Cardiology services within primary care often focus on disease prevention, early identification of illness and prompt referral for diagnosis and specialist treatment. Due to advances in pharmaceuticals, implantable cardiac devices and surgical interventions, individuals with heart failure are living longer, which can place a significant strain on global healthcare resources. Heart failure nurses in a primary care setting offer a wealth of clinical knowledge and expertise across all phases of the heart failure trajectory and are able to support patients, family members and other community services, including general practitioners. This review examines the recently published evidence on the current and potential future practice of heart failure nurses within primary care.

Background: Competence in delirium care begins with pre-registration education for health care professionals. Although a common complication for hospitalised patients, delirium is avoidable and reversible. Delirium requires early recognition in person-centred care. Students need to learn how to identify and effectively care for ‘at risk’ patients.Aim: To identify and examine literature on how pre-registration health care professional students are prepared to recognise, assess, and deliver interventions to prevent delirium in practice, using digital/web based educational interventions.Method: Mixed methods systematic review with narrative synthesis. A protocol was registered with PROSPERO. The review questions and search strategy were guided by the Population, Phenomena of Interest, Context (PICo) framework. The PRISMA framework guided the screening, data extraction and analysis. Database searches (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO & Scopus) were undertaken in April 2023 for publications from 2012 to 2023. Covidence software [30] was used to extract and manage the data. Quality appraisal was guided by the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT) [31].Findings: Ten papers were included: mixed methods (2), qualitative (1) and quantitative (7). Medical students were the most studied group (n = 5), followed by student nurses (n = 4) and mixed nursing and medical students (n = 1). Length of learning experience varied from 12 min virtual reality (VR) to a two-week ‘geriatrics’ elective. Learning was enhanced by player autonomy, engagement, safety, applicability, choices, multiple perspectives and moral reasoning opportunities.Discussion: Digital programmes should be visually appealing, interactive with opportunities for practice and timely appropriate feedback.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital serious game intervention about COVID-19 on pre-registration nursing student knowledge. Method: This study included 282 nursing students from a university in Northern Ireland, with 210 students providing comparable pre-test and post-test results. The ‘serious game’ aimed to debunk common COVID-19 myths and provide accurate information about the virus. Participants completed a 25-item questionnaire before and after engaging with the game, which included true/false items based on the World Health Organisation’s list of top COVID-19 myths. The data were analysed using paired t-tests to assess knowledge changes, and scores were calculated as percentages of correct answers. Results: A statistically significant improvement in COVID-19 knowledge was demonstrated among first-year nursing students who engaged with the serious game. The post-test scores (M = 92.68, SD = 13.59) were notably higher than the pre-test scores (M = 82.64, SD = 13.26), with a p-value less than 0.001. Conclusion: This research suggests that integrating serious games into undergraduate nursing education can effectively enhance COVID-19 knowledge. This approach is aligned with the evolving trend of employing technology and gamification in healthcare education.

Up to 26% of individuals residing in care homes are impacted by cancer. This underscores the importance of understanding the holistic needs of care home residents living with cancer to enhance the quality of their care. The primary objective of this integrative literature review was to consolidate the available evidence concerning the comprehensive needs of people living with cancer in care home settings, providing valuable insights into addressing their diverse needs. An integrative literature review was conducted using a systematic approach. Extensive searches were conducted in three databases, complemented by a thorough examination of grey literature and reference lists of relevant papers. The review focused on literature published between 2012 and 2022. The screening process involved two independent reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving any discrepancies. The review identified twenty research papers that met the eligibility criteria. These papers shed light on three primary themes related to the holistic needs of care home residents with cancer: physical, psychological, and end-of-life needs. Physical needs encompassed pain management, symptom control, and nutrition, while psychological needs involved social support, emotional well-being, and mental health care. End-of-life needs addressed end-of-life care and advance care planning. These themes highlight the multifaceted nature of cancer care in care homes and underscore the importance of addressing residents’ holistic needs in a comprehensive and integrated manner. Improving care home education about cancer and integrating palliative and hospice services within this setting are vital for addressing the diverse needs of residents with cancer.

