Association Between Perceived Control and Acute Coronary Syndrome Symptom Severity: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Aim: To determine whether there are differences in patterns of symptom severity in three major ACS symptoms (i.e., chest pain, fatigue, and dyspnoea) over the days of CCU stay between patients with higher and lower levels of perceived control.

Quality care for children and young people with complex and integrated care needs: A discussion on nursing-sensitive indicators.

This paper highlights the need for nursing-sensitive indicators tailored to children and young people with complex and integrated care needs. While nursing plays a pivotal role in influencing care quality for this population, current measures predominantly focus on adult populations, creating gaps that hinder the evaluation of nursing contributions across diverse settings such as acute, community, and home care. We examine the importance of quality care measurement for children and young people with complex and integrated care needs and highlight deficiencies in international measurement systems.

A National Evaluation of Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Curricula.

Aim: To conduct a comprehensive review of Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Curricula leading to registration in Ireland.

Design: A mixed methods approach using a curriculum evaluation framework that was underpinned by the philosophy and principles of appreciative inquiry.

Methods: Five separate workstreams completed an evaluation of national policy documents and international curriculum documents, a literature review and two phases of stakeholder engagement including a graduate survey and peer-grouped stakeholder focus groups.

The development of nursing-sensitive indicators: A critical discussion.

Discussion Arguments: In a science-based profession, nurses must continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their care. However, data on what constitutes nursing care in practice and the delivery process is lacking. Insufficient evidence on how nurses contribute to patient care hampers the evaluation of nursing practice.

Changing the delivery of continuing professional education: An action research approach.

Aim: A participatory action research project was used to change the design and delivery of continuing professional education in a large Irish academic teaching hospital.

Background: Participation in continuing professional education, designed as a short course, is often a method to maintain competence for many nurses. Structured short education courses are often used to orientate and upskill new staff to specialist clinical areas.

Exploring heart failure nurse practitioner outcome measures: a scoping review.

Aims: Clinical guidelines recommend people with heart failure are managed within a multidisciplinary team to receive optimal evidence-based management of the syndrome. There is increasing evidence that Nurse Practitioners (NP) in heart failure demonstrate positive patient outcomes. However, their roles as key stakeholders in a multidisciplinary heart failure team are not clearly defined.

'Ageing well': Discursive constructions of ageing and health in the public reach of a national longitudinal study on ageing.

Established in 2006, the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) investigates the health, economic and social circumstances of a nationally-representative sample of people aged fifty years and older in a series of biennial data collection waves. Irish newspapers have been reporting the results of TILDA for over a decade and a half, and their texts represent reports of scientific research distilled through the pen of journalists. In their totality, their texts constitute a public discourse on ageing and health.

Evaluation of a nurse practitioner clinical practicum module using a capability education framework: A case study design.

Aims And Objectives: The aim of this research was to evaluate a nurse practitioner's clinical practicum module designed with a capability education framework. The objectives were to determine if the module prepared students adequately for their role and to determine if the Mini-CEX assessment tool was suitable for use with nurse practitioners.

Background: Capability is a necessary part of expertise, where a capable person takes responsibility to develop their own education, knowledge and skills.

Consideration of Symptom Management in Advanced Heart Failure.

This work provides an opinion on palliative care for people with heart disease. The work focuses on the management of key symptoms associated with both end stage heart disease, applying a palliative approach and suggesting treatment options. The work also indicates the potential for greater collaboration of specialist teams including specialist palliative care in the assessment and management of patients with complex needs as they progress through their disease trajectory.

'Safety First': Residents, Families, and Healthcare Staff Experiences of COVID-19 Restrictions at an Irish Residential Care Centre.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the need to stem the transmission and protect the most vulnerable in society led to infection control restrictions effectively locking down an entire country. These restrictions were also imposed on residential care settings for older people, initially in March 2020, and subsequently at varying times throughout the year that followed. Furthermore, the restrictions led to the suspension in all visiting to residents expect in exceptional circumstances and on compassionate grounds.

The perceived effects of COVID-19 while living with a chronic illness.

Introduction: A diagnosis of chronic illness posed a serious threat to people during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. People with chronic illnesses were faced with increased mortality and reduced access to healthcare. Self-care is the process of maintaining health and managing a chronic illness.

A survey of nurse practitioner perceptions of integration into acute care organisations across one region in Ireland.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to explore nurse practitioner perceptions of integration practices in acute hospitals across one health care region in Ireland.

Background: A recent Department of Health National policy towards developing a critical mass of nurse practitioners was implemented across Ireland. Successful integration of nurse practitioner roles is integral to the success of the service and sustainability of the roles for the long term.

Hospital-Based Palliative and End-of-Life Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

: To identify the nature of the evidence reporting hospital-based palliative and end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic. : The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in the numbers of seriously ill people being cared for across all health services worldwide. Due to the rapid progression of severe symptoms, the majority of staff working in hospitals and other healthcare centres were providing end-of-life care.

A translational research framework for nurse practitioners.

Aims: This study aims to explore a proposed translational research continuum for nurse practitioners.

Background: Nurse practitioners are acknowledged as clinical leaders responsible for transforming health care delivery. It is important that nurse practitioners contribute to health care knowledge using scientific processes for the implementation of evidence-based practice and evaluation of outcomes of interventions for their patient groups.

Evaluating the specialist palliative care clinical nurse specialist role in an acute hospital setting: a mixed methods sequential explanatory study.

Background: Special palliative care is provided in a range of settings including a patient's home (their primary place of dwelling), a hospice in-patient unit, or an acute hospital. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of the specialist in palliative care clinical nurse specialist (SPC CNS) role in an acute hospital setting.

Methods: This study was conducted using a mixed methods sequential explanatory approach in two phases; phase 1 involved completion of a study questionnaire (n = 121) and phase 2 involved part-taking in a focus group (n = 6) or individual interview (n = 4).

Nursing and midwifery workforce readiness during a global pandemic: A survey of the experience of one hospital group in the Republic of Ireland.

Aim: To explore the mobilization of nurses/midwives in a designated hospital group in Ireland during a global pandemic.

Background: The recent global pandemic has resulted in the large-scale worldwide mobilization of registered nurses and midwives working in the acute care sector. There is a dearth of literature reporting the mobilization of this professional workforce.

An integrative review to identify evidence of nurse practitioner-led changes to health-care delivery and the outcomes of such changes.

Aims: This study aimed to identify evidence of nurse practitioner-led changes to health-care delivery and the outcomes of such changes.

Background: Changing health-care delivery is synonymous with the nurse practitioner role. The literature is critical of the lack of research by nurse practitioners, reporting the effects of a change to health-care delivery.

A survey identifying leadership and research activities among Nurse Practitioners.

Nurse Practitioners are identified as the ideal conduit to transform healthcare delivery internationally. Healthcare transformation requires the application of leadership and research skills. Current literature has limited information on NPs as leaders or researchers in the nursing profession.