Scaffolding as active learning in nursing education.

Recent changes, such as COVID-19 restrictions and advances in technology, have led to unique effects on nursing education, requiring new pedagogical thinking and strategies. Studies have shown that a more active approach to learning leads to positive gains for students. In this conceptual paper, we argue that scaffolding specifically allows instructors to break down assignments into meaningful chunks with instructional support that fall within reach of a student's ability, making the assignment both more manageable and actively engaging.

Distributed and Multifaceted Effects of Threat and Safety.

In the present fMRI study, we examined how anxious apprehension is processed in the human brain. A central goal of the study was to test the prediction that a subset of brain regions would exhibit sustained response profiles during threat periods, including the anterior insula, a region implicated in anxiety disorders. A second important goal was to evaluate the responses in the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminals, regions that have been suggested to be involved in more transient and sustained threat, respectively.

Controllability over stressor decreases responses in key threat-related brain areas.

Controllability over stressors has major impacts on brain and behavior. In humans, however, the effect of controllability on responses to stressors is poorly understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated how controllability altered responses to a shock-plus-sound stressor with a between-group yoked design, where participants in controllable and uncontrollable groups experienced matched stressor exposure.

Preparing for the Future of Post-Acute Care: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Studies.

Despite poor outcomes for older adults following hospitalization, practice patterns of post-acute care clinicians and factors impacting quality of care are not well studied, which limits advancements in clinical care. Qualitative research on the factors that influence physician practice patterns with respect to older adults has been studied and may provide a framework for hypothesizing factors relevant to other post-acute care clinicians. Three themes emerged from this qualitative metasynthesis: (1) Current medical education and clinical guidelines are not aligned with the multifaceted care needed for older adults, (2) communication gaps impact quality of care, and (3) health policies constrain quality of care.

Speaking up behaviours (safety voices) of healthcare workers: A metasynthesis of qualitative research studies.

Background: A critical characteristic of effective teams in any setting is when each member is willing to speak up to share thoughts and ideas to improve processes. In spite of attempts by healthcare systems to encourage employees to speak up, employee silence remains a common cause of communication breakdowns, contributing to errors and suboptimal care delivery. Nurses in particular have reported low confidence in their communication abilities, and cite the belief that speaking up will not make a difference.

Leadership Curricula in Nursing Education: A Critical Literature Review and Gap Analysis.

Background: The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report advises nursing education programs to integrate and embed leadership content within all areas of prelicensure nursing curriculum. This critical literature review synthesizes the state of the science of leadership curricula in prelicensure baccalaureate nursing education programs from 2008 to 2013. Gaps are identified and discussed.

Relationship between sleep quality and quantity and weight loss in women participating in a weight-loss intervention trial.

Evidence suggests that individuals who report fewer total hours of sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese. Few studies have prospectively evaluated weight-loss success in relation to reported sleep quality and quantity. This analysis sought to determine the association between sleep characteristics and weight loss in overweight or obese women enrolled in a randomized clinical trial of a weight-loss program.

Health locus of control, gender differences and adjustment to persistent pain.

Locus of control (LOC) beliefs, long thought important in adjustment to persistent pain, were studied among 160 subjects (67 males and 93 females) referred to a comprehensive pain rehabilitation program. The subscale structure of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) was factorially replicated in our sample. Three unique MHLC profile clusters were identified for both males and females.