Heart failure has an estimated global prevalence of 64.3 million cases, with an average age of a person living with heart failure at 75.2 years. Approximately 20% of residents living in nursing homes (a long-term residential care environment for some individuals) report living with heart failure. Residents living with heart failure in nursing home environments are often frail, have reduced quality of life, higher rates of rehospitalisation and mortality, and greater complications in heart failure management. Further, nursing home staff often lack the knowledge and skills required to provide the necessary care for those living with heart failure. Interventions for improving heart failure management in nursing homes have proven effective, yet there is a lack of understanding regarding interventions for optimising care provision. The aim of this review was to synthesise the current evidence on educational interventions to optimise care provided to people with heart failure in nursing homes. A scoping review with four databases searched: Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and EMBASE. Relevant reference lists were searched manually for additional records. Studies of nursing home staff or resident outcomes associated with changes in care provision (i.e., resident quality of life, staff knowledge of heart failure) were included. Results from the charting data process were collated into themes: intervention outcomes, changes to practice, and implementation and process evaluation. Seven papers were deemed eligible for inclusion. Most studies (n=6) were comprised of nursing home staff only, with one comprised only of residents. Study aims were to improve heart failure knowledge, interprofessional communication, heart failure assessment and management. Positive changes in staff outcomes were observed, with improvements in knowledge, self-efficacy, and confidence in providing care reported. No difference was reported concerning nursing home resident outcomes. Interprofessional communication and staff ability to conduct heart failure assessments improved post-intervention. Changes to practice were mixed, with issues around sustainability reported. Nursing home staff highlighted their appreciation towards receiving education, recommending that videos, images, and humour could improve the intervention content. There is a paucity of evidence around educational interventions to support residents living with heart failure in nursing homes. However, available evidence suggests that educational interventions in nursing homes may improve care through improving staff self-efficacy and confidence in providing care, heart failure knowledge and interprofessional communication. The complexity of implementing educational interventions in the nursing home setting must be considered during the development process to improve implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability.

Background: Heart failure (HF) affects up to 64.3 million people globally. Advancements in pharmaceutical, device or surgical therapies, have led to patients living longer with HF. Heart failure affects 20% of care home residents, with these individuals presenting as older, frailer, and with more complex needs compared to those living at home. Thus, improving care home staff (e.g., registered nurse and care assistant) knowledge of HF has the potential to benefit patient care and reduce acute care utilization. Our aim is to co-design, and feasibility test, a digital intervention to improve care home staff knowledge of HF and optimise quality of life for those living with the condition in long-term residential care. Methods: Using a logic model, three workstreams have been identified. Workstream 1 (WS1), comprised of three steps, will inform the ‘inputs’ of the model. First, qualitative interviews (n = 20) will be conducted with care home staff to identify facilitators and barriers in the provision of care to people with HF. Concurrently, a scoping review will be undertaken to synthesise current evidence of HF interventions within care homes. The last step will involve a Delphi study with 50–70 key stakeholders (for example care home staff, people with HF and their family and friends) to determine key education priorities related to HF. Using data from WS1, a digital intervention to improve care home staff knowledge and self-efficacy of HF will be co-designed in workstream 2 (WS2) alongside those living with HF or their carers, HF professionals, and care home staff. Lastly, workstream 3 (WS3) will involve mixed-methods feasibility testing of the digital intervention. Outcomes include staff knowledge on HF and self-efficacy in caring for HF residents, intervention usability, perceived benefits of the digital intervention on quality of life for care home residents, and care staff experience of implementing the intervention. Discussion: As HF affects many care home residents, it is vital that care home staff are equipped to support people living with HF in these settings. With limited interventional research in this area, it is envisaged that the resulting digital intervention will have relevance for HF resident care both nationally and internationally.