Psychometric Properties of the Family Caregiver Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire

A valid, reliable measure of family caregivers’ knowledge about delirium was not located in the literature; such an instrument is essential to assess learning needs and outcomes of education provided. The purpose of the current study was to (a) develop a family Caregiver Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire (CDKQ) based on the Symptom Interpretation Model; and (b) establish validity and reliability of the measure. The 19-item CDKQ was developed and administered to 164 family caregivers for community-dwelling older adults. Descriptive statistics were examined for all variables. Psychometric testing included confirmatory factor analysis, item-to-total correlations, and internal consistency reliability. A three-factor model provided the best fit for the data. The findings support initial validity and reliability of the CDKQ with family caregivers. Although the CDKQ was developed for use with family caregivers, it has potential for use with other caregivers, such as home health aides

Psychometric evaluation of the German version of a social support scale of FAFHES (family functioning, family health and social support)

This is the peer reviewed version which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12700. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.BACKGROUND: Family members often need to be supported in informal care of the elderly and desire to be involved into care planning and decision-making. Valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure how family members perceive the care and support they receive from nurses for older family members living at home. AIM: The purpose of this study was to translate the 20-item social support scale of the Family Functioning, Family Health and Social Support (FAFHES) questionnaire from English to German and test the validity and reliability of the scale among Swiss-German-speaking family caregivers of home-dwelling elderly people who receive home healthcare services. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to test the empirical and psychometric properties of the translated and culturally adapted version of the social support questionnaire. A factor analysis with the principal component analysis PCA was used to test construct validity. The internal consistency of items was measured with the Cronbach`s alpha coefficient. RESULTS: After a rigorous translation process the original 20-item questionnaire was adapted into a 19-item version and tested with family caregivers (n = 207) of home-dwelling elderly. Psychometric testing of the German version of the social support questionnaire revealed that the three factors - affirmation, affect and concrete aid - were congruent with the original questionnaire. The accounted variance was 79.5% and the internal consistency determined by the Cronbach's alpha was 0.973. CONCLUSION: The German version of the social support scale of the FAFHES questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to assess family perceived support on three dimensions - affirmation, affect and concrete aid - received from nursing professionals. The questionnaire should be tested further in other German-speaking population

Requirements for artificial muscles to design robotic fingers

International audienceThis work is part of the ProMain project that concerns the modeling and the design of a soft robotic hand prosthesis, actuated by artificial muscles and controlled with surface Electromyography (EMG) signals. In a first stage, we designed a robotic finger based on the equivalent mechanical model of the human finger. The model takes into account three phalangeal joints, flexion and extension movements are studied. The robotic finger has three Degrees of Freedom (DoF). The finger is designed to be under-actuated and driven by tendons, i.e. only one servo motor actu-ates the whole finger, and the motor is coupled to the finger mechanism through two flexible wires. As the aim is to design a robotic hand prosthesis that uses artificial muscles, we propose and carry out two experiments to characterize the specifications of the actuator. The first experiment measures the pinch force of the human finger, and the second measures the achieved force using our robotic finger and five different servo motors. It allows us to enhance experimental results with the mathematical model of the finger, to identify the requirements of the artificial muscle

'20 days protected learning' - students' experiences of an Overseas Nurses Programme - 4 years on: A retrospective survey

Background From September 2005 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced new arrangements for the registration of non-EU overseas nurses which requires all applicants to undertake '20 days of protected learning' time in the UK and for some, a period of supervised practice. A survey was undertaken at Bournemouth University, which offers a '20 days protected learning only' programme, to elicit overseas nurses' demographic details, experiences in completing the programme and their 'final destinations' once registered. Methods An online survey was devised which contained a mixture of tick box and open ended questions which covered demographic details, views on the programme and final destinations This was uploaded to www.SurveyMonkey.com and sent out to nurses who had completed the Overseas Nurses Programme (ONP) with Bournemouth University (n=1050). Quantiative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data were coded and analysed using content analysis . Results There were 251 respondents (27.7% response rate). The typical 'profile' of a nurse who responded to the survey was female, aged 25-40 years and had been qualified for more than 5 years with a bachelors degree. The majority came from Australia on a 2 year working holiday visa and the key final destination in the UK, on registration with the NMC, was working for an agency. There were five key findings regarding experience of the programe. Of those surveyed 61.2% did not feel it necessary to undergo an ONP; 71.6% felt that they should be able to complete the programme on-line in their own country; 64.2% that the ONP should only contain information about delivery of healthcare in UK and Legal and professional (NMC) issues; 57% that European nurses should also undergo the same programme and sit an IELTS test; and 68.2% that the programme was too theory orientated; and should have links to practice (21%). Conclusions The NMC set the admissions criteria for entry to the register and Standards for an ONP. The findings of this survey raise issues regarding the percieved value and use of this approach for overseas nurses, and it may be helpful to take this into account when considering future policy

EPUAP classification system for pressure ulcers: European reliability study

‘The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com .' Copyright Blackwell PublishingPeer reviewe

Researching the lived experiences of cancer patients with malignant fungating wounds

Background: Researching the experiences of terminally ill patients with disfiguring wounds is likely to be a challenge anywhere, and this investigation came face-to-face with different attitudes on the part of both patients and nurses and doctors in England (the South-East) and Italy (Tuscany). Aim: To highlight the complexity of researching sensitive subjects and the difficulties encountered from the perspective of the researcher(s). Methods: Fourteen patients were interviewed. In England access was relatively straightforward, with nurses linked to the hospice doing most of the recruitment. Access was more difficult in Italy, with some doctors expressing opposition. Discussion: How ethical is it to treat dying patients as subjects for research? How does research of this kind vary from one culture to another? Conclusions: Interviewees can find it therapeutic to talk about their experiences to a sympathetic listener—although the listening does pose a considerable strain on the researcher

