Criteria to evaluate graduate nurse proficiencies in obtaining a health history and perform physical assessment in simulation-based education: A narrative review.

Background: Simulation is a technique being used increasingly in healthcare education which offers opportunities to evaluate nursing proficiencies. The use of valid and reliable instruments is recognised as the foundation for a robust assessment, however competency-based health assessment courses for graduate nurses can consequently become reductionist in measuring proficiencies.

Objective: The specific review question was: In simulation-based education, what are the criteria that evaluate graduate nursing student's competence in obtaining a health history and performance of patient assessment?

Methods: Eleven studies were included in the review.

Medical Emergencies Requiring First Aid at Home: A Population-Based Survey Study.

Background: Most medical emergencies requiring first-aid occur at home. Little is known about the prevalence of these medical emergencies.

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe medical emergencies occurring at people's homes requiring first aid; characteristics, burdens and impact on functional outcome, and to address the national public knowledge and practice of first aid.

Dispatcher assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation implementation in Kuwait: A before and after study examining the impact on outcomes of out of hospital cardiac arrest victims.

Dispatcher assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) by Emergency medical services has been shown to improve rates of early out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) recognition and early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for OHCA. This study measures the impact of introducing DACPR on OHCA recognition, CPR rates and on patient outcomes in a pilot region in Kuwait.EMS treated OHCA data over 10 months period (February 21-December 31, 2017) before and after the intervention was prospectively collected and analyzed.

Assessment of practice using the National Health Service Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Current difficulties in the assessment of practice of qualified nurses undertaking courses in critical care nursing are outlined and discussed. The evaluation and development of previously identified core competencies for intensive care nurses is discussed. The use of the National Health Service Knowledge and Skills Framework as a framework for the assessment of practice of nurses undertaking courses in intensive care nursing within one higher education Institution is presented and examined.

Virtual Interactive Practice: a strategy to enhance learning and competence in health care students.

This paper reports the processes and initial outcomes of a pilot study which investigated a week long 'virtual' children's ward experience for nursing students. Providing sufficient and meaningful experiences which enable students to quickly and effectively achieve competence in diverse areas of practice is often frustrated by the realities of available clinical experiences. Our response to this challenge was to more fully exploit and evaluate technologies which can be used to provide these learning experiences.

Virtual interactive practice: utilizing healthcare information systems to contextualize the skills associated with clinical decision making within nurse education.

This paper reports on a Virtual Interactive Practice (VIP) project that has the potential to revolutionise the educational delivery and learning of clinical skills complementing "real" practice. The focus is currently on nurse learning but the principles could equally be applied to multi and inter-professional learning and clinical decision-making. This project represents a new model to enhance clinical skill acquisition and clinical reasoning using a structured competency base.