Ways to improve research outputs of nurse academics in sub-Saharan Africa

Published ArticleIn academia, evidence of scholarship, e.g. published articles, is required for career progression. A consensus-seeking design was used to identify ways in which nurse academics in sub-Saharan Africa could be mentored to increase their publications. Convenient sampling was done and data were gathered through two nominal groups. Only 9 of the 24 participants who had at least a master's degree have had an article published. Nurses in sub-Saharan Africa who acquire master's and doctoral degrees should be mentored to get their findings published in journals. Developmental network mentoring appeared to be more appropriate for mentoring nurse academia over geographical distances than individual dyad mentoring relationships

A competence assessment tool that links thinking operations with knowledge types

Background. Although there is a need for a greater number of nurses to meet the demands for universal health coverage, these trained nurses should also be competent. However, assessment of nurses’ competence remains a challenge, as the available instruments do not focus on identifying the knowledge level that is lacking.Objectives. To report on the development and reliability of an instrument that can be used to assess undergraduate student nurses’ competence.Methods. A methodological research design was used. The authors extracted items from existing competence assessment instruments, inductively analysed the items and categorised them into themes. The extracted items were used to draft a new instrument. Review by an expert panel strengthened the content and face validity of the instrument. Twenty assessors used the developed assessment instrument to assess 15 student nurses’ competence via video footage.Results. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.90 and intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.85 indicate that the instrument is reliable and comparable with other instruments that assess competence.Conclusions. Nurse educators can use the developed instrument to assess the competence of a student and identify the type of  knowledge that is lacking. The student, in collaboration with the educator, can then plan specific remedial action

Practice guidelines for peer support among educators during a curriculum innovation

Background. Curriculum transformation in nursing education addresses changing healthcare needs of communities. However, without ongoing support of educators, the fidelity of curriculum enactment could be compromised. Nursing education institutions in Lesotho implemented a competencybased curriculum that required novel pedagogical approaches. New facilitation approaches can challenge implementers, as was observed during the implementation of a new curriculum for the midwifery programme in Lesotho. Without ongoing faculty development and support, the educators resorted to supporting one another. However, the sustainability and  effectiveness of the unstructured peer support could be compromised; hence the need to develop guidelines to enhance peer support among educators during curriculum innovation.Objective. To develop and validate guidelines to enhance peer support among educators during curriculum innovation.Methods. A qualitative research design with multiple data collection methods was conducted, guided by the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development as the framework. Three interrelated phases, inclusive of an integrative review, an exploratory qualitative study, guideline development and validation, were conducted. External reviewers validated the developed guidelines by means of a Delphi survey.Results. Five priority areas were identified for the practice guidelines, i.e. attributes of peer supporters, peer support strategies,  content/support needs, outcomes of peer support, and monitoring and evaluation of the peer support strategy. Recommendations were formulated for each priority area.Conclusion. These practice guidelines provide relevant recommendations that can enhance peer support among educators in nursing education programmes during curriculum innovation. The recommendations serve as a blueprint and provide direction for the structured peer support engagements

The fostering of competence through an authentic integrated assessment strategy for wound care in nursing

Published ArticleIn 2005 the third-year facilitators of the generic degree in nursing embarked on an action research initiative within a service learning pedagogy to revitalise the nursing process related to wound care.As a result of the action research a unique wound care project unfolded. This project embraced an integrated assessment approach in order to assess the competence related to wound care and to develop health care practitioners with generic- and field-specific competencies. Action research as mode of delivery for this project created an opportunity for producing Mode 2 knowledge where all participants contributed to the production of knowledge relevant to the wound care context

