The effects of applying an assessment form based on the health functional patterns on nursing student's attitude and skills in developing the nursing process

Objectives: Comprehensive nursing assessment,as the first step in the nursing process,involves the systematic and constant data gathering to facilitate the development of the patient-specific nursing process.The aim of this study is to determine the effects of applying an assessment form based on the health functional patterns on nursing student's attitude and skills in developing nursing process.Methods: A randomized controlling design was conducted.Of 84 undergraduate nursing students,42 students were allocated to the intervention or control group.In clinical education,a patient assessment form based on Gordon's functional health patterns was applied to help students in the intervention group to develop nursing process,while the control group received traditional methods.The data were gathered using a demographic information questionnaire,skills in nursing process development checklist,and attitudes towards nursing process questionnaire.Results: The average scores for students' attitude and skills in developing nursing process in the intervention group were greater than those of the control group.Conclusion: Applying nursing assessment using the patient assessment form based on Gordon's functional health patterns can improve the students' learning in developing nursing process.

Evaluation of undergraduate students’nursing assessment and communication skills through an objective structured clinical examination within a high-fidelity simulation using a student-simulated patient

Objective:To evaluate nursing students’assessment and communication skills through an objective structured clinical examination(OSCE)within a high-fidelity simulation using a student-simulated patient(SSP)and analyze the validity,reliability,degree of difficulty,and discriminability of the OSCE.Methods:A descriptive study was conducted at one nursing school in Macao.All scenarios were designed using a high-fidelity simulator combined with SSPs.A convenience sample of 54 baccalaureate nursing students completed the OSCE.The nursing assessment OSCE checklist(NAOC)and the communication evaluation rubric(CER)were used as observational measurements with three-point Likert scales(2=Achieved,1=Partly achieved,0=Not completed/Incorrect).Results:Difficulty coefficients of the exam were 0.63 for nursing assessment skills and 0.56 for communication skills.The discrimination index of the majority items of the NAOC(86.4%)was>0.20,showing a better to good discriminability.The items of the CER had satisfactory indexes of item discrimination(from 0.38 to 0.84).Students received high scores in conducting blood oxygen saturation and cardiac and lung auscultation but low scores in vomiting and diarrhea assessment.Students presented good communication skills in eye contacting and listening,but culture assessment needs to be improved.The students with experiences in simulation or simulated patient(SP)interactions had better assessment and communication skills than students without those experiences.There was a positive relationship between nursing assessment and communication skills(r=0.67,P=0.000).Conclusions:SSPs were involved in enhancing the realism of interactions in simulated scenarios.Nursing students can conduct nursing assessments specific to patient conditions,explain the conditions to the patient,and ensure that the patient remains informed at all times of the precautions to be taken.However,students’cultural awareness and some communication skills need further training.With moderate difficulty and high discrimination index,OSCE showed satisfactory reliability and validity.

Prioritizing Patient Assessment Data (PAD) Using the Japanese Psychiatric Nursing Assessment Classification System (PsyNACS)©

The study identified priorities of the Patient Assessment Data (PAD) using the Japanese Psychiatric Nursing Assessment Classification System (PsyNACS©) derived from 644 psychiatric nurses’ responses who were practicing in specific units: Acute Care Units (ACU), General Care Units (GCU), Long-term Care Units (LCU), physically Complicated Disease Care Units (CDCU), and Dementia Care Units (DCU). Secondary analysis of the PsyNACS©on-line survey data using four levels of “importance” was used to determine the priorities: 1) unnecessary;2) quite important;3) important and 4) very important. The Mean Factor Points (MFP) and the Welch’s ANOVA were calculated. PsyNACS©score of 3 or higher indicates the PAD as priority. The results showed that in the ACU PAD1, “Psychological symptom”, “Stress coping”, and “Mood disorder and aggression”, and PAD2 “Information of adherence”, and “Information of the psychiatry rehabilitation”, and PAD7 “Situation of the family and social life”, “Relationship to the health care providers”, and “Relationships with others” are high priority (high importance). Other PADs showed results below PsyNACS©score of 3. The GCU had PAD 3 “Balance of water”, the LCU had PAD 4 “Intention/Point of view”, and “Thoughts of the patient” and PAD 7 “Disease and family”. The CDCU showed PAD 2 “Blood test”, PAD 3 “Excretion situation”, and PAD 5 “General health condition”, “Respiratory and chest symptom”, and “Vital signs”, and the DCU had PAD 1 “Cognition function”, and “Delirium and derangement capacity to register failure”, PAD 3 “Function of eating”, PAD 6 “Egestion and cleanliness” and PAD 8 “Activity and sleeping”, and “Mobility capability”. These classifications indicated levels of importance in the CAD comprising the PAD below the score of “2”. Japanese psychiatric hospitals specify assessments according to functional areas. By prioritizing the CAD for each PAD, more effective and efficient assessments can be performed according to practice unit.

Attitudes of Nursing Faculty Members and Graduates towards the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty and graduates of college of nursing towards Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as a valid and reliable method of clinical competency assessment in nursing ten years after its inception. Core nursing courses are based on instructional teaching methods and “hands-on” approach to impact cognitive, psychomotor skills and clinical judgments. Different clinical competency assessment methods are used globally;however, most of them are subjective. A descriptive survey using 16-item five-point likert scale questionnaire was conducted. The study sample consisted of 140 participants: 20 faculty members, 27 graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree and 93 graduates of the Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN) programs with OSCE experience during their training. Data collection was carried out between October and November 2015. Eighty percent of faculty members, 74% of BSN and 62.3% of ADN graduates agreed that OSCE represented an objective evaluation method for psychomotor skills. Majority of the graduates perceived their OSCE experience positively although stressful. However, they have suggested the introduction of trial/mock OSCE prior to each exam to minimize the stress associated with it. In conclusion, there appears to be no single “gold-standard” assessment tool for clinical competency. OSCE assesses student nurses’ psychomotor skills in a non-clinical environment, therefore without risks to real patients. In combination with other assessment methods in the clinical settings, OSCE will provide a more comprehensive student psychomotor skill evaluation. OSCE experiences gave new nursing graduates confidence to work as registered nurses in health care settings.

Family Organization in the Care of Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients:The Genogram as an Investigative Tool

This study aimed to describe structure, functionality and development of pediatric heart transplant families, from the understanding of the experienced chronic condition. A descriptive, exploratory study using a qualitative approach was developed in a hospital situated in a city of Northeast Brazil, in 2012. The study was conducted with three families, using the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM). In addition to the genogram, an analysis of the children’s/adolescents’ family members was conducted at the time of interview. Two families were binuclear families and one was mononuclear. From the evaluation, it was possible to determine the care and support network of children and adolescents with heart transplants, as well as some difficulties faced by the investigated families. Nurses are important in this family context since the visualization of the family genogram can generate a change in the nursing care to each family.