The Strong Model of Advanced Practice Role Delineation tool is valid for depicting the dimensions of practice of the advanced practice role in an international contemporary health service context thereby having the potential to optimize the utilization of the advanced practice nursing workforce.

Exploratory factor analysis of the modified tool supports validity of the five domains of the original tool. Further investigation will identify use of the tool in a broader healthcare environment.

Background Undergraduate students across health professions are required to be capable users of evidence in their clinical practice after graduation. Gaining the essential knowledge and clinical behaviors for evidence-based practice can be enhanced by theory-based strategies. Limited evidence exists on the effect of underpinning undergraduate EBP curricula with a theoretical framework to support EBP competence. A systematic review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of EBP teaching strategies for undergraduate students, with specific focus on efficacy of theory-based strategies. Methods This review critically appraised and synthesized evidence on the effectiveness of EBP theory-based teaching strategies specifically for undergraduate health students on long or short-term change in multiple outcomes, including but not limited to, EBP knowledge and attitudes. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest Health, ERIC, The Campbell Collaboration, PsycINFO were searched for published studies and The New York Academy of Medicine, ProQuest Dissertations and Mednar were searched for unpublished studies. Two independent reviewers assessed studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument. Results Twenty-eight studies reporting EBP teaching strategies were initially selected for review with methodological quality ranging from low to high. Studies varied in course duration, timing of delivery, population and course content. Only five included papers reported alignment with, and detail of, one or more theoretical frameworks. Theories reported included Social Cognitive Theory (one study), Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory (two studies) and Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory (one study). Cognitive Flexibility Theory and Cognitive Load Theory were discussed in two separate papers by the same authors. All but one study measured EBP knowledge. Mixed results were reported on EBP knowledge, attitudes and skills across the five studies. Conclusions EBP programs for undergraduate health students require consideration of multiple domains, including clinical behaviors, attitudes and cognitive learning processes; Interventions grounded in theory were found to have a small but positive effect on EBP attitudes. The most effective theory for developing and supporting EBP capability is not able to be determined by this review therefore additional rigorous research is required. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1698-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map the available literature on the role of specialist lung cancer nurses. Introduction: The international literature acknowledges the importance of specialist cancer nurses who provide supportive care to patients. Historically, however, there has been a lack of consistent evidence to inform development and implementation of the role. Inclusion criteria: This review will consider quantitative and qualitative studies of any design or methodology that report on role characteristics or behaviors, practices, or activities, or other aspects of specialist lung cancer nurses in the acute care setting. Systematic reviews, professional body reports, as well as unpublished or published studies and reports will also be considered for inclusion. Textual or opinion papers will be excluded. Methods: This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Relevant papers from 2006 to 2022, in any language, will be searched for in the following databases and registries: MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials. Websites to be searched will include the World Health Organization, International Council of Nurses, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) and Grey Matters (CADTH) will be searched for unpublished literature. Results will be presented in tabular and narrative format and mapped according to the specified concepts of interest, as well as to the domains of practice for specialist nursing roles.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) prevents unsafe/inefficient practices and improves healthcare quality, but its implementation is challenging due to research and practice gaps. A focused educational program can assist future nurses to minimize these gaps. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of an EBP educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills. A cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken. Six optional courses in the Bachelor of Nursing final year were randomly assigned to the experimental (EBP educational program) or control group. Nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills were measured at baseline and post-intervention. A qualitative analysis of 18 students’ final written work was also performed. Results show a statistically significant interaction between the intervention and time on EBP knowledge and skills (p = 0.002). From pre- to post-intervention, students’ knowledge and skills on EBP improved in both groups (intervention group: p < 0.001; control group: p < 0.001). At the post-intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in EBP knowledge and skills between intervention and control groups (p = 0.011). Students in the intervention group presented monographs with clearer review questions, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and methodology compared to students in the control group. The EBP educational program showed a potential to promote the EBP knowledge and skills of future nurses.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to explore the information needs and information seeking behaviors of patients and families from healthcare providers in acute healthcare settings in existing literature. Introduction: A well-informed family can be crucial to a patient's capacity to cope with their diagnosis and hospital care during acute or chronic illness. Information is therefore critical to both the patient's and family's understanding of the illness and healthcare process. Providing appropriate and timely information can empower patients and families with knowledge and alleviate the anxiety and stress associated with a hospital admission. However, acutely ill patients and families in different acute care settings have considerable and differing information needs. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review included studies undertaken in acute healthcare facilities where patients were over 18 years of age and family members were of any sex, culture and ethnicity. Family was defined as anyone connected to the patient by blood, marriage or other significant relationship. Healthcare provider perspectives of family and patient information needs were excluded. Concepts related to type of information, timing of information, preferences for who delivers the information and method of information delivery. Qualitative and quantitative study designs published from 2010 to 2017 in English were included. Methods: Multiple databases were searched to find published and unpublished studies. A three-step search strategy was utilized. A charting table was developed for the data extraction process to record data relating to the review objectives. Specific data extracted included details on research design, geographical location, year of publication, characteristics of study population, research aims and outcomes as well as key findings related to patient and family information needs. Results: The scoping review included 109 studies from across 34 countries. Of these studies, 68 used quantitative research designs, 29 were qualitative in nature and 12 included studies reported using mixed methods. One study used an action research methodology. Nine studies were specific to family information needs. A majority of studies were conducted in the cancer care context, with other acute settings comprising intensive care units, surgical settings and individual medical or surgical units/wards within and across the hospital. While most of the included studies addressed the type of content patients and/or families prefer, a few studies explored the timing of information provision. Conclusions: The international literature on information needs of patient and families comprises multiple published studies on differing aspects of the topic and situated within various acute care contexts. Despite the broad nature of the research, studies suggest that preferences regarding information content, timing of information delivery and choices regarding who delivers information vary across contexts and according to the patient/family member. The complexity behind this variation and strategies to address tailoring information delivery requires further in-depth research.

