The purpose of this descriptive study was to explain the levels of knowledge about and involvement in national health policy development by nurses in Thailand. The study used quantitative and qualitative means to gather data about the topic from two groups of professional nurses: 2121 nurses who worked in hospitals around the country and 26 nurse leaders who were members of steering committees in nursing professional organizations. A self-administered questionnaire and an interview guide regarding knowledge and involvement in national health policy were used for collecting the data. The content validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assured. The results showed that almost two-thirds of the sample had a high level of knowledge about national health policy development but that almost three-quarters of the sample had no involvement in national health policy development. The interviews of the nurse leaders showed that some of them had been involved directly in formulating health policy but most of them thought that they had not been involved directly. The results demonstrated that it is essential that nurses understand and be actively involved in national health policy development.

Analysis of a government policy to address nursing shortage and nursing education quality. International Nursing Review 64, 22-32Background: A well-educated, sufficient nursing workforce improves population health and standards of nursing care. Analysing workforce policies assists nurses to learn from the past and develop better future policies. Aim: Describe policy-making processes in the first Thai government plan to increase nursing capacity and improve nursing education quality. Design: A qualitative study employing Longest's model to examine policy-making processes. Methods: Data were obtained from 28 in-depth interviews with key informants, who had been committee members and former deans of nursing involved with the policy processes in the 1990s. Both qualitative and quantitative data were extracted from relevant documents, and content analysis employed with all data. Findings: Three policy phases were identified. Policy formulation, where three streams of problems, politics and policy resulted in identification of nursing shortage, changes of government incumbents and needing to increase nurse production; Policy implementation included creating methods of implementation, appointing responsible people and committees, creating operational plans, producing more nurses and faculty development projects and Policy modification which incorporated implementing the first Thai international doctoral degree in English, a collaborative programme between universities. Study limitations: Not all key informants could be accessed due to the passage of time. Findings are unique to Thailand but inform internationally of nurses' abilities and need to be involved in policy. Conclusion: Nurses were involved in all policy phases. While the policy produced positive developments in growing nursing capacity and education in the past, nursing shortages remained and are now acute in Thailand.Correspondence address: Wipada Kunaviktikul, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, 110 Intawaroros Road, Sriphum, Muang, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Tel: 66-81-2877232; Fax: 66-53-225425; E-mail: wipada1111@hotmail.com. FundingGraduate school, Chiang Mai University; faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University under the support of China Medical Board; and The Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council. Conflict of interestThere is no conflict of interest. © 2016 International Council of Nurses Original ArticleImplications for Nursing/Health Policy: Lessons learned from this policy analysis help explain why the nursing education and nursing shortage policy was legislated through the government agenda, and the active involvement of Thai nurses in this process. Nurses globally need to be at the policy-making table to try to reduce nursing shortages, and enhance practice and education environments. Like governments in other countries, The Royal Thai Government has made a number of efforts to address the nursing shortage through national policies and the quality of nursing education, including its first specific policy on this: the Plan for Increasin...

Aim To develop and test the first causal model of thriving at work in Chinese nurses. Background Nurses’ ability to thrive at their work is critical to retain qualified nurses and meet the needs of a constantly changing health environment. However, this is a poorly researched area. Introduction Thriving at work refers to the feeling of vitality and learning at work, which are evidenced to be solidly associated with nurses' development. Only a few factors have been explored regarding the effects of thriving at work. Methods A cross‐sectional study was undertaken using stratified random sampling. This involved 565 nurses from five general hospitals in Dali city, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China. Data were collected from April to September 2019 using seven instruments. The model was constructed and tested using the Analysis of Moment Structure program and reported using the STROBE checklist. Results All model variables provided direct and indirect effects to the outcome. The final model fitted the empirical data with acceptable indices. Discussion Predicting variables of workplace mindfulness, authentic leadership, workplace violence, organizational justice and years of experience were found to affect thriving at work directly and indirectly. Psychological capital and perceived organizational support mediated the effects between predicting variables to the outcome. Conclusion and Implications for nursing and health policy Recommendations for nursing and health leaders are provided to improve nurses’ thriving at work by building fair, supportive, and safe working environments, improving head nurses’ authentic leadership and cultivating nurses’ mindfulness. Policies need to be promulgated to improve and regulate the nurse–patient ratio and to eliminate violence against Chinese nurses.

Aim To develop a strategic model of participation in policy development for nurses in Thailand. Background Public health policies inevitably affect nursing practice, service delivery and the nursing workforce. Available evidence indicates that nurses have minimal participation in policy development. Introduction Nurses’ participation in public health policy development is essential to developing and maintaining an efficient, high‐quality healthcare system. Methods The Delphi method was used to develop the strategic model based on the input of fifteen nurse experts who were interviewed over three Delphi rounds. Data were analysed descriptively to identify items to be retained or dropped, and the final list of statements was verified by all participants to establish the strategic model of participation. Findings The strategic model contains twenty‐five participation strategies for nurses wishing to engage with public health policy development. Within the model, the priorities as identified by clinical nurses, nurse leaders, nurse researchers and scholars, nursing educational institutions and nursing professional organizations are acknowledged. Conclusion The model represents a consensus of values related to policy participation by nurses and the results align with similar studies. The inclusion of different nursing groups in promoting and developing strategies to participate in policy development ensures that all nurses have a role to play in developing nursing capacity for effective health policy engagement. Implication for nursing policy Nursing involvement in policies that affect them and their practice is fundamental to establishing good public policy. This research provides a clear mechanism for the development of nurses’ awareness and abilities to become involved in policy development and review processes.

Nurses' health literacy knowledge and communication skills are essential for improving patients' health literacy. Yet, research on nurses' health literacy knowledge and perception is limited. The study aimed to evaluate nurses' health literacy knowledge, communication techniques, and barriers to the implementation of health literacy interventions. A cross‐sectional study was used, and a total of 1697 nurses in 104 community hospitals in Thailand completed self‐report measures. Approximately 55% of the participants had heard about the concept of health literacy; 9% had received formal training specific to interaction with patients with low health literacy. About 50% of the nurses were aware of their patients' low health literacy; therefore, they applied the recommended communication techniques for them. Delivery of effective health literacy training was hampered by a lack of assessment tools, health literacy training and specialists, educational materials, and health provider time. Hospital administrators, nurse managers, health leaders should develop strategies to create environments and resources supporting health literacy interventions.