Internationally, evidence-based practice (EBP) is recognised as a foundational element of healthcare professional education. Achieving competency in this area is a complex undertaking that is reflected in disparities between ‘best EBP’ and actual clinical care. The effective development and implementation of professional education to facilitate EBP remains a major and immediate challenge. To ascertain nuanced perspectives on the provision of EBP education internationally, interviews were conducted with five EBP education experts from the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Definitive advice was provided in relation to (1) EBP curriculum considerations, (2) teaching EBP and (3) stakeholder engagement in EBP education. While a considerable amount of EBP activity throughout health profession education is apparent, effectively embedding EBP throughout curricula requires further development, with a ‘real-world’ pragmatic approach that engenders dialogue and engagement with all stakeholders required.

The preceptor role is invaluable within nurse education. This study supports the release of registered nurses to attend preceptor preparation programmes. It highlights the importance of nursing management in preceptor selection, release, support and monitoring in order to create an effective clinical learning environment.

Fostering a culture of clinical effectiveness in healthcare is crucial to achieving optimum outcomes for patients. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a cornerstone of clinical effectiveness. An EBP capacity-building project commenced in Ireland in 2016, in collaboration with the Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine in Oxford. A key part of this project, reported here, was the development of a competency framework for education in EBP and clinical effectiveness to ensure responsiveness of education standards and curricula of healthcare professionals in this area.MethodsFollowing a review of national and international reports, professional guidance documents and empirical literature pertaining to clinical effectiveness education (CEE), a preliminary competency framework was developed. Stakeholder consultations were conducted over a 6-month period, which consisted of 13 focus groups (n=45) and included representatives from clinical practice, higher education and professional training sectors, regulator/accrediting bodies, the Department of Health (Ireland) and patient/service user groups.ResultsAn overarching interprofessional competency framework for CEE was proposed and included the following domains: EBP, quality improvement processes, implementation strategies and collaborative practice: a total of 16 competencies and 60 indicators.ConclusionA competency framework for CEE for health and social care professionals is presented. It is intended that this framework will provide guidance to healthcare educators and regulators in the construction and revision of curricula, learning outcomes, teaching and assessment strategies, and graduate/clinician attributes.

The aim of this paper is to assist the novice researcher in the research ethics application process. The novice researcher in this context refers to any researcher negotiating a research ethics application for the first time. This may be a student or a more experienced registered nurse engaged in research activity. The paper applies ethical principles to the varied elements of a research ethics application form to explain the theoretical basis of the application criteria. The impetus for this paper arose following an internal audit of the decisions made by the research ethics committee of the nursing department at the Institute of Technology in Tralee, Ireland. The audit revealed the common reasons why full approval was not granted following initial review. This information prompted the development of a paper which would assist novice researchers in avoiding common errors and omissions in the research ethics application process. Despite the specific requirements of individual research ethics committees in different jurisdictions, the fundamental elements of research ethics approval remain unchanged. While the paper has local origins, its relevance holds a wider appeal. The paper takes a structured approach using the three ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice, as outlined by the Belmont Report (1979) to provide a framework for discussion. Despite the advent of other frequently used frameworks for research ethics, the principles of the Belmont report remain constant as guidance for good practice in the research ethics context.

Accepted ArticleThis article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/jan.13171 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Conflict of interestNo conflict of interest has been declared by the authors.Aim. To present the qualitative findings from a study on the development of scheme(s) to provide evidence of maintenance of professional competence for nurses and midwives.Background. Key issues in maintenance of professional competence include notions of selfassessment, verification of engagement and practice hours, provision of an evidential record, the role of the employer and articulation of possible consequences for non-adherence with the Accepted ArticleThis article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.requirements. Schemes to demonstrate the maintenance of professional competence have application to nurses, midwives and regulatory bodies and healthcare employers worldwide.Design. A mixed methods approach was used. This included an online survey of nurses and midwives and focus groups with nurses and midwives and other key stakeholders. The qualitative data are reported in this paper.Methods. Focus groups were conducted among a purposive sample of nurses, midwives and key stakeholders from January -May 2015. A total of thirteen focus groups with 91 participants contributed to the study.  A framework for continuing professional competence should include; self-assessment, specified number of practice hours, a portfolio of evidence, evidence of CPD and evidence of learning through use of reflection How should the findings be used to influence policy/practice/research/education?  Findings will influence policy development in terms of a national framework for monitoring and maintaining continuing professional competence of nurses and midwives to protect the public. Increased professional awareness of the roles of the Regulatory body, the employer and the individual nurse and midwife in developing and maintaining professional competence.