Western Journal of Nursing Research

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy provides a privileged and opportune moment to implement interventions promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and significantly improving perinatal outcomes. The Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale (HLBES) can be used to assess health promoting behaviors, such as diet, physical activity, and mental health. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the HLBES in Portuguese pregnant women. METHODS: A methodological study was conducted on a convenience sample of 192 pregnant women receiving prenatal care...

BACKGROUND: Leadership development, career advancement, and collaboration among scholars are essential to nurturing nursing research excellence and sustainability. The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) has incorporated several strategies to advance nursing science and to increase the pool of future nurse leaders. In this article, we describe the process, activities, and outcomes of the Leadership Academy (LA), an innovative initiative from MNRS developed to identify, engage, and nurture future generations of leaders...

INTRODUCTION: Vascular dementia and heart failure (HF) are common co-existing conditions among adult populations. Each condition requires extensive home caregiving from family caregivers, especially those in rural Appalachia. This study aimed to assess caregivers' burden and their physical and mental health status, as well as explore their experiences and needs. METHODS: This study used an exploratory mixed-methods design combining quantitative and qualitative research (N = 20 caregivers)...

BACKGROUND: Caregivers of children who require medical technology of tracheostomies and feeding tubes provide intensive and specialized care at home. They have extensive training in the hospital prior to their child's discharge; however, there is limited education about their child's care once they are at home. The Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment: Symptom and Technology Management Resources intervention focused on commonly experienced symptoms and technology used at home by caregivers...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The improvement of swallowing function after stroke is a significant challenge faced by patients and health care professionals. However, the current evidence synthesis of the effects of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on swallowing function is limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of RMT on swallowing recovery in patients undergoing stroke. METHODS: The CKNI, WanFang Data, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies evaluating RMT interventions' effect on swallowing outcomes...

BACKGROUND: Heart surgery is an effective intervention for managing heart disease, the leading cause of death globally. After surgery, physical activity is key to improving patients' quality of life and decreasing mortality, but patients are frequently physically inactive after heart surgery. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional pilot study aimed to examine how psychosocial and sleep factors influenced physical activity in patients after heart surgery. The mediating role of sleep factors between psychosocial factors and physical activity was also examined...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Disclosure of family caregiving to work supervisors is needed for nurses to access work support for family caregiving. Little is known about characteristics of nurses who decide to/not to disclose family caregiving to supervisors. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine characteristics of nurses based on whether they disclosed caregiving responsibilities to their nursing supervisors and describe reasons for non-disclosure. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey...

BACKGROUND: Successful adaptation to post-transplantation life in patients who have undergone kidney transplants is crucial. The psychosocial needs of people with kidney transplants are closely related to the health of the transplanted kidney. If transplant recipients cannot adapt to the effects of the transplant, their physical and mental health will be seriously impaired. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the early post-transplant adaptation experience of young and middle-aged persons with kidney transplants in China based on the Roy adaptation model...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic may have inhibited the development of critical thinking and emotional intelligence of nursing students due to the transition from traditional to online learning environments. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the development of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the perceived learning environment of nursing students during the pandemic from their first to second year. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study of 82 nursing students from 2 universities in Greece...

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers throughout the world has been reported, but most studies have been cross-sectional and excluded the Midwestern U.S. healthcare workforce. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to longitudinally assess the psychological wellbeing and wellness strategies used by a Midwestern academic health system's workforce at multiple points throughout waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to inform ongoing implementation of appropriate wellness activities...

BACKGROUND: Managing medications for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is challenging for caregivers. Information about caregivers' strategies to manage these challenges is needed to inform intervention development. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to understand caregivers' medication management experiences by analyzing online community discussions. METHODS: Posts were extracted from the ALZConnected® Forum using keywords "medication" and "drug" via web scraping...

BACKGROUND: Working for extended hours in a physically and mentally demanding profession has subjected nurses to occupational fatigue. Limited evidence exists about nurse fatigue and alertness changes throughout shift work and their relationship with medication errors and near misses. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to: (1) assess the relationship between nurses' fatigue and alertness, (2) evaluate nurses' fatigue and alertness changes throughout their shift, and (3) examine the relationship between nurses' fatigue, alertness, and medication errors and near misses...

BACKGROUND: Paid caregivers are needed to support older adults, but caregiver burden contributes to high turnover rates. Assistive technologies help perform activities of daily living (ADLs) and can reduce caregiver burden, but little is known about how they impact paid caregivers. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review provides an overview of evidence on using assistive technology to reduce burdens on paid caregivers working with older adults. DESIGN: The review was conducted from May to August 2022...

BACKGROUND: Only 21% of U.S. women meet the recommended physical activity guidelines, placing them at increased risk for long-term conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Physical activity is influenced by individual and interpersonal factors (e.g., romantic partners). Individual factors, such as positive affect, are associated with lower mortality risk and improved health behaviors. OBJECTIVES: This secondary data analysis, guided by Fredrickson's Broaden and Build Theory, aims to examine the relationship between positive affect of married women (n = 115 couples) and their physical activity behavior on the same- and next- day, while also considering their spouses' positive affect...

BACKGROUND: It is essential to characterize communication patterns for better health outcomes for family caregivers and persons living with dementia. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relationships between communication patterns and the characteristics of dyads of family caregivers and persons living with dementia. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using 75 video-recorded home care observations from 19 dyads. Participant characteristics and caregiver burden, depression, and sense of competence were collected from the parent study...

BACKGROUND: Cooperation between parents and school nurses is essential for the successful completion of school courses and a healthy school life for children with long-term conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and test a scale to measure parental perceptions of partnerships between school nurses and parents in the school health care (SHC) system for children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: The content validity, factorial structure validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-group validity, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest reliability of the School Healthcare Partnership Scale for Parents (SHCPS-P) were evaluated...

BACKGROUND: The nursing workforce remains in a vulnerable state post pandemic as working conditions are difficult and exacerbated by a global nursing shortage. Identifying factors leading to turnover intentions are thus critical for health care system recovery. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of nurses' work environment and the pandemic on missed nursing care, scope of practice, emotional exhaustion, and intent to leave. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional, self-reporting online survey, sent to hospital-based nurses in a Canadian province (n = 419)...

BACKGROUND: Understanding the relationship between mental health and COVID-19 prevention practices is crucial but challenging considering COVID-19's impact on mental well-being. Liberia, a West African country, had well-documented rates of depression and anxiety prior to COVID-19. Liberia responded aggressively to COVID-19 while case counts remained low; thus, it is an ideal setting to study the relationship of mental health and COVID-19 prevention practices. METHODS: A validated cross-sectional survey was administered to 250 randomly selected residents of Montserrado county, Liberia in June 2021, asking about their mental health and adherence to COVID-19 prevention practices...