Dataset Information

An exploration of how specialist dementia nurses perceive and maintain the skills and competencies that frame their specialism: A qualitative survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

UK policy for complex and long-term health conditions including dementia has recommended that specialist nursing intervention is offered across the trajectory of the condition, but there is a lack of agreement regarding the skills and competencies that specialist nurses are expected to possess. Admiral Nurses are the largest UK group of specialist dementia nurses.

Objective

To explore how Admiral Nurses met and were supported to meet competencies as defined in the Admiral Nurse Competency Framework, and to develop and maintain skills as dementia specialists.

Design

Cross-sectional, semi-structured survey.

Setting

Online national survey.

Participants

Admiral (specialist dementia) Nurses.

Methods

We co-designed our survey with Admiral Nurses; then invited Admiral Nurses to complete it in 2022-23 Data were analysed thematically.

Results

68 (20% of all Admiral Nurses) completed the survey; most were female (85.2%), from a white ethnic group (88.2%); they reported on average 24 years of nursing experience. We identified three themes in responses: 1.Having time and skills for meaningful support, explored how participants were resourced with time and skills to understand and address family carer client needs by active listening, tailoring person-centred support, and "walking alongside" families. 2.Partnering family carers, concerned how they co-designed interventions with family carers, learning from these collaborative partnerships where expertise was shared. 3.Practice and peer-based learning, explored how participants took responsibility for using available training, peer learning and self-reflection to develop their practice.

Conclusions

Admiral Nurse roles enabled respondents to develop as autonomous practitioners and to access resources that supported them to build and sustain their dementia specialist practice. Learning was practice based, through partnerships with family carer clients, peer support and self-directed learning. Specialist nursing models may help address the global health workforce emergency, through enabling creative practice development and valued roles that support retention of experienced nurses.

SUBMITTER: Brown P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11001773 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

An exploration of how specialist dementia nurses perceive and maintain the skills and competencies that frame their specialism: A qualitative survey.

Brown Pat P Cooper Claudia C Dening Karen Harrison KH Hoe Juanita J Burton Alexandra A

Heliyon 20240322 7

<h4>Background</h4>UK policy for complex and long-term health conditions including dementia has recommended that specialist nursing intervention is offered across the trajectory of the condition, but there is a lack of agreement regarding the skills and competencies that specialist nurses are expected to possess. Admiral Nurses are the largest UK group of specialist dementia nurses.<h4>Objective</h4>To explore how Admiral Nurses met and were supported to meet competencies as defined in the Admir ...[more]

PMID: 38596077

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Project description:ObjectivesThe importance of patient-centred care (PCC) has been increasingly recognised. However, there is limited work exploring what doctors actually understand by PCC, and how they perceive they acquire PCC skills in the workplace. The objectives of our study were to explore (1) what UK doctors, in specialist training, perceive to be the essential components of PCC, (2) if/how they acquire these skills, (3) any facilitators/barriers for engaging in PCC and (4) views on their PCC training.DesignQualitative study using in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with UK specialist trainees. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed.Setting and participantsThirty-one specialist trainee doctors, with at least 4 years postgraduate experience, were interviewed. Participants worked in various medical specialities within the Medical Directorate of an acute hospital in the East Midlands of England.ResultsInterview data were transcribed verbatim and categorised into three main themes. The first theme was 'Understanding PCC' where the doctors gave varied perspectives on what they understood by PCC. Although many were able to highlight key components of PCC, there were also some accounts which demonstrated a lack of understanding. The second theme was 'Learning PCC skills: A work in progress'. Learning to be patient-centred was perceived to be an ongoing process. Within this, trainee doctors reported 'on-the-job' learning as the main means of acquiring PCC skills, but they also saw a place for formal training (eg, educational sessions focussing on PCC, role play). 'Delivering PCC: Beyond the physician' referred to the many influences the doctors reported in learning and delivering PCC including patients, the organisation and colleagues. Observing consultants taking a patient-centred approach was cited as an important learning tool.ConclusionsOur findings may assist clinical educators in understanding how trainee doctors perceive PCC, and the factors that influence their learning, thereby helping them shape PCC skills training.

Project description:BackgroundPharmacists are integral members of healthcare teams, providing accessible nutrition care to patients, carers and health professionals. However, little is known about nutrition competence among pharmacists.ObjectiveThe aim of the study is to determine the self-perceived competence in providing nutrition care among pharmacists in Ireland.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used a mixed methods design consisting of an online survey delivered to pharmacists in Ireland. The pharmacists' self-perceived competencies according to confidence in knowledge, skills, communication and counselling, and attitudes in nutrition care were assessed using the validated NUTCOMP questionnaire. Qualitative responses in relation to nutrition knowledge were also gathered. Questionnaire responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and free text narratives were coded into themes and subthemes.ResultsA total of n = 557 (74% (n = 413) female; 24.1% (n = 134) male) respondents completed the questionnaire providing a 14.9% response rate. Confidence in nutrition knowledge (mean score (SD) 21.6 (±4.31) out of a maximum of 35 points), nutrition skills (mean score (SD) 31.8 (±7.74) out of a maximum count of 55) and nutrition related counselling and communication (mean score (SD) 29.8 (±6.35) out of a maximum of 45 points) were limited. Most respondents had completed a programme with some nutrition content (60.8%) either formally or informally. Previous nutrition education was positively associated with greater scores in knowledge, skills, communication/counselling and attitudes towards nutrition care (p = ≤0.001). Over three-quarters of respondents (78.1%) agreed that they would like further nutrition education to support themselves in their roles as pharmacists. Thematic analysis highlights the role of interprofessional nutrition care, barriers to providing nutritional care in practice and opportunities for improving nutrition training.ConclusionsMost pharmacists reported being somewhat confident in their nutrition knowledge, skills and attitudes and are willing to participate in further nutrition education to support their patients. The findings suggest that there are other barriers to providing nutrition care in the pharmacy setting such as time, renumeration and lack of community dietitians.

Dataset Information

An exploration of how specialist dementia nurses perceive and maintain the skills and competencies that frame their specialism: A qualitative survey.

Background

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

An exploration of how specialist dementia nurses perceive and maintain the skills and competencies that frame their specialism: A qualitative survey.

Similar Datasets

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