No abstract

Aim: To explore Master of Nursing students' perspectives toward the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the advanced practice nurse preparatory education and practice. Background: Like many nursing education programmes, the advanced practice nurse preparatory training was greatly affected and had to radically change to adapt to the disruptions caused by the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a strain on the healthcare system and advanced practice nurses have been expected to modify their normal practice to provide care in unprecedented ways. Methods:The study used a descriptive qualitative design. Semi-structured videoconference interviews were conducted in an autonomous university (June-July 2020). The recruitment of participants (n = 14) concluded upon data saturation. A thematic analysis was conducted. The COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines were used. Findings: Three main themes were identified: (1) overcome adversity through innovation, (2) acceptance of remote learning and (3) versatility of advanced practice nurses in an ongoing pandemic. Each theme was further explained by two subthemes to further elucidate the impact of COVID-19 on the advanced practice nurse preparatory training and practice. Discussion: The evolution of the advanced practice nurse preparatory education catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic brought on innovation. The ability of advanced practice nurses to adapt to evolving healthcare needs was also highlighted. Conclusion:Although face-to-face teaching and services are gradually returning, some innovations that arose during the pandemic may be worth keeping. Implications for nursing: Nursing educators in higher education institutions can benefit from adopting technology to mitigate the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic Implications for nursing policy: Nurse leaders should review the role of advanced practice nurses to determine how best to capitalise on their practice to meet rising healthcare needs.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily lives. Most of the working adults adopted the work-from-home arrangement while students shifted to home-based learning. Being confined together allows families to foster stronger bonds. On the other hand, the on-going pandemic could have negative impacts on family relationships. The COVID-19 outbreak is still on-going worldwide, understanding more about the changes in family functioning and its associated psychological impacts in a pandemic would allow the authorities to provide more targeted support to families. Objectives This study aimed to examine the factors associated with family functioning among young adults in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family functioning refers to the quality of interactions among family members, and consists of cohesion, flexibility and communication. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted (N = 390). The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale Short Form (FACES-IV-SF) and Global Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication Scale (GPIC) were used to examine family functioning and intergeneration communication during the partial lockdown. Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD), Social Support Questionnaire–Brief (SSQ-B), Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) examined the psychosocial impact. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and regression model were employed in the analysis. Results The FACES-IV-SF score for total circumplex ratio has a mean of 1.57(SD = 0.58), suggesting that participants generally perceived their families as functioning relatively well. The mean scores for CESD, PSS, Loneliness and BRCS were 12.4(6.2), 8.0(2.6), 5.7(1.9) and 12.6(3.1) respectively. The mean scores of the 4 domains of GPIC were 21.5(4.0) for Accommodation, 25.0(6.7) for Non-Accommodation, 17.2(3.3) for Respect-Obligation, and 18.9(4.8) for Avoidant. Conclusion The results suggested that family functioning is significantly associated with intergenerational communication and satisfaction with social support in a pandemic. Participants with balanced levels of cohesion and flexibility in their families are more likely to be able to cope with the psychological impacts of the pandemic. The findings serve to inform intervention and preventive efforts to improve family functioning and reduce the risk of psychological distress in a pandemic.

Introduction Given the diversity of the scope for inquiry and methodologies used in nursing research, the synthesis of primary research may not be as straightforward as conducting a meta‐analysis or systematic review on clinical trials. Scoping reviews offer an option to nursing academics for inquiries involving a range of applications and interpretations. Given the continual advances in evidence‐based research, it is, therefore, crucial for nursing to constantly substantiate its research capabilities and uphold standards in its research inquiry. Accordingly, an updated overview would be timely to characterize scoping reviews in the nursing literature. Hence this review aimed to examine the characteristics of scoping reviews published in nursing journals and evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the scoping reviews. Design A systematic review. Methods A comprehensive search of three electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase) were conducted. Scoping reviews published in English on or before December 31, 2020 were included, with the criterion that their publication had been in nursing journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports (2020 Science Edition) of the Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts for eligibility. A standardized data extraction form was used for data collection, and a 29‐item checklist was developed to assess the methodological and reporting quality of the scoping reviews. The methodological and reporting quality was assessed independently by four reviewers and subsequently counter‐checked by another two reviewers. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the included papers, and narrative synthesis was undertaken to explain the results. Results This review included 422 papers from 88 nursing journals. They were published between 2008 and 2021 (median year 2019). Only 15 (3.5%) reviews reported accessible protocols, and 63 (15.0%) presented data on their critical appraisal of the included sources of evidence. Poor reporting of the selection of sources of evidence and data extraction was also identified. Overall, the 422 included reviews had complied with 20 (median [range: 9–27]) of the 29 items on the checklist. Conclusions Scoping reviews have garnered wider acceptance in nursing research, of which the scopes and methodologies exhibit much diversity. Our systematic review has provided insights into existing scoping reviews published in nursing journals through our characterization of them and appraisal of their methodological and reporting quality. However, our findings underline several areas needing improvement: the lack of transparency, the absence of critical appraisal, non‐compliance to established checklists, and inconsistencies in the data processing. Clinical Relevance Appraising included sources of evidence and maintaining transparency in the conduct and reporting of scoping reviews increases the practical utility of scoping reviews.

Review question / Objective: The proposed review objectives are: i. To examine the characteristics of scoping reviews published in nursing journals; and ii. To evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of the scoping reviews. Eligibility criteria: Articles included in this study will be ScRs published in the nursing journals which indexed in the ISI Journal Citation Reports 2020 Science Edition. Only ScRs in English will be included. Methodology papers, commentaries, conference abstracts, or letters on ScRs will be excluded.