Search Results (271)

Background: Violence against healthcare professionals is a growing public health concern. In Spain, the National Observatory of Aggressions recorded 16,866 cases in 2024, marking a 103.06% increase since 2017. This phenomenon has intensified in recent years, with serious repercussions for both the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, as well as for the quality of care provided. Objectives: This descriptive study examines the knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of workplace aggression among undergraduate students at the University School of Nursing of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital. Materials and Methods: A self-administered ad hoc questionnaire was distributed to 266 students across all academic years to assess their knowledge and to explore their perceptions and experiences of aggression witnessed or experienced during clinical placements. This study was guided by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Results: The findings revealed significant educational gaps among students regarding how to manage aggressive situations, as well as high levels of concern and an aggression exposure rate exceeding 30%. A statistically significant association was also observed in relation to the academic year. Conclusions: This study provides a foundation for the development of specific training programmes tailored to the needs identified and for enhancing occupational safety in healthcare settings. Full article

Background: Spiritual care is vital for the holistic well-being of hospitalized cancer patients, addressing their emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. This study addresses gaps in the relevant literature by evaluating spiritual perspectives among Peruvian oncology patients, offering culturally grounded insights that can inform nursing practice and healthcare management. The main objective of this research was to measure the overall level of Spiritual Perspective among hospitalized oncology patients using the Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) developed by Pamela Reed in 1987, which reflects early aspects of spirituality later integrated into her broader Spiritual Perspective theory. Materials and methods: This study aimed to evaluate the perceived levels of Spiritual Perspective among oncology patients in a hospital setting. Adopting a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional design, data were gathered from 137 patients at a national hospital in Lima, Peru. Results: The majority of participants were older adults, with a high school education, and predominantly single. Findings revealed that most patients experienced moderate levels of Spiritual Perspective, spiritual practices, and beliefs. Patients commonly practiced prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading. Beliefs centered on a higher power and forgiveness. Essential support networks also provided emotional aid, complementing spiritual care. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of spiritual care in nursing for oncology patients. Findings advance understanding of spirituality in illness and support interventions to improve patient outcomes. Full article

Introduction: The entry into force of a new education law (LOMLOE) in Spain introduces a regulatory framework that is committed to Health Education (HE) in the school context. Schools are considered strategic settings for acquiring healthy patterns that can last a lifetime, as confirmed by major European organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission (EC). The objective of this study was to conduct an expert consensus analysis of Decree 150/2022, on Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum in the region of Galicia (Spain), with regard to aspects related to HE. The analysis focused on issues related to physical, mental/emotional and social health and included comparisons with curricula from other regions of Spain and other European countries. Method: To this end, a panel of four experts (from the fields of nursing and physical education) was assembled to conduct a consensus analysis of the legislative document, using a mixed-method approach that combined the Delphi technique with structured face-to-face consensus meetings. Results: The summary of the final proposal reflects a document aligned with societal needs regarding children’s health while also addressing mental/emotional and social health. Conclusion: The proposal aims to promote the acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits that are sustained over time. However, the success of the document in terms of both content and practical application remains uncertain. Further studies will be needed in the coming years to analyze and provide concrete evidence regarding its outcomes and impact on students. Full article

Background/Objectives: Head lice is an ever-present public health issue, especially among the child population. The diagnosis of head lice infestation should be based on direct examination of the scalp, but, in practice, this standard is often not followed, giving way to indirect methods, such as questionnaires or sales reports of delousing shampoos. In Poland, there is no national pediculosis capitis control strategy; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of head lice infestation in schools and kindergartens in the years 2021–2023. Methods: Children aged from 3 to 14 years old were directly examined by certified nurses. The same educational institutions were examined across 2021–2023. No personal data of the children were gathered. Results: The prevalence of head lice infestation among children ranged from 8% to 13%, with significantly higher intensity and prevalence observed in girls compared to boys. Conclusions: The prevalence of pediculosis capitis among children in Poland remains persistent and relatively stable over the monitored period. Gender emerged as a significant factor, showing a strong association with both the intensity and extent of head lice infestation. Full article

