The use of psychiatry-focused simulation in undergraduate nursing education: A systematic search and review.

Evidence on the use of simulation to teach psychiatry and mental health (including addiction) content is emerging, yet no summary of the implementation processes or associated outcomes exists. The aim of this study was to systematically search and review empirical literature on the use of psychiatry-focused simulation in undergraduate nursing education. Objectives were to (i) assess the methodological quality of existing evidence on the use of simulation to teach mental health content to undergraduate nursing students, (ii) describe the operationalization of the simulations, and (iii) summarize the associated quantitative and qualitative outcomes.

Systematic Review: Bridging the Gap in RPN-to-RN Transitions.

Purpose: To review the evidence examining the influences of successful education and professional role transition for registered practical nurses (RPNs) pursuing a baccalaureate degree in nursing (BScN) and registered nurse (RN) licensure through RPN-to-RN bridging programs.

Design: Systematic review of papers published between 1995 and 2014 that evaluated students' education and professional role transitions from RPN to RN.

Methods: Thirty-nine papers were selected that observed or studied the change or transition in designation from RPN to RN, or its equivalent, through bridging programs and analyzed thematically according to Meleis, Sawyer, Im, Hilfinger Messias, and Schumacher's transition model.

Spreading and sustaining best practices for home care of older adults: a grounded theory study.

Background: Improving health care quality requires effective and timely spread of innovations that support evidence-based practices. However, there is limited rigorous research on the process of spread, factors influencing spread, and models of spread. It is particularly important to study spread within the home care sector given the aging of the population, expansion of home care services internationally, the high proportion of older adult users of home care services, and the vulnerability of this group who are frail and live with multiple chronic conditions.

The role of organizational context and individual nurse characteristics in explaining variation in use of information technologies in evidence based practice.

Background: There is growing awareness of the role of information technology in evidence-based practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of organizational context and nurse characteristics in explaining variation in nurses' use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile Tablet PCs for accessing evidence-based information. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model provided the framework for studying the impact of providing nurses with PDA-supported, evidence-based practice resources, and for studying the organizational, technological, and human resource variables that impact nurses' use patterns.

Moving knowledge to action: a qualitative study of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship program.

Unlabelled: With funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) established the Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship (ACPF) program in 2000 to improve patient care and outcomes through advanced nursing knowledge and skills. This paper describes the perceptions of ACPF fellows regarding their influence on quality of care and patient outcomes, specifically, the types of practice change activities initiated, successful implementation and influence on outcomes, barriers encountered and strategies used to address them and influence change.

Methods: Thirty telephone interviews were conducted with ACPF fellows after completing their fellowship.