Creative Nursing

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing and social work students who were taking courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions gave students a chance to express the pandemic's effects on their education and life. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach using Van Manen's Four Lifeworld Existentials guided this study. Using an open-ended format, interviews were conducted in 6 small groups ranging from 2 to 9 individuals, in person or via Zoom...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the escalating trend of pediatric patients, particularly non-urgent cases, going to the emergency departments (EDs) in New South Wales, Australia, prompted the establishment of virtualKIDS, a nursing-led telehealth service. This service, initiated in June 2021, operates 24/7 and provides comprehensive care through audio-visual consultations emphasizing a patient-centered approach. Three elements-COVID-19 Outpatient Response Team (CORT), virtualKIDS Acute Review (vKAR), and Virtual Urgent Care (VUC)-addressed specific needs during and beyond the pandemic, showcasing the adaptability and impact of virtual care...

BACKGROUND: Health education programs can enhance self-efficacy and disaster preparedness. However, research incorporating the Health Belief Model (HBM) in education for infectious disasters is lacking. AIMS: Examine the effectiveness of an HBM-based education program on self-reported self-efficacy and self-reported preparedness for infectious disasters in rural populations. METHODS: In total, 109 eligible participants were allocated to two groups: participants who received HBM-based education ( n  = 55) or regular education ( n  = 54), presented at in-person meetings, with individual follow-up conducted on WhatsApp...

These days, the distractions of the digital world often obscure the journey to discover one's purpose. Yet these distractions hold clues to that very purpose. This article explores social media and artificial intelligence (AI) as tools to assist individuals in uncovering and expressing their purpose. As a test subject, my social media data were analyzed by AI to identify my purpose, using accounts from LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This led to my creating an AI bot named Purpose GPT, which is customized to facilitate the exploration of purpose across personal growth, professional development, thought leadership, and legacy-building dimensions...

Aims: This review aimed to identify and map the evidence about sarcopenia among older Filipinos. Methods: Studies about sarcopenia among Filipinos aged 60 and above were included. All studies regardless of type, setting, language, and timeframe were reviewed. The Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, Embase, PubMed, and Health Research and Development Information Network were searched. The study was conducted per an a priori protocol and utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews...

Expedited implementation of evidence into practice and policymaking is critical to ensure the delivery of effective care and improve health-care outcomes. Implementation science deals with the designing of methods and strategies for increasing and facilitating the uptake of evidence into practice and policymaking. Nevertheless, the process of designing and selecting methods and strategies for implementing evidence is complicated because of the complexity of health-care settings where implementation is desired...

Gun violence in the United States is a serious problem. Addressing the problem will require not only strong leadership but also a unique approach. One such approach was utilized by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who assembled a "Team of Rivals" with positions different than his own that provided helpful perspective in finding solutions to the problems of the time. This article applies the team of rivals approach to the problem of gun violence.

The transition from hospital to home after surgery is a vulnerable time for all cardiac surgical patients, particularly older adults. This postoperative phase presents multiple physical, physiological, emotional, and socioeconomic challenges, not only for patients but also for their families and informal caregivers, who often describe this period as stressful and overwhelming. Health-care professionals, particularly nurses, play an integral role in a patient's discharge process; the challenges can be ameliorated through timely discharge planning and effective discharge education...

Background: Acculturative stress theory and the healthy immigrant paradox provide conflicting frameworks from which to study the mental health of immigrant groups. This scoping review aims to provide clarity on the mental health effects of acculturation. Review Question: How are anxiety, depression, and stress expressed in the adolescent and adult children of immigrants? Method: Considering various generational classifications, 1333 articles were screened and 25 articles were selected. This review highlights the presentation of cultural stress and its mental health effects in the children of immigrants ranging from 13 to 28 years of age...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses and nurse leaders are increasingly vocal about chronic understaffing and the impact the staffing crisis continues to have on nurses' well-being and patient outcomes. The American Nurses Association's Nurse Staffing Task Force addressed the importance of staffing standards as a critically needed step toward improving patient and population health outcomes. Against the backdrop of ongoing nursing shortages, hospital leaders have been hesitant to embrace staffing ratios, expressing concerns about their ability to hire and retain sufficient nursing staff, as operational revenue margins remain thin and nursing labor is costly...