Background: Nursing decision-making is pivotal for patient safety and care quality. While artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential in this field, a comprehensive analysis of global research trends is lacking. Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 238 publications (197 research papers, 41 reviews) from the Web of Science Core Collection (2003–2025) using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Results: The results reveal growing interest (7.59% annually) in the field of AI in nursing decision-making, with contributions from 54 countries/regions. The USA leads in the number of publications, followed by China and Canada, while the United Kingdom stands out in terms of citation impact. Institutions such as Columbia University and Harvard Medical School dominate in both the publication volume and citation frequency. Journal analysis shows that the top three journals in terms of publication volume in this field are Cin-Computers Informatics Nursing, Journal of Nursing Management, and Applied Clinical Informatics. Keyword analysis highlights the significant potential of natural language processing technologies, particularly those based on large language models (e.g., ChatGPT), in nursing decision-making. Furthermore, emerging trends are evident, with the sudden appearance and rapid growth of keywords such as “patient safety” and “user acceptance”, indicating a shift in research focus from purely technology-driven studies to a greater emphasis on the practical impact of AI technologies on nursing systems and their clinical applications. Conclusions: This study delineates the current landscape and evolving trends of AI in nursing decision-making, emphasizing its progression from theoretical frameworks to clinical integration, thereby providing valuable references for future research. Full article

Victims of sexual harassment report facing barriers and retaliation for reporting their sexual harassment. The current study assessed one potential reason for these issues: perceptions of sexual harassment events. Participants (N = 427) read about different sexual harassment events and were told that the woman in the event worked with a masculine (e.g., EMT, school police officer, plumber) or feminine job (e.g., nurse, teacher, cleaning staff). Across three different sexual harassment claims (e.g., unwanted romantic attention, physical groping, being shown sexually explicit images), participants reported that women in masculine jobs were less prototypical women than women in feminine jobs. Furthermore, these perceptions of prototypicality impacted how participants viewed the victim’s sexual harassment event. The less a person views a victim as a typical woman, the less likely they are to label the victim’s experience as sexual harassment. The results suggest that perceptions of sexual harassment are directly impacted by how people view a victim. Implications around prototypes of women and sexual harassment claims are discussed. Full article

Artificial intelligence, the simulation of human intelligence by computers and machines, has found its way into healthcare, helping surgeons, doctors, radiologists, and many more. However, over 80% of healthcare professionals consists of people working in allied health professions such as nurses, physiotherapists, and midwives. Considering the aging of the general population around the world, the workforce shortages in these occupations are especially crucial. As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, globally, most healthcare systems are strained, and there is a consensus that current healthcare systems are not sustainable with the increasing challenges. AI is often viewed as one of the potential solutions for not only reducing the strain on the healthcare workforce, but also to sustain the current workforce. Still, most AI applications are being developed for the medical community and often allied health is overlooked or not even considered despite comprising a large proportion of the total workforce. In addition, the interest of the private sector to invest specifically in the allied health workforce is low since the financial incentive is low. This paper provides examples of AI solutions for seven important allied health professions. To increase the uptake of AI solutions in allied healthcare, AI companies need to connect more with professional associations and be as patient-oriented as many claim to be. There also needs to be more AI schooling for allied healthcare professionals to increase adoption of these AI solutions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Organ transplantation is a vital treatment for individuals with advanced chronic-degenerative diseases. However, the global shortage of donated organs remains a significant challenge. Improving knowledge and attitudes could positively impact this issue. This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding organ donation and transplantation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a previously validated questionnaire administered to 235 second- and third-year undergraduate nursing students from two Italian universities. Results: The response rate was 67.3%. Only 40.4% of students felt adequately informed about transplants and brain death, while 12.8% would not authorise organ transplantation for a family member. Willingness to authorise organ procurement from family members in a brain-dead state was positively associated with being atheist or agnostic (χ² = 7.235; p = 0.022), being in the third year of study (χ² = 4.282; p = 0.039) and having positive self-assessed knowledge (χ² = 8.061; p = 0.005). Conclusions: Nursing students exhibited suboptimal knowledge and positive attitudes toward organ and tissue donation. However, there is a need for health policymakers to implement strategies to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation through school and community programmes and public education campaigns. Full article

