Background: Because of the COVID‐19 pandemic, health care systems worldwide are working under challenging conditions. Patients, who are seriously ill, require intensive care admission. In fighting COVID‐19, nurses are frontline health care workers and, as such, have a great responsibility providing needed specialized patient care in intensive care units (ICU). However, working conditions and emotional factors have an impact on the quality of the care provided.Aim: The purpose of the present study was to explore and describe the experiences and perceptions of nurses working in an ICU during the COVID‐19 global pandemic.Study design: Qualitative research was undertaken, using an empirical approach and inductive content analysis techniques.Methods: The selected population consisted of ICU nurses from a tertiary teaching hospital in Spain. Data were obtained via semi‐structured videocall interviews from Apr 12th to Apr 30th, 2020. Subsequently, transcribed verbatims were analysed using the template analysis model of Brooks.Findings: A total of 17 nurses comprised the final sample after data saturation. Four main themes emerged from the analysis and 13 subthemes: “providing nursing care,” “psychosocial aspects and emotional lability,” “resources management and safety” and “professional relationships and fellowship.”Conclusion: Providing health care by intensive care nursing professionals, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, has shown both strong and weak points in the health care system. Nursing care has been influenced by fear and isolation, making it hard to maintain the humanization of the health care.Relevance to clinical practice: Implications for practice include optimizing resource management (human and material), providing psychological support, and adequate training for ICU nurses, as well as high‐quality protocols for future emergency situations.

The nurse-patient relationship involves complex attitudes and behaviours with ethical and deontological implications. It has been linked to improvements in patient health outcomes, although there is still no consensus in the scientific literature as to the definition and characterisation of the concept. This article aim to define the concept of the nurse-patient relationship. A concept analysis was conducted using the Walker and Avant method to identify the attributes defining the nurse-patient relationship. An integrative review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature databases. A review of the grey literature and other minor non-indexed publications on the topic was also conducted. A total of 36 articles were included in the review. A model case, a contrary case, a related case, and empirical references were produced to clarify the concept and identify its essential attributes. The concept is defined as a helping relationship involving interaction between different players. It is the basis of nursing care and is intended to meet the healthcare needs of the individual receiving this care. It is also viewed as an intervention in itself, requiring a specific training process just like any other nursing skill. The essential attributes of the relationship are empathy, presence, contact, authenticity, trust, and reciprocity. In conclusion, the nurse-patient relationship is a helping relationship established with the patient and/or their family based on interaction, communication, respect for ethical values, acceptance, and empathy in order to encourage introspection and behavioural change. Key components include communication, active listening, and respect. Bioethical values and confidentiality must also be present to ensure that the relationship is built on equality and intimacy.

Indigenous communities usually experience higher levels of mortality and poorer access to healthcare services compared to non-indigenous communities. This study aims to understand the most prevalent health problems and their treatment in the Asháninka indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon. We conducted an ethnographic study in order to explore the perceived health problems, the use of traditional medicine and the resources offered by the official Peruvian healthcare system. Field notes and semi-structured interviews were used. A total of 16 indigenous and four non-indigenous people were interviewed, and interpretative analysis was used to identify themes. The Asháninka community is an overlooked population, which, due to distance restrictions, misconceptions and ethnical disparities, is far away from an appropriate healthcare system and is subjected to acute medical conditions such as infections and gastrointestinal problems. This group tends to seek traditional medicine, mostly herbal medications and traditional healers. The use of a health professional is seen as a last resort. Although the official Peruvian health system incorporates community participation strategies to improve the healthcare of indigenous people, the shortage of material, human resources and cultural sensitivity makes this difficult. Healthcare strategies should be devised and implemented in order to minimize health inequality in this population.

