Allison P Squires

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Objectives Research capacity building in the health sciences in low- and middle-income countries has typically focused on bench-science capacity, but research examining health service delivery and health workforce is equally necessary to determine the best ways to deliver care. The Republic of Georgia, formerly a part of the Soviet Union, has multiple issues within its healthcare system that would benefit from expended research capacity, but the current research environment needs to be explored prior to examining research-focused activities. The purpose of this project was to conduct a needs assessment focused on developing research capacity in the Republic of Georgia with an emphasis on workforce and network development. Study design A case study approach guided by a needs assessment format. Methods We conducted in-country, informal, semi-structured interviews in English with key informants and focus groups with faculty, students, and representatives of local non-governmental organizations. Purposive and snowball sampling approaches were used to recruit participants, with key informant interviews scheduled prior to arrival in country. Documents relevant to research capacity building were also included. Interview results were coded via content analysis. Final results were organized into a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threat) analysis format, with the report shared with participants. Results There is widespread interest among students and faculty in Georgia around building research capacity. Lack of funding was identified by many informants as a barrier to research. Many critical research skills, such as proposal development, qualitative research skills, and statistical analysis, were reported as very limited. Participants expressed concerns about the ethics of research, with some suggesting that research is undertaken to punish or ‘expose’ subjects. However, students and faculty are highly motivated to improve their skills, are open to a variety of learning modalities, and have research priorities aligned with Georgian health needs. Conclusions This study's findings indicate that while the Georgian research infrastructure needs further development, Georgian students and faculty are eager to supplement its gaps by improving their own skills. These findings are consistent with those seen in other developing country contexts.

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Aim: Explore the potential of a part-time work option for nurses as a strategy for managing domestic markets in Jordan by examining perceptions of working nurses and nursing students in the context of current social and cultural variables. Background: Unemployment among Jordanian nurses has become a reality in recent years. However, labor markets literature in nursing rarely studies what kind of policy responses should occur during a surplus of nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional design structured the study. The perceptions of nurses and students were measured through a questionnaire developed specifically for the purpose of this exploratory study. Results: Both nurses (n = 51) and students (n = 56) supported the introduction of the new suggested part-time option. However, students were more willing to start working or transfer into part-time work, take payment on hourly basis, and support colleagues to transfer into part-time work. Different solutions were also suggested by participants. Discussion: The results were useful for providing the foundational data to further study the viability of a part-time work option for Jordanian nurses. The results show how optimistic current and future Jordanian nurses are regarding this employment option. For countries that may need to diversify their employment models due to excess supply of nurses and to address gender imbalances, this work may help inform policy development. Implications for nurses: Both employed and unemployed nurses will benefit if health care managers consider its application. The flexibility of this option may help improve the quality of life of many nurses. Implications for health policy: The results of this study provide nursing leaders and managers with foundational evidence that may be applicable in the Jordanian health sector. Although further studies are recommended, nursing leaders and policy makers should consider such a solution.

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Objectives: The emergency department (ED) has been recognized as a high-risk environment for workplace violence. Acutely agitated patients who perpetrate violence against healthcare workers represent a complex care challenge in the ED. Recommendations to improve safety are often based on expert opinion rather than empirical data. In this study we aim to describe the lived experience of staff members caring for this population to provide a broad perspective of ED patient violence. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of a comprehensive framework for ED agitated patient care that will guide safety interventions. Methods: We conducted uniprofessional focus groups and individual interviews using a phenomenologic approach with emergency medicine resident physicians, ED staff nurses, patient care technicians, and hospital police officers at an urban hospital in New York City. Audio recordings were transcribed and coded for thematic analysis using the constant comparison method. Results: We reached theoretical saturation with 31 interprofessional participants. Three broad themes emerged from our analysis: 1) ED healthcare workers provide high-quality care to a marginalized patient population that concurrently poses safety threats, creating a patient care paradox; 2) teamwork is critical to safely managing this population, but hierarchy and professional silos hinder coordinated care between healthcare professionals; and 3) environmental challenges and systems issues both in and outside the ED exacerbate threats to safety. Conclusion: The experience of ED staff members while caring for agitated patients is complex and multidimensional. We identified issues that coalesced into four tiers of healthcare delivery at the individual, team, environment, and system levels. Future research is needed to determine applicability of our findings across institutions to build a comprehensive framework for ED agitated patient care.

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This article describes an innovative post-master's advanced certificate in gerontology program developed by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. The program provides advanced practice registered nurses geriatric content to meet eligibility criteria for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP certification exam and develops interprofessional care providers to care for complex older adults.

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Aim: This study will critically evaluate forecasting models and their content in workforce planning policies for nursing professionals and to highlight the strengths and the weaknesses of existing approaches. Background: Although macro-level nursing workforce issues may not be the first thing that many nurse managers consider in daily operations, the current and impending nursing shortage in many countries makes nursing specific models for workforce forecasting important. Method: A scoping review was conducted using a directed and summative content analysis approach to capture supply and demand analytic methods of nurse workforce planning and forecasting. The literature on nurse workforce forecasting studies published in peer-reviewed journals as well as in grey literature was included in the scoping review. Results: Thirty six studies met the inclusion criteria, with the majority coming from the USA. Forecasting methods were biased towards service utilization analyses and were not consistent across studies. Conclusion: Current methods for nurse workforce forecasting are inconsistent and have not accounted sufficiently for socioeconomic and political factors that can influence workforce projections. Additional studies examining past trends are needed to improve future modelling. Implications for nursing management: Accurate nursing workforce forecasting can help nurse managers, administrators and policy makers to understand the supply and demand of the workforce to prepare and maintain an adequate and competent current and future workforce.

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