Background: Introducing Internationalisation at Home (IaH) means integrating international perspectives into curricula in higher education in order to develop students' intercultural and international competence. Introducing international learning objectives in a purposeful way into higher education curricula provides the opportunity for all students to assimilate international skills. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore teachers' views about Internationalisation at Home and its possible development within nursing education. Method: Focus group discussions were carried out at one Lithuanian and two Swedish universities. The transcribed text from the discussions was analysed using qualitative inductive analysis. Results: The analysis generated two main categories: teachers' international competence needs to be improved in order for IaH to be introduced; and, implementing IaH should involve the entire university to be effective. Conclusion: Improvement of IaH in higher education is needed. Teachers should be introduced to the concept of IaH and given training in how to work to promote it. Students will receive the pedagogical benefit of an increased global awareness. This generic competence should prepare them to work internationally. It is essential that higher education institutions prioritise IaH and, via natural progression, incorporate the concept into their teaching and administrative practices.

Contact nursing services have been implemented in Swedish cancer care to increase healthcare quality. Too little is known about the content and quality of these services and the organizational prerequisites provided to contact nurses. The aim of this study was to explore contact nurses’ perceptions of their services and organizational prerequisites, as well as the connection between organizational prerequisites and moral stress. A cross-sectional survey was utilized consisting of a study-specific questionnaire and a select part of the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire. The study is reported in accordance with STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies. The results showed that contact nursing service content varied across settings and that 84% of contact nurses have what was categorized as satisfactory or moderately satisfactory self-reported organizational prerequisites. Perceived moral stress differed between contact nurses depending on organizational prerequisites. The variability of both services and prerequisites can be described as inequities in care and complicates evaluation and comparison.

Background: Hearing loss increases with age and due to increased life expectancy there is an increase in the number of individualsliving with hearing loss. Older people with hearing loss residing in nursing homes are often dependent on healthcare professionals tohelp them with their hearing aids.Objective: The aim of the study was to translate and test the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of a Norwegianquestionnaire and to assess healthcare professionals’ self-reported knowledge, experience, skills, competence, and informationneeds pertaining to residents’ hearing loss and hearing aids in the Swedish context.Materials and Methods: A Norwegian questionnaire was translated and adapted, and thereafter distributed to healthcare professionals in nine nursing homes in mid Sweden between 2020 and 2021, and 313 questionnaires were returned.Results: An exploratory factor analysis demonstrated adequate factorial structure in six factors, satisfying construct validity andinternal consistency for the Swedish version. A confirmatory factor analysis showed a satisfactory model fit. Healthcare professionalsreported having the skills required for handling hearing aids, but reported lower scores for having received information about hearingaids, taking initiatives to refer residents to hearing healthcare units, and checking for earwax. Registered nurses generally reportedlower perceived knowledge and practical skills concerning hearing aids. Seventy-seven percent of the total group reported a need forinformation regarding hearing aid maintenance.Conclusion: Healthcare professionals reported that the majority of nursing home residents need help with their hearing aids, but onlya minority of these professionals had received education on hearing loss and training in hearing aid maintenance. Enrolled nurses and careassistants demonstrated higher levels of competence in handling hearing aids compared to registered nurses. In order to ensure safe and effectivecare, as well as facilitate communication among older adults with hearing loss, healthcare professionals need appropriate education and training.

Background: Patient safety is a global health priority. Errors of omission, such as missed nursing care in hospitals, are frequent and may lead to adverse events. Emergency departments (ED) are especially vulnerable to patient safety errors, and the significance missed nursing care has in this context is not as well known as in other contexts. Aim: The aim of this scoping review was to summarize and disseminate research about missed nursing care in the context of EDs. Method: A scoping review following the framework suggested by Arksey and O’Malley was used to (1) identify the research question; (2) identify relevant studies; (3) select studies; (4) chart the data; (5) collate, summarize, and report the results; and (6) consultation. Results: In total, 20 themes were derived from the 55 included studies. Missed or delayed assessments or other fundamental care were examples of missed nursing care characteristics. EDs not staffed or dimensioned in relation to the patient load were identified as a cause of missed nursing care in most included studies. Clinical deteriorations and medication errors were described in the included studies in relation to patient safety and quality of care deficiencies. Registered nurses also expressed that missed nursing care was undignified and unsafe. Conclusion: The findings from this scoping review indicate that patients’ fundamental needs are not met in the ED, mainly because of the patient load and how the ED is designed. According to registered nurses, missed nursing care is perceived as undignified and unsafe.