Background: In-hospital mortality is a key indicator of the quality of care. Studies so far have demonstrated the influence of patient and hospital-related factors on in-hospital mortality. Currently, new variables, such as nursing workload or the level of dependency, are being incorporated. We aimed to identify which individual, clinical and hospital characteristics are related to hospital mortality. Methods: A multicentre prospective observational study design was used. Sampling was conducted between February 2015 and October 2017. Patients over 16 years, admitted to medical or surgical units at 11 public hospitals in Andalusia (Spain), with a foreseeable stay of at least 48 h were included. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to analyse the data. Results: The sample consisted of 3821 assessments conducted in 1004 patients. The mean profile was that of a male (52%), mean age of 64.5 years old, admitted to a medical unit (56.5%), with an informal caregiver (60%). In-hospital mortality was 4%. The INICIARE (Inventario del Nivel de Cuidados Mediante Indicadores de Clasificación de Resultados de Enfermería) scale yielded an adjusted odds ratio [AOR] of 0.987 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97–0.99) and the nurse staffing level (NSL) yielded an AOR of 1.197 (95% CI: 1.02–1.4). Conclusion: Nursing care dependency measured by INICIARE and nurse staffing level was associated with in-hospital mortality.

Purpose: To estimate the worldwide pooled prevalence of inadequate work ability among hospital nursing personnel using the Work Ability Index (WAI).Design: Systematic review and meta‐analysis.Methods: A systematic search was conducted on Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health, LILACS, and Google Scholar from inception to July 2021 to identify observational studies on work ability among hospital nursing personnel using the WAI. Two researchers independently completed the study selection, quality assessments, and data extraction on the prevalence of inadequate work ability that was pooled using the random effects model. Finally, subgroup analyses were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity.Findings: A total of 42 studies were included, consisting of 24,728 subjects worldwide from 14 countries. Of these, 35 studies were included in the meta‐analytical analyses. The worldwide pooled prevalence of inadequate work ability among hospital nursing personnel was 24.7% (95% CI = 20.2%–29.4%). High levels of heterogeneity were detected in all studies. Prevalence was higher in studies where samples were composed of nurses and nursing assistive personnel (26.8%; 95% CI = 22.4%–31.5%) than in those of nurses alone (22.2%; 95% CI = 13.1%–32.9%) and in studies where the sample was over 40 (28.1%; 95% CI = 19.5%–37.5%) than in those with a sample under that age (22.4%; 95% CI = 15.8%–29.7%).Conclusions: Almost one in four members of hospital nursing staff in the world has inadequate work ability and therefore are at risk of several negative outcomes during their working life. These prevalence data correspond to the pre‐pandemic period, so new studies should also be especially useful in quantifying the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on work ability in the hospital nursing workforce.Clinical relevance: The above findings justify the launch of initiatives that include annual assessment for the early identification of inadequate work ability, offering the possibility of anticipated corrective measures. Nursing workforce older than 40 years and those belonging to the professional category of nursing assistive personnel should be priority target groups for screening and intervention to improve work ability.

Stressful working conditions are correlated with a negative impact on the well-being of nurses, job satisfaction, quality of patient care and the health of the staff. The Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) has been shown to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess occupational stressors among nurses. This study updates the psychometric properties of the “NSS-Spanish version” and validates a short-form version. A cross-sectional design was carried out for this study. A reliability analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis and an exploratory factor analysis were undertaken. Items were systematically identified for reduction using statistical and theoretical analysis. Correlation testing and criterion validity confirmed scale equivalence. A total of 2195 Registered Nurses and 1914 Licensed Practical Nurses were enrolled. The original 34-item scale obtained a good internal consistency but an unsatisfactory confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. The short-form Nursing Stress Scale (11-items) obtained a good internal consistency for Registered Nurses (α = 0.83) and for Licensed Practical Nurses (α = 0.79). Both Nursing Stress Scales obtained a strong correlation for Registered Nurses (rho = 0.904) and for Licensed Practical Nurses (rho = 0.888). The 11-item version of the Nursing Stress Scale is a valid and reliable scale to assess stress perception among Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses. Its short-form nature improves the psychometric properties and the feasibility of the tool.