Pandemic perspectives from the frontline—The nursing stories

AimTo describe the experiences of registered nurses working in a US healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignThis qualitative thematic analysis study is a secondary analysis of stories submitted by nurses to a repository established by the parent study.MethodsRegistered nurses working in various roles in a healthcare system submitted stories (N = 45) to open-ended prompts via an online repository between June 2020 and February 2021. A team of three nurse scientists coded the stories using Dedoose software. Initial codes were then reviewed by the team to synthesize initial coding into themes. The COREQ checklist was used to ensure research reporting guidelines were met.ResultsThematic analysis revealed three themes in a global theme of COVID-19 pandemic-related personal and professional evolution: (1) The art and science of pandemic nursing, (2) Persisting despite challenges; and (3) Learning as we went. Each of the three organizing themes were supported by basic themes.ConclusionsIdentified themes affirm some of nursing's long-standing core values, such as the central role of human connectedness in restoring health, but findings also reflect new evolutionary processes of moral identity formation that occurred among nurses and the nursing profession during the COVID-19 pandemic.ImpactFindings from this study describe the processes by which nurses' moral identity evolved during a segment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, these evolutions represent important shifts in the nursing profession. Using findings from this study, nurse educators, nurse managers and healthcare administrators will be able to implement effective, sustainable policies and processes that meet the needs of both the community and the workforce.No patient or public contributionThis study was designed to capture the experiences of nurses employed by one healthcare organization. However, it was not conducted using input or suggestions from the public or the patient population served by the organization

Does Simulation Training for Acute Care Nurses Improve Patient Safety Outcomes: A Systematic Review to Inform Evidence‐Based Practice

BackgroundSimulation is increasingly used as a training tool for acute care medical-surgical nurses to improve patient safety outcomes. A synthesis of the evidence is needed to describe the characteristics of research studies about acute care nurse simulation trainings and patient safety. An additional purpose is to examine the effects of acute care registered nurse (RN) simulation trainings on patient safety outcomes.MethodsFive Internet databases were searched for articles published on any date through October 2018 examining the effect of RN simulation trainings on patient safety outcomes in the adult acute care setting.SampleN = 12 articles represented 844 RNs of varying experience levels and 271 interprofessional participants.ResultsNine studies (75%) used high-fidelity scenarios developed locally about high risk but infrequent events. Five studies (42%) incorporated interdisciplinary team members in the scenarios and/or outcome evaluations. Outcome measures were self-reported, direct observation, or clinical indicators. All studies in this review achieved improved patient safety outcomes. It is unknown how outcomes vary for different groups of RNs because of insufficient gender, ethnicity/race, and age reporting.Linking evidence to actionFindings support the design of simulation training research studies for patient safety outcomes and use of simulation training and research in acute care RNs. Additional high-quality research is needed to support this field. Future studies should include descriptors that characterize the sample (i.e., age, gender, education level, type of nursing degree, ethnicity or race, or years of experience); incorporate interdisciplinary teams; evaluate a combination of outcome measure types (i.e., self-report, direct observation, and clinical outcomes) both proximal and distal to the simulation; and that utilize standardized scenarios, validated outcome measure instruments, and standardized debriefing tools