Background: Worldwide people are living longer. The need for healthcare for older adults is increasing. The trend is towards advanced home healthcare, where registered nurses are key figures. This implies challenges for municipal home healthcare, as well as for registered nurses’ leadership. The aim is to explore registered nurses’ perceptions of challenges and suggestions for improvements in their leadership close to older adults in municipal home healthcare. Methods: The present study is part of a larger web-based questionnaire survey with a cross-sectional design. The design is inductive, analysing data using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. A questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was used. A total of n = 70 registered nurses leading close to older adults participated in seven municipalities in two geographic areas in Sweden. Results: The results show registered nurses’ perceptions of challenges as leaders close to older adults in terms of 11 categories. The categories are motivating for care, adjusting and coordinating nursing care to the older adult, relating to next of kin, managing communication difficulties, relating to social situations in the home, managing demands, working alone, having lack of time, collaborating with physicians, and care staff having low competence. The registered nurses suggested improvements for their leadership close to older adults in terms of nine categories. The categories are adjusting the work to the older adult, clarifying registered nurses’ responsibility, balancing demands and resources, setting time aside, improving staffs’ competence, ensuring staff’s competence development, improving the work environment, and cooperation between professions in the municipality, as well as between healthcare organizations. Conclusion: The results show that registered nurses’ leadership in municipal home healthcare implies a wide range of challenges. There is a need for strategies to improve the organizational preconditions to reduce challenges in registered nurses’ leadership in order to promote positive patient outcomes for safe and quality care. 

The aim of this grounded theory study was to explore late-adolescents' process of sexual development along with their information- and support-seeking behaviors in a Swedish context. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews with late-adolescents aged between 18 and 21 years in high schools in central Sweden. The results showed that late-adolescents' sexual development involved seeking for knowledge, discussing norms and attitudes, learning through interactions, and growing through practice and experience. Information- and support-seeking behaviors were observed throughout their developent. This study highlights that, in order to be able to provide adequate help and support, healthcare professionals need to have an awareness of the changing information and support needs of adolescents in our constantly changing and diverse society.

Contact nurses in cancer care were vital in sustaining cancer care in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate their experiences of providing care to people with cancer in these exceptional circumstances to identify emerging challenges and opportunities that must be addressed moving forward. A survey distributed to contact nurses was supplemented with questions regarding the pandemic. The study design was a cross-sectional survey, analyzed with descriptive statistics and content analysis, reported in accordance with STROBE. Almost half of respondents (n = 337) reported not being able to provide the same support as before the pandemic. Analysis of open-ended question responses (n = 232) revealed a main theme: Altered prerequisites for providing care. Three categories related to altered interaction, accessibility, and nursing reality were revealed. Thorough reflection is needed to make use of lessons learned and avoid sustaining the short-term solutions needed to cope with the acute phase of the pandemic.

Aim To explore newly graduated registered nurses' perceptions of their work situation and management of nursing care in complex patient situations after 18 months of work experience. Background Newly graduated registered nurses working in acute care hospital settings play a critical role in providing safe nursing care. Methods An explorative qualitative design, with four focus group interviews with 14 newly graduated registered nurses working in acute care hospital settings. Results One theme emerged: 'Clarity and security in one's own nursing role despite facing challenges that hinder professional development' and three categories: 'Independency due to one's own efforts and experience', 'Well-functioning teamwork' and 'Challenges in the work situation'. Conclusion After 18 months in the profession, the nurses were considered to be advanced beginners; at the same time, the most experienced nurses on their respective wards. They found it challenging and need to further develop competences concerning managing and organizing the nursing care of several complex patient situations or new patient groups, as well as supervising novice registered nurses and nursing students. Implication for Nursing Management Powerful and urgent action is needed to be taken by national healthcare policymakers as well a hospital and nurse managers to develop long-term strategies to improve working conditions for newly registered graduated nurses.

Background: Since 2011, patients in Swedish cancer care have been offered a contact nurse (CN). The CN role is to improve patient participation, care continuity, and provide information and manage patients’ symptoms and needs across the whole continuum of the cancer pathway. A competence profile for the CN role is yet to be developed, and it is important to assess CNs’ self-reported competence to assure that they are well equipped for the role.

Objectives: To assess self-reported professional competence among contact nurses working in Swedish cancer care and relate the findings to education level and clinical experience.

Methods: The Nurse Professional Competence scale short form (35 items) was used to assess the nurses’ professional competence. Data were collected through a web-based survey in 2017 in 2 regional cancer centers in Sweden.

Results: One hundred eight CNs participated in the study and reported highest scores in “value-based nursing care” and lowest scores in “development, leadership, and organization of nursing care.” Higher age, extended clinical work experience, and academic degree were significantly associated with higher competence.

Conclusions: CNs with extensive work experience and CNs with an academic degree reported higher scores concerning their generic competence. There is a need in future studies to assess CNs’ specific competence in cancer care.

Implications for Practice: There is room for improvement in the competence development of CNs, primarily in the areas of leadership and organization of nursing care.

What is Foundational: CNs’ competence regarding leadership and organization should be improved, preferably as part of academic education.