NURSING

Research for nursing

Papers a nurse can act on, across critical and emergency care, medical-surgical, mental health, paediatrics and neonatal, maternity, older adults, community and primary care, and oncology and palliative care. Each is read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,756 PAPERS · PAGE 101 OF 216 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNSurvey2022The health and suffering scale: Item reduction, reliability and validity among women undergoing rehabilitation for exhaustion and long-lasting pain.Nursing openA 20-item health and suffering scale was reduced to nine items. It separated women in rehabilitation from students, but the same students' scores were only fair to moderate when repeated after 2 weeks, and missing patient responses were counted as zero.
• RNSurvey2022Nurses' attitude towards patient advocacy in a single tertiary care hospital.Nursing openMost nurses surveyed believed patient advocacy is part of their job and felt ethically obliged to act, but many disagreed that it is a professional duty. Higher education levels correlated with more positive attitudes, while workshop attendance did not change scores.
• RNRCT2022Feasibility and Acceptability of a mHealth Self-Management Intervention for Pediatric Transplant Families.Western journal of nursing researchThe main coping outcome did not show a significant difference. With standard care, the app and nurse response were feasible: 17 of 21 family members met 24 of 30 days, and 133 of 134 alerts were answered within 2 hours.
• RNOther2022Gender Differences in Disease, Function, and Behavioral Symptoms in Residents with Dementia.Western journal of nursing researchPhysical function, agitation, aggression, and resistiveness did not differ by gender in nursing home residents with moderate to severe dementia; females had more depressive symptoms and males more sexually inappropriate or self-abuse behavior.
• RNCohort2022Body composition measures may help target fundamental nutritional nursing efforts in rehabilitating patients with acquired brain injury.Nursing openBody composition measures alongside BMI showed more patients with acquired brain injury leaving malnutrition over 4 weeks, but many remained at risk and energy intake was often below calculated needs.
• RNSystematic Review2022Self-care support of diet and the gut in the routine care of school-age children with long-term conditions: An integrative review.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communitySupporting children’s diet and gut self-care requires starting early, continuing for months, and embedding it in routine clinic visits rather than adding optional extras. Success depends on practical skills like numeracy and portion estimation, supported by interactive tools and parental involvement.
• RNMeta-Analysis2022The use of oral and enteral tube-fed arginine supplementation in pressure injury care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Nursing openAdults given arginine-containing oral or tube-fed nutritional supplements had better pressure injury healing scores than controls in 8 trials, but trials were small and doses varied.
• RNQualitative2022Working with parents of children with complex mental health issues to improve care: A qualitative inquiry.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityParents of children with complex mental health needs described fragmented services, long waits, poor information and stigma. They asked for coordinated care with a navigator and direct communication among providers, schools and community services.
• RNQualitative2022Benefit-finding experiences of cervical cancer survivors in rural Yunnan province, China: A qualitative study.Nursing open21 women recovering from cervical cancer described learning more about their disease, valuing health, relying on family and friends, and planning daily life. Nurses can use these themes in education and support.
• RNSystematic Review2022Interventions to optimise nutrition in older people in hospitals and long-term care: Umbrella review.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesMealtime assistance, nutrient-dense snacks, better foodservice, a calm environment and interprofessional collaboration were reported to improve intake or weight in some reviews. Effects on function and quality of life were inconsistent.
• RNSystematic Review2022Parents' experiences on the combined use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and real-time continuous glucose monitoring to manage Type 1 diabetes in their children: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Nursing openParents of children with type 1 diabetes described combined insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring as helping sleep, safety and confidence, but alarms, calibration, cost and constant vigilance added burden and sometimes strained parent-child relationships.
• RNOther2022Self-reported experiences of siblings of children with life-threatening conditions: A scoping review.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communitySiblings of children with life-threatening conditions often described feeling overlooked, anxious, lonely and disrupted in family routines and school, while some reported closer bonds and coping through distraction, information seeking and protecting the family.
• RNQualitative2022Treated with preventive anticoagulation therapy in atrial fibrillation: The patients' perspective.Nursing openPatients described preventive anticoagulation as a necessary evil: it caused anxiety, lifestyle limits, and dosing burdens, but trust in nurses and doctors kept them taking it.