In our aging world, dementia is prevalent and is a serious health concern affecting approximately 35.6 million people worldwide. This figure is expected to increase two-fold by 2030 and three-fold by 2050. Although younger-onset dementia is increasingly recognized, dementia is most commonly a disease that affects the elderly. Among those aged 65 to 85, the prevalence of dementia increases exponentially, and doubles with every five-year increase in age.Dementia is defined as a syndrome, commonly chronic or progressive in nature, and caused by a range of brain disorders that affect memory, thinking and the ability to perform activities of daily living. While the rate of progression and manifestation of decline differs, all cases of dementia share a similar trajectory of decline. The progressive decline in cognitive functions and ultimately physical function that these people face affects not only the person with the disease but also their family caregivers and health care staff.The manifestation of dementia presents unique and extreme challenges for the family caregiver. Generally it causes great physical, emotional and social strain because the caregiving process is long in duration, unfamiliar, unpredictable and ambiguous. In the later stages of dementia, many family caregivers relocate their relative to a residential aged care facility, most often when the burden of care outweighs the means of the caregiver. This is especially likely when the person with dementia ages, and has lower cognitive function increased limitations in activities in daily living and poorer self-related health. As a result, approximately 50% of all persons aged 65 years or over admitted into residential aged care facilities have dementia.The relocation of a relative into a residential aged care facility can be complex and distressing for family caregivers. While relocation alleviates many issues for the family caregiver, it does not consequently reduce their stress. The stress experienced by the family caregivers who remain involved post-relocation often continues and may even worsen. This is because family caregivers are uncertain about how to transition from a direct caregiving role to a more indirect, supportive interpersonal role, and may be provided with little support from care staff in this regard. Although family caregivers experience a new form of stress post-relocation, family involvement in residential aged care settings has been shown to be beneficial to residents with dementia, their families and care staff.Family involvement is widely acknowledged to provide the resident physical and emotional healing, optimal well-being, and the sustainment of quality of life. Family caregivers benefit from improved satisfaction with the facility and experiences of care, and greater well-being. Care staff benefit from enhanced job satisfaction and greater motivation to remain in their job. The key to these positive outcomes is effective communication and strong relationships between care staff and family caregivers.Effective communication be...