled medications. High rates of inhaler use errors were observed by nurses across all phases: preparation (50%-92%), pre-inhalation (45%-89%), inhalation (69%-89%), and aftercare (66%- 85%). Nurses with [greater than or equal to] 10 years of working experience in medical units or specialist training showed significantly more confidence in educating on inhaler use, engaging in more discussion with patients about inhaler use, and assessing patient inhaler use techniques more frequently than those with less experience or no respiratory-related specialist training with small effect size (Cohens' d: 0.26-0.33). Conclusion: Inhaler use errors were common issues among COPD patients in Hong Kong. Enhanced professional training and support in inhaler education could improve nurses' confidence and practices in conducting patient education on inhaler use. Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nurses' experience, inhaler, errors, clinical experience