Nurses’ identification and reporting of medication errors

Aims and objectives To investigate hospital nurses' involvement in the identification and reporting of medication errors in Turkey. Background Medication safety is an international priority, and medication error identification and reporting are essential for patient safety. Design A descriptive survey design consistent with the STROBE guidelines was used. Methods The participants were 135 nurses employed in a university hospital in Turkey. The survey instrument included 18 sample cases and respondents identified whether errors had been made and how they should be reported. Descriptive statistics were analysed using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results The sample case of "Patient given 10 mg morphine sulphate instead of 1.0 mg of morphine sulphate" was defined as a medication error by 97% of respondents, whereas the sample case of "Omitting oral/IV antibiotics because of the need to take the patient out for X-rays for 3 hr" was defined as a medication error by only 32.1%. It was found that eight sample cases (omitting antibiotics, diluting norodol drops with saline, giving aspirin preprandially, injecting clexane before colonoscopy, giving an analgesic at the nurse's discretion, dispensing undiluted morphine, preparing dobutamine instead of dopamine and administering enteral nutrition intravenously) were assessed as errors and reported, although there were significant statistical differences between the identification and reporting of these errors. Conclusion Nurses are able to identify medication errors, but are reluctant to report them. Fear of the consequences was the main reason given for not reporting medication errors. When errors are reported, it is likely to be to physicians. Relevance to clinical practice The development of a commonly agreed definition of a medication error, along with clear and robust reporting mechanisms, would be a positive step towards increasing patient safety. Staff reporting medication errors should be supported, not punished, and the information provided used to improve the system

Is nurses’ self‐esteem interwoven with patients’ achievements? : the concept of patient‐invested contingent self‐esteem

OBJECTIVES: To explore the notion of Patient-invested Contingent Self-Esteem (Pa-CSE) and investigate its association to nurses' self-reported engagement in controlling or autonomy-supportive interactions with chronic care patients. BACKGROUND: Considering the high number of patients sub-optimally managing their chronic condition, nurses might experience a drop and rise in self-worth when patients fail and succeed, respectively, in managing their chronic condition. This dynamic has not received prior research attention. DESIGN: Multivariate analysis employing cross-sectional data according to STROBE guidelines. METHODS: Self-reports among nurses employed in chronic care (N=394) from eight randomly selected hospitals in Belgium. Exploratory factor analysis and stepwise linear regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Success-based and failure-based orientations could be distinguished and refer to nurses' tendency to associate, respectively, patients' successes with feelings of professional success and self-worth and patients' failures with feelings of professional failure, shame, and inadequacy. Nurses' self-esteem is fairly interwoven with patients' achievements in the management of their chronic condition. A success-based orientation was positively related to autonomy-supportive care in case a failure-based orientation was low. Nurses with a simultaneous success-based and failure-based orientation interacted in a more controlling way. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that basing one's self-worth on patients' accomplishments may be a double-edged sword. Although tying one's personal glory to the successes of one's patient is related to greater patient participation and support of autonomy, these effects only emerge if nurses' self-worth is not interwoven with patients' failures. In fact, having both success- and failure-oriented contingent self-worth is related to a more pressuring approach. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: To prevent nurses from developing inferior professional feelings when their patients fail to manage their condition, a reflective stance towards the impact of patients' behaviour on the nurses' professional feeling of (in)adequacy is an important step to deal with such situations

Where do graduates Develop their Enterprise Skills? The Value of the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions’ Context

This study investigates the value of the contribution of HEIs’ context in developing graduates enterprise skills. HEIs are under pressure to develop more enterprising graduates, particularly with the increasing numbers of graduates seeking employment and the growing dissatisfaction of employers. This study explores where graduates develop enterprise skills through investigating the impact of HE and employment contexts on their development. The paper draws on a qualitative study in the social constructionist paradigm within the pharmacy context, where interviews were conducted with pharmacy academics and employers. Results show that ability to demonstrate skills in one context does not necessarily mean ability to demonstrate them in another since the development and demonstration of enterprise skills is impacted by the contexts in which they are developed and demonstrated. The study adds value by highlighting the significant role of both HE and employment contexts in developing enterprise skills, while emphasising that these skills become more transferable through exposure to more contexts

Overcoming the Challenges Associated with Image-based Mapping of Small Bodies in Preparation for the OSIRIS-REx Mission to (101955) Bennu

The OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program and is the first U.S. mission to return samples from an asteroid to Earth. The most important decision ahead of the OSIRIS-REx team is the selection of a prime sample-site on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu. Mission success hinges on identifying a site that is safe and has regolith that can readily be ingested by the spacecraft's sampling mechanism. To inform this mission-critical decision, the surface of Bennu is mapped using the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite and the images are used to develop several foundational data products. Acquiring the necessary inputs to these data products requires observational strategies that are defined specifically to overcome the challenges associated with mapping a small irregular body. We present these strategies in the context of assessing candidate sample-sites at Bennu according to a framework of decisions regarding the relative safety, sampleability, and scientific value across the asteroid's surface. To create data products that aid these assessments, we describe the best practices developed by the OSIRIS-REx team for image-based mapping of irregular small bodies. We emphasize the importance of using 3D shape models and the ability to work in body-fixed rectangular coordinates when dealing with planetary surfaces that cannot be uniquely addressed by body-fixed latitude and longitude.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, 2 table