Background With staffing shortages affecting increasing numbers of health services globally, and predictions that shortages will worsen in the future, there is broad consensus that leaders at all levels must do more to support and develop current employees. However, the wide range of attributes of a healthy work environment identified in the literature and the financial implications of creating healthy work environments make it challenging to determine which elements of the nursing work environment are the most important in terms of workforce sustainability. This is a significant gap in our knowledge, and there is no consensus in the literature regarding definition and explanation of work environment factors in a way that facilitates prioritisation. Objectives The aim of this review was to synthesise and evaluate the evidence of the factors which may have an effect on intention to stay and role of the work environment in enhancing nurses’ intention to stay in the work environment in acute healthcare. Design and methods This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed for relevant articles published between 1990 and December 2017 using the following electronic databases: Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, ProQuest theses and dissertations, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Plus, MEDLINE (Ovid) and PsycINFO. The reviewers independently screened the abstracts and full texts, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the included papers using appropriate tools. Results A total of 4968 studies were screened by title, abstract, and full-text review, and 29 studies were included in this review. The identified determinants of nurses’ intention to stay were grouped into four main categories: individual indicators (personal and professional), organisation/profile, work environment, and patient-related. Several working environment variables identified in this review were significantly associated with the nurses’ intention to stay. Conclusion Despite the limitations of this review, the evidence indicates that attention to meso-level variables such as organisational characteristics and work environment is vital if the working environment is to improve and nurses’ intention to stay is to increase. The multifaceted nature of the concept of intention to stay makes it difficult to present definitive conclusions based on the findings of this review. However, the identified theoretical models were instrumental in differentiating intention to stay from other concepts such as intention to leave, turnover and retention, theoretically, and operationally.

BackgroundNursing education and training are essential in the attainment of evidence‐based practice (EBP) competence in nursing students. Although there is a growing literature on EBP among nursing students, most of these studies are confined to a single cultural group. Thus, cross‐cultural studies may provide shared global perspectives and theoretical understandings for the advancement of knowledge in this critical area.AimsThis study compared self‐perceived EBP competence among nursing students in four selected countries (India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Oman) as well as perceived barriers to EBP adoption.MethodsA descriptive, cross‐sectional, and comparative survey of 1,383 nursing students from India, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Oman participated in the study. The Evidence‐Based Practice Questionnaire (EBP‐COQ) and the BARRIERS scale were used to collect data during the months of January 2016 to August 2017.ResultsCross‐country comparisons revealed significant differences in EBP competence (F = 24.437, p < .001), knowledge (F = 3.621, p = .013), skills (F = 9.527, p < .001), and attitudes (F = 74.412, p < .001) among nursing students. Three variables including nursing students’ gender (β = .301, p < .001), type of institution, (β = −0.339, p = .001), and type of nursing student (β = .321, p < .001) were associated with EBP competence. Barriers to EBP adoption included having no authority to change patient care policies (M = 1.65, SD = 1.05), slow publication of evidence (M = 1.59, SD = 1.01), and paucity of time in the clinical area to implement the evidence (M = 1.59, SD = 1.05).Linking Evidence to ActionBoth academe and hospital administration can play a pivotal role in the successful acquisition of EBP competence in nursing students.

Background Resilience has a paramount role in dealing with different life stressors and has a great impact on mental health. Aim To assess the level of resilience among university students and explore the relation between resilience and a number of variables including psychological well-being, self-esteem and physical health. Methods A cross-sectional design was utilized. Data was collected from 676 university students. Students were required to complete a demographic sheet, Brief Resilience Scale, World Health Organization Well-Being Index, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a physical health survey. Results Overall, less than half of the participants have reported low levels of resilience (45.3%; n = 306). Regular sleep, perceived stress, WHO well-being index, self-esteem, and having a cumulative GPA of more than two, were factors that significantly predicted positive resilience in multivariate analysis. Conclusion Resilience is a necessary skill among university students that requires more academic attention. Factors predicting positive resilience should be considered when implementing mental health promotion programs.

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