• RNCase-ControlThe Contribution of Thoracic Radiation Dose Volumes to Subsequent Development of Cardiovascular Disease in Cancer Survivors.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingIn 56 cancer survivors, thoracic radiation dose did not distinguish those who developed cardiovascular disease from matched controls. Higher BMI and later cancer stage did distinguish them, so traditional risk factors mattered more than dose.
• OTRNNarrative Review2023Growth in the face of overwhelming pressure: A narrative review of sibling donor experiences in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityPediatric sibling donors experience significant distress, including fear of needles, pressure to donate, and isolation from parents. However, many also report personal growth, such as closer family bonds and a greater sense of purpose, alongside these negative effects.
• RNOther2022Sub-Ethnicity and Survivorship Experience: Asian American Breast Cancer Survivors.Western journal of nursing researchAmong Chinese, Korean, and Japanese American breast cancer survivors, Japanese Americans reported less pain and symptom distress, better quality of life, and more use of pain and symptom management than Chinese Americans after accounting for other factors.
• OTRNCohort2022Engagement in purposeful activities and social interactions amongst persons with dementia in special care units compared to traditional nursing homes: An observational study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesMornings and evenings showed no difference in engagement, but special care unit residents engaged more in purposeful activities and social interactions in the afternoon. Both groups spent half their observed time without engagement.
• RNQualitative2022Family caregivers' experiences of end-of-life care in the acute hospital setting. A qualitative study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesFamily caregivers of people who had died in an acute hospital ward valued nurses' warm presence, clear communication, privacy and symptom control. The commotion, brief check-ins and unclear information caused distress, insecurity and fear that patients had been forgotten.
• RNPilot2022A Preliminary Study of Short-Term Sexual Function and Satisfaction Among Men Post-Myocardial Infarction.Journal of holistic nursing : official journal of the American Holistic Nurses' AssociationAmong 24 men surveyed after heart attack discharge, average sexual function score was 9.2 out of 30. Desire and satisfaction scored highest; fear score was 7.5 out of 20. This small survey cannot show nursing advice improves outcomes.
• RNSurvey2022Psychometric properties of the Nepali language version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21).Nursing openIn 794 older adults in Nepal, a translated depression, anxiety and stress questionnaire was consistent and linked to lower quality of life. But its items did not cleanly separate depression, anxiety and stress, so use it as a general emotional distress screen.
• RNSurvey2022Prevalence of distress and its associated factors among caregivers of people diagnosed with cancer: A cross-sectional study.Journal of clinical nursingCaregivers contacting a cancer support line were often severely distressed. Sadness, sleep problems, loss of interest, and problems with a partner or children were linked to higher distress. Nurses can use a brief distress screen to identify caregivers who may need support.
• RNSurvey2022Associations between heteronormative information, parental support and stress among same-sex mothers in Sweden-A web survey.Nursing openSame-sex mothers reported stressful assisted reproduction journeys and insufficient emotional support. Non-birth mothers felt significantly less acknowledged than birthmothers. High exposure to heteronormative information correlated with lower perceived support. Parenting stress levels, however, were low.
• RNOther2022Threats to Narcotic Safety-A Narrative Review of Narcotic Incidents, Discrepancies and Near-Misses Within a Large Canadian Health System.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresMost narcotic incidents in this hospital involved wrong doses, count discrepancies, or the wrong drug. Hydromorphone and morphine were implicated most often, with errors frequently occurring during shift handovers or due to workload pressures and documentation failures.
• RNOther2022Development and psychometric evaluation of the loneliness inventory for older adults (Lonely): A mixed-methods study.Nursing openA new 29-item loneliness questionnaire for older adults showed good agreement with an established loneliness scale and stable scores over two weeks. It takes 10 to 15 minutes and may help nurses screen older people, but it does not test loneliness interventions.
• RNCohort2022Using data mining technology to predict medication-taking behaviour in women with breast cancer: A retrospective study.Nursing openAdherence to oral hormonal therapy declined from 85.5% in year 1 to 63.9% in year 5. Younger and older women had lower persistence. Refill gaps, age, BMI and radiotherapy were top predictors.
