Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the occurrence of work-related stress on nursing staff. Being resilience an essential element to countering adversity. The aim of the study was to assess burnout syndrome as well as resilience in hospital-care nurses during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of burnout syndrome and resilience of 101 nurses during the first COVID-19 outbreak. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Scale of Resilience of Connor-Davidson were used. Results: The burnout average score was 74.35 ± 12.78 points, and resilience was 27.94 ± 5.84. Temporary nurses reached a lower average score for the emotional fatigue dimension (23.80 ± 10.39 points) p < 0.05. The emotional fatigue dimension correlated adversely with the average score of resilience (r = −0.271; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The level of burnout in nurses was high, being higher on those who took care of COVID-19 patients. Resilient nurses were able to better cope with stressful situations.

Objective To analyse the critical thinking skills of students enrolled in the four academic years of the nursing degree at a public university belonging to the European Higher Education Area. Design Cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive study. Using the Critical Thinking Questionnaire to analyse the critical thinking skills in their substantive and dialogic dimension. Setting Faculty of Nursing, Valladolid Public University in Spain, belonging to the European Higher Education Area. Participants The sample consisted of 215 first-year, second-year, third-year and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. Main outcomes The students of the four academic years were positively disposed towards critical thinking. The students of the final courses obtained higher average scores. Results The study sample was 215 students, 19.1% men/80.9% women. The average score in the substantive dimension (3.81±0.53 points) was higher than that in the dialogic dimension (3.48±0.51 points) (p<0.001). They had a greater ability in listening and speaking (3.77±0.61 points) with respect to writing (3.65±0.61 points) and reading (3.52±0.43 points) (p<0.001). There are significant differences in the critical thinking average scores across academic years. Conclusions Nursing students displayed a greater critical thinking ability in its substantive dimension compared with the dialogic one. This reflects a greater ability in actions related to provide reasons and evidence that support their point of view. Identifying critical thinking skills in nursing students will help establish specific teaching methodologies focused on improving these skills.

Barriers to implementing training strategies for the improvement of evidence-based practice competence of nurses in hospital practice environments still persist. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a specific training within the framework of the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® programme, on nurses' evidence-based practice competence and the practice environment in two hospitals. This is a observational cross-sectional study assessing evidence-based practice competence and perceptions of Practice Environments. The study sample were 204 nurses working at medical and surgical inpatient units at two hospitals involved in the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® programme. The study was conducted from February 2020 to May 2020. Three questionnaires were used to collect data: a sociodemographic/occupational questionnaire, a questionnaire exploring evidence-based practice skills, and a questionnaire exploring nurses' perceptions of their hospital practice environments. A total of 204 nurses participated. They were classified into two groups: those who had received specific training within the framework of the programme, called trained-champions (n = 66), and those who had not yet received training, control group (n = 138). The trained-champions exhibited better evidence-based practice competence values than the control group in all dimensions (p < 0.001), with a higher difference in means in the "Utilisation" dimension (-0.80; CI:-0.99,-0.60) and the "Knowledge" dimension (-0.63; CI:-0.88,-0.38). Trained-champions also had a more positive perception of the practice environments than the controls in all dimensions (p ≤ 0.001). The largest differences in means were in the "Participation" dimension (-0.48; CI:-0.66,-0.31) and in the "Leadership" dimension (-0.41; CI:-0.59,-0.23). Specific EBP training within the framework of the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® programme has succeeded in nurses (trained-champions) obtaining better EBP competence than others without this training. This could have contributed to increase nurses' abilities to integrate evidence into decision making in their clinical practice, while positively influencing them to perceive their PEs more favorably.

The Virginia Henderson model, integrated in the computer application GACELA Care, helps to standardise the nursing assessment and establish precise and personalised nursing diagnoses. The aim was to determine the extent of completion of the initial patient assessment record after nurses following a training programme on nursing methodology. A quasi-experimental, retrospective, randomised, observational, single-group study was performed in two stages: pre-training and post-training. Voluntary training sessions were held for the nurses that work with GACELA Care. The completion of the initial patient assessment using the needs of Virginia Henderson and the Norton scale was evaluated before and after the training sessions. Completion of the needs of Virginia Henderson in the initial patient assessment increased from 94.2% to 100% (p = 0.014). Completion of “hygiene/skin” increased significantly from 83.3% to 95.8% (pre-training and post-training, respectively). The remaining needs did not show statistical significance. Recording of the Norton scale increased from 63.13% to 92.5% (p < 0.001). The training sessions on nursing methodology have improved the completion of records and inclusion of normal characteristics, defining characteristics and risk factors, and improving pressure ulcer risk assessment through the Norton scale.