Background: Nursing Schools are incorporating Mixed Reality (MR) into student training to enable them to confront challenging or infrequently encountered scenarios in their practice and ensure their preparedness. This systematic review evaluates the benefits and challenges of implementing MR in nursing curricula. Materials and Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between 2011 and 2023. The search strategy used was “(nurses OR nurse OR nursing) AND mixed reality AND simulation”. Inclusion criteria required that studies focus on undergraduate nursing students and be written in English or Spanish. Exclusion criteria included reviews, bibliometric studies, and articles that did not separately report undergraduate nursing student results. Quality was evaluated with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis was conducted on studies with control groups to compare MR’s effectiveness against traditional teaching methods. Results: Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. MR was widely used to improve clinical judgment, patient safety, technical skill acquisition, and student confidence. The meta-analysis found that MR reduced anxiety (Cohen’s d = −0.73, p < 0.001). However, its impact on knowledge acquisition and skill development was inconsistent. There was no improvement over traditional methods (p = 0.466 and p = 0.840). Despite positive qualitative findings, methodological variability, small sample sizes, and publication bias contributed to mixed quantitative results. The main challenges were cybersickness, usability, high costs, and limited institutional access to MR technology. Conclusions: Although MR can help nursing education by decreasing students’ anxiety, its efficacy remains inconclusive. Future research should use larger, randomized controlled trials to validate MR’s role in nursing education. Full article

Background: Many schools are committed to the “Five Steps to a Health Promoting School guide” created by the Schools for Health in Europe (SHE) network to avoid chronic disease and promote healthy environments. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate schools’ health promotion policies and practices via the SHE rapid assessment tool. Methods: From February 2019 to June 2019, a cross-sectional survey based on this tool was conducted in nine international schools that are part of a private network operating in multiple countries. The entire school community was offered the opportunity to participate. The survey consisted of 37 questions aligned with the whole-school approach to health promotion and addressed orientation, healthy school policy, the physical and social environment, health skills, community links, and staff well-being using a three-point scale. A univariate analysis was subsequently performed. Results: A total of 929 people responded, 59.7% of whom were women, representing 74 different nationalities (82.5% Europeans). The average age was 25.9 years, ranging from 7 to 77 years. The participants included 57.2% students, 21.3% teachers, 15.3% families, 3.2% management teams, 1% counsellors/psychologists, 1% administrative/service staff, 0.5% catering staff, 0.3% nursing/medical staff, and 0.2% maintenance staff. The findings revealed that 80% of the respondents felt that most of these health promotion needs were being partially or fully addressed, predominantly with medium or high priority. However, 30% of the respondents indicated that the school had not yet assessed the students’ and employees’ health and well-being needs or fully promoted a healthy work-life. Conclusions: The SHE rapid assessment tool serves as an effective initial step in identifying key indicators within the school community, offering insights for future action towards becoming a health-promoting school. These results underscore the importance of addressing social and behavioural determinants of health within different international educational settings to promote positive sociorelational well-being and youth development. By fostering the well-being of children, adolescents, and the educational community, schools play a pivotal role in reducing the risk factors for chronic diseases and supporting psychosocial adaptation. Full article

Background/Objectives: There is a rising global demand to educate independent and reflective nurses capable of addressing the evolving needs of healthcare systems and diverse populations. The Indonesian Nursing Act solidifies the professional status of nurses, although challenges persist including discrepancies between practice and educational standards. There is a need to increase the competence of Indonesian nurse educators and their ability to facilitate learning that can strengthen the nursing programs’ quality and improve the nurses’ ability to address various health issues in the population. The aim of the study was to describe the nurse educators’ experiences with developing student-active methods in nursing education in Indonesia. Methods: This study is part of an Erasmus+ project: Capacity Building in Nursing Education in Indonesia (CABNEI). A three-year educational program for nursing educators in Indonesia was developed. The current study used a qualitative, descriptive design with a questionnaire containing four open-ended questions focusing on the educators’ experiences with developing student-active methods and conditions affecting this process. Data were collected between January and November 2022 and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: A total of 32 educators from two universities and two nursing schools in Indonesia participated. The analysis revealed the theme “A change of pedagogical approaches to nursing students’ learning” with three categories: “Setting the stage for pedagogical development in the nursing education”, “From correction to reflection”, and “Factors affecting the educators’ learning process”. Conclusions: The nursing educators’ experiences with developing student-active methods in Indonesia were positive. They reported incorporating additional pedagogical tools into their teaching methods and nursing programs. Management is vital in facilitating active-learning strategies. It is important to foster collaborative opportunities for educators and enhance their pedagogical skills to meet the healthcare system’s evolving needs and society’s demands for sustainable nursing expertise. Full article