• RNSurvey2021Adolescents With Congenital Heart Disease: What Do They Know About Reproductive Health and Risks?The Journal of cardiovascular nursingOnly 5% of adolescents with congenital heart disease recalled receiving contraceptive advice, 15% of female participants recalled receiving pregnancy advice, and 11% knew the risk of having a child with the condition. Nurses may need to raise this.
• RNRCT2021The Added Value of Family Caregivers' Level of Mastery in Predicting Survival of Glioblastoma Patients: A Validation Study.Cancer nursingIn glioblastoma patients, caregivers who felt more control over care shortly after diagnosis had patients who survived longer, even after age, function, surgery and MGMT status were considered. This is not proof that caregiver mastery changes survival.
• RNPilot2021Financial Hardship and Quality of Life Among Patients With Advanced Cancer Receiving Outpatient Palliative Care: A Pilot Study.Cancer nursingPatients with advanced cancer in palliative care reported significant financial hardship, with only 36.5% able to cover care costs. This hardship was independently associated with worse physical role limitations, pain, and emotional well-being, even after adjusting for age, race, and performance status.
• RNRCT2021Mobile Health Self-management Interventions for Patients With Heart Failure: A Pilot Study.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingHeart failure patients receiving a post-discharge bundle with app weight and medication monitoring, reminders, education, and nurse/community health worker contacts on top of usual care had fewer hospitalizations than enhanced usual care in a pilot trial, but quality of life did not differ.
• RNQualitative2021Stroke Caregiver Depression: Qualitative Comparison of Treatment Responders and Nonresponders at 1 Year.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingThe stroke caregiver problem-solving program made no difference to one-year depression compared with control. Among caregivers who received it, those whose depression improved used active coping; those who did not improve focused on loss and used few strategies.
• RNSurvey2023Breastfeeding: How is it related to food insecurity and other factors among low-income mothers?Health care for women internationalFood insecurity was linked to low-income mothers being less likely to breastfeed at 2 months, while household income showed no association. Seventy percent of mothers who stopped said they did not make enough milk.
• RNCohort2023Postnatal Cytokine Trajectories in Very Preterm Infants.Western journal of nursing researchIn non-infected very preterm infants, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1RA fell over the first weeks, MCP-1 rose, and TNF-alpha stayed stable. Declines in IL-6 and IL-8 were faster in infants born at later PMA.
• RNOther2023Multiple Chronic Conditions among Seriously Ill Adults Receiving Palliative Care.Western journal of nursing researchAmong palliative-care patients with multiple chronic conditions, three condition patterns appeared: moderate burden with mixed conditions, high burden with mixed conditions, and high burden with metastatic cancer. The moderate-burden group had more shortness of breath, lower function, and more dementia.
• RNSystematic Review2023A Rapid Review and Narrative Synthesis of the Consequences of Non-Inclusive Sex Education in UK Schools on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Young People.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School NursesLGBTQ young people said school sex education assumed heterosexual sex, leaving them unsure how to stay safe or recognise abuse. They often learned from online sources, including pornography, which lacked safer sex information. Nurses should ask what they learned.
• RNSurvey2022Canadian Women's Experience of Postnatal Care: A Mixed Method Study.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresMothers in three eastern Canadian provinces were mostly satisfied with postnatal care, but reports included access problems, gaps, and unsatisfactory checks of their own recovery. Nurses delivering maternity follow-up may expect home visits and direct breastfeeding support to be valued.
• RNCohort2022Reliability of monitoring acid-base and electrolyte parameters through circuit lines during regional citrate anticoagulation-continuous renal replacement therapy.Nursing in critical careMonitoring acid-base and electrolytes through the CRRT circuit line is reliable when the catheter is connected normally. However, if the connection is reversed, circuit samples falsely report low ionized calcium. Do not use circuit lines for calcium checks in reversed connections.
• RNQualitative2022Preparation of children for elective surgery and hospitalisation: A parental perspective.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityParents preparing children for elective surgery used online searches and a hospital story booklet, but often avoided explaining post-operative pain and fasting. They saw doctors, not nurses, as the main educators.
• RNOther2022Polysubstance Use, Mood Disorders, and Chronic Conditions With Anxiety in Opioid Patients.Western journal of nursing researchAmong 1,645 opioid treatment patients, 31.2% reported a history of anxiety or panic disorder. Anxiety was more common with sedative use disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, multiple substance use disorders, and chronic conditions.
