General and Respiratory Health Outcomes in Adult Survivors of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Systematic Review

Background: The purpose of this systematic literature review was to examine current empirical research on general and respiratory health outcomes in adult survivors of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Methods: We searched seven databases up to the end of November 2010 (MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Web of Knowledge). We independently screened and included only those studies concerning the assessment of outcome measures in adult survivors of BPD. Data on methodologic design and findings were extracted from each included study; in addition, the methodologic quality of each study was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist.

Results: Fourteen cohort studies met the review criteria. Of those, a total of eight studies were considered to be of high quality (score 9-12), five of moderate quality (score 5-8), and only one was of low quality (score 0-4). In all studies of adult survivors of BPD, differences were found between the index and control groups, suggesting that many adults survivors of BPD who were born preterm or with very low birth weight had more respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function abnormalities compared with their peers. Five studies concerning radiologic findings reported structural changes persisting into adulthood. Findings from three studies suggested impairment in exercise capacity, although firm conclusions were limited by the small sample size in the studies reviewed.

Conclusions: Compared with adults born at term, adult survivors of BPD have more impairment in general and respiratory health, which does not seem to diminish over time.

Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review

Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review. Aim. This paper is a report of a review to investigate the use of games to support classroom learning in the health sciences. Background. One aim of education in the health sciences is to enable learners to develop professional competence. Students have a range of learning styles and innovative teaching strategies assist in creating a dynamic learning environment. New attitudes towards experiential learning methods have contributed to the expansion of gaming as a strategy. Data sources. A search for studies published between January 1980 and June 2008 was undertaken, using appropriate search terms. The databases searched were: British Education Index, British Nursing Index, The Cochrane Library, CINAHLPlus, Medline, PubMed, ERIC, PsychInfo and Australian Education Index. Methods. All publications and theses identified through the search were assessed for relevance. Sixteen papers reporting empirical studies or reviews that involved comparison of gaming with didactic methods were included. Results. The limited research available indicates that, while both traditional didactic methods and gaming have been successful in increasing student knowledge, neither method is clearly more helpful to students. The use of games generally enhances student enjoyment and may improve long-term retention of information. Conclusion. While the use of games can be viewed as a viable teaching strategy, care should be exercised in the use of specific games that have not been assessed objectively. Further research on the use of gaming is needed to enable educators to gaming techniques appropriately for the benefit of students and, ultimately, patients.

Leadership and emotional intelligence in nursing and midwifery education and practice: a discussion paper

Aim
A discussion of the concepts of leadership and emotional intelligence in nursing and midwifery education and practice.

Background
The need for emotionally intelligent leadership in the health professions is acknowledged internationally throughout the nursing and midwifery literature. The concepts of emotional intelligence and emotional-social intelligence have emerged as important factors for effective leadership in the healthcare professions and require further exploration and discussion. This paper will explore these concepts and discuss their importance in the healthcare setting with reference to current practices in the UK, Ireland and internationally.

Design
Discussion paper.

Data sources
A search of published evidence from 1990–2015 using key words (as outlined below) was undertaken from which relevant sources were selected to build an informed discussion.

Implications for nursing/midwifery
Fostering emotionally intelligent leadership in nursing and midwifery supports the provision of high quality and compassionate care. Globally, leadership has important implications for all stakeholders in the healthcare professions with responsibility for maintaining high standards of care. This includes all grades of nurses and midwives, students entering the professions, managerial staff, academics and policy makers.

Conclusion
This paper discusses the conceptual models of leadership and emotional intelligence and demonstrates an important link between the two. Further robust studies are required for ongoing evaluation of the different models of emotional intelligence and their link with effective leadership behaviour in the healthcare field internationally. This is of particular significance for professional undergraduate education to promote ongoing compassionate, safe and high quality standards of care.

Counselling and Mental Health Nursing: The Interface

In this piece, the authors suggest that the long term misinterpretation of the subtle and unique differences between the concepts of “counselling” and “nursing” has fuelled an uncertainty within mental health as to the true nature and essence of the role / scope of professional practice of the mental health nurse, which has important implications for practitioners, educators and patients alike.

The characteristics and experiences of mature nursing students

To explore the characteristics of mature nursing students, including how they perceive themselves, and to identify the problems they experience, which may influence whether they continue with their course.

An exploratory study of specialist and generalist teachers: predicting self efficacy in delivering primary physical education.

We aimed to determine whether primary school teachers’ motivational regulations to exercise and self efficacy in delivering a physical education (PE) lesson are different based on prior PE training. Two groups of qualified primary school teachers were recruited; PE specialists and a group of generalist primary school teachers who also teach PE. All teachers completed the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2, International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. PE specialists demonstrated significantly higher levels of intrinsic motivation towards exercise participation and took part in more physical activity in comparison to the generalist teachers. Regression analysis showed that being a PE specialist predicted higher scores in instructional strategies and classroom management in PE. Our findings support the useof Self Determination Theory concepts in understanding teacher’s exercise participation motivations. These findings have implications for the modelling role of teachers in encouraging children to be physically active.

Education, gender, and state-level disparities in the health of older Indians: Evidence from biomarker data

Using new biomarker data from the 2010 pilot round of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), we investigate education, gender, and state-level disparities in health. We find that hemoglobin level, a marker for anemia, is lower for respondents with no schooling (0.7 g/dL less in the adjusted model) compared to those with some formal education and is also lower for females than for males (2.0 g/dL less in the adjusted model). In addition, we find that about one third of respondents in our sample aged 45 or older have high C-reaction protein (CRP) levels (>3 mg/L), an indicator of inflammation and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We find no evidence of educational or gender differences in CRP, but there are significant state-level disparities, with Kerala residents exhibiting the lowest CRP levels (a mean of 1.96 mg/L compared to 3.28 mg/L in Rajasthan, the state with the highest CRP). We use the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition approach to explain group-level differences, and find that state-level disparities in CRP are mainly due to heterogeneity in the association of the observed characteristics of respondents with CRP, rather than differences in the distribution of endowments across the sampled state populations.