Age discrimination in nursing may result in judgmental care and compromise the quality of care offered to older adults. While geriatric–gerontological education can address ageism among nursing students, cross-cultural perspectives on aging remain understudied. This study describes the characteristics of nursing students in the USA and Japan and explores their perspectives on aging after completing a life review assignment, both personally and professionally. A mixed-methods study using quantitative surveys and an exploratory–descriptive qualitative design was conducted at two nursing schools (one each in the USA and Japan). Students participated voluntarily with strict anonymity and confidentiality. There were significant differences between American and Japanese nursing students in both demographics and perceived impact of the life review assignment. The American students were predominantly older and had more experience in caregiving for older adults, whereas the Japanese students were younger and lacked such experience. The qualitative analysis revealed an increased awareness of patient-centered care for older adults as a major professional theme across both groups. The life review assignment proved effective in providing meaningful experiential learning opportunities for future nurses across different cultural contexts. This method appears promising in addressing ageism through personalized engagement with older adults. Full article

Background/Objectives: South Korea has expanded nursing transfer programs to address its ongoing nursing shortage, but research on transfer students’ experiences remains scarce, and studies on academic persistence and attrition remain limited. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of nursing transfer students during their first year in nursing school and to emphasize the need for a targeted support system within nursing programs. Methods: in-depth interviews with 15 nursing transfer students were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method to identify key adaptation challenges and coping strategies. Results: Four key themes emerged: (1) second-chance pursuit under anxiety, (2) navigating ambiguous uncertainty, (3) standing alienated at the community periphery, and (4) reshaping: embracing professional identification. The themes explain transfer students’ challenges when adapting to nursing education. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into the unique experience of nursing transfer students. The findings highlight the importance of structured support systems, mentorship, academic advice, and personalized learning pathways to facilitate a positive transition. Full article

This study explores the relationship between teachers’ Sense of Coherence (SOC) and their perceptions of school climate, with a particular focus on potential differences between vocational education teachers (VETs) and teachers of general education subjects (GETs). Utilizing a cross-sectional design, the research involved 103 teachers who completed validated measures to assess their SOC and perceptions of school climate. The results reveal a significant positive correlation between SOC and school climate, with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.395 (p < 0.001). Notably, SOC explains 15.6% of the variance in teachers’ perceptions of school climate, as indicated by R² = 0.156 (p < 0.001). The study did not identify any significant differences in SOC (p = 0.612) or school climate ratings (p = 0.372) between VETs and GETs. These findings suggest that teachers who possess a stronger SOC are more inclined to perceive their work environments as supportive and well organized. The implications of this study underscore the importance of psychological resilience in enhancing educators’ professional experiences. In summary, this investigation highlights the critical interplay between teachers’ psychological attributes and their perceptions of the educational environment, emphasizing the need for supportive measures that bolster SOC among educators. Full article

Background. Food allergies (FAs) are a significant public health concern, affecting 6–8% of children worldwide, with a growing prevalence. Schools are high-risk environments for allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. Alarmingly, up to 16–18% of children with FAs experience allergic reactions at school, often due to accidental exposure. Additionally, up to 25% of anaphylactic reactions in schools occur in children with no prior diagnosis of FA, emphasizing the critical need for school-wide preparedness and robust emergency action plans. School nurses play a pivotal role in managing FAs through individualized health plans, emergency preparedness, staff training, and psychosocial support. This review aims to evaluate the multifaceted role of school nurses in ensuring the safety, health, and psychosocial well-being of children with FAs. It also seeks to identify systemic challenges and gaps in allergy management to inform targeted interventions and future research. Methods. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence on the role of school nurses in FA management. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane, targeting studies published between 2014 and 2024. The search identified 6313 articles, of which 5490 remained after duplicate removal. After title and abstract screening, 60 articles were selected for full-text evaluation, with 59 included in the final review. Thematic analysis identified six domains: preventive measures, emergency preparedness, communication, health outcomes, psychosocial support, and systemic challenges. Results. The review highlights the critical contributions of school nurses to FA management. They improve safety by implementing Individualized Health Plans (IHPs) and Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), ensuring timely administration of epinephrine and reducing delays during emergencies. Preventive strategies, such as allergen-free zones and comprehensive training for staff, minimize exposure risks. Psychosocial interventions led by nurses alleviate stigma, bullying, and anxiety, enhancing the quality of life for children with FAs. Despite these benefits, barriers persist, including insufficient nurse-to-student ratios, limited access to emergency resources like stock epinephrine, and disparities in allergy management across socioeconomic and geographic contexts. Conclusions. School nurses are integral to managing FAs, ensuring safety, fostering inclusion, and addressing psychosocial needs. Addressing systemic barriers and ensuring equitable resource distribution are essential to optimize their impact. Future research should focus on the long-term outcomes of nurse-led interventions, strategies to reduce disparities, and the potential role of digital tools in improving allergy management. Full article