An innovative educational strategy for learning and teaching clinical skills during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background. Educational institutions were compelled to adapt their educational strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The innovation of boot camps as a strategy for learning and teaching clinical skills was applied by a school of nursing immediately after the hard lockdown in South Africa. Objectives. To describe the outcomes of implementing an innovative educational strategy for the learning and teaching of clinical skills in an undergraduate nursing programme. Methods. The study comprised a parallel convergent mixed-methods design. Qualitative data were collected from educators (n=7) involved with the boot camps, while the quantitative data comprised module evaluations by 219 students and summative practical assessment scores. Thematic analysis through an inductive approach was applied for the qualitative data, while central tendency and frequencies were used to analyse the quantitative data. Results. Three themes emerged from the narrative data, i.e. rationalising the boot camps, executing the boot camps and learning from the boot camps. Quantitative data support each of the themes. The boot camps appeared to have been appreciated as an emergency innovative educational strategy, with improved student assessment outcomes. Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic forced education institutions to adopt a variety of innovative educational strategies. Boot camps appear to have positively influenced the learning and teaching of clinical skills at a school of nursing. There is a need for robust longitudinal research evaluating the long-term effect of such innovative educational strategies

WhatsApp as a support strategy for emergency nursing students during the COVID‑19 pandemic

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Creative strategies to support student learning through reflection

Reflective practice has become a key attribute of promoting quality teaching and learning. Learning is an active process and include reflective writing, visualising and verbalising to promote critical thinking. In our experience most often than not superficial reflective writing is used. We explored the design of opportunities for students to engage in critical reflection. Theoretical data were obtained through in-depth exploration of the literature to allow contextualisation while arguing a case. A qualitative approach was used. Judgements were not made about the measured quality of reported findings, but on the relevance of reflective strategies to support students, enhance critical reflection and transform practice. Combined with narration and dialogue, reflection can bridge the gap between theoretical ideals and realities of the practice context. Four reflective activities have been identified that could be used to engage students in critical reflection

New continuous wave infrared Ar‐Xe laser at intermediate gas pressures pumped by a transverse radio frequency discharge

An atomic Xe laser with a transverse rf excitation has been operated in a cw mode in the intermediate pressure regime. The laser output spectrum consisted of 5 Xe lines with wavelengths of 2.03, 2.63, 2.65, 3.37, and 3.51 μm. The unoptimized total output power of 330 mW was obtained for a gas mixture Ar:He:Xe=59:40:1 at a pressure of 85 Torr and a rf input power of 150 W and excitation frequency of 121 MHz

Genetic study of common variants at the Apo E, Apo AI, Apo CIII, Apo B, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic lipase (LIPC) genes and coronary artery disease (CAD): variation in LIPC gene associates with clinical outcomes in patients with established CAD

BACKGROUND: Current evidence demonstrates that positive family history and several alterations in lipid metabolism are all important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). All lipid abnormalities themselves have genetic determinants. Thus, objective of this study was to determine whether 6 genetic variants potentially related to altered lipid metabolism were associated with CAD and with lipid abnormalities in an Italian population. These genetic variables were: apolipoprotein E (Apo E), Apo AI, Apo CIII, Apo B, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and the hepatic lipase (LIPC) genes. Furthermore, an 8 years prospective analysis of clinical cardiovascular events was related to the various genetic markers. METHODS: 102 subjects with established coronary artery disease and 104 unrelated normal subjects were studied. CAD Patients were followed up for 8 years, and clinical CAD outcomes (a second coronary angioplasty (PTCA), myocardial infarction, coronary artery by-pass graft (CABG), cardiovascular deaths), available from 60 subjects, were related to the genetic variants by multiple regression analysis. Results. Of the six lipid loci studied (for a total of 11 polymorphisms) only the apolipoprotein E, Apo B and LIPC polymorphisms distinguished between case and controls. However, multivariate analysis accounting for clinical and metabolic predictors of CAD showed that only the ApoB Xba1 and ApoE4 polymorphism associated with CAD in this Italian population. When lipid parameters were related to genotypes, the ApoE, ApoB, and LIPC gene polymorphisms were associated to various markers of dyslipidaemia in the CAD patients, confirming previous reports. When the occurrence of a second cardiovascular event was related to genotypes, an independent role was observed for the LIPC gene T202T variant. CONCLUSIONS: variation in LIPC (hepatic lipase) gene associates with clinical outcomes in Italian patients with established CAD. Further studies on the LIPC gene in CAD patients are warranted, in particular looking at the possible influences on clinical outcomes