After a year of transition to a new publisher, Creative Nursing 2024 will build on our legacy of nurturing novice authors with a Student Article of the Year initiative; presenting courageous discourse as reflected in our overarching theme for the year, The Impact of Social Forces on Nursing and Health; and publishing even more new knowledge in the form of research and discussion of nursing theories and models. This issue's theme, Activism, Advocacy, and Allyship, is exemplified by articles about paths to a nursing workforce that reflect the people we serve, and about concepts such as hygge, dialectical pluralism, acculturative stress, shared decision-making for breast health, nature immersion, iceberg demographics, and self-care in palliative care...

Background: The existing guidelines for breast cancer screening incorporate assessing individual risk but contain no universally recommended risk assessment tool in the primary care setting. Local Problem: A family planning program utilizing nurses and nurse practitioners for assessment, education, and referral lacked a risk assessment tool for assessing breast cancer risk. Methods: A breast cancer risk assessment tool was implemented in practice. Interventions: The interventions involved assessing the patient's risks, providing education on risk reduction strategies, and determining the need for clinical breast exams and referrals for mammography...

Everyone recognizes the current nursing scarcity, but not everyone recognizes the need for a diverse nursing workforce to adequately serve patients whose social determinants of health include racism, racial bias, and reduced access to care. This article explores how building innovative partnerships between health-care providers and nursing institutions to advance the incumbent workforce can increase capacity and reduce staff burnout. Such partnerships can drive a culture of employee engagement through the development of career pathways while reducing barriers for nontraditional nursing students in advancing their credentials...

The onset of COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd shed light on social justice inequities, disparities in health care and the continuing rise of racism within society. Studies conducted by the American Nurses Foundation also revealed acts of racism within the nursing profession. The creation of the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and the American Nurses Association's issuance of an apology through its Racial Reckoning work have begun a revolution within the nursing profession to address this phenomenon...

U.S. Supreme Court rulings on reproductive rights and affirmative action inadvertently present the nursing profession with a propitious opportunity to capitalize on the nation's rich mosaic of iceberg demographic identities-inherited and acquired traits that may not be visibly apparent-to address imminent challenges such as worker shortages and other perplexities within the workplace milieu.

Holistic nursing practice requires an understanding of the constraints of poverty as one of the social determinants of health. Future nurses need to be change agents for social justice. A descriptive, qualitative study was conducted to explore students' experience of the Missouri Association for Community Action Poverty Simulation© (CAPS) and its impact on empathy and social justice awareness among a purposive sample of 56 sophomore baccalaureate nursing students at a public university in the Northeastern United States...

Hygge practices embody joy, peace, mindfulness, coziness, and conviviality. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive condition with complex therapies and physical limitations. Little is known about how hygge practice may impact individuals living with CF. A qualitative study explored how adults with CF use hygge practices to promote wellness and cope with their disease. A purposive network sample of 15 adults with CF who utilized hygge practices completed semistructured audio-recorded telephone interviews. Recordings were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's thematic analysis approach...

In the post COVID-19 pandemic period, targeted efforts are needed more than ever to improve frontline nurses' well-being. In the field of palliative care, there is recognition of the importance of self-care, but the concept itself remains nebulous, and proactive implementation of self-care is lacking. Reflective writing has been noted to have positive impacts on health care providers' well-being. This piece brings to light the author's interest and work in reflective writing, sharing a personal account that provides a source of happiness and an opportunity to better understand her palliative care practice...

Background: In Florence Nightingale's view, vital power resides in both earthy materials and human nature and is an essential element of health. Vital power is defined as a health force that manifests in states of being while doing in nature to generate well-being, but little is known about the generative process of vital force. Purpose: This secondary study explored the vital power of children who experienced well-being while doing in nature. Methods: Using a framework of the Nature Immersion Model, directed content analysis of parental reflections on their children's vital power experiences sought to explore patterns of being while doing in nature observed in association with parental reports of: (a) change in their children's well-being and (b) qualities of vital power evident in parental descriptions of those changes in well-being...

The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework identifies barriers to health care, education, financial stability, and other conditions that exist across socially determined parameters, often to the detriment of Communities of Color. Postsecondary healthcare students must be aware of these disparities. In order to address upstream and downstream healthcare equity, the SDOH framework must be leveraged as a cross-disciplinary curricular innovation to support interprofessional education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have unrealized potential to develop extraordinary healthcare leaders; partnerships integrating SDOH can be a powerful force to advance health equity in the United States...