• RNQualitative2022Being in the shadow of the unknown - Swedish women's lived experiences of pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, a phenomenological study.Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of MidwivesPregnant Swedish women described constant worry about catching COVID-19, being alone at scans, and not getting clear guidance. They wanted maternity care providers to ask directly how the pandemic was affecting them.
• RNQualitative2022The lived experiences of young people living with type 1 diabetes: A hermeneutic study.Nursing openYoung people with type 1 diabetes described everyday life as ruled by diabetes: constant blood glucose checks, insulin decisions, carbohydrate counting, and fear of hypoglycaemia at school. Parents, especially mothers, were central support; school staff knowledge was often lacking.
• RNCohort2022The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women.Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of MidwivesBirth satisfaction was lower among women stressed about being unprepared for birth. Women with no companion averaged below 3 on a 1-5 scale, while more companions and seeing pregnancy positively were linked to higher satisfaction.
• RNQualitative2022The barriers and facilitators of foot care practices in diabetic patients in Indonesia: A qualitative study.Nursing openIndonesian patients with type 2 diabetes did not know how to care for their feet. They prioritised glucose, feared cost or judgement, and trusted sandals. Daily ablution and Prolanis social activity were facilitators nurses could use.
• RNQualitative2022Towards Equitable Health Care Access: Community Participatory Research Exploring Unmet Health Care Needs of Homeless Individuals.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresHomeless individuals in small cities described avoiding care due to shame over foot odor and frostbite, relying on self-management like soaking feet in park water or wearing multiple socks. They faced stigma and long waits, while providers noted a critical lack of dedicated foot care services.
• RNCohort2021Suboptimal Dosing of β-Blockers in Chronic Heart Failure: A Missed Opportunity?The Journal of cardiovascular nursingOne year after heart failure clinic enrolment, 61% of 390 patients had β-blocker doses at or above 5-mg bisoprolol equivalent. Those below that dose were observed to have worse survival, whether or not blood pressure and heart rate allowed up-titration.
• RNRCT2021Effect of a Smart Pill Bottle Reminder Intervention on Medication Adherence, Self-efficacy, and Depression in Breast Cancer Survivors.Cancer nursingBreast cancer survivors using a smart pill bottle reminder had recorded medication adherence of 97.30% over 4 weeks, versus 88.33% with usual care. Confidence in taking medication improved; depression did not differ.
• RNSurvey2021The Association of Self-esteem With Caregiving Demands, Coping, Burden, and Health Among Caregivers of Breast Cancer Patients: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.Cancer nursingCaregivers of breast cancer patients who used positive thinking, problem solving, and seeking support reported higher self-esteem, which was linked to less burden and better health. The study cannot show these things caused improvement.
• RNOther2021Perceived Risk of Heart Attack and Type 2 Diabetes in Hispanic Adults With Overweight and Obesity.The Journal of cardiovascular nursing46.4% of Hispanic adults with overweight/obesity saw their heart attack risk as lower than others. 29.0% saw diabetes risk as lower. Older age, lower BMI and more walking were linked to seeing heart attack risk as lower.
• RNQualitativeAdolescent, Parent, and Provider Perspectives of a Social-Media-Based Support Tool for Parents of Teens in Treatment for Substance Use.Journal of addictions nursingParents, teens, and providers in substance use treatment wanted a private, trusted online support group for parents. They asked for quick education about substance use, communication and self-care skills, and varied posts or videos. They also feared ridicule and privacy breaches.
• RNOther2023Advancing Trauma-Informed Care Education for Hospice and Palliative Staff: Development and Evaluation of Educational Videos.Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses AssociationClinicians rated three short videos on PTSD and trauma-informed care as relevant, realistic, and helpful for learning. Most identified the intended signs and nursing responses, though viewers wished the videos were longer and covered more topics.
• RNCohort2022Incidence of Delirium With Different Oral Opioids in Previously Opioid-Naive Patients.The American journal of hospice & palliative careFirst-week delirium was 4.8% with oral morphine, 6.9% with oxycodone, and 6.7% with tapentadol in opioid-naive cancer patients. Rates were similar.