The social needs of nursing home (NH) residents with dementia are often ignored even though they are capable of expressing their emotions and responding in social interactions. Insufficient social engagement in this population is known to be associated with low quality of life as well as many negative health outcomes, such as mortality, agitation, and functional decline. The purpose of this study was to identify the correlates of social engagement in NH residents with dementia. The study used a descriptive, correlational design. A total of 153 older adults with dementia in 17 Iowa NHs participated in this study. Minimum Data Set for NH version 2.0 served as an outcome measure to evaluate social engagement, cognitive and physical functions, depression, and behavioral symptoms. Demographic data were obtained from the participants' medical records. The findings indicated that no significant relationship was found between demographic characteristics and social engagement. There were significant and negative correlations between the degree of social engagement and the levels of cognitive impairment, activities of daily living impairment, depression, and vision. Among these correlates, depression was the most potent predictor of engagement. The study provided information about the correlates of social engagement in NH residents with dementia. Future research needs to be conducted to develop nursing interventions to involve these individuals in social activities tailored to functional levels, and depression in more diverse geographic regions.

This study aimed to synthesize the best available qualitative research evidence on nurse educators’ experiences with student incivility in undergraduate nursing classrooms. A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence using thematic synthesis was conducted. A systematic search was performed of 12 databases for relevant literature published by March 31, 2019. Two reviewers independently conducted critical quality appraisals using the checklist for qualitative research developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Eleven studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for review. From the pooled study findings, 26 descriptive themes were generated and categorized into the following 5 analytical themes: (1) factors contributing to student incivility, (2) management of student incivility, (3) impact: professional and personal damage, (4) impact: professional growth, and (5) initiatives for the future. Many nurse educators became confident in their role of providing accountability as both educators and gatekeepers and experienced professional growth. However, others experienced damage to their personal and professional life and lost their motivation to teach. Nurse educators recommended the following strategies for preventing or better managing student incivility: institutional efforts by the university, unified approaches for student incivility within a nursing program, a faculty-to-faculty network for mentoring, and better teaching and learning strategies for individual educators. These strategies would help all nurse educators experience professional growth by successfully preventing and managing student incivility.

Summary Purpose The quality of nursing care in geriatric hospitals has been of concern. Nurses need to provide evidence-based nursing using best available research findings in order to maximize the quality of care. Research utilization is a major part of evidence-based nursing practice. Empowerment is an important factor that may influence the context of nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers to research utilization in nursing practice and its relationship to empowerment perceived by registered nurses (RNs) in geriatric hospitals. Methods A descriptive, correlational design was used. A total of 147 RNs from six geriatric hospitals in K province of Korea participated. The BARRIERS scale and the Conditions of Work Empowerment Questionnaire-II were administered to identify perceived barriers to the use of research findings and the level of perceived empowerment respectively. Results Participants rated that research reports being written in English constituted the greatest barrier to the use of research findings. The score was the highest for the Communication domain, suggesting the greatest barrier, and the lowest for the Adopter domain. Subscales of the Conditions of Work Empowerment Questionnaire-II were significant predictors of the Adopter, Organization, and Communication domains of the BARRIERS scale. Conclusions This study found that RNs in geriatric hospitals perceived that interpreting and understanding research reports in English was the greatest barrier to the use of research findings. Administrators and nurse managers of geriatric hospitals need to provide RNs with opportunities to participate in research-related activities and to empower RNs in order to facilitate research utilization.