The nutritional care of patients is one of the primary responsibilities of all registered nurses (Persenius et al, 2008). A poor nutritional status can lead to malnutrition, which can have serious consequences for an individual's quality of life (Field and Smith, 2008). This paper commences with an introduction to the concept of nutrition, provides an overview of nutritional guidelines and nutritional screening tools which identify those at risk of malnutrition. It reviews the literature on nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practices in the provision of nutritional care and debates challenges and opportunities encountered to help nurses ensure adequate patient nutrition.

Background Many studies worldwide describe midwives' experiences during their transition from student midwife to qualified midwife. However, research on midwives' experience of transition to practice in the Republic of Ireland has not been published since 2008. This study aimed to explore midwives' experiences of their transition to practice in the Republic of Ireland. Methods A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with seven midwives, who commenced their post-registration clinical practice between December 2018 and September 2019. Results Midwives described transition to practice as a time when they felt challenged because of increased responsibility and accountability. It was a period of growth because of ‘learning by doing’, where a supportive working environment was paramount. Conclusions Newly qualified midwives have considerable need for support yet it appears they do not always receive this support.

Aims and Objectives To explore midwives’ experiences of caring for women's emotional and mental well‐being during pregnancy. Background Transitioning to motherhood is a major life event for any woman and while it is a joyful experience for the majority, 15%–25% of women will experience a perinatal mental health problem. Providing psychological support to mothers by midwives is acknowledged internationally. The 2016 Irish National Maternity Strategy identifies midwives as being ideally placed to assess women's emotional needs. The research revealed a paucity of qualitative research from an Irish context in this area; therefore, this study addressed this gap in the literature. Design Qualitative descriptive design. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 midwives recruited from the Irish midwifery e‐group. Data were analysed using Burnard (Nurse Educ. Today, 11, 1991, 461) thematic content analysis. Transcripts were coded, and meanings were formulated to reflect significant statements, which were categorised. Categories were then evolved into subthemes, and eventually, three themes were emerged using the COREQ checklist. Results Three salient themes emerged from the data are as follows: ‘awareness of Perinatal Mental Health’, ‘discussing emotional well‐being’ and ‘the woman has something to divulge’. The themes convey the midwife's awareness, recognition and perceptions of mental well‐being during pregnancy. How midwives discuss and assess emotional well‐being, the observational skills they use, and what they perceive as the barriers and facilitators to discussing mental well‐being were all identified. Conclusions Midwives reported an awareness and acceptance that women's emotional health was as important as their physical health. Midwives used every antenatal opportunity to raise awareness about perinatal mental health, whilst also identifying key challenges in getting women to talk. Relevance to Clinical Practice Care pathways for assessing and identifying Perinatal Mental Health issues should be available in all maternity services. More support for midwives is required to debrief, which would assist them in supporting women's emotional well‐being.

Background/Aims The extension of termination of pregnancy services in the Republic of Ireland represents a significant change to practice. Education is required so that nurses and midwives can fulfil their expanded role. The aim of this study was to provide an evaluation of a national termination of pregnancy education programme for midwives and nurses in the Republic of Ireland. Methods Kirkpatrick's framework for evaluation was used to create an online questionnaire that captured nurses' and midwives' reactions to a training experience at a termination of pregnancy education programme and their self-assessed knowledge before and after training. Results Participation in the training programme increased the participants' knowledge and confidence in caring for women having a termination. Participants reported that the training was relevant, met their expectations and new knowledge would be used. Recommendations for programme enhancement were also received. Conclusions Participants were satisfied with the education that they received. The positive impact that a short educational intervention had on participants' knowledge and confidence in providing care for women choosing termination of pregnancy was demonstrated.