Improving a Culture of Knowledge Transfer in a School of Nursing

Introduction: A series of 19 unfunded knowledge transfer hands-on workshops were implemented (2017–2019) and delivered by 22 facilitators from disciplines of nursing, business, communication, plastic arts, engineering, and community studies. The purpose of this paper is to report on the post-appraisal of the workshops’ implementation; uncovering the attendees’ new ideas and reflections on the content; and the process of expanding knowledge for practice. Methods: The qualitative program evaluation approach, using the standards of utility, feasibility, accuracy, and propriety of a given program, inspired the design of the immediate appraisal of the workshops delivered within a Canadian school of nursing located in a major urban center. Workshop participants (n = 267) included undergraduate and graduate nursing students, contract instructors, and nurses holding administrative positions. Results: Workshops with high attendance included: (a) Structuring Effective Teaching-Learning Encounters in Healthcare Education and Practice; (b) Cancer Pain; (c) Fetal Health Surveillance; and (d) Nurses as Educators in the Clinical Setting. Concerns were raised by the attendees’ low attendance to the following workshops: (a) Mindfulness for Students; (b) Horizontal Violence; and (d) Self-Care for Nursing Students: Alleviating Anxiety. Workshops offered opportunities for attendees to reflect on content and process as related to their future incorporation of learned knowledge in their own education and practice. Conclusions: High engagement in hands-on exercises, spontaneous construction of context, and relaxed moments shared by the attendees indicate a promising culture of sharing and receiving knowledge. A culture of collective, pleasurable learning among attendees was effective in mobilizing powerful forms of nursing knowledge

New lives, new challenges: access to intimate partner violence services for portuguese-speaking immigrant women

Intimate partner violence is a global health issue and the most common form of violence experienced by women. This study explored barriers to accessing help to Intimate partner violence related health services among Portuguese-speaking immigrant women in Toronto, Canada. Exploratory study conducted by a survey and focus group discussions with 12 Portuguese-speaking immigrant women. Results clarify the struggles faced by Portuguese-speaking immigrant women and their pathways to care and help-seeking. Participants reported that the fear of being deported, obtaining evidence of abuse, and lack of language-specific services were the key barriers to seeking help. When available, language-specific community-based services, along with faith and religion, were noted as key factors that supported women’s resilience. Nurses who provide care and services to women who are dealing with Intimate partner violence should rethink the scope of their advocacy actions toward addressing these structural barriers by building alliances with organizations to better serve and protect women in such vulnerable situations

Critical Education in Community Health Literacy for Brazilian Nurses: A Course Evaluation

This article presents an immediate evaluation of a professional development course in community health literacy for Brazilian nurses. An evaluation based on an applied thematic analysis of the accounts of 63 attendees in three Brazilian cities (January 2020) was guided by the following themes: (a) expansion of understanding about community health literacy as a pillar for planning and providing health care; (b) encouragement of innovation in research and/or practice; and (c) plans to incorporate the information shared in the course into professional projects. The evaluation disclosed the complexity of social contexts for health literacy, which is intertwined with ethnocultural diversity and deep socioeconomic disparities, such as restricted access to essential public health services for socially deprived and vulnerable individuals. Expanded understanding about community health literacy is a pillar for care planning and delivery, as well as innovation in research and practice projects. Participants’ evaluations revealed ideas to improve nurses’ practice in promoting community health literacy and empowerment, as well as quality of life and social well-being. Future knowledge dissemination may impact nurses’ clinical practice and management actions, bringing changes in various areas of practice to redesign more socially inclusive actions for clientele. Keywords: Community health literacy; extracurricular education; immediate evaluation; nursing; professional development course

Community health workers and accountability: reflections from an international “think-in”

Community health workers (CHWs) are frequently put forward as a remedy for lack of health system capacity, including challenges associated with health service coverage and with low community engagement in the health system, and expected to enhance or embody health system accountability. During a ‘think in’, held in June of 2017, a diverse group of practitioners and researchers discussed the topic of CHWs and their possible roles in a larger “accountability ecosystem.” This jointly authored commentary resulted from our deliberations. While CHWs are often conceptualized as cogs in a mechanistic health delivery system, at the end of the day, CHWs are people embedded in families, communities, and the health system. CHWs’ social position and professional role influence how they are treated and trusted by the health sector and by community members, as well as when, where, and how they can exercise agency and promote accountability. To that end, we put forward several propositions for further conceptual development and research related to the question of CHWs and accountability

Enhancing Critical Reflection of Brazilian Community Health Agents’ Awareness of Social Determinants of Health

This project aims to assess how Brazilian community health agents’ critical awareness of the social determinants of health was enhanced and led to a greater understanding of the major structural changes necessary to sustain health promotion initiatives. Educational workshops inspired by Paulo Freire’s ideas on critical pedagogy were delivered to 82 community health agents in three Brazilian cities. The workshops utilized evocative objects to link and develop participants’ conceptual and experiential knowledge. The participants exchanged connections and experiences and created hypothetical action plans to be implemented in collaboration with community members. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and submitted to content analysis. The connections provoked by evocative objects were related to required assets for the development of a healthy community. As social advocates, they are already committed to a social movement for health equity to catalyze a more equitable distribution of social goods, promote social inclusion, and liberate communities